As mentioned above: bionicpup 64 8.0, frugal install, on a 2009 21.5" imac.
When I first tried installing this, I had a lot of trouble with the wifi -- I couldn't get it to detect anything. Tried different network setup options, no luck. Then at one point it just started working.
Now it's just stopped working. I use the standard "simple network setup" (because that was working for a while, when it was working). I see a "wlan0" interface
interface: wlan0 type: wireless driver: ath9k bus: platform description: support for atheros 802.11n wireless lan cards
I click the "wlan0" button, it goes to "please wait, scanning for wireless networks" and comes up with nothing. "No wireless networks found."
There are *lots* of wireless networks here. And Puppy used to be able to find them. And when I boot to MacOS, MacOS can find them just fine.
Is there anything I can try to debug or figure this out? Is there some other driver I could use?
Thanks for any insight. I was realy enjoying using Puppy while it was working.
Wifi flaking out using bionic on old imac
Hi edheil - welcome to puppy forums.
The frisbee connection option works better on some pcs if s.n.s. not working. There have been recent updates to s.n.s. also.
To check your hardware, would you please run the following commands in a terminal & paste the results:
lspci
and then:
dmesg | grep -i firmware
The frisbee connection option works better on some pcs if s.n.s. not working. There have been recent updates to s.n.s. also.
To check your hardware, would you please run the following commands in a terminal & paste the results:
lspci
and then:
dmesg | grep -i firmware
Thanks for the reply!
Trying Frisbee right now -- wow, it is certainly an improvement. It allowed me to see all the networks that are present.
It doesn't seem to be successfully connecting me -- I put in the password, and then get "waiting for connection to mywifinetwor" and then "wpa_supplicant failed to connect."
And... and now I can't see any networks anymore, even if I re-run Frisbee. Totally blank, sees nothing, just like SNS. It worked for a while and now it's stopped working. Setting Frisbee as the default tool now anyway.
Rebooting.
Firing up Frisbee.... and I can no longer see any networks.
I can't figure out why it would work once, and then stop working? Even if I reboot?
I would think it *must* be a hardware issue, if I didn't know it worked fine on MacOS, and had worked fine for a while with Puppy.
Anyways, the output of the dmesg with the grep is:
And the output of lspci is:
Trying Frisbee right now -- wow, it is certainly an improvement. It allowed me to see all the networks that are present.
It doesn't seem to be successfully connecting me -- I put in the password, and then get "waiting for connection to mywifinetwor" and then "wpa_supplicant failed to connect."
And... and now I can't see any networks anymore, even if I re-run Frisbee. Totally blank, sees nothing, just like SNS. It worked for a while and now it's stopped working. Setting Frisbee as the default tool now anyway.
Rebooting.
Firing up Frisbee.... and I can no longer see any networks.
I can't figure out why it would work once, and then stop working? Even if I reboot?
I would think it *must* be a hardware issue, if I didn't know it worked fine on MacOS, and had worked fine for a while with Puppy.
Anyways, the output of the dmesg with the grep is:
Code: Select all
acpi PNP0A08:00: [Firmware Info]: MMCONFIG for domain 0000 [bus 00-3f] only partially covers this bridge
And the output of lspci is:
Code: Select all
00:00.0 Host bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Host Bridge (rev b1)
00:00.1 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Memory Controller (rev b1)
00:03.0 ISA bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 LPC Bridge (rev b3)
00:03.1 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Memory Controller (rev b1)
00:03.2 SMBus: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 SMBus (rev b1)
00:03.3 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Memory Controller (rev b1)
00:03.4 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Memory Controller (rev b1)
00:03.5 Co-processor: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Co-processor (rev b1)
00:04.0 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 OHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev b1)
00:04.1 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 EHCI USB 2.0 Controller (rev b1)
00:06.0 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 OHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev b1)
00:06.1 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 EHCI USB 2.0 Controller (rev b1)
00:08.0 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 High Definition Audio (rev b1)
00:09.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 PCI Bridge (rev b1)
00:0a.0 Ethernet controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 Ethernet (rev b1)
00:0b.0 SATA controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 AHCI Controller (rev b1)
00:0c.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 PCI Express Bridge (rev b1)
00:10.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 PCI Express Bridge (rev b1)
00:15.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 PCI Express Bridge (rev b1)
00:16.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP79 PCI Express Bridge (rev b1)
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP7A [GeForce 9400] (rev b1)
04:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
05:00.0 PCI bridge: Texas Instruments XIO2213A/B/XIO2221 PCI Express to PCI Bridge [Cheetah Express] (rev 01)
06:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments XIO2213A/B/XIO2221 IEEE-1394b OHCI Controller [Cheetah Express] (rev 01)
whoa, rebooted Puppy and Frisbee connected to the AP I had tried and failed connecting to before. It'w s Very strange, but that's awesome!
