RALink: It Just Works - Yeah right!
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| dcparris Apr 20, 2007 4:10 PM EDT |
I just received a new Edimax EW7608 card bearing the RT2561 chipset that is supposed to work out of the box with Debian Etch (http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/products/wireless/). I plugged the thing in, hoping it would "just work", and 4 hours later, I still can't figure out how to get it working! Arrrggghhhh! The CD included pre-built drivers - just copy them into /etc/Wireless/RTxxxx and run /sbin/insmod /path/to/rt61.ko. Should be able to /etc/init.d/networking restart Right? Wrong! error inserting /path/to/rt61.ko. -1 Invalid module format Am I trying too hard? I didn't see any reference as to which way I'm supposed to hold my tongue, either. ifconfig does not see it. iwconfig shows lo, eth1, sit0 - but no eth0 or wlan0. I can't even get things that work out of the box to work out of the box! I must be Charlie Brown's first cousin. Sigh! Anyone have any ideas, before I go compiling the source code? Thanks! |
| tuxchick Apr 20, 2007 4:26 PM EDT |
Ee, you got bad instructions. Never use insmod; always use modprobe, because modprobe resolves module dependencies for you. Don't use the extension on the module name; something like this should do the job: # modprobe rt61 Try that first, and if you're still having problems take a look at this page: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=296822&highlight=rt... |
| dcparris Apr 20, 2007 4:37 PM EDT |
modprobe said "FATAL: module rt61 not found. When I get home this evening, I'll try the Ubuntu tutorial, which takes it from source. If I knew how to get the rt61.ko module in the right place, I might be done. Many thanks! |
| dinotrac Apr 20, 2007 4:42 PM EDT |
Rev - Nice to see -- A) That I am not the only one here and taking a stab at Ubuntu, and B) pulling my hair out (oops! Sorry Rev, I forgot!) over wireless. In my case, it's over a Realtek 8187B powered Trendnet dongle. I have the driver from Realtek which works find in 2.6.18, but... Those darned kernel guys!!! They re-factored/re-wrote/re-engineered/re-something the wireless API for 2.6.20 and the driver no longer compiles nor works. BTW - Is it possible that your problem is a kernel/driver version mismatch? |
| tuxchick Apr 20, 2007 5:21 PM EDT |
Kernel modules need to be in the exactly correct directory. try /lib/modules/[kernel version]/kernel/drivers/net/ |
| dinotrac Apr 20, 2007 5:43 PM EDT |
tc - That may be true of modprobe, but it isn't true of insmod. You can insmod from just about anywhere. |
| dcparris Apr 20, 2007 6:05 PM EDT |
Dino: I'm using Etch, but the tutorial is for Ubuntu. ;-) Ya gotta remember, I'm a Debian convert. I would be willing to lay odds it would have worked if I had done a fresh install. TC: I'll try putting the .ko file in the right directory. |
| jdixon Apr 20, 2007 6:39 PM EDT |
> try /lib/modules/[kernel version]/kernel/drivers/net/ In the 2.4 kernels at least, I believe that would be /lib/modules/[kernel version]/kernel/drivers/net/wireless. |
| jimf Apr 20, 2007 7:33 PM EDT |
I'd bet Don is using a varient of the 2.6.18 Etch kernel. The path is: /lib/modules/2.6.18-4-686/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ |
| tuxchick Apr 20, 2007 9:24 PM EDT |
Crud, I forgot how to do new kernel modules. You need depmod -a too. Definitely not plug n play! |
| dcparris Apr 20, 2007 10:16 PM EDT |
So that should be something like:
depmod -a rt61 (or without the rt61?)
modprobe rt61 Correct? |
| jdixon Apr 21, 2007 6:22 AM EDT |
> Correct? Yes, but without the rt61. Depmod scans your module tree and determines your module dependencies. It doesn't take an individual module as an argument. Once it's been run modprobe should work properly with the new module. |
| dcparris Apr 21, 2007 6:57 AM EDT |
That didn't work either. I'll follow the Ubuntu source compilation tutorial. Failing that, I'll resort to my former stratgey of re-installing the OS. "They said it would 'just work'." - dcparris disgruntled rt61 user. |
| jimf Apr 21, 2007 11:30 AM EDT |
> my former stratgey of re-installing the OS Ahh... I see new Debian users say that so often and it's absolutely 'wrong'. One of the major points of running Debian is that you can fix virtually anything, and, 'never' have to reinstall the system. I'm pretty sure you're gonna learn that Don, but, it will probably take you a few more reinstalls :D |
| hkwint Apr 21, 2007 3:06 PM EDT |
Don: I have some experience with the Ralink drivers too. At the moment, there's the old RT61 'legacy' driver, but the developers are trying hard to integrate all RT25xx drivers into the new RT2x00 driver. Anyway, here's my advice: -Take your WiFi card out, and use a magnifying glass to look at the RaLink chip. Be sure there really _IS_ a RaLink 2561 chip present. Once, I was trying a RT2500 driver with a card that wasn't a RT2500, if I'm correct it was 2561 instead. I was only able to find out by looking at the chip's surface itself, but /sbin/lspci -vv could also help. -After you're really sure, go to the 'RaLink community support' forums: http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=... is the place to start. If I remember correctly, I tried to make a 2561 card work back in January, but it didn't work out then, since the 2561 wasn't supported with WPA encryption (WPA_Supplicant didn't have a RT module). If the answer isn't at the forum yet, make a login and ask others for help. People over there are very competent. |
| dcparris Apr 21, 2007 7:32 PM EDT |
The chip is supposed to be 2561 - that's the one advertised as working. I haven't been on the system all day, and I have got to get some rest now. |
| dcparris Apr 22, 2007 9:39 PM EDT |
Tuxchix is my hero!!! The tutorial worked. I used the most recent driver, downloaded from ralink. That meant using the new driver version in the appropriate places (replacing 'driver-1.0.4.0' with 'driver-1.1.0.0'). But I think I also realize at least one problem with what I was doing before. I edited the .dat file in regular mode, not binary mode. Anyway, I am now using my shiny new RA Link card with the GPL'ed drivers!!! Woot! Woot! I'm still a bit disappointed, since I honestly believed it was going to 'just work' right out of the box. I mean, the site even specifically named Debian Etch. But it's done now. Whew! Now if I can get it to work at work, I'll be a very dangerous man indeed. ;-) |
| tuxchick Apr 23, 2007 8:17 AM EDT |
Hurrah the rev! Perhaps 'out of the box' means 'after you unpackage it and go through a meelyun steps it works' :P |
| dcparris Apr 23, 2007 9:25 AM EDT |
:-D I still say if I was installing some_distro x.n.x, it would have worked fine - might even have auto-detected the card during installation. One of these days, I'll put that theory to the test, but not today. ;-) |
| jdixon Apr 23, 2007 9:45 AM EDT |
> ...if I was installing some_distro x.n.x, it would have worked fine... Well, you can find out some day when you're feeling a bit feistier. :) |
| jimf Apr 23, 2007 10:07 AM EDT |
> a very dangerous man indeed. ;-) Yuh, you've been proving that for a long time Don :D |
| dcparris Apr 23, 2007 5:28 PM EDT |
Yeah, yeah, yeah... :-D |
You cannot post until you login.