(SOLVED) Broadcom 4311 issue with PCLOS 2012

[dsonyay]

Have been running PCLOS since 2007 on my Dell Inspiron E1505.  My last load was PCLOS 2010 and it worked well with no issues.   I'm now running 2012.  I had issues over the weekend and wasn't able to rectify getting the wireless to work, so I went back to 2010.

I reloaded 2012 today.  Ethernet works fine.  No Wireless.  Broadcom 4311.  I opened Synaptic and did the full update.

From what I've read on the forum, it seems I need to
downgrade to the old Kernel and remove a couple of
other packages.  

Before I start doing anything I hope to hear from someone who's had some success with this
issue.

Thank you

David

[dsonyay]

My WiFi light is on.  I can cycle it on and off. 

PCLOS 2012 installed with complete update.

I'm trying to use the solution to a member (monsee) found here:
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,106349.msg909768.html#msg909768

My kernel is 3.2.18-pclos2.bfs
and I have the dkms-broadcom-wl 5_100_82_112 installed.

I also installed these packages:
b43-firmware
b43legacy-firmware
BCM43xx-firmware

My Broadcom is showing up in my detected hardware as "BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN"

Should I try to use an older kernel as I've read on other threads?

When I try to set up my Wifi in PCC this happens:

I try to select my Broadcom BCM4311 and hit "NEXT" then a drakconnect box pops up and says "Unable to find network interface for selected device (using wl driver).

This didn't work for me.

[dsonyay]

Before going to bed last night, I installed the older Kernel.  When I reboot I choose to boot using the older Kernel.  Should
I uninstall the latest kernel?  Should I also uninstall the dkms bcm package? And reload an older type dkms packag
No other older dkms packages for the broadcom show up in synaptic.. but I did download
an rpm from the web as mentioned in the thread I linked above.

When using the older kernel, what other packages should I try to remove
and/or install in order to get the BCM4311 working?

Went to bed after all of this.  No wifi yet

[muungwana]

you do not have to remove a kernel you are not using, if it is currently set at the one that autostarts at boot time, you can change things so the other one you prefer will autostart.A kernel that is not running does not interfere with the one that is.

looking at various threads, it looks like the wireless card you have does not work with updated packages.

The solution would be:
1. install kernel version "2.6.38.8"
2. uninstall dkms-broadcom-wl 5_100_82_112
3. install dkms-broadcom-wl 5.60.48.36.

restart and boot up using this old kernel.

This is not a good way of doing thing since it hides the problem with newer packages present in installation media and hence new users of pclinuxos will hit the same problem but it will give you a working system.

[dsonyay]

Thank you for replying. 

In Synoptic, there are a few different versions of the 2.6.38.8 kernal.. is it important to load a particular type?  I have an Intel Dell Laptop Inspiron E1505 w/2gb of ram.  I noticed there are a few extensions listed with each kernel.


After I uninstall the newer dkms-broadcom-wl package, is the older one listed on Synaptic?  I didn't notice it, but did  find it as an RPM from the PCLINUX site.

Thanks again,
David

[muungwana]

install the one that ends with ".bfs.pclos3". I can not remember the exact version at the moment but it should have those two segments in its name.

is the old driver still in synaptic? I cant check at the moment but i assume not. When new packages show up in the repository, older versions usually disappear.

This is also a problem you will be facing,by using an older version of a package when a new one is available, you are taking your install into a non standard and unexpected situation.

hopefully, somebody with the same card will come along who is in a position to investigate why it does not work with the new package.

[TheGhost]

You better listen to the experts on this, rather than me.
But you could also try using ndiswrapper. This way, you don't have to use any off-repo package; you can keep your installation fully updated and even use either kernel.

To use ndiswrapper:

- Find and download a Windows driver for your card. I found this one on Cnet that may work.
- Unpack the driver in any folder you want. Just remember where it is! 
- Go to PCC -> Network & Internet -> Setup a new network interface
- Select "Wireless (WiFi)"
- In the driver option, select "use a windows driver (with ndiswrapper)
- In the next window, select "install a new driver", and navigate to the folder where you unpacked the windows driver. Point it to the "inf" file.
- Follow the rest of the installation.

