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Need wireless driver

Posted: Tue 01 Aug 2006, 00:11
by donde
Running 2.02. I need a wireless driver for ZD1211, which is shown at bottom of list of drivers for 2.01.
I found linux driver tar file on Zydas site, but not sure what to do next.
http://www.zydas.com.tw/downloads/download-1211.asp
Can someone help?

Don

Posted: Tue 01 Aug 2006, 01:17
by kirk
I compiled the zd1211 in 202. A script to load and unload the module is included, but I'm not sure about the interface name, so these scripts might not work. Anyway the module is there along with the user guide.

Posted: Tue 01 Aug 2006, 01:58
by donde
Thanks Kirk for effort. I sure appreciate it. I'll give it a try, and report back.
Don

2.02 compiling

Posted: Fri 04 Aug 2006, 01:49
by Waikiki Websurfer
tempestuous,

Thanks for the great job with the drivers. It is unfortunate that they won't work with 2.02. In anticipation of future Kernel, module, etc. upgrades which will make recompiling drivers necessary, it might be best if everyone simply compiled whatever driver they need. However, since I don't have any experience in compiling drivers, could you point out the basic requirements to do the job? Basically, a quick pointer about how you did it with the linux-wlan-ng for example to make it work with the updated Puppy versions... this of course assuming that the whole process is relatively straightforward and quick.

Aloha,
W.W.

Posted: Fri 04 Aug 2006, 05:11
by tempestuous
From http://www.puppyos.com/test/ you need:
- development/compiler environment squashfs file, devx_202.sfs
- patched kernel source, linux-2.6.16.7-squashfs3.0patch.tar.gz

plus the kernel config file for 2.02. I think this will be found in Puppy 2.02 itself, in /lib/modules/2.6.16.7/

To compile the kernel source, see http://www.puppylinux.com/development/compilekernel.htm
Superquick howto:

Uncompress the kernel source into /usr/src/
Now put the 2.02 config file into /usr/src/linux-2.6.16.7/ and rename it to ".config"
Make sure that /usr/src/linux is a symbolic link to /usr/src/linux-2.6.16.7
Make sure that /lib/modules/2.6.16.7/build is a symbolic link to /usr/src/linux-2.6.16.7

cd /usr/src/linux-2.6.16.7
make menuconfig (Save changes > YES)
make modules

The other steps should not be necessary since the kernel is unchanged, you're just setting up the kernel source tree.

Regarding linux-wlan-ng-0.2.3, this won't compile under the 2.6.16 kernel until you apply this patch (I think I got it from the Gentoo forum) and even then, enable only the USB driver (and maybe PLX) driver because the PCMCIA driver will still fail.

ZD1211 (no B) 2.02 driver?

Posted: Fri 11 Aug 2006, 14:59
by PeteTX
Does anyone have a ZD1211 driver that will work with 2.02? The only one I have been able to find appears to support only ZD1211b, but not ZD1211?

Something like the excellent drivers by tempestuous mentioned at the start of this topic, i.e. -

http://www.dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi/wire ... 11-r76.pup

perhaps based on the latest ZD1211 driver (r83?) Thanks!

Posted: Mon 14 Aug 2006, 04:37
by donde
Does anyone have a ZD1211 driver that will work with 2.02? The only one I have been able to find appears to support only ZD1211b, but not ZD1211?
Looking at the ZyDAS site, it appears that the driver file name is the same for either zd1211 or zd1211b. And the file size looks the same. I think the modprobe chooses the correct branch, that is, modprobe zd1211 or modprobe zd1211b.
I'm using the AirLink AWLL3026 wireless adapter, but done so in 2.01r2. Went back from 2.02 because other issues. Wireless works good.

Don

Posted: Mon 14 Aug 2006, 13:29
by tempestuous
No, they're two separate modules.
By default, the zd1211 source builds the "zd1211" module. To build the "zd1211b" module you must modify the source Makefile at line 21 from "ZD1211REV_B=0" to "ZD1211REV_B=1". My driver packages for Puppy 2.0/2.01 included both module versions.

Posted: Mon 14 Aug 2006, 16:55
by donde
tempestuous

No, they're two separate modules.
I stand corrected. I think you mentioned this before, but missed the point.

