WiFi Cannot Scan

[eltone]

check wireless is enabled in bios and any hardware wireless switch is set to "on"

reboot your machine without any firmware or wireless extensions loaded

cut and install the b43 firmware as detailed above

load the wireless-KERNEL extension

paste the results of "dmesg | tail -20" or similar

Dear Juanito:

I had important business interrupt solving this problem, so machine was shut down following previous post.

Now, paste data following reboot:

Code: [Select]

tc@box:~$ dmesg
mitc@box:~$ crocode: AMD CPU family 0xf not supported
8139too 0000:06:06.0 eth0: link up, 100Mbps, full-duplex, lpa 0x41E1
microcode: AMD CPU family 0xf not supported
cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
b43-phy0: Broadcom 4318 WLAN found (core revision 9)
b43-phy0: Found PHY: Analog 3, Type 2 (G), Revision 7
Broadcom 43xx driver loaded [ Features: PMNL ]
b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
tc@box:~$


The cut/install firmware step appears transient.

Q: How can all this be made persistant, so it eliminates manual setup following every reboot?

Sincerely,
eltone

[gerald_clark]

You need to make an extension out of it or add the b43 directory to your /opt/.filetool.lst and do a backup.

[eltone]

You need to make an extension out of it or add the b43 directory to your /opt/.filetool.lst and do a backup.

hi,

Followed #28 recipe that resulted in the following wifi dialog:

wlan0 interface doesn't support scanning

This dialog then vanishes!  It is much too early to consider another b43 extension/backup, etc.  Wifi previously controlled the hardware LED and suspect missing dependencies remain. 

eltone

Code: [Select]

root@box:~# lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by    Not tainted
b43                   278528  0
mac80211              155648  1 b43
bcma                   24576  1 b43
cfg80211              110592  2 b43,mac80211
ntfs                   73728  3
cpufreq_stats          12288  0
cpufreq_powersave      12288  0
cpufreq_userspace      12288  0
cpufreq_conservative    12288  0
squashfs               24576 89
loop                   20480 178
hp_wmi                 12288  0
sparse_keymap          12288  1 hp_wmi
powernow_k8            16384  0
sdhci_pci              12288  0
pcspkr                 12288  0
sdhci                  24576  1 sdhci_pci
8139cp                 20480  0
mmc_core               53248  1 sdhci
tifm_7xx1              12288  0
video                  16384  0
ssb                    36864  1 b43
8139too                20480  0
tifm_core              12288  1 tifm_7xx1
backlight              12288  1 video
ac                     12288  0
battery                16384  0
wmi                    12288  1 hp_wmi
root@box:~#




[Juanito]

wlan0 interface doesn't support scanning

I usually see something like this when the wifi hardware switch on my laptop is set "off".

I copied the rfkill extension to the 5.x repo, could you check that you get something like this:

Code: [Select]

$ rfkill list wifi
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
1: brcmwl-0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no

Wifi previously controlled the hardware LED and suspect missing dependencies remain

I no longer have hardware that uses b43, but using my laptop with both ndiswrapper and wl-modules-KERNEL, the hardware LED comes on when the driver is loaded.

[eltone]

hi,

For comparison, I just loaded the  TCP 5.1 LiveUSB onto my vintage 1998 hp desktop, w/256MB RAM:

Code: [Select]



root@box:~# ndiswrapper -i /mnt/sdb1/drivers/wxptpl/net8185.inf
installing net8185 ...
root@box:~# modprobe ndiswrapper
root@box:~# iwlist scan
ip_vti0   Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

dummy0    Interface doesn't support scanning.

lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

tunl0     Interface doesn't support scanning.

root@box:~# dmesg
Initializing cgroup subsys cpuset
Initializing cgroup subsys cpu
Linux version 3.8.13-tinycore (tc@box) (gcc version 4.7.2 (GCC) ) #2511 SMP Fri                                                                                        Oct 18 14:41:31 UTC 2013
microcode: CPU0 sig=0x665, pf=0x10, revision=0x1
Adding 58188k swap on /dev/zram0.  Priority:-1 extents:1 across:58188k SS
squashfs: version 4.0 (2009/01/31) Phillip Lougher
ppdev: user-space parallel port driver
microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter O                                                                                       ruba
Adding 1023996k swap on /dev/sdb2.  Priority:-2 extents:1 across:1023996k
cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
rtl8180 0000:00:0a.0: enabling device (0014 -> 0017)
ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'pid'
ieee80211 phy0: hwaddr 002719dac50f, RTL8185vD + rtl8225z2
Disabling lock debugging due to kernel taint
ndiswrapper version 1.58 loaded (smp=yes, preempt=no)
usbcore: registered new interface driver ndiswrapper
root@box:~# ndiswrapper

The WLAN chipset is RTL8185L, mdl # TL-WN353G, PCI adapter w/NO hardware switch.


