How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

[boethian]

OK. Wireless is now working. What I did was open up the "Hardware Drivers" app. It showed a short list of proprietary drivers: 1) Broadcom B43 wireless driver 2) Broadcom STA wireless driver 3) Software Modem. I activated #1 on the list before activating item #2. I didn't do anything with #3 item.

I hope this helps someone else with this issue.

I am stuck right now where you were! The difference though is that the *only* thing I see is your 2) Broadcom STA wireless driver. I just can't seem to get wireless working and I have been at this for hours

Maybe I should start a new thread for this, but it's really the same problem. I have a Broadcom 4311. sudo ifconfig wlan0 up gives an error. I created a wireless connection and can see others, just not connect to them. I don't have internet at all on the Linux machine, so that is also something I have to contend with, although I do have internet and can transfer files to the machine with USB. I don't even know how to check if I have everything I need installed. Please help!

~/Desktop$ iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

eth1 IEEE 802.11 Nickname:""
Access Point: Not-Associated
Link Quality:5 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

pan0 no wireless extensions.

~/Desktop$ ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:16:d3:f9:24:3f
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Interrupt:27 Base address:0x4000

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1a:73:c7:ed:59
inet6 addr: fe80::21a:73ff:fec7:ed59/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Interrupt:21

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:24 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:1640 (1.6 KB) TX bytes:1640 (1.6 KB)

[GreyGeek]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

I split this off of the previous thread because you say your chip is a Broadcom 4311 and the previous thread was concerning a Broadcom 4312.


Consult the wireless.kernel.org web site, on this page to determine if you chip falls under the b43 or the b43legacy category. Once you've read the info, follow the directions for the category your chip resides in. if you have difficulty in following the steps let us know and we'll help out.

[wizard10000]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Maybe I should start a new thread for this, but it's really the same problem. I have a Broadcom 4311. sudo ifconfig wlan0 up gives an error.

That's because your wireless card is mapped to eth1, not wlan0. ifconfig and iwconfig both show your wireless card is working.

[wizard10000]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

I split this off of the previous thread because you say your chip is a Broadcom 4311 and the previous thread was concerning a Broadcom 4312.

They use the same (b43) driver but a separate thread works for me too

http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Since I have no internet on the machine, I followed the instructions here

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wi...Driver/bcm43xx

to allow me to install things from the USB boot drive I have. Specifically, I did this to get the drivers:

Step 1. Navigate the install media and install the following packages in a terminal:
../pool/main/d/dkms
:/dkms/$ sudo dpkg -i dkms*

../pool/main/p/patch
:/patch/$ sudo dpkg -i patch*

../pool/main/f/fakeroot
:/fakeroot/$ sudo dpkg -i fakeroot*

../pool/restricted/b/bcmwl
:/bcmwl/$ sudo dpkg -i bcmwl-kernel-source*

Step 2. Under the desktop menu System > Administration > Hardware Drivers, the drivers can be activated for use.
Note: A computer restart may be required before using the wifi card.

and this to install b43-fwcutter:

:/b43-fwcutter/$ sudo dpkg -i b43-fwcutter*
Note: Do not select 'fetch and extract firmware'. This extraction will have to be done manually. See also the b43-fwcutter manual page.

I didn't fetch and extract firmware, so I think that is what I may need help with. The manual page (http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/...wcutter.1.html) did not help me at all. How can I proceed?

Thanks a lot for the responses.

Edit: by the way when I search for 'bcm' in package manager I see (1) bcmwl-modaliases - 5-10.91.9+bdcom-0ubuntu4 (amd64) and (2) bcmwl-kernel-source - 5-10.91.9+bdcom-0ubuntu4 (amd64). Also, when I type 'b43-fwcutter' in bash it seems like I have it, the output starts with 'b43-fwcutter version 012, A tool to extract firmware for a Broadcom 43xx device...'

Edit2:

ifconfig and iwconfig both show your wireless card is working.

If it is working, what could be the problem? I actually can see networks, but for some reason not connect to them. The ethernet cable icon remains unplugged. I've enabled wireless.

Edit3: I also downloaded this hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5.60.48.36 and extracted it to my desktop. Do I need to install this, and if so how and where?? Many thanks!

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Update: I tried to follow instructions on this page

http://www.laptops-drivers.com/macbo...dcom-wifi.html

because it seemed to be what I needed with respect to installing the hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5.60.48.36. I guess I don't have the open source drivers because I get errors all through #3 described on the page (e.g. ERROR: Module b43 does not exist in /proc/modules). The blacklist lines don't work either. The update-initramfs -u line outputs Permission denied.

But what seems more important is #5 on the page. When I do cp wl.ko /lib/modules//kernel/net/wireless/wl.ko I get:

cp: cannot create regular file '/lib/modules//kernel/net/wireless/wl.ko': No such file or directory.

The rest of the lines in #5 don't work either.

Then I checked out where this path was and it turns out that in /modules the only thing I have is 2.6.31-14-generic. And in /lib/modules/2.6.31-14-generic/kernel/net/wireless there is no wl.ko. So from I did

/hybrid_wl$ sudo cp wl.ko /lib/modules/2.6.31-14-generic/kernel/net/wireless/wl.ko

and that seemed to work because there were no output at all (for better or worse, don't really know what I am doing). But then the insmod still does not work with or without sudo, the output is with sudo 'error inserting '/lib...': -1 File exists, and without sudo -1 Operation not permitted. Any suggestions?

