How-To: Madwifi using RPM in FC2

[STiAT]

Since my harddisk crashed (headcrash), i had to set up fedora and within that madwifi again. Because i didn't feel like compiling my kernel again, and building the madwifi driver myself, i used the RPMs of ATRPMs this time. I know there have been around other RPMs for FC2 too, but they disappeared of the responsitory of the provider for some reason i dont know. Therefore i used ATRPMs.

1) Download the needed RPMs at ATrpms.net. First of all you will need the ATRPM-Package tools:
32bit arch
http://download.atrpms.net/productio...c2.at.i386.rpm
64bit arch
http://download.atrpms.net/productio....at.x86_64.rpm

After this download the Kernel Modules fitting your individual Kernel:
http://www.atrpms.net/dist/fc2/madwifi/
madwifi-0.8.5.5-7.rhfc2.at.* (download the file for your architecture)
kernel-module-madwifi-2.6.5-1.358* (download the file fitting your architecture and kernel)

2) Install the atrpms-55 package
rpm -i atrpms-55-1.rhfc2.at.*

3) Install the kernel module and driver package:
rpm -i kernel-module-kernel-module-madwifi*
rpm -i madwifi-0.8.5.5-7.rhfc2.at.*

4) edit your /etc/modprobe.conf, add the line
alias ath0 ath_pci

5) create a file named ifcfg-ath0 in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts

STARTMODE=hotplug
DEVICE=ath0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
WIRELESS=yes
MODE=Managed
ESSID=any
IPV6INIT=no
onBOOT=yes
USERCTL=no
PEERDNS=no

6) ifconfig ath0 up
7) ifup ath0

This should make your card working fine. If you have problems with step6 i recommend to reboot the machine once.

Enjoy

// STiAT

[Picomp314]

hmmm... rip
thanks for the cred STiAT

[astevens03]

Thanks for the great howto - this is the first time I have been able to get my wg311 to work with FC, was very helpful. I do have one question: I was originally on 2.6.6-1.435.2.3 when I installed Apt, but it declared that the madwifi driver was dependent on 2.6.6-1.427 and d/l'd that version of the kernel. Under the 427 build my WG311 works like a charm, and I have all my conf and rc.d files the way I want them. However, even though I have since upgraded through Apt and it shows a clean update, the madwifi driver doesn't work with anything but the 427 build - under any later build it says it says ath0 doesn't exist and won't initialize. I am to the point that I am comfortable configuring and existing install, but upgrading and kernels are still kind of voodoo to me. I have looked everywhere and can't find any discussions on this issue. Is there something I need to do so that later builds will work with the madwifi driver? Any insights would be greatly appeciated (I wasn't sure what would be helpful to post, just let me know and I will). Thanks!

[deathdruid]

Originally Posted by astevens03

Is there something I need to do so that later builds will work with the madwifi driver? Any insights would be greatly appeciated (I wasn't sure what would be helpful to post, just let me know and I will). Thanks!

Get new RPMs from ATRPMs that match your new kernel and install using rpm -i. That way, your old drivers will remain. You will have to do this for every kernel update.

[astevens03]

Thanks for the info! I will do that.

why donesn't the distro enable module versioning support by default so we can use our old drivers and it would make new kernel installs alot easier.

[nir]

Hi all,
The above posts sounded like a great resource to get madwifi to work using the rpms. I have been trying to do that. I am a complete newbie in the Linux world.

I am using FC 2 with kernel 2.6.7-1.1smp. Due to some network restriction I can't connect to CVS so my alternative is the rpm files. My problem is I am not even sure which rpms to download for this kernel.

I tried with a few of them one being the
"kernel-module-madwifi-2.6.7-1.494.2.2smp-0.8.5-7.rhfc2.at.i686.rpm"
but I end up getting the error message saying
error: Failed dependencies :
/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.7-1.494.2.2smp is needed by kernel-module-madwifi-2.6.7-1.494.2.2smp-0.8.5.5-7.rhfc2.at
kernel-smp = 2.6.7-1.494.2.2 is neededby kernel-module-madwifi-2.6.7-1.494.2.2smp-0.8.5.5-7.rhfc2.at


Does any body know how to solve this problem? ANy suggestion what so ever at all.....
I will really appriciate your kind help.
Thanks in advance.

