# how do I know if kernel sees my wifi card?

## turtles

```
 # iwconfig

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

```

```
lapcat turtle # modprobe ndiswrapper

FATAL: Module ndiswrapper not found.

lapcat turtle # emerge -pvu ndiswrapper

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!

Total size of downloads: 0 kB

lapcat turtle #                                             
```

etc/conf.d/net

```

# This blank configuration will automatically use DHCP for any $

# scripts in /etc/init.d.  To create a more complete configurat$

# please review /etc/conf.d/net.example and save your configura$

# in /etc/conf.d/net (this file :]!).

iface_eth0="dhcp"

dhcpcd_eth0=""

modules=( "iwconfig" )

key_ESSID1="lightning"

```

```
lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -l

Installed ndis drivers:

mrv8000c        driver present, hardware present

mrv8000c.sys    invalid driver!

```

All I want is a very basic wireless set up

thanks

----------

## Iced-Tux

Try grepping dmeg after your card, escpecially after you loaded the modules. And search your lspci output for your WiFi card. 

Greetz 

iced-tux

----------

## turtles

lspci gives me 

```
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88w8335 [Libertas] 802.11b/g Wireless (rev 03)

```

I am not shure about the other command but I did do a 

```
cat /var/log/dmesg | less    
```

 and did not find anything that looked like wireless.

the lights on the card are off.

thanks for your advice.

----------

## davidgurvich

Post the output of 'lsmod', 'emerge --info', and 'lspci'.

----------

## Iced-Tux

 *turtles wrote:*   

> lspci gives me 
> 
> ```
> 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88w8335 [Libertas] 802.11b/g Wireless (rev 03)
> 
> ...

 

looks like there is no module loaded for your WiFi. Try loading your modules, with modprobe XXX or ndiswrapper XXX. Then check again your dmesg output.

BTW 

```
dmesg
```

 displays /var/log/dmesg  :Wink: 

----------

## turtles

Sorry for the delay I got sidetracked my another issue.

MY emerge info is here 

```
lapcat ~ # ndiswrapper -hotplug

lapcat ~ # ndiswrapper -i mrv8000c

mrv8000c is already installed. Use -e to remove it

lapcat ~ # modprobe mrc8000c

FATAL: Module mrc8000c not found.

```

```
lapcat ~ # lsmod

Module                  Size  Used by

snd_pcm_oss            26944  0

snd_mixer_oss          12480  1 snd_pcm_oss

snd_seq_oss            21696  0

snd_seq_midi_event      3616  1 snd_seq_oss

snd_seq                32368  4 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event

snd_seq_device          4364  2 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq

i915                   12672  2

drm                    45940  3 i915

parport_pc             26788  0

parport                21832  1 parport_pc

pcspkr                  1760  0

yenta_socket           17516  1

rsrc_nonstatic          8256  1 yenta_socket

pcmcia_core            23284  2 yenta_socket,rsrc_nonstatic

e100                   24036  0

mii                     3008  1 e100

snd_intel8x0m          10892  0

snd_intel8x0           21852  0

snd_ac97_codec         63424  2 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0

snd_ac97_bus            1248  1 snd_ac97_codec

snd_pcm                45156  4 snd_pcm_oss,snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec

snd_timer              14212  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm

snd                    30564  10 snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer

snd_page_alloc          6024  3 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_pcm

intel_agp              15292  1

agpgart                17888  3 drm,intel_agp

rtc                     8660  0

nfs                    79276  0

lockd                  41416  1 nfs

sunrpc                100540  2 nfs,lockd

jfs                   143884  0

dm_mirror              14128  0

dm_mod                 36024  1 dm_mirror

pdc_adma                6180  0

sata_mv                12712  0

ata_piix                8036  0

ahci                   10756  0

sata_qstor              6372  0

sata_vsc                5380  0

sata_uli                4772  0

sata_sis                5188  0

sata_sx4                9732  0

sata_nv                 6212  0

sata_via                5636  0

sata_svw                4900  0

sata_sil24              7780  0

sata_sil                6408  0

sata_promise            7748  0

libata                 40044  15 pdc_adma,sata_mv,ata_piix,ahci,sata_qstor,sata_vsc,sata_uli,sata_sis,sata_sx4,sata_nv,sata_via,sata_svw,sata_sil24,sata_sil,sata_promise

sbp2                   15848  0

ohci1394               25456  0

ieee1394               55416  2 sbp2,ohci1394

sl811_hcd               8960  0

ohci_hcd               14468  0

uhci_hcd               16296  0

usb_storage            55456  0

usbhid                 31488  0

ehci_hcd               21608  0

usbcore                80448  7 sl811_hcd,ohci_hcd,uhci_hcd,usb_storage,usbhid,ehci_hcd

lapcat ~ #

```

```
apcat ~ # dmesg

Linux version 2.6.17-gentoo-r7 (root@kagome) (gcc version 4.1.1 (Gentoo 4.1.1)) #1 SMP Wed Sep 20 14:24:14 UTC 2006

EDIT: removed stuff here that i think is not related let me know if you need more.

e100: Intel(R) PRO/100 Network Driver, 3.5.10-k2-NAPI

e100: Copyright(c) 1999-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:08.0[A] -> GSI 20 (level, low) -> IRQ 21

e100: eth0: e100_probe: addr 0xcffff000, irq 21, MAC addr 00:08:0D:4E:A9:D4

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:0b.0[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 16

Yenta: CardBus bridge found at 0000:01:0b.0 [1179:0001]

Yenta: ISA IRQ mask 0x0cb8, PCI irq 16

Socket status: 30000020

pcmcia: parent PCI bridge I/O window: 0xc000 - 0xcfff

cs: IO port probe 0xc000-0xcfff: clean.

pcmcia: parent PCI bridge Memory window: 0xcff00000 - 0xcfffffff

pcmcia: parent PCI bridge Memory window: 0x28000000 - 0x29ffffff

e100: eth0: e100_watchdog: link up, 100Mbps, half-duplex

pccard: CardBus card inserted into slot 0

input: PC Speaker as /class/input/input3

pnp: Device 00:09 activated.

parport: PnPBIOS parport detected.

pnp: Device 00:09 disabled.

[drm] Initialized drm 1.0.1 20051102

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:02.0[A] -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 19

[drm] Initialized i915 1.4.0 20060119 on minor 0

PCI: Enabling device 0000:00:02.1 (0000 -> 0002)

[drm] Initialized i915 1.4.0 20060119 on minor 1

lapcat ~ #                                          
```

I do get some error meeages on boot but I dont seem find the log file for the boot up module loading.

I also have no Idea what to put in conf.d/net

```
  GNU nano 1.3.12       File: /etc/conf.d/net

# This blank configuration will automatically use DHCP for any net$

# scripts in /etc/init.d.  To create a more complete configuration,

# please review /etc/conf.d/net.example and save your configuration

# in /etc/conf.d/net (this file :]!).

iface_eth0="dhcp"

dhcpcd_eth0=""

modules=( "iwconfig" )

key_ESSID1="lightning"

```

thanks for any Ideas!

EDIT 

I have tried all kinds of drivers and I keep getting output like this:

```
lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -l

Installed ndis drivers:

mrv8000c        driver present, hardware present

mrv8000c.sys    invalid driver!

lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -e mrv8000c

lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -e mrv8000c.sys

lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -i Mrv8000c.sys

Installing mrv8000c.sys

lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -i Mrv8000c.inf

Installing mrv8000c

Forcing parameter AdhocGMode|1 to AdhocGMode|0

Forcing parameter AdhocGMode|1 to AdhocGMode|0

lapcat turtle # ndiswrapper -l

Installed ndis drivers:

mrv8000c        driver present, hardware present

mrv8000c.sys    invalid driver!

lapcat turtle #
```

So should I keep trying different windows drivers with ndiswrapper? Or do I have to compile somthing into the kernel? or just buy a different card?

----------

## Iced-Tux

Hmmm thats tricky because I own only native supported cards  :Wink: 

But let me see:

1) is the driver you want to install per ndiswrapper REALLY for your card? Go check the manufacture hp for another windows driver or hopefully a linux one

2) it seems to me you have to install just the *.inf file *thats also the case if you install the card in windows*

3) check iwconfig after you loaded the *.inf file

4) If you are really p*ssed by what's happening  :Wink:  http://www.linuxwiki.de/LinuxWireless *sorry it's in german but I think you will still manage  :Wink: *

So long

iced-tux

btw: configuring your WiFi card .... thats the next step, lets now focus on bringing it to appear  :Wink: 

----------

## turtles

It says in the gentoo wpa_supplicant documentation that  *Quote:*   

> Important: You have to have CONFIG_PACKET enabled in your kernel for wpa_supplicant to work. 

 

where is this in the kernel config?

What needs to be selected in the kernel config to ensure a variety of wireless cards linux (supported and ndiswrapper) will work on pcmcia on a laptop and how to test if in fact it compiled properly and is working?

----------