[GreyGeek]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Looks like you took the wrong turn. If your build directory still exists perhaps you can do "sudo make uninstall" IF that stuff gets in your way while you do the recommended steps in wireless.kernel.org citation.

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

I followed these lines from the page you linked (http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...b43#fw-b43-new) since afaics I have b43-fwcutter:

export FIRMWARE_INSTALL_DIR="/lib/firmware"
wget http://mirror2.openwrt.org/sources/b...0.10.5.tar.bz2
tar xjf broadcom-wl-4.150.10.5.tar.bz2
cd broadcom-wl-4.150.10.5/driver
sudo ../../b43-fwcutter-012/b43-fwcutter -w "$FIRMWARE_INSTALL_DIR" wl_apsta_mimo.o

But it did not work exactly like that. I didn't know how to fill in ../../, i.e. find that directory and the command wouldn't work with $FIRMWARE_INSTALL_DIR so I did

sudo b43-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware wl_apsta_mimo.o

and there a whole lot of stuff was extracted, at least. The first two items of the output were

Extracting b43/pcm5.fw
Extracting b43/ucode15.fw

and it continues on like that for about 30 lines. Does this mean it worked? There is nothing else to follow on the page. The only thing I was unsure about was whether I have a LP-PHY card since I have 4311. I used the non-LP-PHY firmware, 4.150.10.5. After a restart, still no internet. Is it for sure my card?

[wizard10000]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Grumble.

Drivers and firmware for this card are available in restricted driver manager - I use the same driver on my netbook. As I mentioned earlier ifconfig and iwconfig both say the WLAN card is working - and as you say you can see networks but can't connect to them. This is a problem with your WLAN management utility, not driver, firmware or kernel patch.

Please don't try adding drivers or patching the kernel as the card already works.

Try this -

sudo iwlist eth1 scan

If you see any networks at all your wireless card works and you need to stop messing with it. What I'd do is install wicd instead as knetworkmanager is pretty useless.

Hope this hslps -

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Thanks, wizard. Ran it, see 6 networks. I tried installing wicd but I can't get it to work. When I open it there is a tab on the menu bar at the bottom of the screen and its icon with green network signals bounces next to the pointer, but then I click on the tab, nothing happens, then it disappears. How do uninstall wicd and reinstall it? I have the folder wicd-1.7.0 sitting on my desktop.

EDIT: I ran 'more INSTALL' to find out about then when I was in the wicd-1.7.0 folder in bash. All I did was run

python setup.py uninstall
python setup.py configure
sudo python setup.py install

But nothing has changed. Wicd doesn't open, its tab just disappears after about 5 seconds.

[wizard10000]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

Thanks, wizard. Ran it, see 6 networks. I tried installing wicd but I can't get it to work. When I open it there is a tab on the menu bar at the bottom of the screen and its icon with green network signals bounces next to the pointer, but then I click on the tab, nothing happens, then it disappears. How do uninstall wicd and reinstall it?

sudo apt-get remove --purge wicd && sudo apt-get install wicd

[GreyGeek]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

wicd doesn't show in the system tray the first time you run it, but on the next reboot it will show. You can right mouse on the system tray in a blank region and choose "System tray settings". On that dialog you can mark which apps you want to hide, show automatically or make permanently visible.

BTW, it appears from what you wrote that your firmware was installed.

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

sudo apt-get remove --purge wicd && sudo apt-get install wicd

It says couldnt find package wicd for both of those. Are you sure I can execute the install without internet? This is why I worked from the downloaded copy (http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Syste...cd-40130.shtml) which I loaded onto the laptop via thumb drive.

[wizard10000]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

It says couldnt find package wicd for both of those. Are you sure I can execute the install without internet? This is why I worked from the downloaded copy (http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Syste...cd-40130.shtml) which I loaded onto the laptop via thumb drive.

Sorry, I didn't see that you didn't have an internet connection now. Can you make a wired connection and install wicd that way?

[boethian]

Re:How do I install downloaded BCM4312 nic driver?

wicd doesn't show in the system tray the first time you run it, but on the next reboot it will show. You can right mouse on the system tray in a blank region and choose "System tray settings". On that dialog you can mark which apps you want to hide, show automatically or make permanently visible.

BTW, it appears from what you wrote that your firmware was installed.

I'm not perfect with the terminology, but I don't think I'm worried about the system tray per se, but the tab for the window itself, like when I have bash open there is a window for it and a tab (not an icon) I can click on so that the window pops up. But when I open wicd a tab for it shows up (without a window however), then just disappears. Perhaps it is the dependencies specified by wicd in the installation? Would I not have some of these after a fresh install of 9.10? Here's the list wicd gives

1. python above 2.4
2. pygtk
3. dbus and its glib and python bindings
4. a dhcp client
5. wireless-tools (iwlist, iwconfig, etc)
6. net-tools (ip, route, etc)
7. a graphical sudo app (kdesu, etc.), optional but recommended
8. urwid
9. pm-utils

Could there be some other problem then? Say I get wicd open, what would I would be looking for? Is there any other things I can run to get more information on my problem? Or try to connect to the network I want via command-line? I really appreciate all the help, first time using Linux!