Setting up wi-fi, missing system tray

[schlurb]

Hello world

I am completely green, this is my first time using linux outside of playing a steam deck. I recently decided to boot Kubuntu on my old 2012 macbook pro at the recommendation of a friend. I'm slowly getting acquainted with it, but I'm hitting some snags. I'm trying to connect to my wi-fi, and have the SSID and WEP2 key in the network options, but I can't figure out where to tell it to connect. On looking around for guidance, I found that there should be a system tray where you can choose which network to connect to. It seems I'm missing that system tray from the taskbar, and I can't figure out how to make the icons that should be there show up. Here's what I'm running:

• Kubuntu 24.04
• KDE Plasma Vers. 5.27.11

Kubuntu is installed alongside Mac OS. As per the forum rules, here is the inxi output:

::1 ff02::1 ip6-allnodes ip6-localhost localhost
dylmacbookpro ff02::2 ip6-allrouters ip6-loopback​

Another similar post in this forum mentioned drivers may be missing and asked for the output of lspci and rfkill list, so to save some time I'll go ahead and provide those as well:

$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor PCI Express Root Port (rev 09)
00:01.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor PCI Express Root Port (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM77 Express Chipset LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GK107M [GeForce GT 650M Mac Edition] (rev a1)
01:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GK107 HDMI Audio Controller (rev a1)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries NetXtreme BCM57765 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 10)
02:00.1 SD Host controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM57765/57785 SDXC/MMC Card Reader (rev 10)
03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
04:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): LSI Corporation FW643 [TrueFire] PCIe 1394b Controller (rev 08)
05:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
06:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
06:03.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
06:04.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
06:05.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
06:06.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]
07:00.0 System peripheral: Intel Corporation CV82524 Thunderbolt Controller [Light Ridge 4C 2010]

$rfkill list
[FONT=monospace][COLOR=#000000]0: hci0: Bluetooth [/COLOR]
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no[/FONT]

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Snowhog]

Welcome to KFN!
As to the missing System Tray. Right-click on a blank area of the Panel and click on + Add Widgets... In the Search window, type System Tray. Click on the System Tray result. You should now see what you are missing.

[Schwarzer Kater]

I don't think your system tray is missing - Wi-Fi is not shown, because the hardware in your MacBook Pro is not recognized properly.

This is what your rfkill list output should look:

MBP2-Kubuntu2404:~$ rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
1: brcmwl-0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
2: hci0: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: yes
        Hard blocked: no​​

(note that Bluetooth is disabled in this example)

Please post (just) the output of the section
03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
from sudo lspci -v to be sure - it should use the wl kernel driver (so you can use both 2.4 and 5 GHz network speeds).


The output of sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i error or sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i firmware could also be helpful.

If there are errors in the journalctl output/the driver is missing: sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential dkms broadcom-sta-dkms to install the kernel modules for the BCM4331.


PS: I suggest two more things if you sucessfully have got your WiFi working

• have a look at Essential and strongly recommended things to do directly after a Kubuntu 24.04 LTS installation
• consider using mbpfan for better fan control and cooling of your MacBook Pro - ask in a new thread if you have questions regarding its usage.

[schlurb]

Thanks for the reply Kater. The output of sudo lspci -v is as follows:

03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
Subsystem: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17, IOMMU group 13
Memory at c1a00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3
Capabilities: [58] Vendor Specific Information: Len=78 <?>
Capabilities: [48] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
Capabilities: [d0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [13c] Virtual Channel
Capabilities: [160] Device Serial Number 95-1e-c3-ff-ff-92-7c-d1
Capabilities: [16c] Power Budgeting <?>
Kernel driver in use: bcma-pci-bridge
Kernel modules: bcma

The first of the commands output a couple errors:

sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i error
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode29_mimo.fw" not found
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode29_mimo.fw" not found
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to [URL]https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware[/URL] and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.

and the second gave this:

sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i firmware
May 21 20:34:14 dylmacbookpro kernel: DMAR-IR: [Firmware Bug]: ioapic 2 has no mapping iommu, interrupt remapping will be disabled
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode29_mimo.fw" not found
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode29_mimo.fw" not found
May 21 20:34:20 dylmacbookpro kernel: b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to [URL]https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware[/URL] and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.

I followed your advice to install the kernal modules, but it seems these errors persist after doing so. Also, thank you for the further reading, I'm excited to really dive into this world once my wi-fi is online!

[Schwarzer Kater]

So you have installed broadcom-sta-dkms and sudo lspci -v shows no difference in
03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
for kernel driver/modules after a reboot?

Did the installation show any errors or did it succeed?
What does apt list --installed | grep -E 'build-essential|^dkms|linux-headers|broadcom-sta-dkms|wireless-tools' show? Is everything installed?


PS: If for whatever reason broadcom-sta-dkms does not work with your laptop (quite unlikely, though, because one of my own MacBooks has more or less the exact same mainboard/chipsets…), you can alternatively install firmware-b43-installer - but this one only supports 2.4 GHz as far as I know…
I suggest to make sure that all of the listed above packages are installed first and the module does not work before sudo apt purge broadcom-sta-dkms (to remove this one) and trying the other (b43) module.

[schlurb]

It looked like the BCM4331 installer completed with no issues when I ran it, and the journalctl output I posted was after the completed install and a reboot, though I'll double check them now to make sure.

