Wireless on Slackware 12.2 using a Netgear card?

skaldicpoet9 · 03-20-2009, 06:08 AM

I recently switched from using a wired to wireless connection, however, I have not been able to figure out how to get my wireless up and running. I have read through a bunch of read-me's relating to wireless networking on Linux but they are all quite vague and I have to say I am somewhat lost now. If someone could point me in the right direction I'd be much obliged

H_TeXMeX_H · 03-20-2009, 06:32 AM

For that we need to know the exact make, model, and version of the card. If you know it, look it up here:
http://linux-wless.passys.nl/

C-Sniper · 03-20-2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

For that we need to know the exact make, model, and version of the card. If you know it, look it up here:
http://linux-wless.passys.nl/

Then from there have a look at Linuxwireless.org for more information on how to get your card enabled.

skaldicpoet9 · 03-23-2009, 07:35 PM

Awesome, thanks for the replies guys

I have finally got the compat-wireless driver tar from LinuxWireless.org but I cannot figure out how to enable the ath5k driver for my wireless card. I tried enabling it in my Network Settings but it does not seem to have enabled it. Does anyone know how to enable this?

C-Sniper · 03-23-2009, 08:58 PM

For ATH5k, make sure you have your kernel module enabled (either as <y> or <m>). Then it should detect your card.
To see whether or not it is working try this in console as root.
'ifconfig wlanX up && iwlist wlanX scanning'

in the above wlanX is your wireless card. Make sure the X is replaced with the correct number.

skaldicpoet9 · 03-24-2009, 01:04 AM

Ok, so I finally got the internet to work by using iwconfig but I don't know how to save the settings. When I reboot everything is completely reverted back and I have to re-enter all of the network information. Someone told me that I could edit the rc.wireless.conf file in /etc/rc.d but I didn't have any luck trying to alter that as well. I have also tried using wicd to save the settings but it only connects when I configure the wireless from iwconfig which ultimately resets after reboot.
How do I save the settings so I don't have to keep reconfiguring wlan?

jaguarrh · 03-24-2009, 02:57 AM

i am suffering from the same problem but with a different driver, only i didn't write it as succinctly as you.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...t-time-713503/

hopefully this will act as a not so subtle bump for my thrad too, so will be watching with interest.

jag

skaldicpoet9 · 03-24-2009, 04:26 AM

Alright, according to some advice from some fine fellows that helped me out earlier you have to edit your rc.inet1.conf file in your etc/rc.d folder. However, I have edited the file and it still start the wireless during boot. I still have to manually enable it with "dhcpcd wlan0" to use the connection. Here is my rc.inet1.conf file:

Code:

# /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf
#
# This file contains the configuration settings for network interfaces.
# If USE_DHCP[interface] is set to "yes", this overrides any other settings.
# If you don't have an interface, leave the settings null ("").

# You can configure network interfaces other than eth0,eth1... by setting
# IFNAME[interface] to the interface's name. If IFNAME[interface] is unset
# or empty, it is assumed you're configuring eth<interface>.

# Several other parameters are available, the end of this file contains a
# comprehensive set of examples.

# =============================================================================

# Config information for eth0:
#IPADDR[0]=""
#NETMASK[0]=""
#USE_DHCP[0]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[0]=""

# Config information for eth1:
#IPADDR[1]=""
#NETMASK[1]=""
#USE_DHCP[1]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[1]=""

# Config information for eth2:
#IPADDR[2]=""
#NETMASK[2]=""
#USE_DHCP[2]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[2]=""

# Config information for eth3:
#IPADDR[3]=""
#NETMASK[3]=""
#USE_DHCP[3]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[3]=""

# Default gateway IP address:
GATEWAY="192.168.1.1"

# Change this to "yes" for debugging output to stdout.  Unfortunately,
# /sbin/hotplug seems to disable stdout so you'll only see debugging output
# when rc.inet1 is called directly.
DEBUG_ETH_UP="no"

## Example config information for wlan0.  Uncomment the lines you need and fill
## in your info.  (You may not need all of these for your wireless network)
IFNAME[4]="wlan0"
IPADDR[4]=""
NETMASK[4]=""
USE_DHCP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""
WLAN_ESSID[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
WLAN_MODE[4]="Managed"
WLAN_RATE[4]="54M auto"
WLAN_CHANNEL[4]="auto"
WLAN_KEY[4]="521B56D5F5"
##WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set WPAPSK=96389dc66eaf7e6efd5b5523ae43c7925ff4df2f8b7099495192d44a774fda16"
#WLAN_WPA[4]="wpa_supplicant"
#WLAN_WPADRIVER[4]="ndiswrapper"

