# [solved]Networking woes after updating system.. iwl3945

## jaydoc

Hi

I run Gentoo on an acer aspire 5920 laptop. After some trouble (which I solved by myself) when resuming from hibernate, all was going along well, until I updated the system using emerge -aNDu world as part of following a wiki on how to free up disk space from a  gentoo wiki. Everything went fine, and I did not follow the wiki beyond the initial steps as this was a recent install and I was just seeing how much disk space I could free by doing the steps in the wiki. I noticed that during the update the driver for the iwl3945 was upgraded.

I should mention that I'm using WICD to manage the network as I find it easier that way. I know nothing about networking, and am just learning the ropes in gentoo (and Linux)

Well, after the update, the network (both wired as well as wifi) quit working. The wifi LED is always off. However on the Arch Linux install which is part of the dual boot on this laptop can connect perfectly to both wired and wifi. 

Some code output here....

 *Quote:*   

> lspci -v
> 
> 00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
> 
> 	Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Acer Aspire 5920G
> ...

 

This is part of /etc/conf.d/rc that I added as I use Wicd.....  *Quote:*   

> RC_PLUG_SERVICES="!net.eth0 !net.wlan0"

 

But enabling eth0 or wlan0 is of no use either. I get similar results. I have another file named /etc/rc.conf that was made after I emerged world and there too I added a similar line as I thought it was a replacement for /etc/conf.d/rc. 

I should however add that I haven't rebooted my system in more than 2 days, during which a previous update seemed to do something with upgrading the kernel from 2.6.28-gentoo to 2.6.28-gentoo-r1... though I don't know what exactly it was about. 

 *Quote:*   

> ]
> 
> # emerge --info
> 
> Portage 2.1.6.7 (default/linux/x86/2008.0, gcc-4.3.2, glibc-2.9_p20081201-r1, 2.6.28-ARCH i686)
> ...

 

Can someone help me out here please...? I can see that the firmware is missing or something, but I do not recollect unmerging anything like that. I also cannot understand why the wired network is also failing, since wicd should at least get that going...?Last edited by jaydoc on Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## d2_racing

Hi, first can you post this :

After you reboot your box :

```

# cd /etc/init.d/ && ls -la

# rc-update show

# lsmod

# dmesg | grep -i iwl

# iwconfig

# ifconfig -a

```

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## jaydoc

@d2racing... thanks for helping, and here goes..... 

 *Quote:*   

> # cd /etc/init.d/ && ls -la
> 
> total 280
> 
> drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  4096 Jan 24 11:40 .
> ...

 

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## jaydoc

well.. this subforum alone has 3 threads similar to mine...! but no clear solution in sight.

I am still short of a solution, except 

```
ln -s /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-3945.ucode /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-3945-1.ucode
```

which seems to throw the firmware back to the older version.

I am afraid of doing something stupid, so I am still waiting for confirmation from geeks here before I attempt anything. 

thanks

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## d2_racing

Maybe the iwl3945-ucode is not compatible with the kernel 2.6.28.

Did you try the kernel 2.6.27 ?

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## jaydoc

Actually, there was no kernel upgrade as far as I know. It has always been, 2.6.28 since I installed gentoo... 

the upgrade, was in the firmware - which was one of the packages emerged during the world update.

Could this problem be related to the openRC migration that is brought about by world upgrades..? I had to edit abt 27 files after that, and usually i would lose my network (I have installed gentoo 6 times in 15 days, and 5 of those 6 times were because of this issue   :Embarassed:   :Rolling Eyes:  ) This time around I seemed to get it right, but unluckily that doesn't seem to be the case...!

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## jaydoc

Ona fresh reinstall, emerging iwl3945 ucode was successful, but there was this advice at the end.

* Due to ucode API change this version of ucode works only with kernels

 * >=2.6.29-rc1. If you have to use older kernels please install ucode  

 * with older API:                                                      

 * emerge net-wireless/iwl3945-ucode:0                                  

 * For more information take a look at bugs.gentoo.org/246045

I took a look at bugs.gentoo.org/246045, but was quite unable to decipher what exactly is wrong, and whether its been corrected. I know that the kernel installed is 2.6.28-gentoo-r1. That seems to suggest this ucode won't work. Is that so, and if that's the case, what is the solution...?

```
 * emerge net-wireless/iwl3945-ucode:0   
```

  ....?

and mask the newer package...?

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## d2_racing

In fact, for now at least and when kernel 2.6.29 is out, then upgrade to the newer one.

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## jaydoc

yes, d2racing, I think the problems were indeed because I did not read the elog messages, at the end of the upgrade when the problems arose. 

I unmerged the newer version, emerged the old one, and the wifi is working. I haven't done an update world, but I will do so and report back.

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## d2_racing

Nice to know that  :Razz: 

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## jaydoc

Ok. I did an update world, and as the newer firmware was in my masked packages it did not show up, and on a reboot, everything went fine. My wifi still works, and this thread can be considered solved...!

Moral of the story: Read the Emerge messages. It will save many a headache for the Gentoo Newbie...!

Thanks d2racing. :Very Happy: 

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## ichbinsisyphos

Yeah that iwl3945-ucode update got me too. And i was on the road, with no other network than wireless available. How long is gentoo-sources-2.6.29 away? A sticky might be in order.

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## danomac

I second the sticky. I just spent over an hour trying to figure out why my wireless didn't work!

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