# [SOLVED] iwl6050: net.wlan0 doesn't exist?

## musasabi

so, installing gentoo on a brand new Asus U52F. all's well thus far aside from wifi (of course).

from the kernel:

```
CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m

CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG=y

CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEVICE_TRACING=y

CONFIG_IWLAGN=m

CONFIG_IWL4965=y

CONFIG_IWL5000=y

CONFIG_IWL3945=m
```

from /etc/conf.d/net

```
config_eth0=("dhcp")

modules=("wpa_supplicant")

wpa_supplicant_wlan0("-Dwext")

config_wlan0=("dhcp")
```

wpa_supplicant.conf is straight out of the gentoo handbook.

lspci:

```
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation WiMAX/WiFi Link 6050 Series (rev 5f)
```

i've got net-wireless/iwl6050-ucode-41.28.5.1 installed.

lsmod:

```
iwlagn               176604   0

iwlcore               118889   1 iwlagn
```

and then there's no /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 by default. i created a symlink to net.lo. then, when i try to run it (with everything as i documented above), i get this:

```
network interface wlan0 does not exist

Please verify hardware or kernel module (driver)
```

now, as far as i can tell, iwlagn + the 6050 microcode is what i need for the kernel driver to work, right? and iwlagn is loaded, but not being used by anyone. so... what's the deal?Last edited by musasabi on Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:38 am; edited 1 time in total

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## BradN

Check hardware wireless switch  :Wink:   If I remember, on my intel wireless, the device won't show up in ifconfig -a if the switch is off.

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## musasabi

checked, both the physical switch and the silly keyboard one i'm sure i'll have to try harder to get working later.  :Wink: 

also, the RF subsystem switch option is enabled in the kernel.

ifconfig -a puts out eth0, lo, and sit0 only. =\

EDIT: fixed it. haha. so, as of kernel 2.6.36-r5, the iwlagn drivers require iwl6050 microcode "v4". however, since both v4 and v5 are masked in portage, unmasking simply "iwl6050" will result in portage installing v5. the iwlagn driver will look for the firmware, not find v4, and fail to initialize.

so the solution is:

```
emerge -v =iwl6050-ucode-9.201.4.1
```

and then reload the iwlagn module. it creates wlan0 and life is happy.

so, for you seniors and such, should i file this as a bug? and if so, where? i've never filed a bug before, so i figure i'd ask before crying wolf.  :Wink: 

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## BradN

I suppose if these versions are not in any way interchangeable, they should be different packages (ie, iwl6050-v4 and -v5) with ebuild descriptions describing supported hardware.  Or at the very least a warning should pop out with explanation when you emerge any of them.

Note to self... I'll have to remember this if I deal with other intel wireless cards!

I'd go ahead and report a bug - bugs.gentoo.org is the place for that.  This sounds like a trap others would fall into, and gentoo has plenty of those even if we take this one away.

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## musasabi

yeah, i agree. i've been using gentoo for at least seven years now, on and off. of course it's always a learning experience every time you put it on a new box, but i had hoped i'd at least have wifi figured out by now. =)

but yeah. you enable the kernel module, you unmask the microcode and emerge it, and you've got a version of the microcode that is incompatible with the kernel module according to dmesg. i _had_ done everything right, except know ahead of time which version i needed, which isn't the user's responsibility, its portage's.

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## musasabi

followup - go figure. 2.6.36-r6 has the patch, but is masked also. so, using to the current stable release of the kernel will cause the bug. haha. alas. =)

https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=349685#c2 for reference.

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