Talk:ACX
From ACX100/ACX111 wireless network driver project
Is these instructions ONLY usable for 2.6 kernels, not 2.4 kernels? In that case it should be mentioned explicitly!
I have an HNW354CI, i've follow the "inside the kernel tree" way, but /usr/share/acx-20060215 don't exists... when i write iwconfig the output is: lo no wireless extensions i've write dmesg and the output is: wlan%d: acx_s_init_packet_templates() FAILED acx_usb: probe of 2-1:1.0 failed with error 1
what is happening?
Contents |
make error message
I get the error message
make: *** Keine Regel, um »/build« zu erstellen. Schluss.
(translates no rules to build /build
What shall i do?
Fixing an error during the make
My configuration is Ubuntu 5.10 with the kernel 2.6.12-9-386 running on the Compaq N160. The card is Longshine LCS-8531G2 with the TI chipset ACX111. According to the FCC Id, it seems that the card is sold in the USA as AboCom WG2400.
By default the card is recognized by the system
lspci -vv
0000:03:00.0 Network controller: Texas Instruments ACX 111 54Mbps Wireless Interface
Subsystem: Abocom Systems Inc: Unknown device ab80
Control: I/O- Mem BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- #>SERR- <PERR-
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 10
Region 0: Memory at 10820000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8K]
Region 1: Memory at 10800000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1 D2 AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0 ,D1 ,D2 ,D3hot ,D3cold-)
Status: D3 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
...but doesn't work.
Trying to install the ACX111 driver I get the following errors:
from /usr/src/acx-20060215 calling sudo make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=`pwd` causes
1) the first message tells me that the directory build in /lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386/ doesn't exist. OK! I try mkdir build to create the build-directory;
2) the second error is
make: Entering directory `/lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386/build' make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop. make: Leaving directory `/lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386/build'
The solution to this problem can be following.
3) Install the linux headers. In my case they are installed in /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.12-9-386.
4) Run sudo make -C ../linux-headers-`uname -r` M=`pwd` from /usr/src/acx-20060215. It makes
make: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.12-9-386' LD /usr/src/acx-20060521/built-in.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/wlan.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/conv.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/ioctl.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/common.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/pci.o CC [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/usb.o LD [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/acx.o Building modules, stage 2. MODPOST CC /usr/src/acx-20060521/acx.mod.o LD [M] /usr/src/acx-20060521/acx.ko make: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.12-9-386'
5) Go to the directory /lib/modules/2.6.12-9-386/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/acx, and type
sudo rmmod acx_pci sudo mv acx_pci.ko acx_pci_old.ko sudo cp /usr/src/acx-20060521/acx.ko . sudo insmod acx.ko
6) Check the installation
lsmod |grep acx
shows
acx 128648 0 firmware_class 9472 1 acx usbcore 104188 5 acx,usb_storage,usbhid,uhci_hcd
and in System=>Administration=>Networking do the configuration of your WiFi-card, than iwconfig shows
wlan0 IEEE 802.11b /g ESSID:"WirelessLAN" Nickname:"acx v0.3.35"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.437 GHz Access Point: 00:13:49:05:D1:00
Bit Rate:2 Mb/s Tx-Power=15 dBm Sensitivity=1/3
Retry min limit:7 RTS thr:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality=34/100 Signal level=8/100 Noise level=0/100
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:1 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0
Be creative!
When the kernel crashes after intallation
I run fedore core 3 kernel 2.6.12-1.1381_FC3 and I am succesful in each step but at the end I just cannot reboot my linux. There are so many error messages, nothing works including the mouse, so that I decided to delete the whole kernel and return to my backup kernel and start again.
At the end I realized that I can live without this last step
make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=`pwd` modules_install
Anyway, my iwconfig recognizes wlan0.
To make my installation functional I just had to create a script file
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-wlan0
including
DEVICE=wlan0 USERCTL=yes ONBOOT=yes BOOTPROTO=dhcp
and I finally activate the connection
ifup wlan0
Terrific BUG in ACX100 driver in Ubuntu
RESUME:
A bug in ACX100 experimental driver is explained in Ubuntu Dapper and Edgy. The bug frezze the computer when two cloned network bridges are in the "air". By clone, I mean two bridges EXACTLY the same except by the HARDWARE ADDRESS (same esidd, key, mode, etc). Windows machines do not froze, only have problems with network connection. So this BUG should be repaired because of this can made some normal Ubuntu User to get frustrade and turn back to windows :-(.
THE COMPLETE STORY
I have using Ubuntu since October 2006. I had used Ubuntu Dapper (6.06 LTS) until last week. My computer had have a TEW301PCI wireless adapter based in chip ACX100
My love with Ubuntu was because the instalation of the Dapper recognize my wireless adapter without any problem. Configuration by the GNOME GUI tool wwas very simple. In that moment, the connection to the internet was through a network bridge without any key in open mode.
