Optimistic Rookie chooses Slackware as first Linux distribution : Broadcom 802.11b/g [4311] rev 01 issue. Uncertain.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-17-2017, 09:04 PM

To anyone who happens by this thread:

I am a rookie when it comes to Linux. I chose Slackware as my first distribution because I appreciate the understanding that comes with it.
To preface this question, I installed Slackware 14.1 during autumn of last year. Life has been busy, so I have been examining Linux on and off for a while now. Naturally, I forgot my root credentials several times over several hiatuses. This lead to my dual boot set up becoming a ... single boot. I had originally dual booted Windows 7 with Slackware. The Windows partition became damaged somehow, and now only Slackware remains. I believe I may have overwritten the partition by mistake.

Personally, I love a challenge. I became determined to figure out Slackware so that I could still use my Intel laptop. However, during the installation process I was unaware of the consequences of my choices. I am almost certain that my settings are configured in some strange way because of my limited knowledge (not tech savvy).

Through trial and error, I am slowly learning how to explore Slackware through the terminal. I've learned how to mount a USB drive and perform other basic administrative actions, but my knowledge is still quite limited. I am striving for basic functionality at this point. I have read through many online documents and shuffled through manual pages in an attempt to figure this out on my own. I don't think I am able to solve this one on my own without some experienced advice.

Currently, I am trying to establish Network Connectivity. I don't know much about networking, but what I am trying to do is connect to my home WiFi. After I can connect to the internet via WiFi, I'll be able to update things and perform more complex fixes. WiFi is a must for me. I strongly prefer it over an Ethernet cable (laptop needs to stay mobile).

When I use "iwconfig" it returns both "eth0" and "lo" with "no wireless connections".
I did some research on this matter and found that my Intel Laptop contains a "Broadcom 802.11b/g [4311] rev 01" network controller.

That's right... time to look for driver support...

I found an extremely helpful page that I stumbled through step by step.
The page I found was the SlackWiki page:
https://www.slackwiki.com/Broadcom_Wireless
I've followed this page very closely and performed all the necessary actions that were listed. I even made a few clever deductions along the way about the SlackBuild process. However, I have not been able to get the WiFi card to become recognized. I have the "wl" module installed. I have blacklisted various items as the SlackBuild requested. During the SlackBuild process, I witnessed several verbose lines of text which read "CFG80211 not enabled" and "Wireless Extensions not enabled". I've done several searches about them but came up with nothing.

I have a feeling that when I first installed Slackware, I instructed it to do something with my network configurations that I didn't understand (and still don't understand).
Is that a feasible possibility?
I am at a loss for ideas at this point. I have done several other tutorials which I cannot remember because they were committed in the midst of real world obligations.

Is my best option to reinstall Slackware for the Nth time? Perhaps I should upgrade to 14.2 while I'm at it? I have not put any real substance into this install. I've moved some files around and made changes that were likely erroneous.
The logical part of my brain is telling me to just reinstall the operating system, but the Computer Science part of my brain is telling me to figure it out and learn something in the process. I apologize in advance for being inept. Quite honestly, I do not even know if I'm using this forum correctly. If my question has already been asked or I don't belong in this section, feel free to let me know.
Any recommended reading for a new Slacker? (Aside from the mountain of readme files?)

I am enjoying becoming better acquainted with Linux. It might just prove to be my preferred system if I can surmount this learning curve.

Thanks in Advance,

Cellar_Dweller

Bindestreck · 06-19-2017, 06:21 AM

A simple question: Are you sure your wireless is hardware enabled using a switch on your laptop?

aragorn2101 · 06-19-2017, 06:41 AM

Hi, Welcome to LQ,

Firstly, it is great to see that you are opting for Slackware. I hope you will stick with it and learn as much as possible.

Secondly, you wrote a little bit too much there. I didn't have the courage and time to read your post completely, sorry. It would have been more useful if you told us what you tried and posted the commands along with the outputs using the [CODE] constructs.

Ok, from what I see, you tried to install a proper driver for the Broadcom device but it is not working. Please reply to Bindestreck's question and my question is also very simple: is /etc/rc.d/rc.wireless executable?

Since you are a rookie, I will advise you to simply set rc.wireless executable and use network manager, for which /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager should be executable as well.

55020 · 06-19-2017, 07:23 AM

This may not be the right solution to your problem, but I vaguely remember Broadcom wireless problems with 14.1. So upgrading to 14.2 might help. But I could be wrong.

allend · 06-19-2017, 09:22 AM

I was a rookie when it came to Linux and I chose Slackware as my first (and ongoing) distribution.