## Some examples of additional network parameters that you can use.
## Config information for wlan0:
#IFNAME[4]="wlan0"              # Use a different interface name nstead of
                                # the default 'eth4'
#HWADDR[4]="00:01:23:45:67:89"  # Overrule the card's hardware MAC address
#MTU[4]=""                      # The default MTU is 1500, but you might need
                                # 1360 when you use NAT'ed IPSec traffic.
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"       # If you dont want /etc/resolv.conf overwritten
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"          # If you don't want ntp.conf overwritten
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"           # If you don't want the DHCP server to change
                                # your default gateway
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""              # Request a specific IP address from the DHCP
                                # server
#WLAN_ESSID[4]=DARKSTAR         # Here, you can override _any_ parameter
                                # defined in rc.wireless.conf, by prepending
                                # 'WLAN_' to the parameter's name. Useful for
                                # those with multiple wireless interfaces.
#WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set WPAPSK=thekey"
                                # Some drivers require a private ioctl to be
                                # set through the iwpriv command. If more than
                                # one is required, you can place them in the
                                # IWPRIV parameter (separated with the pipe (|)
                                # character, see the example).
#USE_DHCP[wlan0]="yes"

I don't know what I am missing.

During boot it starts Polling for DHCP on eth0 for some reason even though there are no parameters defined for eth0 in the rc.inet1.conf file.

I have been at this for the better part of the last day and have been going mad just trying to figure out how to get these settings to stick.

If anyone can help I would appreciate it tremendously.

tomtomjkw · 03-24-2009, 06:32 AM

Clear completely your /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf, comment out everything according to wlan and configure it by wicd by clicking the name of your network, then advanced settings.

C-Sniper · 03-24-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skaldicpoet9

Alright, according to some advice from some fine fellows that helped me out earlier you have to edit your rc.inet1.conf file in your etc/rc.d folder. However, I have edited the file and it still start the wireless during boot. I still have to manually enable it with "dhcpcd wlan0" to use the connection. Here is my rc.inet1.conf file:

Code:

# /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf
#
# This file contains the configuration settings for network interfaces.
# If USE_DHCP[interface] is set to "yes", this overrides any other settings.
# If you don't have an interface, leave the settings null ("").

# You can configure network interfaces other than eth0,eth1... by setting
# IFNAME[interface] to the interface's name. If IFNAME[interface] is unset
# or empty, it is assumed you're configuring eth<interface>.

# Several other parameters are available, the end of this file contains a
# comprehensive set of examples.

# =============================================================================

# Config information for eth0:
#IPADDR[0]=""
#NETMASK[0]=""
#USE_DHCP[0]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[0]=""

# Config information for eth1:
#IPADDR[1]=""
#NETMASK[1]=""
#USE_DHCP[1]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[1]=""

# Config information for eth2:
#IPADDR[2]=""
#NETMASK[2]=""
#USE_DHCP[2]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[2]=""

# Config information for eth3:
#IPADDR[3]=""
#NETMASK[3]=""
#USE_DHCP[3]=""
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[3]=""

# Default gateway IP address:
GATEWAY="192.168.1.1"

# Change this to "yes" for debugging output to stdout.  Unfortunately,
# /sbin/hotplug seems to disable stdout so you'll only see debugging output
# when rc.inet1 is called directly.
DEBUG_ETH_UP="no"

## Example config information for wlan0.  Uncomment the lines you need and fill
## in your info.  (You may not need all of these for your wireless network)
IFNAME[4]="wlan0"
IPADDR[4]=""
NETMASK[4]=""
USE_DHCP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""
WLAN_ESSID[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
WLAN_MODE[4]="Managed"
WLAN_RATE[4]="54M auto"
WLAN_CHANNEL[4]="auto"
WLAN_KEY[4]="521B56D5F5"
##WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set WPAPSK=96389dc66eaf7e6efd5b5523ae43c7925ff4df2f8b7099495192d44a774fda16"
#WLAN_WPA[4]="wpa_supplicant"
#WLAN_WPADRIVER[4]="ndiswrapper"

## Some examples of additional network parameters that you can use.
## Config information for wlan0:
#IFNAME[4]="wlan0"              # Use a different interface name nstead of
                                # the default 'eth4'
#HWADDR[4]="00:01:23:45:67:89"  # Overrule the card's hardware MAC address
#MTU[4]=""                      # The default MTU is 1500, but you might need
                                # 1360 when you use NAT'ed IPSec traffic.
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"       # If you dont want /etc/resolv.conf overwritten
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"          # If you don't want ntp.conf overwritten
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"           # If you don't want the DHCP server to change
                                # your default gateway
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""              # Request a specific IP address from the DHCP
                                # server
#WLAN_ESSID[4]=DARKSTAR         # Here, you can override _any_ parameter
                                # defined in rc.wireless.conf, by prepending
                                # 'WLAN_' to the parameter's name. Useful for
                                # those with multiple wireless interfaces.
#WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set WPAPSK=thekey"
                                # Some drivers require a private ioctl to be
                                # set through the iwpriv command. If more than
                                # one is required, you can place them in the
                                # IWPRIV parameter (separated with the pipe (|)
                                # character, see the example).
#USE_DHCP[wlan0]="yes"

I don't know what I am missing.

