Tiny Core Extensions > TCE Corepure64
[Solved] is there support for Ralink RT5370 chipset in TCL?
Rich:
Hi GNUser
Simple. Once the menuconfig menu is up, press / to call up the (case insensitive) search dialog. Then enter:
--- Code: ---rt53xx
--- End code ---
You should see 2 items come up, the PCI and the USB versions. Enter 2 to select the second one (USB) and
it will take you to the correct menu section.
GNUser:
NICE! What a killer trick!
Thank you both so much for all your help and for helping me become a better user/hacker :)
Thread may definitely be marked as solved!
Rich:
Hi GNUser
--- Quote from: GNUser on November 29, 2021, 02:36:47 PM --- ... Thread may definitely be marked as solved!
--- End quote ---
As you wish. :)
GNUser:
Just a quick follow-up. Loading the two relevant extensions (wireless-KERNEL.tcz and firmware-ralink.tcz) and using custom kernel (compiled with CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX=y) did not do the trick. It turns out that the rt2800usb kernel module supplied with wireless-KERNEL.tcz does not support the device. I discovered this because this command did not return anything:
--- Code: ---$ modinfo rt2800usb | grep 5370
--- End code ---
When the kernel module supports this chipset, this is what you should see:
--- Code: ---$ modinfo rt2800usb | grep 5370
alias: usb:v148Fp5370d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*in*
--- End code ---
The solution was to compile the ralink kernel modules and rebuild wireless-KERNEL.tcz extension with the new modules.
Here are the steps I took in case it ever helps anyone:
--- Code: ---1. Download linux-5.4.3-patched.txz and config-5.4.3-tinycore64 from here:
http://tinycorelinux.net/11.x/x86_64/release/src/kernel/
2. In the config file, change the "# CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX not set" line to this:
CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX=y
3. Extract the .txz archive so that ~/Downloads now contains linux-5.4.3 directory
4. Follow these steps:
$ tce-load -i compiletc perl5 bash ncursesw-dev bc glibc_apps elfutils-dev
$ cd ~/Downloads/linux-5.4.3
$ cp ../config-5.4.3-tinycore64 ./.config
$ make oldconfig
$ make bzImage # this compiles the kernel image, but go ahead and skip this step bc all we need are some modules
$ make M=drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00 modules # this creates the kernel modules you need
The payload will the the files ~/Downloads/linux-5.4.3/drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00/rt*.ko
--- End code ---
Now you have to unsquashfs the wireless-KERNEL.tcz extension, replace all the *.ko.gz files in its /usr/local/lib/modules/5.4.3-tinycore64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ralink/rt2x00 directory with the rt*.ko files that you just compiled, then recreate the extension with mksquashfs.
Now it works. Phew!
To summarize: To use a device with the RT5370 chipset in TCL, you need 2 things:
1. Custom wireless-KERNEL.tcz extension (containing ralink kernel modules compiled with the CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX=y option)
2. The firmware-ralinkwifi.tcz extension
None of this would have been possible without curaga and Rich's help. I wish I could buy you guys a beer.
EDIT: I tested things with stock kernel and with custom kernel. It worked both ways, so it turns out that custom kernel is not necessary. All we need is for the kernel module to support the device and for the firmware to be available.
GNUser:
curaga,
So it turns out that TCL almost supports the RT5370 chipset out of the box: It is supported by the kernel, the firmware (rt2870.bin) is provided as an extension, and the necessary kernel module (rt2800usb) is also provided as an extension. The only fly in the ointment is that the kernel module doesn't work with this chipset unless the module is compiled with the CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX=y option.
In future versions of TCL, would it be possible for the rt2800usb kernel module inside wireless-KERNEL.tcz to be compiled with the CONFIG_RT2800USB_RT53XX=y option so that RT5370 is fully supported?
For folks who use a TCL box as a wireless router, this chipset is important because it supports a lot of clients when in AP mode.
refs:
https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux/issues/3010
https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/50162/maximum-wi-fi-clients-on-pi-3-hotspot/117999#117999
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