# How do I install the ACX100 driver.....the GENTOO WAY

## psyche

Hi

I used the guide for the ACX100 driver at www.houseofcraig.net, and I got my wireless card working, but when I rebooted and started my system again, I couldn't get it working again....I think the problem lies in the last part where you copy the start script to init.d which is mostly found on Red Hat systems....does anyone know how to install it the Gentoo way???

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## kimchi_sg

emerge acx100

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## psyche

thanks  :Wink:  i tried that, but how do I start the wlan0 after emergin??

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## kimchi_sg

```
modprobe acx_pci
```

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## psyche

the module loads automatically on boot..I need to start wlan0 to get ip etc...when  using the ACX100 manually i had to fill out a script called start_net and execute it afterwards to start the card.....

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## kimchi_sg

 *psyche wrote:*   

> the module loads automatically on boot..I need to start wlan0 to get ip etc...when  using the ACX100 manually i had to fill out a script called start_net and execute it afterwards to start the card.....

 

To load wlan0 on startup:

```
ln -s /etc/init.d/net.lo /etc/init.d/net.wlan0

rc-update add net.wlan0 default

/etc/init.d/net.wlan0 start
```

Also edit your /etc/conf.d/net and /etc/conf.d/wireless accordingly.

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## abostick

For those folks trying to get acx100 working using the ebuild, I just discovered what was preventing me from seeing my wlan0 interface.

The acx_pci module that is installed with the ebuild is looking for the firmware files in the wrong directory!  A simple ln -s /lib/firmware /usr/share/acx fixed it for me.

Run dmesg and look for this problem.   That is where I saw it.

Once this is done, iwconfig wlan0 should show the card.  Then you just have to set up /etc/net/wireless I believe.

Aaron

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## kimchi_sg

 *abostick wrote:*   

> The acx_pci module that is installed with the ebuild is looking for the firmware files in the wrong directory!  A simple ln -s /lib/firmware /usr/share/acx fixed it for me.

 

Or just put the firmware files into /usr/share/acx instead.  :Razz: 

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## psyche

Hi again

kimchi_sg -> I don't have /etc/conf.d/wireless

Am I missing something???

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## kimchi_sg

 *psyche wrote:*   

> Hi again
> 
> kimchi_sg -> I don't have /etc/conf.d/wireless
> 
> Am I missing something???

 

No. Copy /etc/conf.d/wireless.example to /etc/conf.d/wireless and then it will be there for your editing pleasure. Read the comments in the file carefully, please.

P.S. emerge wireless-tools first.

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## psyche

Hi

I have emerged wireles-tools but /etc/conf.d/wireless nor /etc/conf.d/wireless.example exists.....

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## Chaosite

/etc/conf.d/wireless and all the other cool things are in the ~x86 version of baselayout.

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## psyche

thanks, i'll try it  :Smile: 

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## psyche

That didn't work either....all i get is this:

wlan0     

IEEE 802.11b+/g+  ESSID:"STAC2D0B5"  Nickname:"acx100 v0.2.0pre8"

          Mode:Auto  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00   

          Bit Rate:1 Mb/s   Tx-Power=15 dBm   Sensitivity=1/3  

          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   

          Encryption key:off

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality=44/100  Signal level=21/100  Noise level=0/100

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

Any ideas???

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## psyche

It works! Thanks for all your help!  :Smile: 

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## r3vilod3vil

 *psyche wrote:*   

> It works! Thanks for all your help! 

 

Hi@all !

I enabled Wireless Lan drivers & extensions in my kernel 2.6.10-r6

emerged acx100, 

set the link 

```
ln -s /lib/firmware /usr/share/acx
```

wrote acx_pci into /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

copied /etc/init.d/net.eth0 to /etc/init.d/net.wlan0.

I added net.wlan0 to default-runlevel.

