Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

[Oceanwatcher]

I am not totally new to Linux, in fact I started playing with it back in 1993/1994 when I set up a mailserver and connected it to a Novell network. The step from Slackware back then to Kubuntu desktop with KDE4 is HUGE! :-)

I have some older laptops, IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653 that I wanted to set up with Linux and use for teaching people how to use Linux. But I have a little trouble getting the wireless to work.

This is my first attempt at Kubuntu desktop. I absolutely love what I see so far and now it is only getting a few things to work before I consider it ready to roll :-)

First of all, when I check the system settings/network I see two items that can have something to do with the wireless network.

Wifi0 and Wlan0 are both present. What should I use for connection? I have tried both, but when I try to apply the settings, it crashes with a signal 11 (SIGSEGV) message. I am not familiar with this, so I do not really know what to do.

I installed Wireless Lan Manager and it is clearly seeing the wireless network, but when I try to connect, it freezes. Could this be a driver problem?

[Snowhog]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

What version of KDE 4? KDE 4.0.x (what comes with Hardy Heron remix LiveCD) or KDE 4.1.00?

"But I have a little trouble getting the wireless to work." On your running PC, or on the "older laptops"?

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

The wireless networkproblems refer to the specified laptop. Sorry to make any confusion. English is not my first language, so I sometimes mess up a bit. I am a Norwegian living in Brazil :-)

I wish I knew how to find out what version of KDE I have running. Any good tip? I downloaded Kubuntu iso 8.04.1-desktop-i386 and have updated it with a bit of different packages. Doing a new install on one of the other laptops now and probably sticking with 3.5 for now. It is a bit faster on these laptops. I have a feeling the speed would be a lot better if there were drivers that worked with Linux for the graphics card. It is a ATI Radeon Mobility card. I am trying to figure out the exact model of the wireless card. There is also bluetooth in the laptop.

The wireless did not work under both 3.5 and 4.0 (or 4.1 if that is what I have running...).

[Snowhog]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

To see what version of KDE you are running, click on Help > About KDE on any open GUI application you have running (Konqueror).

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

Somethings are obvious when you know it :-D

I am doing a fresh install now and the version of KDE is 3.5.9 according to the instructions I followed. It is just fine to get the wireless running on this if it is possible.

According to what I can find out, the card that is in the laptops is an IBM High Rate Wireless LAN Mini PCI Combo Card. A mouthfull... I will check the firmware version and see if there is any newer firmware for it. Good that I still have a disk with Windows XP on...

Are there any reasons why I should not do a complete install on one laptop and then just use an imaging software to put this one on the others? Of course, I will have to change the name of the PC for each installation..

All ideas are welcome. trying to create a good installation that will serve us well a couple of years more.

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

Just found an article on ThinkWiki

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/IBM_Hi...ter_with_Modem

WiFi Features

* Chipset: Harris Semiconductor Prism 2.5
* IEEE Standards: 802.11b
* PCI ID: 1260:3873

Modem Features

* Chipset: Actiontec

Linux WiFi driver

This adapter works with the 'orinoco_pci' driver as part of any recent 2.4 or 2.6 kernel.
In addition the 'hostap' driver can also be used.

Linux Modem driver

http://www.smlink.com Use SLMODEM driver for this modem (Smart Link Modem)

Can anyone tell me a little more about this? How can I make sure I am using the stated drivers?

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Wireless network on IBM ThinkPad A30p type 2653

Tried tinkering with the network setup again befor making an image of the disk. Stupid me. Now it will not finish booting up ..... Is there a way to revert to earlier settings? Like a roll-back? Or a way to boot in with minimal settings to fix the setup mess?