During boot it starts Polling for DHCP on eth0 for some reason even though there are no parameters defined for eth0 in the rc.inet1.conf file.

I have been at this for the better part of the last day and have been going mad just trying to figure out how to get these settings to stick.

If anyone can help I would appreciate it tremendously.

If you are going to be using wireless a lot I would suggest looking at WICD which can be found in the /extra directory on the Slackware 12.2 cd/dvd. I currently use this and it takes the hassle out of setting up iwconfig each time you want to connect.

skaldicpoet9 · 03-24-2009, 03:54 PM

Ok, I cleared out the whole rc.inet1.conf file and commented out all of the wlan0 settings:

Code:

IFNAME[4]="wlan0"
#IPADDR[4]=""
#NETMASK[4]=""
USE_DHCP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[4]=""
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""
WLAN_ESSID[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
WLAN_MODE[4]="Managed"
WLAN_RATE[4]="54M auto"
WLAN_CHANNEL[4]="auto"
WLAN_KEY[4]="521B56D5F5"
##WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set ##WPAPSK=96389dc66eaf7e6efd5b5523ae43c7925ff4df2f8b7099495192d44a774fda16"
#WLAN_WPA[4]="wpa_supplicant"
#WLAN_WPADRIVER[4]="ndiswrapper"

....but the wireless will still not connect at boot. I have WICD installed but it doesn't enable itself at startup. I have the WICD "advanced settings" set but it does not seem to do anything. When the computer booted up this time I tried to disable dhcp (but was unabel to because it said it was still running) so I used "dhcpcd -k wlan0" and then "/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_restart" to restart the wireless and it fired up again no problem. I am really at a loss here.

C-Sniper · 03-24-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skaldicpoet9

Ok, I cleared out the whole rc.inet1.conf file and commented out all of the wlan0 settings:

Code:

IFNAME[4]="wlan0"
#IPADDR[4]=""
#NETMASK[4]=""
USE_DHCP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_HOSTNAME[4]=""
#DHCP_KEEPRESOLV[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPNTP[4]="yes"
#DHCP_KEEPGW[4]="yes"
#DHCP_IPADDR[4]=""
WLAN_ESSID[4]="Super Megamo Ultimate 6"
WLAN_MODE[4]="Managed"
WLAN_RATE[4]="54M auto"
WLAN_CHANNEL[4]="auto"
WLAN_KEY[4]="521B56D5F5"
##WLAN_IWPRIV[4]="set AuthMode=WPAPSK | set EncrypType=TKIP | set ##WPAPSK=96389dc66eaf7e6efd5b5523ae43c7925ff4df2f8b7099495192d44a774fda16"
#WLAN_WPA[4]="wpa_supplicant"
#WLAN_WPADRIVER[4]="ndiswrapper"

....but the wireless will still not connect at boot. I have WICD installed but it doesn't enable itself at startup. I have the WICD "advanced settings" set but it does not seem to do anything. When the computer booted up this time I tried to disable dhcp (but was unabel to because it said it was still running) so I used "dhcpcd -k wlan0" and then "/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_restart" to restart the wireless and it fired up again no problem. I am really at a loss here.

Did you do the Slackbuild install? It should install and start flawlessly. Check to see that the /etc/rc.d/rc.wicd is executable and that /etc/rc.d/rc.local contains the scripts to execute that file on startup

skaldicpoet9 · 03-24-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Sniper

Did you do the Slackbuild install? It should install and start flawlessly. Check to see that the /etc/rc.d/rc.wicd is executable and that /etc/rc.d/rc.local contains the scripts to execute that file on startup

Oh, it installed and starts when Slack boots but it doesn't enable the wireless. Whenever the computer starts and I mouse over the wicd system tray icon it says "Not Connected", even though I have the all the settings typed out in the advanced settings tab. I have the "Automatically connect to this network" box checked and the "Use these settings for all networks sharing this essid" and the "Use Encryption" box is checked as well.

(all of the available wireless networks are detected in wicd as well but I cannot connect until I kill dhcp and restart /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1)

My encryption is set to WEP passphrase but I have also tried setting it to WEP shared/restricted.

Upon boot it looks like the wlan0 connects but then whenever I startx into KDE it just doesn't connect until I reset it again.

C-Sniper · 03-24-2009, 07:18 PM

In your rc.inet1.conf you missed the commenting out of the USE_DHCP[4].

skaldicpoet9 · 03-24-2009, 09:11 PM

Hmm, when I comment out USE_DHCP[4] I get this:

Code:

/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1:  wlan0 information: 'Any ESSID'
Error for wireless request "Set Nickname" (8B1C) :
SET failed on device wlan0 ; Operation not supported.

and can't connect to the internet until I un-comment it.