Maybe it'll keep wroking from here out? I hope? in any case it's working now!
But if you have any insight about what to do if it mysteriously stops working, or what could be going on, I'd be very interested!
Maybe it'll keep wroking from here out? I hope? in any case it's working now!
But if you have any insight about what to do if it mysteriously stops working, or what could be going on, I'd be very interested!
Glad it's working - hopefully ok now. The 'partially covers' result from dmesg may be an issue. Also running
lspci -nn | grep etwork
will give more specific wireless adaptor info.
EDIT: I can't find any later code for this adaptor, so can't make a newer ath9k driver.
lspci -nn | grep etwork
will give more specific wireless adaptor info.
EDIT: I can't find any later code for this adaptor, so can't make a newer ath9k driver.
Last edited by ozsouth on Sun 03 May 2020, 11:03, edited 1 time in total.
Sadly, it stopped working on the next reboot and I can't get it to work anymore with repeated reboots (still not seeing any networks).
The result of "ispc -nn | grep etwork" is:
Looks like that network adapter is supposed to use the ath9k kernel module (according to this: https://wiki.debian.org/ath9k. I used lsmod and thet module is in fact loaded.
(I did lsmod | grep ath and found that ath9k, ath9k_common, ath9k_hw, ath, mac80211 and cfg80211 are loaded.)
[/url]
The result of "ispc -nn | grep etwork" is:
Code: Select all
04:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Qualcomm Atheros AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) [168c:002a] (rev 01)
(I did lsmod | grep ath and found that ath9k, ath9k_common, ath9k_hw, ath, mac80211 and cfg80211 are loaded.)
[/url]
Hey, sorry I've taken so long to reply.
I tried the Network Wizard as you suggested. At Step 4, the scan was done, and no ESSIDs showed up, so I couldn't proceed from there.
The same thing happened when I restarted using the "RAM Only" option on bootup, which I assume boots me in there without using the save file. Running the Network Wizard, I get to the same place - at Step 4, it won't show me any networks.
It would seem this is an open and shut case of bad hardware, except that WIFI works fine in MacOS, and I have had it work occasionally in Puppy.
Oh, this is a frugal install, booting from a USB stick, keeping the save file on the internal hard drive. I partitioned the hard drive to make a FAT partition to hold my save file, since Puppy could not read the partition which was formatted for the mac.
I tried the Network Wizard as you suggested. At Step 4, the scan was done, and no ESSIDs showed up, so I couldn't proceed from there.
The same thing happened when I restarted using the "RAM Only" option on bootup, which I assume boots me in there without using the save file. Running the Network Wizard, I get to the same place - at Step 4, it won't show me any networks.
It would seem this is an open and shut case of bad hardware, except that WIFI works fine in MacOS, and I have had it work occasionally in Puppy.
Oh, this is a frugal install, booting from a USB stick, keeping the save file on the internal hard drive. I partitioned the hard drive to make a FAT partition to hold my save file, since Puppy could not read the partition which was formatted for the mac.
Because of this information and the fact it works in MacOS.When I first tried installing this, I had a lot of trouble with the wifi -- I couldn't get it to detect anything. Tried different network setup options, no luck. Then at one point it just started working.
You may have a bad download of the Bionicpup64 8.0 iso or a bad install on the USB stick.
It does happen sometimes.
The install seems to be OK, but still get strange things happening.
I have seen, some really strange problems, go away, by just doing a completely, fresh, clean, new install of the Puppy version.
Best if you can start with a freshly partitioned and formatted USB stick.
You can save the save and let it still be used, with the new install.
Because you booted, using the "RAM Only" option. This boots not using the save.
That shows the save is not causing the problem, so it should be good to still use.