[TFrog]

STiAT
i've completed steps 1-6 with no errors(well 1 that i've since corrected). now i'm stuck again. upon doing step 7 in your nice little checklist i get "ifup ath0 failed". i get a similar message when using the Network Adapters Config from KDE and trying to activate the devices("Determining IP Information for Ath0 Failed"). the Network Adapters Config shows two devices in it's list(1 Artheos wireless adapter and 1 ethernet adapter). their identities are ath0 and eth0. i checked the hardware tab and the adapter tab and found that neither have the following information:

Mem
IO
IO1
IO2
DMA0
DMA1

i was able to ascertain the IRQ settings with KDE's System Information. also, i'm running kernel 2.6.7-1.499_7 and the associated plug in module for that kernel on a Dell Dimension R-450, ATI Radian 7000, IBM and Seagate HD's, SB Live 5.1, USR dialup modem, MSI combo DVD/CDRW drive, and Dlink webcam. any help with the other values would be of great assistance as this would i'm sure complete the configuration or a few more steps thereafter. thanks again guys. i have a problem with the sound card and webcam but that is another story altogether.

[spookehtooth]

Originally Posted by STiAT

really useful info

OMG THANK YOU!!!!

I have been recoving from losing my mandrake, which i was quite attached to and had my atheros card setup in, but this time doing what i planned for a while and setting up a multi-boot with fedora, debian and mandrake (know mandrake, liked idea of debian with apt-get and fedora so that i could install and use mono easily because it is officially supported).

anyway ... i have had trouble getting the wireless working with debian (among other issues), had a great time with fedora & couldnt be bothered with mandrake just yet .... cos the one thing in the world i needed was wireless on the 2 i had on to dump the wires.

i'd got the apt for rpm sorted but madwifi wasnt working

found this thread

and .... omg it worked & the wires are gone!!!!!!!!

I am so happy i signed up to the forums just to babble all that and bookmarked it in case I had other issues, so I could be hanging around.

[seph]

here are updated links for the tool kits....

i386

x86_64

seph

[crackers]

Originally Posted by superbnerd

why donesn't the distro enable module versioning support by default so we can use our old drivers and it would make new kernel installs alot easier.

Because some of these drivers require specialized "hooks" into the OS (through the kernel-module) and when the kernel changes, those hooks need to be rebuilt as well.

If you're thinking of what goes on in the Windows-world, remember there is no such thing as a "kernel upgrade." The actual OS runtime, down deep in the bowels of Redmond, does not change - only when you "upgrade" the entire OS do you get to switch out "engines." Here, not only can we swap "engines," but we can tweak the hell out of it - if we want to.

Hmm... I wonder if a Hemi 4-barrel with Nitrous boost and a blower would work on my system.

[seph]

ok...now my terminal session is telling me that ifconfig is an unrecognized command...and iwconfig is too...and I su'ed and still nothing...I cd'ed to /sbin and tried to run the files...still to no avail...what am I doing wrong?

also I can go into system network config..and I see ath0 but also eth1 as well as my nic eth0. ath0 is of type unknown and eth1 is ethernet. that's as far as I can get.....

[gdnovey]

Thanks for sharing your information. It worked great for me. Just wondering though if you can use a WEP key because it wasn't letting me connect. I disabled the WEP key and it works. Any advice??

[gdnovey]

Thanks for sharing your information. It worked great for me. Just wondering though if you can use a WEP key because it wasn't letting me connect. I disabled the WEP key and it works. Any advice??

[Picomp314]

you obviously have to set the key, you cant just magically connect...
edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-ath0
add the line

KEY=your_key_here