The Broadcom beasties can be tricky.
As you have found, you need to add an appropriate driver and firmware, due to Broadcom licensing restrictions. These are available at SlackBuilds.org.

You then need to decide how you want to use your wireless device. On a laptop, I strongly recommend using NetworkManager. wicd is a viable option for a simple wireless connection and has a better CLI interface (wicd-curses), but lacks support for USB modems and VPN connections.

From the email to root titled "Welcome to Linux (Slackware 14.1)!" (bold emphasis is mine)

Quote:

If you will be using wireless (or even a wired interface), you might
want to let NetworkManager handle your network connections. This is
a choice during the initial installation, but may also be selected
later by rerunning netconfig, or by setting the startup script
to executable (chmod 755 /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager). When Network
Manager is used to handle connections, a nice interface is provided
to scan for wireless access points and make changes to the network
configuration. This interface runs automatically with KDE or Xfce.
In fluxbox, the nm-applet program will need to be launched. Other
window managers lack a system tray to display nm-applet, so for those
you might want to look at wicd in /extra, which also provides a nice
GUI tool for connecting to wireless (or wired) networks. For window
managers that do not provide a tray for running programs, start
"wicd-client" to make changes. With NetworkManager or wicd, it's
a good idea to remove any existing network configuration in
/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf first. This can be done by running netconfig
and setting the machine to use loopback. Then, if you're using
NetworkManager run it a second time and select NetworkManager.

You will also need to configure NetworkManager with the appropriate settings for your wireless access point (e.g. SSID, encryption, password). You need to right click on the nm-applet icon and use the "Edit Connections" dialog. It seems to be necessary to select "Save settings for all users" for many users.

The output of the following commands (run as root in a terminal) may help in debugging your setup.
'lspci -k' - To show the device and kernel module in use.
'rfkill list' - To show the status of the hardware. A hard block is caused by a physical switch. A soft block is a software setting.

PROBLEMCHYLD · 06-19-2017, 02:06 PM

For starters, Don't blacklist anything if you have a clean install. Build these 2 packages and install them. All of my laptops have Broadcom Wireless and I never had a problem once I figured out how to do it.

https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...earch=fwcutter
https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1.../b43-firmware/

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindestreck

A simple question: Are you sure your wireless is hardware enabled using a switch on your laptop?

Affirmative.
There is a switch on the left side of the laptop.
The "Dell WiFi Catcher" light is completely off, thereby indicating that it isn't scanning for a signal.
When I pull the switch to its "on" position, the light does not come on.
The WiFi icon remains unlit.

Thanks for reminding me about the switch.
All day at work I thought my problem was solved.
However, it seems to be more technical than that.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragorn2101

Hi, Welcome to LQ,

Firstly, it is great to see that you are opting for Slackware. I hope you will stick with it and learn as much as possible.

Secondly, you wrote a little bit too much there. I didn't have the courage and time to read your post completely, sorry. It would have been more useful if you told us what you tried and posted the commands along with the outputs using the [CODE] constructs.

Ok, from what I see, you tried to install a proper driver for the Broadcom device but it is not working. Please reply to Bindestreck's question and my question is also very simple: is /etc/rc.d/rc.wireless executable?

Since you are a rookie, I will advise you to simply set rc.wireless executable and use network manager, for which /etc/rc.d/rc.networkmanager should be executable as well.

Thank you for the reply.

After answering Bindestreck's question, I attempted to execute rc.wireless as root. The prompt informed me that the script should be executed by rc.inet1 rather than on its own using the command /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 <your_interface_start>.
I did however use:

Code:

 chmod 755 rc.networkmanager

so that I could run it as an executable.
By giving it the argument 'start' it seems to have started the daemon.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 55020

This may not be the right solution to your problem, but I vaguely remember Broadcom wireless problems with 14.1. So upgrading to 14.2 might help. But I could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply.

If all else fails, I will definitely upgrade.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allend

I was a rookie when it came to Linux and I chose Slackware as my first (and ongoing) distribution.

The Broadcom beasties can be tricky.
As you have found, you need to add an appropriate driver and firmware, due to Broadcom licensing restrictions. These are available at SlackBuilds.org.

You then need to decide how you want to use your wireless device. On a laptop, I strongly recommend using NetworkManager. wicd is a viable option for a simple wireless connection and has a better CLI interface (wicd-curses), but lacks support for USB modems and VPN connections.

From the email to root titled "Welcome to Linux (Slackware 14.1)!" (bold emphasis is mine)

You will also need to configure NetworkManager with the appropriate settings for your wireless access point (e.g. SSID, encryption, password). You need to right click on the nm-applet icon and use the "Edit Connections" dialog. It seems to be necessary to select "Save settings for all users" for many users.

