Wireless Network Card Quit Working

[Jeff_M]

I am a total newbie trying to learn a little about Linux. Built a system to learn on (ASUS K8V-X). I'm using GNOME, and kernal version 2.6.12-1.1381_FC3, and somehow I think I've started using SE_Linux, though I'm not sure exactly how. Since the computer is across the house from the router, I needed wireless. Installed a D-Link Wireless 108G and MadWifi, which worked great right out of the box, for a couple of weeks. Then, presto, it quit working. I am writing this using 50 feet of ethernet cable. The message on bootup is "Bringing up Ath0 - Device Ath0 has a different MAC address than expected - ignoring (failed)." I tried removing it and booting, then shutting down and installing it and starting again, and it did the same thing. I've looked through the System Logs, and find nothing remarkable there (though I'm like pig with a wristwatch looking through there anyway). While it's possible the card just died, the little green light on it is working and blinking. I've looked around and cannot find a similar problem described. Any ideas or troubleshooting help would be greatly appreciated.

[Jeff_M]

Returned the card and got a new one, and there is no change. The system is not showing the card in the System Tools/Hardware Browser/Metworking menu. The ethernet card show up fine and works (still have that 50' cable). In System Tools/Network Device Browser, the ethernet shows active, but the wireless card entry shows "Device ath0 has different MAC address than expected, ignoring" when I select and try to activate it. The green light is still blinking. Anybody have an idea of something I could try?

[devanjayan]

I am using Fedora Core 2. I wanted to config 3Com Wireless 11g PC Card 3CRWE154G72. Please let me know How I can do that.

Thanking you

[Jeff_M]

I went to the 3Com website to try and find Linux info, but there is very little, and they do not (that I see) list the chipsets they use. I checked the MadWifi Driver site, and they list a 3Com 3CRWE154A72 as supported, but I suspect the "A" refers to the Altheros chipset, and that your "G" refers to a different one. Here are some sites that I used to research getting my D-Link card working

http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/linux-hn/wmp11-linux.htm
http://www.saragossa.net/linux-tips/page.php?key=Wireless+Linux+LAN
http://www.linux-wlan.org/
http://xanadb.com/archive/linux/200308061818
http://tuxmobil.org/wireless_unix.html
http://madwifi.org/
http://www.linux-tested.com/results_lan.html

If I could summarize what I learned, it was that there are three ways to go:
- Buy a card where the manufacturer provides Linux drivers - I think they are rare
- Buy a card using the Altheros chipset (there are many) and use the MadWifi driver
- Use NDIS Wrapper which lets Linux use the Windows driver for your card. I think this is what you're going to need to do but I can't help you much more than point you in that direction because I'm pretty lost myself.

[Jeff_M]

I've been reading about MAC addresses, and it seems that the card has a fixed MAC address and could not have changed. Now that I've installed a new card, it definitely will have a new MAC address, so I've got to get Linux to stop "Ignoring" it. Can anyone tell me how to tell Linux to uninstall the card and then re-install it? I've already removed the card once and booted without it, then reinstalled it, and that didn't do it. Anyone have any idea how Linux could have come to think the card MAC address changed? Would somebody please throw me a bone here?? I'd sure appreciate a hint.

[cubicsilver]

Did you try removing it from the network configuration tool and add it again?
In network configuration tool if you click on the ath0, and choose edit, then click on the hardware device tab... see where it says bind to mac address and there is a probe button. Did you try that too?

Did you install your madwifi from the svn source tool, or did you use yum repos? Are you using "ng" or "old"? Cause they made a change to the driver tree recently--ng you need to make a virtual ath0.

[Jeff_M]

I'm sorry Cubic, but the second part of your post, which seems appropriate, is a little Greek to me. I installed it through yum repos, and "ng you need to make a virtual ath0"?? Huh? Remember, be gentle; I'm very new at this.

I will proceed to the Linux box, string my 50 foot cable, and try your first suggestion. THANKS! I've actually been thinking, in my desperation, about returning to the dark side...

[Jeff_M]

Cubic:

When I select, under "Network Configuration" the ath0 device and select "Edit" I get a WARNING box that says

system-config-network:

The device type Unknown cannot be edited!

I suppose that since it gets "ignored" on bootup, you can't edit it. Just a wild guess though. How about explaining the other thing "ng" thing?

[cubicsilver]

Do this:

First we have to remove the madwifi driver
Open new terminal:

su -
modprobe -r ath_pci
yum remove madwifi

Close Terminal


Next install madwifi from svn
Open a new terminal:

svn checkout http://svn.madwifi.org/branches/madwifi-old madwifi-old
cd madwifi-old
su
make
make install
su -
modprobe ath_pci


Now test it:
Make sure ath0 is there

ifconfig -a

If its there Great
Turn it on

ifconfig ath0 up


run system-config-network again and delete the old atheros, hit save
add it again, hit save, then activate.

[Jeff_M]

I didn't get very far!

[root@localhost jeff]# modprobe -r ath_pci
bash: modprobe: command not found
[root@localhost jeff]#

I'll research what all this means --- thanks for your help.

[cubicsilver]

you have to type in su -
it will ask for your root password

[Jeff_M]

I did su, I just didn't show that. I think modprobe is responding that ath_pci wasn't found?

[Jeff_M]

I also decided to go ahead and remove it with the yum command, and that failed too.

[root@localhost jeff]# yum remove madwifi
There was a problem importing one of the Python modules
required to run yum. The error leading to this problem was:

No module named cElementTree

Please install a package which provides this module, or
verify that the module is installed correctly.

It's possible that the above module doesn't match the
current version of Python, which is:
2.4.1 (#1, Jun 21 2005, 02:38:47)
[GCC 3.4.3 20050227 (Red Hat 3.4.3-22.fc3)]

If you cannot solve this problem yourself, please send this
message to <yum@lists.linux.duke.edu>.

[cubicsilver]

wow... you have problems :) Lots of things are broken. Questionable setup?

Easiest thing to do:

Fresh install with the latest fedora core 4, do an "Everything Install"

Follow this guys directions
http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_4_installation_notes.html

Somewhere after you do a yum update, everything gets updated, and you do a reboot, install the madwifi. Continue your setup using your working wifi.

Things will work GREAT and you will be happy!
You cant go wrong. :D

[Jeff_M]

OK, thanks. One last question: is the problem that I used YUM to install MadWifi and maybe Python (I think I needed to install that to get MadWifi) but I've continued to allow Up2Date to maintain everything, and they don't coordinate with each other? Or are they supposed to get along together?

[cubicsilver]

Idealy, everything is supposed to run in harmony. However, not all yum repositories play nice because they don't all adhere to the same rules. Like livna vs. rpmforge. You can find out more about this by searching the forums.

In your case, yum doesn't even work properly for you; the key to keeping your system running right. Adding repositories to install things the "easy way" for the most part is a good idea, except when you have to add repositories that conflict with each other :eek: They over write dependencies and break things, leaving you like this :confused:

Also everytime you update your kernel, you have to have the corresponding rpm driver package for your kernel version. (ie nvidia or madwifi) This is the advantage and the setback of using yum to install madwifi. Because you can't update your kernel and use internet untill someone makes an updated kernel madwifi package.

Its just as easy to compile/install madwifi from source, and when the kernel is updated, change to the madwifi directory and type in make install. *Poof* you have working wifi again. Installing your video is just as simple too.

If you do an "everything install" you get the kernel-devel + all the devel packages you need to make your own custom (works best with your setup) wifi drivers. No digging around for dependencies sillyness :D

Seamless Harmony :cool: