Using Ndiswrapper 1.7

barton · 12-15-2005, 04:31 AM

Ok, its been a while since I've done this and the software has changed since I wrote a tutorial for the .11 version.

My Question:
What config file does ndiswrapper reference for parameters? i.e. ESSID, CHANNEL, KEY, FREQ
I thought it was rc.wireless.conf by for some reason Slack 10.2 is refering me to a somewhere else.

In the past I would put configuration information in rc.wireless.conf.

Is rc.wireless.conf still the appropriate place to put that type of information?

Hangdog42 · 12-15-2005, 07:24 AM

Personally, I've found it much easier to use my own scripts for configuring my wireless card. However, if you are using a single access point, then I think rc.wireless.conf is probably good.

barton · 12-16-2005, 02:31 AM

I made sure I went through proper installation and configuration of the hardware. Its a matter of having the rc.wireless script execute properly at bootup. I have rc.local set to execute on startup.

rc.local

Code:

/etc/rc.d/rc.wireless wlano
/sbin/dhcpcd wlan0

This is result of rc.local trying to execute.

Code:

The rc.wireless script script can only run from within rc.inet1
Try running "/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_start" instead.

I would prefer not using "/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_start". I edited to the rc.inet1.conf appropriately but when I enter in the command "/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_start" this is the result dhcpcd timing out. This is really frustrating. I prefer the "rc.wireless wlan" method the best. It was clean and separate from other network interfaces.

This is especially frustrating because my "old" approach (rc.wireless wlan0) worked perfectly with Slack 10.0, Ndiswrapper 0.11, & and the original drivers (wmpci54g.inf). The only thing different is that I have 128 wep enabled and yes I double checked to make sure the key was properly included in the configuration files.

So... I am at a loss for words and out of solutions. (Other then rolling back to the older versions, but I'd prefer keeping Slack 10.2 & Ndiswrapper 1.7)

Hangdog42 · 12-16-2005, 07:21 AM

As with most things Slackware, a little quality time with a text editor should make things more to your taste.....

The "error" your seeing doesn't have anything to do with ndiswrapper, but rather Slackware script changes that were probably introduced between 10.0 and 10.2.

If you open up rc.wireless in a text editor, near the top you'll find this:

Code:

if [ -z $IFNAME ] ; then
  echo "The rc.wireless script can only run from within rc.inet1"
  echo "Try running \"/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 ${1}_start\" instead."
  return 1 2> /dev/null || exit 1
fi

If you just comment that out, you should be able to run rc.wireless from within any script.

The part I don't get about this script is the use of the _start bit. From looking at the script, rc.wireless doesn't use the normal Slackware start|stop|restart options so it shouldn't really be needed. In fact the only place where the word start is used is in the error messages. I guess this is the long winded way of saying that using wlan0_start may be causing the DHCP error because the script actually thinks the card name is wlan0_start, not wlan0.

So I would comment out that bit of code and see if running rc.wireless wlan0 doesn't work again.

barton · 12-17-2005, 02:07 PM

I commented the following out.

Code:

if [ -z $IFNAME ] ; then
  echo "The rc.wireless script can only run from within rc.inet1"
  echo "Try running \"/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 ${1}_start\" instead."
  return 1 2> /dev/null || exit 1
fi

Now rc.wireless executes properly; unfortunately, the command "/etc/sbin/dhcpcd wlan0" still timesout. I have tested the location and there is a strong wireless signal.

After a complete bootup I ran "iwconfig wlano". This was the strange result:

Code:

IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:off/any  Nickname:"www"
MODE:Managed  FREQUENCY:2.417Ghz  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00
Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power: 14 dBm
RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr=2346 B
Encryption Key:E637-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-04  Security Mode: Restricted
Power Management: off
Link Quality: 0  Signal Level:0  Noise Level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0   Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0  Missed Beacon: 0

This is strange because the Frequency is supposed to be 2.642 (Channel 11).
But it was able to properly configure the WEP key.

Hangdog42 · 12-17-2005, 02:46 PM

I'm going to guess that even though the WEP key is set, you aren't actually connected to your access point. I'm suspicious because in your iwconfig output the ESSID is off/any and usually it picks up the proper ssid if it connects. Also the fact that the card isn't on the correct frequency suggests it isn't picking up the AP properly. I also have my AP set to use channel 11, and my card always picks it up after I've set the ssid and WEP key. Of course if the card isn't picking up the AP, dhcpcd isn't going to work. By the way, you might have a look in your log files and see if dhcpcd is complaining about something.

And if you're interested, the following is a script I use a lot to configure and run my card. I call it from rc.local.

Code:

#!/bin/sh
   #
   # rc.wlan0
   #

   ESSID="YourSSID HERE"
   INTERFACE="wlan0"
   KEY="YourWEPKeyHere"
   MODE="Managed"

   #Load the module
   echo "Loading NDISWRAPPER"
   /sbin/modprobe ndiswrapper

   # Set up the WiFi card

   echo "Configuring ${INTERFACE}:"
   /sbin/iwconfig ${INTERFACE} essid ${ESSID}
   /sbin/iwconfig ${INTERFACE} mode ${MODE}
   /sbin/iwconfig ${INTERFACE} key ${KEY}

   # Get IP address from dhcp
   #This is somewhat Slackware specific you may
   #need to change it for your distro

   /sbin/dhcpcd -t 10 -d -N wlan0

   # Bring up interface - I'm not sure if this is necessary, 
   # but it doesn't hurt

   ifconfig wlan0 up

barton · 12-17-2005, 03:26 PM

Thanks. I'll give it a try and follow up with the results. I appreciate all the help.

barton · 12-17-2005, 05:05 PM

"modprobe ndiswrapper"
Return saying "Note: /etc/modules.conf is more recent the /lib/modules/2.4.31.modules.dep"

Its never said that before.

But for good news... dmesg says this:

Code:

wlan0: encryption modes supported: WEP; TKIP with WPA; AES/CCMP with WMPA

Before with an older version I just got rid of, did not support encryption.

But I still have not internet access.

Hangdog42 · 12-18-2005, 07:35 AM

You need to post more details, like the outputs of ifconfig, iwconfig and any relevant log entries. I'm still thinking that the configuration isn't happening corretctly.

onebuck · 12-18-2005, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barton

"modprobe ndiswrapper"
Return saying "Note: /etc/modules.conf is more recent the /lib/modules/2.4.31.modules.dep"

Its never said that before.

But for good news... dmesg says this:

Code:

wlan0: encryption modes supported: WEP; TKIP with WPA; AES/CCMP with WMPA

Before with an older version I just got rid of, did not support encryption.

But I still have not internet access.

Hi,

Did you look at your /etc/modules.conf file? When you do a modprobe ndiswrapper -m then the file is modified.

You need to post the output of;

iwconfig
ifconfig
and portion of dmesg or syslog to show what is happening. The one you earlier posted indicate the wrong channel for the one you state you are using.

What happens when you scan for the AP?

barton · 12-18-2005, 01:33 PM

What the command to scan for Access Points?

cathectic · 12-18-2005, 03:55 PM

Code:

iwlist <wireless device> scan