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected
YaPI(any iso installer)
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected
YaPI(any iso installer)
Well, I re-burned a copy of Puppy and have been running it. Results have not been to great.
I've tried to do the network setup -- using the network connection wizard -- a dozen or more times. The vast majority of times it just says that it couldn't find any networks, and says to check and see if my router is switched on.
Once -- the second time I tried it, in fact! -- it actually found the networks! I selected one, put in my password, and was going to use that profile, but then it told me I couldn't because it hadn't "saved" that profile yet. When I went back to save it, it told me I had to re-scan. When I tried to re-scan, it coudln't find any networks again.
A couple times, it seems to have gotten "stuck" about 3/4 of the way through scanning. One of those itimes, when I stopped it with the "X" button, it told me it couldn't find anything.
Another time when it got "stuck" and I halted it iwth the X button, it had found the networks!! I got ready to choose one. But the process of interrupting it must have caused some problem, because when I selected one off the list, it populated the wizard with the essid of a *different* access point (one of my neighbor's). This happened evrey time I tried it.
That happened again actually -- I interrupted a stuck scan,it showedme some networks it had found, but whenI selected one it offeredme the wrong one in the wizard.
And finally ... finally... it scanned and found the network just fine. And I set up a profile and saved it and tried to use it, but it couldn't connect (it timed out trying to connect via WPA). I'm not sure that WPA is correct, though, it could be that I should have chosen WPA2, so I'm going to try that.
OK, I got it to find the network again. i got it to connect with WPA2. It succeeded in connecting.
I'M ON THENETWORK.
Who knows how long this will last. I'll try a reboot and see if it comes back.
I think the takeaway here is there is something insanely flaky about the way this wifi card interacts with Linux. Just bonkers. Unreliable, randomly works or doesn't work.
I haven't tried other linux distros with it, maybe they'd be just as bad.
BTW, it did persist after a reboot. I had to run through the connection wizard again, but this time I was able to simply load the profile and have it work.
Is there any way to make it so I don't have to go through the wizard every time I reboot? Hoping this will keep workking!
I've tried to do the network setup -- using the network connection wizard -- a dozen or more times. The vast majority of times it just says that it couldn't find any networks, and says to check and see if my router is switched on.
Once -- the second time I tried it, in fact! -- it actually found the networks! I selected one, put in my password, and was going to use that profile, but then it told me I couldn't because it hadn't "saved" that profile yet. When I went back to save it, it told me I had to re-scan. When I tried to re-scan, it coudln't find any networks again.
A couple times, it seems to have gotten "stuck" about 3/4 of the way through scanning. One of those itimes, when I stopped it with the "X" button, it told me it couldn't find anything.
Another time when it got "stuck" and I halted it iwth the X button, it had found the networks!! I got ready to choose one. But the process of interrupting it must have caused some problem, because when I selected one off the list, it populated the wizard with the essid of a *different* access point (one of my neighbor's). This happened evrey time I tried it.
That happened again actually -- I interrupted a stuck scan,it showedme some networks it had found, but whenI selected one it offeredme the wrong one in the wizard.
And finally ... finally... it scanned and found the network just fine. And I set up a profile and saved it and tried to use it, but it couldn't connect (it timed out trying to connect via WPA). I'm not sure that WPA is correct, though, it could be that I should have chosen WPA2, so I'm going to try that.
OK, I got it to find the network again. i got it to connect with WPA2. It succeeded in connecting.
I'M ON THENETWORK.
Who knows how long this will last. I'll try a reboot and see if it comes back.
I think the takeaway here is there is something insanely flaky about the way this wifi card interacts with Linux. Just bonkers. Unreliable, randomly works or doesn't work.
I haven't tried other linux distros with it, maybe they'd be just as bad.
BTW, it did persist after a reboot. I had to run through the connection wizard again, but this time I was able to simply load the profile and have it work.
Is there any way to make it so I don't have to go through the wizard every time I reboot? Hoping this will keep workking!
Yeah! Let PeasyWiFi become your new network manager.
There won't be any tray icon without those 32b compatibility libs from Quickpet, but, no worries.
There won't be any tray icon without those 32b compatibility libs from Quickpet, but, no worries.
>>> Living with the immediacy of death helps you sort out your priorities. It helps you live a life less trivial <<<