Four months later network bridge was changed with a new one with key on and restricted/shared mode. Things was different. My Dapper did not be able to recognize the network even with the new Key. The trick was to enable "mode restricted" (shared). It is not clear where to enable that in the GNOME GUI wireless configuration.
After some web research I realize that "restricted" or "open" (default) mode should be pass to the configuracion GUI in the KEY field. For example is the key is "12345qwert" with restricted mode we should write in the key field: "restricted 12345qwert", that appear as we type as "*********************", so you should be careful typing that. This is according to the "man iwconfig" documentation. And it works¡¡¡. But it is not easy or intuitive for common users. Now I know that but in that time I used the Craig's ACX100 web to help me by the script to run the wireless adapter and to configure the "restricted mode". Stupid.... I know now... I should read the "man iwconfig" carefully or simple by "man iwconfig | grep -A 5 -B 5 restricted".
In the other hand...
Things were perfect with my Dapper until last week. I usually download and install the actualizations each one or two weeks. Some days ago I arrived to my lab I turno on my computer. At the time I wrote my login name in the GDM my machine got frozen (keyboard and mouse did not respond).
I rebooted some times and the same result was achieved. I booted with the "recovery mode" with grub menu. As root I could get in to console and into the GNOME with "startx". I realized that when network wireless adapter was initializing system got frozen. Then I try to fixed that by configuration but any result could be got. Then, I upgraded my system to Edgy (Ubuntu 6.10) by the internet and the console with WEB help with the hope new version of Ubuntu can solve that frozen problem. When it finished and system restarted thing were a little different, but not enough :-(. GDM under Edgy did not get frozen but in the middle of the GNOME inizialization system did. For two and a half days I reinstall many times Edgy or Dapper and same results was achieved. I open my box with the screwdriver and checked all were ok. I changed the wireless adapter with an other one of exactly the same model. I expended many time with the ACX100 project and its wikis trying to got into work my network adapter. Things were the same. I was cleared that problems was not the wireless adapter or the Operated System.
At the last, but finally I probe to connected to other wireless network given by "iwlist wlan0 scan" and in this case computer did not get frozen. Problem was being cleared. NOW, I thing this is something I should did in previous stages of the solution findering.
I realize that in that days some network problems was reported by partners using windows. One person bought the same model of our bridge and then he had problems. To solved them, he asked to the network administrator for our bridge configuration and then he copy EXACTLY THE SAME CONFIGURATION of our bridge. So in an area of 5 meters we have two clones of the same bridge, with the same essid, the same key and only with different HARDWARE ADDRESS. Windows machines had problems to conect to the network in this case, they saw to networks with the same name. So they disconected our bridge and things were better to them by connecting to the other bridge (they knew the "bridge cloned" situation but this gey made a trip :-( ).
The facts. Once with the problem AISLADO (alone), the gey arrived from his trip I then we could make some probes. I asked him to disconnect his bridge and after seconds of made that I connected my and then I made "iwlist wlan0 scan". Both wireless networks were seen. For more or less one minute both bridges could be seen. After that only one was seen. Then I try to connect to my bridge and I COULD NOT but my machine DID NOT GET FROZEN!!! So we reboot my machine and disconected my bridge and conected the other one an UMMMLLAAAAALYYYY. It works...
Very extrange, but it works.
We thing this is a bug in the EXPERIMENTAL ACX100 DRIVER (firmware and others software parts) These kind of things should not happend, as in windows do. Given two bridge a clone is obvious the worst practice but network adapter from UBUNTU could not froze our machines if this happends.
Then. I have taken several minutes to report this BUG to the development community in order to contributed to the FREE WORLD.
Thanks.
- Last time, add on.***
After installation of Ubuntu Edgy (6.10) and after installing all the software I need from Automatix and Synaptic I rebooted. My computer crash at boot time. By the recovery mode I realized that it crashed in this stage:
"configurating wireless network" (I do not know exactly the message but this is the meaning)
It got frozen. I did several tries with generic and x86 kernels from Grub. Only one wireless bridge is working without ANY CHANGE from the rebooting process. Before reboot, network works very good. I should had to getin WINDOWS XP partition and configure the wireless networks here and write this (add on) in this OS :-( The worst. Now wireless bridge is in a locked room, I can not turn it off or move nothing from it.
Exactly when I have a LOT of work and I need the most from my OS, Ubuntu and acx100 driver failed to me. I am very sad and very worry
Conclusions and recommendation for improving UBUNTU:
1. To add in the "GNOME GUI wireless configuration" the capability of explicit selection of open or restricted (shared) mode.
2. Repair the frozen BUG in the ACX100 experimental driver.
Troubleshooting: unknown symbol 'request_firmware'
If you get the above message during testing the 'insmod ./acx.ko' phase, you need to run 'modprobe firmware_class'.
Hope this helps. :) 91.110.197.100 15:16, 25 February 2008 (PST)