When you compile wireless drivers for Puppy 2.0/2.01, how is it different than just generally compiling the wireless drivers. And, I guess I'm asking what do you have to do to compile for 2.02. Also, I notice there is a WPA supplicant on the ZyDAS site. Can this be brought into Puppy?
I know these questions may sound dumb, but could you get me thinking? Thanks.

Don

Re: Wireless driver packages for Puppy2

Posted: Mon 14 Aug 2006, 21:37
by edoc
tempestuous wrote: Plus there are updated versions of drivers I earlier provided for Puppy 1.0.4-1.0.9 at http://mymirrors.homelinux.org/puppy/wireless/
- acx (TexasInstruments), adm8211, Hostap (Prism2/3), HostAP Daemon, ipw2100, ipw2200, linux-wlan-ng (Prism2/3 USB), MADWiFi (Atheros), Orinoco-with-rfmon-patch, Prism54, ralink-legacy, rt2x00 (Ralink), rtl8180-sa2400 (Realtek), zd1211 (Zydas), and wpa_supplicant.
I have an internally mounted NL-5354MP Plus Aries2(F) - 1.00
The chip is labeled Atheros AR5213A-00 A19911C 1804

The drivers are missing from this location and not on the 2.00, 2.01 location.

Other locations possible?

Thanks! doc

Posted: Tue 15 Aug 2006, 14:12
by tempestuous
donde,
"drivers" is a loose Windows-esque term for what is, in Linux parlance, "modules".
Modules are kernel-specific. So when the kernel changes, all modules must change with it. Puppy 2.02 has the same kernel version as 2.0/2.01, but its kernel configuration is significantly different, so the modules are incompatible.
donde wrote:I guess I'm asking what do you have to do to compile for 2.02
You need the compiling tools and the configured kernel source. See my post at the top of this page.

I have already provided wpa_supplicant as a dotpup at http://www.dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi/wireless-drivers/. It's a "helper" utilty for various wifi drivers, and I see that the zd1211 driver is now (apparently) compatible.
You can use wpa_supplicant in ANY version of Puppy, since it's a utility, not a driver. I know it's confusing being amongst drivers, so I will ask Mark to re-organise the download directories.

edoc,
The Puppy 1.0.4-1.0.9 wifi drivers at http://mymirrors.homelinux.org/puppy/wireless/ were corrupted in June and have just been removed completely. I didn't think that there was a demand for these drivers any more.
But I'm organising alternative arrangements at the moment.

Posted: Tue 15 Aug 2006, 14:31
by edoc
tempestuous wrote: The Puppy 1.0.4-1.0.9 wifi drivers at http://mymirrors.homelinux.org/puppy/wireless/ were corrupted in June and have just been removed completely. I didn't think that there was a demand for these drivers any more.
But I'm organising alternative arrangements at the moment.
All is working now. Guess it executed so fast I didn't even see it!

Showed up when I powered back up this morning.

Thanks! doc

Posted: Tue 15 Aug 2006, 17:21
by donde
tempestuous wrote:
I have already provided wpa_supplicant as a dotpup at http://www.dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi/wireless-drivers/. It's a "helper" utilty for various wifi drivers, and I see that the zd1211 driver is now (apparently) compatible.
Thanks for making more clear about kernels, modules and drivers.

So, as I understand it, the WPA supplicant you show in your drivers list should work with my zd1211b, by following the readme?

Don

Posted: Tue 15 Aug 2006, 20:39
by MU
We have renamed the folders on the server, to avoid confusion about different Puppyversions.

If you try to download a file, and it is not available, go here and search in the subfolders:

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi

Mark

Posted: Tue 15 Aug 2006, 21:06
by edoc
MU wrote:We have renamed the folders on the server, to avoid confusion about different Puppyversions.

If you try to download a file, and it is not available, go here and search in the subfolders:

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi

Mark
That is great news!!

Thanks! doc

Posted: Wed 16 Aug 2006, 01:15
by tempestuous
donde wrote:So, as I understand it, the WPA supplicant you show in your drivers list should work with my zd1211b, by following the readme?
Yes.
The correct command line parameter for wpa_supplicant to interact with the Zydas driver is the generic "wext", so your main command will be -

wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D wext -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd

Posted: Wed 16 Aug 2006, 05:23
by donde
tempestuous wrote
Yes.
The correct command line parameter for wpa_supplicant to interact with the Zydas driver is the generic "wext", so your main command will be -
Thanks very much. Would not have known about "wext". Another question:
Once encryption is enabled, is there a way to disable it, and then enable it again?