The output of the following commands (run as root in a terminal) may help in debugging your setup.
'lspci -k' - To show the device and kernel module in use.
'rfkill list' - To show the status of the hardware. A hard block is caused by a physical switch. A soft block is a software setting.

I followed your instructions as listed above.
When I open the Network Manager App through KDE,
the wireless option is grayed out. Until I figure out what's blocking it,
I am unable to enter my settings.

It might also be worthy to mention that

Code:

rfkill list

returns no output.
I have also tried

Code:

rfkill list all

and

Code:

rfkill list wifi

.
I am aware of the lspci command because I used it to find out more about my network controller.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PROBLEMCHYLD

For starters, Don't blacklist anything if you have a clean install. Build these 2 packages and install them. All of my laptops have Broadcom Wireless and I never had a problem once I figured out how to do it.

https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...earch=fwcutter
https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1.../b43-firmware/

Thank you for the links. I will build them as soon as possible.
Before I perform the builds I am going to remove the blacklists that I have created.
I will remove the "wl" module and replace the b43 module that was blacklisted before
compiling these SlackBuilds. I will update this thread as soon as possible.

kjhambrick · 06-19-2017, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cellar_Dweller

...<<snip>>
I am aware of the lspci command because I used it to find out more about my network controller.

Cellar_Dweller --

What is the output of the lspci command ?

-- kjh

This is what I see on my laptop:

$ lspci

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Sky Lake Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sky Lake PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H Thermal subsystem (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H CSME HECI #1 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode] (rev 31)
00:1b.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Root Port #17 (rev f1)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #1 (rev f1)
00:1c.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #7 (rev f1)
00:1c.7 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #8 (rev f1)
00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f1)
00:1d.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #13 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PMC (rev 31)
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H HD Audio (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 970M] (rev a1)
01:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GM204 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
02:00.0 SATA controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device a801 (rev 01)
3c:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10)
3d:00.0 SD Host controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5250 PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
3e:00.0 SATA controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device a801 (rev 01)
3f:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 32)

igadoter · 06-19-2017, 04:19 PM

Wrong turn bro. Okey, dokey as idiot savant I can tell you this: open driver works fro some Broadcom wifi cards. Eg. it works for. But the first thing we need is output of command

Code:

$ lspci -n | grep 4311

then we can talk is there chance for you to run open driver. Ehm, do you have switch, button? Wifi can be locked. Test this

Code:

$ rfkill list

it does not hurt. See you. Rfkill utility is in extra catalogue of Slackware distro. Whatever.

Cellar_Dweller · 06-19-2017, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjhambrick

Cellar_Dweller --

What is the output of the lspci command ?

-- kjh

This is what I see on my laptop:

$ lspci

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Sky Lake Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sky Lake PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H Thermal subsystem (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H CSME HECI #1 (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode] (rev 31)
00:1b.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Root Port #17 (rev f1)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #1 (rev f1)
00:1c.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #7 (rev f1)
00:1c.7 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #8 (rev f1)
00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f1)
00:1d.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #13 (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PMC (rev 31)
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H HD Audio (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SMBus (rev 31)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 970M] (rev a1)
01:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GM204 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
02:00.0 SATA controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device a801 (rev 01)
3c:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10)
3d:00.0 SD Host controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5250 PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
3e:00.0 SATA controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Device a801 (rev 01)
3f:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 32)

Hello KJH,

As requested, the output of the lspci command is:

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express PCI Express Root Port (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 01)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 01)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 3 (rev 01)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 4 (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) SATA Controller [IDE mode] (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation G72M [GeForce Go 7400] (rev a1)
03:01.0 CardBus bridge: O2 Micro, Inc. Cardbus bridge (rev 21)
03:01.4 FireWire (IEEE 1394): O2 Micro, Inc. Firewire (IEEE 1394) (rev 02)
09:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5752 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express (rev 02)
0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 01)

It took me a moment to figure out how to pipe the output into a text file.
I had to transport the info on a USB.
I am very new to this.

Regards,
CD

kjhambrick · 06-19-2017, 04:42 PM

Cellar_Dweller --

This line:

Code:

0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 01)

Means that PROBLEMCHYLD nailed it ... you'll want to install the two SlackBuilds he referenced:

Quote:

Originally Posted by PROBLEMCHYLD

For starters, Don't blacklist anything if you have a clean install. Build these 2 packages and install them. All of my laptops have Broadcom Wireless and I never had a problem once I figured out how to do it.

https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1...earch=fwcutter
https://slackbuilds.org/repository/1.../b43-firmware/

-- kjh

P.S. yes, sometimes getting text off a Box without a network can be quite a task