With luck, you will get the card working with ndiswrapper, and if any further updates fixed your current problems, you can just repeat the process above but this time selecting the proper Linux driver (not using ndiswrapper).

You can use any kernel for this. Try with the newest one first, if it works, you are more up to date and just wait for news that the issue has been fixed.

As muungwana said, you don't need to uninstall any older kernel (unless you decide you won't use it anymore). Having more than one kernel does not affect performance or cause any problems; you can boot to one or the other any time.

[dsonyay]

I didn't try ndiswrapper yet, but I didn't think it would work because the new Kernel is doesn't support the BCM4311.  So I'd have to go to an older kernel anyway.

But I can always give it a shot... won't take but a couple minutes to find out.

David

[dsonyay]

I'm on the older kernel right now and tried to install the bcm4311 .inf through using ndiswrapper.  But when I try to run it I get an error box that says "can't find ndiswrapper interface."


I also uninstalled the latest dkms-broadcom-wl package (5-100-82-112)
I downloaded the older dkms .rpm and tried to install it, but had errors.  I then verified I was using the older kernel which I was.   Arrrrrgh!!!   What is the deal!!>??  getting frustrated.

[root@localhost ~]# rpm -ivh /tmp/dkms-broadcom-wl-5.60.48.36-1pclos2010.i586.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
        dkms-broadcom-wl < 5.60.48.36-2 conflicts with (installed) kernel-3.2.18-pclos2.bfs-1-1pclos2012.i586
[root@localhost ~]# uname -r
2.6.38.8-pclos3.bfs
[root@localhost ~]#
 

[muungwana]

it looks like you will first have to uninstall kernel version 3.2.18.

from another thread a while ago, pclinuxos does not ship with ndiswrapper module installed

[dsonyay]

it looks like you will first have to uninstall kernel version 3.2.18.

from another thread a while ago, pclinuxos does not ship with ndiswrapper module installed

I do have ndiswrapper installed.  Can't remember if it was installed after I did the update, but yes, it's installed.

Thanks

[TheGhost]

Can you try uninstalling the dkms kernel module, the bcm firmwares that you installed, and then try only with ndiswrapper?

Don't forget to reboot after doing this, so the kernel module gets properly uninstalled.

It's very strange that you are getting that ndiswrapper mode is not installed if it effectively is. Something else is going on there.

This is a fresh new installation, isn't it? It may be annoying, but you could try starting over - reinstalling from scratch again - in case something went wrong with the installation.

[dsonyay]

Can you try uninstalling the dkms kernel module, the bcm firmwares that you installed, and then try only with ndiswrapper?

Don't forget to reboot after doing this, so the kernel module gets properly uninstalled.

It's very strange that you are getting that ndiswrapper mode is not installed if it effectively is. Something else is going on there.

This is a fresh new installation, isn't it? It may be annoying, but you could try starting over - reinstalling from scratch again - in case something went wrong with the installation.

I'll do that.  Yes this is a fresh install with the initial upgrade.  I haven't tried what you're suggesting, so I'll give it a shot.  For now my laptop is wired to internet... but I really need to get this wireless thing fixed. 

[dsonyay]

it looks like you will first have to uninstall kernel version 3.2.18.

from another thread a while ago, pclinuxos does not ship with ndiswrapper module installed

Ok, I can try to uninstall 3.2.18.  Most have told me have multiple kernels is no problem as long as the proper one is loaded.

[muungwana]

it looks like you will first have to uninstall kernel version 3.2.18.

from another thread a while ago, pclinuxos does not ship with ndiswrapper module installed

Ok, I can try to uninstall 3.2.18.  Most have told me have multiple kernels is no problem as long as the proper one is loaded.

True, but the problem you are having is not from having multiple kernels installed but from a particular package build in a way that prevent the package from being installed if a newer kernel is also installed.

You would have got the same error even if you only had one kernel installed if the kernel was not specifically liked by the package.