Now I want to iwconfig but all I got was:

```

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11b+  ESSID:"STA059B08"  Nickname:"acx100 v0.2.0pre8"

          Mode:Auto  Channel:1  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00

          Bit Rate:1 Mb/s   Tx-Power=18 dBm   Sensitivity=187/255

          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off

          Encryption key:off

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

```

an /etc/conf.d/wireless or ~.example does not exist although I emerged wireless-tools

Psyche: How did you solve the problem ?

I'm using a dwl-650/520+ with acx100 chip.

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## kimchi_sg

 *r3vilod3vil wrote:*   

> an /etc/conf.d/wireless or ~.example does not exist although I emerged wireless-tools
> 
> I'm using a dwl-650/520+ with acx100 chip.

 

That's exactly what I use.

To get /etc/conf.d/wireless,

```
echo "baselayout ~x86" >> /etc/portage/package.keywords

emerge baselayout
```

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## r3vilod3vil

hi

thx, I emerged baselayout and copied the wireless.example to wireless. But to find my AccessPoint (Dl-624+) do I really need to change every option in the wireless ? How do I find other APs or cards ? iwlist shows:

```
 iwlist wlan0 scan

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Resource temporarily unavailable

```

If this can help: I did not patch the kernel, not used make inject or make driver etc. There is more than 1 tutorial for acx100 I and this was my second try to get it work.

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## r3vilod3vil

ok, now scanning works...

bringing up the wlan0 via dhcp fails, thats the reason for "iwlist wlan0 scan" not to work, but after "ifconfig wlan0 up" scanning works. I find my AP now, but iwconfig wlan0 still shows  

```
IEEE 802.11b+  ESSID:"STA059B08"  Nickname:"acx100 v0.2.0pre8"

          Mode:Auto  Channel:1  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00

          Bit Rate:1 Mb/s   Tx-Power=18 dBm   Sensitivity=187/255

          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off

          Encryption key:off

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0 
```

 which is definitly not my ap.

Configuring "iwconfig wlan0 essid ... rate ... channel ... etc"  manually does not help to connect to the ap. 

even specifying the /etc/conf.d/wireless didn't help to connect.

dmesg says: 

```
Radio scan found 3 stations in this area.

<Scan Table> 0: SSID="wlan-moat",CH=6,SIR=100,SNR=0

peer_cap 0x0041, needed_cap 0x0001

Found station with matching ESSID!! ("wlan-moat" station, "wlan-moat" config)

<Scan Table> 1: SSID="",CH=7,SIR=19,SNR=41

peer_cap 0x0011, needed_cap 0x0001

found station with empty or single-space (hidden?) SSID, considering for assoc a

ttempt.

<Scan Table> 2: SSID="BudaNet",CH=11,SIR=74,SNR=37

peer_cap 0x0431, needed_cap 0x0001

ESSID doesn't match! ("BudaNet" station, "wlan-moat" config)

```

 whereas wlan-moat is the correct ap but according to iwconfig it does not connect to

booting my pc and bringing up net.wlan0 (which is a copy of net.eth0) brought a message like "using kernel defaults for wlan0" or closely to this

plz help me,  a friends centrino-wlan worked after only 1 hour...and I'm trying this now for 2 days...

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## r3vilod3vil

In between I had a third try. I changed my way to install the driver with "emerge acx100".  First of all I unemerged acx100 and baselayout (that was really hard because of its masked status) 

I followed the way descripted in this wiki:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_acx100

I patched the driver with "make inject" into the kernel and compiled it, loading the acx-driver as module. Now I can start the driver per "modprobe acx_pci".

But nothing changed the connection-progress. The card can get started with "ifconfig wlan0 up" and I scan "iwlist wlan0 scan" but

```
 iwconfig wlan0 essid any rate 22M channel 6 
```

 does not connect me.

With Kanotix the cards works and I can connect without problems. Maybe this has somethin to do with CardBus and PCMCIA -Modules loaded in Kanotix but not in my system ?

The firmware is still getting loaded without problems.

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