How to use Airlink101 wireless card in Puppy 4?

[cornbreadly]

I am having a few issues getting wireless up in a new puppy 4.0 frugal install
I have a well supported wireless card for Linux that isn't supported out of the box by puppy. (Airlink101 awlc4130: madwifi link). The madwifi site said compiling it would produce extra modules (ex:another ath_pci) so I though that was the right track.
When I tried to compile the driver from binary, after getting dev400.sfs in /boot/home/ i got a build kernal 2.6.21.7 missing error PLEASESETKERNBALPATH

Then I tried ndiswrapper to get the .inf driver file from my cards install cdrom. It is named autorun.inf.
"Invalid driver"
No new interfaces detected

When i followed the wireless walkthroughs scattered around, the most helpful was one of the 3 step( cant find it again to link to it). I have WPA security setup so I had to take it to a step three... but I guess the WAG command(?) isn't used and I really got lost in the modprobe areas.

I notice a lot of you use scripts to get your wireless working. Does that bypass all of this other driver and chipset(ar5212) related stuff? I haven't gotten a script to work in my Linux alter-ego and I would need a little hand holding.

[bad_dog]

If you explore the CD that came with your network card you will usually see an autorun.inf file and it will probably not work with ndiswrapper. However, if you dig deeper in that same CD, in my case:

/mnt/dvd/setup/Drivers/Driver

I found the actual driver for my D-Link DWA-652 PCMCIA card:

net5416.inf

Once I provided this to the Puppy Network Wizard (more tab, "ndiswrapper", browse to and select correct file from CD,) it saw the card immediately: wlan0...

...what a good puppy! (I'm tempted to try to fit a biscuit treat in the remaining slot!)

Lot's of luck and all the best!

[cornbreadly]

I looked and looked and found nothing other than the autorun.inf I even checked hidden files even though I don't think a company would profit any more by sneaking files around on a driver CD that is read only.

I looked up some more about the set KERNALPATH thing...

This is from madwifi.org:

For Debian OS like root : # apt-get install build-essential

Make sure you have Linux headers installed: sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

(If you don't you will get an error: /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-server/build is missing, please set KERNELPATH. )

Please check Requirements before proceeding. This includes having an Atheros chipset physically installed.

Does anyone know how to install linux headers on puppy? Or do I just point the make command someplace in my /mnt/boot/macpuppy400/ folder?

I appreciate any help.

[tempestuous]

Does anyone know how to install linux headers on puppy?

The best way to get kernel headers is to to install and compile the full kernel source. Puppy-compatible kernel source is here
http://puptrix.org/sources/
but it's not an easy process if you have never done it before.

Puppy 4.0 has version 0.9.3.2 of the ath_pci driver.
If you need a more recent version, the easiest way to get it is to is to upgrade to Puppy 4.1rc, which has the latest ver 0.9.4.

[cornbreadly]

Downloaded and burnt puppy 4.1rc.

When I attempted to use the network wizard, it only recognized the ath_pci module and failed to load the ethernet module I was using in macpuppy 4.00.

I attempted to set up the wireless with some success. I was able to find my home network after the scan but I was not able to connect. Ill trouble shoot some more tomorrow but that is weird. Maybe the channel is set incorrectly?

Now I have another issue. Why isnt the ethernet connection module available?

Can anyone help with the script for wireless connection? I want to be able to use this old laptop at the library, home, and coffee houses. It can be as easy as scanning for a network and connecting right?

[Béèm]

I want to be able to use this old laptop at the library, home, and coffee houses. It can be as easy as scanning for a network and connecting right?

For such cases I like the Pwireless Scanner better.

[cornbreadly]

There are 2 issues I would like to receive help for:

1) No ethernet in puppy 4.1 rc. I checked this thread for bug reports and didn't see anyone else with this issue... Occam's razor implicates user error. What could I be doing wrong to loss the most basic of internet connections?

2) Wireless still not working. I am using the new network wizard and it looks great... The wizard is finding networks and pwireless found them as well. But they won't connect. When I skip a step in the network wizard and just try to acquire access via DHCP, it comes back as successful. Pwireless even returned an IP.

Since I got the ethernet issue in 4.1 rc and I get some of the other issues reported in the bur thread(weird icons and no background) is it possible for someone to help me get the wireless working for the atheros wireless card in macpuppy 4.00?

[Béèm]

1) there is definitely ethernet in rc1. The thernet port should be connected before you can run the network wizard.
If you did that what exactly is the problem.

2) you have to be sure to know what chip set for your wireless device is used. You think it's ath based? Through the bootmanager you can add modules and there is a bunch of athxxx modules which could be tried.

[cornbreadly]

Ethernet is connected. Checked the cord and the web works under my system rescue disk browser. Under 4.1 rc, in Network Manager, only one connection shows up as ath0(using ath_pci)

With macpuppy, 3 showed up. ath0, wlan0, eth0

While in 4.1rc, i went to System->Hardinfo and got 3 results under network interfaces:
lo
wifi0 with just a mac addy
ath0 with interface (wireless) and mac addy

I messed around with some of the ethernet modules (3c574_cs and 3c589_cs) and tried an autoprobe once. No additional interfaces were added. Ethernet just doesnt exist to my 4.1rc.

I know the wireless card is an atheros card. It is this card and is well supported according to madwifi(awlc4130 bottom of page).

I am getting some results with the network manager(finding my home network through the scan). I have a WPA security setup and pwireless said my home network was a WEP... I don't see a wpa_supplicant in the modules. Is there something i am missing?

[Béèm]

So macpuppy sees 3 devices where in reality there are only 2 physical ones. Strange.

So you expect a eth0 one, but it's not detected.

Also I don't understand that 2 wifi devices are detected.

I think Pwireless doesn't has support for WPA, so it considers it's a WEP.

I have seen quite some issues with madwifi. Could maybe be found through the puppysearch link in my sig (unless you have done so already)

The best person to help is Dougal.
He has started a thread on the network wizard.
Maybe ask the question there to get sooner his attention.