Damn Small Linux - Not!

JonMikelV · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 6

I've just started with trying to really use linux (and not just play with live CDs) and I'm coming up with some questions I've never bothered to ask before.

I've got a Presaio 2100 that I'm running DSL-N on from a USB drive. It has a Broadcom 802.11G wireless chipset in it (according to som hardware listing tool I used from the Ultimate Boot CD).

I'm trying to get it to work with ndiswrapper (or anything else) but I have no idea if the card is even 'active' or not. It's a laptop with a push button to turn the wireless card on/off. There's a light next to it but I have no idea if that's hardware or OS driven - so I don't know if the card is even 'on' or not.

Does anybody know of any way for me to verify the card is even 'on'? Or at least confirm that DSL-N works with this chipset?

Thanks.

Jon-Mikel

roberts · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 320 Location: OC CA USA

Might try [b]lspci[/b] to see if card is seen .
Before doing anything else what is displayed from [b]iwconfig[/b]
If you see an unconfigured card then just need to use the right tools for settings.

else try ndiswrapper....

After doing the [b]ndiswrapper -i xxxx.inf[/b]
What is displayed from [b]ndiswarpper -l[/b]
After doing the [b]modprobe ndiswrapper[/b]
What is displayed from [b]iwconfig[/b]

It should show an unconfiguered wlan0.

JonMikelV · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 6

roberts,

lspci was perfect to list the hardware in my Presario 2100 laptop. It told me I have a Broadcom BCM4306 802.11b/g wireless controller (rev 02).

iwconfig shows no wireless stuff detected.

BUT after I did what you suggested:
- grabbed the bcmw15.inf (& related) file(s) & put it in /ramdisk/home/dsl
- did a ndiswrapper -i bcmw15.inf
- ran modprobe ndiswrapper

iwconfig now tells me I've got a wlan0 with all sorts of configuration stuff.

Yippee! So now I only have three things left to do:
1) Get it working w/my encryption - I assume that means iwconfig.
2) Figure out what all I actually did so I understand it (yikes).
3) Get DSL-N to remember it so I don't have to do it every boot (different forum).

Thanks for giving me the boost I needed to not stay stuck on this!