WiFi setup & FC2

[Morgan Read]

Sorry, please reply to new thread.  Didn't mean to tag on.
Regards,
M

Morgan Read wrote:
> Can someone please bring me some sanity...
> 
> I have pcmcia wifi card with a prism 3 chipset - Allied Telesyn 
> AT-WCL452 (Intersil firmware apparently).
> 
> Running fc2 kernel 2.6.6-1.435.2.3
> 
> I installed this and confidently re-booted following advice that the 
> prism chipsets were well supported.
> 
> Nothing.
> 
> I went through the set-up process in system-config-network but the card 
> wasn't there:(
> 
> I googled and found that the driver de jour for prism was the hostap, 
> not the orinoco that comes installed.
> 
> I installed the 0.1.3 rpm (0.2.4 now stable, but no rpms yet).  And, 
> followed some configuration info I'd found in various places on the net: 
> inserted lines -
> "alias wlan0 hostap_cs" in /etc/modules.conf
> "alias wlan0 hostap_cs" in /etc/modprobe.conf
> "card "AT-WCL452"
>    version "Allied Telesyn", "AT-WCL452 Wireless PCMCIA Radio", "Ver. 1.00"
>    manfid 0xc00f, 0x0000
>    bind "hostap_cs""
> in /etc/pcmcia/hostap_cs.conf
> 
> There seemed to be some success (once I'd worked out I needed to 
> reference hostap_cs rather hostap_pci); iwconfig gave sensible 
> responses, as did ifconfig.  However, system-config-network seemed to be 
> playing up and freezing the whole system if I tried to change the mode 
> form "master" to "managed", and just touching the "Wireless Settings" 
> tab froze the window.
> 
> Then card stopped working altogether.  So, I discovered a bug and fixed 
> it by placing the start script for pcmcia before the network startup.
> 
> The card worked again.  But, it kept wanting to be Master and not 
> Managed (don't we all).
> 
> About then I discovered that Allied Telesyn provide the wlan-ng driver 
> on their web site, not rpm.  And, it didn't compile:(  I've successfully 
> compiled a soft-modem driver.  Also, Open1x Xsupplicant from cvs.  But, 
> this didn't sing.  Any ideas?  Something to do with matched sources?
> 
> After a bit more googleing I discovered that the orinoco driver provided 
> some support for prism.  So, why not put what I've learnt into putting 
> the systems driver to work: inserted lines -
> "alias wlan0 orinoco_cs" in /etc/modules.conf
> "alias wlan0 orinoco_cs" in /etc/modprobe.conf
> "card "AT-WCL452"
>    version "Allied Telesyn", "AT-WCL452 Wireless PCMCIA Radio", "Ver. 1.00"
>    manfid 0xc00f, 0x0000
>    bind "hostap_cs""
> in /etc/pcmcia/config
> 
> Success, well some...  Seems to give me partially sensible things with 
> iwconfig and ifconfig, but keeps returning eth1 instead of wlan0?  Then 
> things started getting very strange - loading orinoco_cs for the 
> ethernet driver instead of the sis900??  Worked out that if I booted 
> with out the card in and then inserted it, I got the right driver on the 
> ethernet?  But, at some point I have AT-WCL452 under the ethernet and 
> orinoco_cs under wireless!!!  OK, so it wants eth1 not wlan0?  It can 
> have it!  I changed "alias wlan0 orinoco_cs" (no "" of course) to "alias 
> eth1 orinoco_cs".  Rebootted, but still the wireless entry in 
> system-config-network shows wlan0 (where does it get this from!).  And, 
> the mode option has gone back to Master!  (Of course, it still freezes 
> up if I use that Wireless Settings tab.)  So, I deleted the wireless 
> entry in order to set up a new entry.  And what to I get when I go 
> through the add new device dialogue...  No wireless entry (where once 
> the driver or card name showed up thought the wireless dialogue)  And! 
> If I go through the new ethernet dialogue I have the offerings of: "SiS 
> 900/7016 PCI Fast Ethernet (eth0)" as expected AND "orinoco_cs (eth1)" 
> AND!!! "AT-WCL452 (eth0)!
> 
> How grey do I have to get?
> 
> Can someone help, please?
> 
> Thanks all for listening.
> Regards,
> Morgan.
> 

-- 
Morgan Read
<mailto:mstuffATplDOTnet>