Here's the apt output:

~$ apt list --installed | grep -E 'build-essential|^dkms|linux-headers|broadcom-sta-dkms|wireless-tools'

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

broadcom-sta-dkms/noble,noble,now 6.30.223.271-23ubuntu1 all [installed]
build-essential/noble,now 12.10ubuntu1 amd64 [installed]
dkms/noble,noble,now 3.0.11-1ubuntu13 all [installed]
linux-headers-6.8.0-31-generic/noble,now 6.8.0-31.31 amd64 [installed,automatic]
linux-headers-6.8.0-31/noble,noble,now 6.8.0-31.31 all [installed,automatic]
linux-headers-generic/noble,now 6.8.0-31.31 amd64 [installed,automatic]
wireless-tools/noble,now 30~pre9-16.1ubuntu2 amd64 [installed,automatic]

I also just re-input the journalctl commands to doublecheck those errors from the last message, and they came back a little differently this time. I may have forgotten to reboot before checking these before, but this output is definitely post-BCM4331 install and post-reboot:

dylm@dylmacbookpro:~$ sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i error
May 25 15:46:00 dylmacbookpro kernel: ERROR @wl_notify_scan_status :
dylm@dylmacbookpro:~$ sudo journalctl -b -p3 | grep -i firmware
May 24 19:26:24 dylmacbookpro kernel: DMAR-IR: [Firmware Bug]: ioapic 2 has no mapping iommu, interrupt remapping will be disabled

[Schwarzer Kater]

journalctl looks better now and everything that is necessary seems to be properly installed.
Anything after "May 25 15:46:00 dylmacbookpro kernel: ERROR @wl_notify_scan_status :" for this entry?

And sudo lspci -v for
03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02) ?

[schlurb]

No, that was it for the journalctl. Here's the most recent lspci:

03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
Subsystem: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17, IOMMU group 13
Memory at c1a00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3
Capabilities: [58] Vendor Specific Information: Len=78 <?>
Capabilities: [48] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
Capabilities: [d0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [13c] Virtual Channel
Capabilities: [160] Device Serial Number 95-1e-c3-ff-ff-92-7c-d1
Capabilities: [16c] Power Budgeting <?>
Kernel driver in use: wl
Kernel modules: bcma, wl

[Schwarzer Kater]

Well, that is also how it should look like - can you connect to a Wi-Fi network now (try WPA2 first)?

PS: check first - rfkill list should also show the network interface now, does it?

[schlurb]

DUDE perfect, it works now! Thank you so much for coaching me through that. Just so I'm understanding right, it was a missing driver causing the problem?

Hopefully this part is a little easier, but the system tray is still missing. I dug into the widget editing menu, and it says there is an instance of the system tray running, but I can't see it anywhere. If I try to drag another instance into the taskbar, it doesn't really show up as it probably should with the shortcuts, it just shows up as an editable separator. I tried to drag an instance onto the desktop as well, just to see if the icons would show up, but no luck there either. Just an empty box. Any idea how to proceed with that?

[Schwarzer Kater]

Congratulations.
Yes, you had no Wi-Fi because the system could not properly communicate with your Wi-Fi chipset due to a missing kernel module.
In 99% of the cases Linux already has the correct drivers/modules for the hardware, but sometimes (especially with Wi-Fi chipsets) one has to do this manually.

For the system tray problem:
First you should find out if it is a system or a user problem. Create a new (test user) account and log into it.
If the system tray is also missing there, something in your system is messed up.
If it shows and works there, you probably have defective user settings or cache files.

Find this out and then we can work with this info - there are several more knowledgable people here than me regarding Plasma settings files, though.
And possibly it could be something else…


PS:

1. A quick and dirty fix could be to just remove the complete Plasma Panel and create a new one:
   --> right click anywhere on the desktop and --> Enter Edit Mode --> on the far right side of the bottom panel click Configue Panel… --> click More Options… --> Remove Panel.
   --> Right click on the desktop again and --> Add Panel --> Default Kubuntu Panel.
2. I have sometimes had strange effects due to the "Session Restore" function. To disable it:
   --> open System Settings --> Startup and Shutdown --> Desktop Session --> choose "Start with an empty session" --> click Apply --> log out and in again.

[schlurb]

Alright, so the test user has the same issue, and none of the other suggestions worked either. Something in the system is messed up?

[Schwarzer Kater]

At least the culprit does not seem to be located within your /home/$USER directories…

To be on the same page, here are some screenshots how it should look (taken from one of the MacBooks - the German language does not matter here):

connected to Wi-Fi (with additional symbols on the left for Yakuake, the clipboard and Bluetooth)


connected to Ethernet


the expanded system tray


the expanded network system tray module

[schlurb]

Yeah, all of that is missing for me unfortunately. Here's some screengrabs of where I'm at:

The far side of the task bar, where the tray should be:


Once the Edit Widget menu is open, we can see that there is an instance of the system tray where it should be, but the icons are missing:


Going into the settings for the system tray, the entries seem to be missing. I'm not sure what this menu is supposed to look like, but I would imagine that the entries for wi-fi, bluetooth, power regulation and the like would be here:

[Schwarzer Kater]

This looks like some of the default Plasma packages have not been installed automatically…

As a first step you could simply try sudo apt update && sudo apt install --fix-broken and see if this does or reports anything.

Unfortunately I don't know by heart which packages contain the system tray plasmoid and modules… Hopefully someone else here does.


PS: the system tray settings should look like this