Don

Posted: Wed 16 Aug 2006, 06:17
by tempestuous
Encryption settings are contained within your wifi access point/router. Refer to your router's documentation.
Normally you access these settings with a web browser from an ethernet-connected workstation.

When setting up a wifi driver for the first time, it's certainly a good idea to initially disable encryption, to isolate potential problems.

Posted: Wed 16 Aug 2006, 10:09
by Spindoctor
I just tried to use the bcm43xx-devicescape driver with my Belkin F5D7011 PCMCIA-Card.
It doesn't actually work...
It says

Code: Select all

sh-3.1# modprobe bcm43xx-d80211
WARNING: Error inserting 80211 (/lib/modules/2.6.16.7/net/d80211/80211.ko): Invalid module format
FATAL: Error inserting bcm43xx_d80211 (/lib/modules/2.6.16.7/net/wireless/bxm43xx-d80211/bcm43xx-d80211.ko): Invalid module format
I'm going to use ndiswrapper again, which is - as some people say - not so good.

Any suggestions?

Posted: Wed 16 Aug 2006, 10:39
by PeteTX
donde wrote:Looking at the ZyDAS site...
donde, I don't know that I'ld be getting the latest drivers from their site any more. Atheros apparently just bought them out a few days ago, and the ZyDAS site is now a mirror of the Atheros site. There is no information for the ZYDAS products, the old download links are now broken, and the new URLs have been changed and pretty much hidden.

(To get there, click "Products & Technology", scroll down to the bottom of the links on the left and then click -
"Taiwan Research & Development Center", then click "Downloads".)

My understanding is that while the original Linux driver was contributed by ZyDAS, the ZD1211 driver is being actively maintained by the open source community -

http://zd1211.ath.cx

and the download page at -

http://zd1211.ath.cx/download/

A quick check confirmed that the most recent files contained in the driver on the ZyDAS site are several months older than the latest version (r83) found at the link above.

These same folks are also working on a complete rewrite of a new, improved Linux driver, called ZD1211rw, see -
http://zd1211.ath.cx/wiki/DriverRewrite

They gave a short presentation about this at the Linux Wireless developers summit, see -
http://www.deine-taler.de/zd1211/zd1211-wisu.pdf

Which says, among other things, that...
"Zydas was not capable of writing a decent driver"
Their new rewrite version has now been included in the official mainline Linux kernals as of 2.6.18-rc1.

Unfortunately, they are not providing backwards compability for the older kernals, and I think Puppy is still a few versions behind that?
donde wrote:I'm using the AirLink AWLL3026 wireless adapter...
As indicated on that site, there are different versions of the AirLink 101 AWLL3026 with different USB ID's, some (mine) require the 1211 driver, others the 1211b.
donde wrote:...but done so in 2.01r2...
That works great for me as well, using the previous Puppy drivers tempestuous was kind enough to provide, I just can't get 2.02 to work!

The only ZD1211 driver that I could find for 2.02 was provided by kirk, who for some reason included only the ZD1211b version and not the ZD1211!
donde wrote:...Went back from 2.02 because other issues.
What other issues were you having with 2.02? If there are good reasons to avoid 2.02 for now and just use 2.01r2, I would be interested in hearing about them!
MU wrote:We have renamed the folders on the server, to avoid confusion about different Puppyversions.

If you try to download a file, and it is not available, go here and search in the subfolders:

http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi
Mark, I looked there, but I could find no distinction between the completely incompatible Puppy V2.01 vs V2.02 drivers, just a generic directory called "drivers-for-Puppy-2".
Spindoctor wrote:I just tried to use the bcm43xx-devicescape driver with my Belkin F5D7011 PCMCIA-Card.
It doesn't actually work...
It says...
Invalid module format
Mark, apparently I'm not the only one still confused. Spindoctor, did you download that driver from the site Mark mentioned above? I'm just guessing, but I suspect that the reason for the error message may be that the driver you downloaded is not compatible with the current version of Puppy?

Are any of these drivers compatible with the current version of Puppy?

Where do I need to go to get a Puppy ZD1211 driver that works with V2.02?