The same error is trapped on this machine:

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

Suspect bug in scan lib . . .

eltone

[Juanito]

maybe we could stick to the bcm4318 

What does rfkill show after cutting/installing the broadcom firmware and loading the wireless-KERNEL extension?

[eltone]

wlan0 interface doesn't support scanning

I usually see something like this when the wifi hardware switch on my laptop is set "off".

I copied the rfkill extension to the 5.x repo, could you check that you get something like this:

Hey Juanito!

Just did an extension update and found NO rfkill.tcz

Q: Where did you copy rfkill to?

eltone

[Juanito]

maybe it didn't propagate to all of the mirrors yet:

http://repo.tinycorelinux.net/5.x/x86/tcz/rfkill.tcz

[eltone]

wlan0 interface doesn't support scanning

I usually see something like this when the wifi hardware switch on my laptop is set "off".

I copied the rfkill extension to the 5.x repo, could you check that you get something like this:

Code: [Select]

$ rfkill list wifi
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
1: brcmwl-0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no


BCM4318:

Code: [Select]

tc@box:~$ rfkill list wifi
0: hp-wifi: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: yes
        Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: yes
        Hard blocked: no
tc@box:~$



[Juanito]

Ah-ha so your wifi is blocked in software somehow - is it enabled in bios?

Could you try something like:

Code: [Select]

$ sudo rfkill unblock wifi..and see if that helps

[eltone]

Ah-ha so your wifi is blocked in software somehow - is it enabled in bios?

Could you try something like:

Code: [Select]

$ sudo rfkill unblock wifi..and see if that helps

Juanito,

BIOS is correct  and:

Code: [Select]

sudo rfkill unblock wifi

did get wifi to display expected cells, BUT failed to connect to my_network using my 10 digit WEP key!  WPA_Supplicant is NEW territory for me.

Thanks
eltone

[gerald_clark]

WPA_Supplicant is for WPA.
iwconfig is for WEP.

http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:setting_up_wifi

[eltone]

WPA_Supplicant is for WPA.
iwconfig is for WEP.

http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:setting_up_wifi

hi,
I'd prefer using wicd.tcz that functioned w/TCP 4.73, but it has not been 5.1 recompiled.

wifi.tcz could then be removed, along with its deps.

eltone
* NO bloat *

[Juanito]

You could test wicd in tc-5.x and let us know if it works..

[eltone]

You could test wicd in tc-5.x and let us know if it works..

Dear Juanito:

My fifteen minutes of TCP 5.1 fame surfaced enough ammo for your support team to address:

1) rfkill

2) cutting/installing firmware w/persistance

3) connecting to a ten digit WEP cell

Once the WLAN framework is stable, I'd be happy to do further beta  . . .

Connecting to the WEP cell, using extensions mentioned in thread, should be a piece-of-cake:

Code: [Select]

tc@box:~$ dmesg
microcode: AMD CPU family 0xf not supported
cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
b43-phy0: Broadcom 4318 WLAN found (core revision 9)
b43-phy0: Found PHY: Analog 3, Type 2 (G), Revision 7
Broadcom 43xx driver loaded [ Features: PMNL ]
ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'pid'
8139too 0000:06:06.0 eth0: link down
b43-phy0: Loading firmware version 666.2 (2011-02-23 01:15:07)
b43-phy0: Radio hardware status changed to DISABLED
b43-phy0: Radio turned on by software
b43-phy0: The hardware RF-kill button still turns the radio physically off. Press the button to turn it on.
b43-phy0: Radio hardware status changed to ENABLED
b43-phy0: Loading firmware version 666.2 (2011-02-23 01:15:07)
b43-phy0: Loading firmware version 666.2 (2011-02-23 01:15:07)
b43-phy0: Loading firmware version 666.2 (2011-02-23 01:15:07)
tc@box:~$

I'm stumped!
Thanks for replying to my post,
eltone
PS. I design hardware and am not a 'nix programmer