# 3CRWE154G72 (3Com Wireless) Problem with Firmware (upload)

## hussy

Hi, i have some problems uploading my firmware for

the 3com wireless card in Linux.

Im running on a 2.6.0 kernel, this is the tail of /var/log/kernel:

```

Jan  5 12:29:15 C3PO kernel: eth1: islpci_open()

Jan  5 12:29:15 C3PO kernel: eth1: resetting device...

Jan  5 12:29:15 C3PO kernel: eth1: uploading firmware...

Jan  5 12:29:25 C3PO kernel: prism54: request_firmware() failed for 'isl3890'

Jan  5 12:29:25 C3PO kernel: eth1: could not upload firmware ('isl3890')

Jan  5 12:37:38 C3PO kernel: eth1: hot unplug detected

Jan  5 12:37:38 C3PO kernel: eth1: removing device

Jan  5 12:37:41 C3PO kernel: PCI: Enabling device 0000:02:00.0 (0000 -> 0002)

```

As you can se, it all works out fine untill the firmware is about

to be uploaded to the PCMCIA card.

The firmware used is from http://prism54.org/ as it is the only one

i have found that supports my card(?), and i have compiled the

driver into the kernel; not as a module.(also from prism54 page).

Any suggestions about what to do? As I have done some research by my

own, I have limited the problem to hotplug(?)...

But what is it that is not working with hotplug?

If there are any other logs that is needed, please tell me and I will post them.

Thanks // Henrik

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## fleed

You might get more answers at prism54.org/forums/ 

Did you emerge the latest hotplug? Does it have firmware support? Did you compile fw loading in the kernel? Did you put the fw file in the correct location?

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## hussy

Yes, the latest hotplug is installed, it must have firmware support(?) orelse the prism54 site would not recomend using it?

Yes, i have compiled fw_loading into the kernel...

Yes, in /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware/

The only thing i dont understand is why it is unable to upload the firmware into the card :/

Ok, ill check the forums, but if you have a solution, I won't say now to it ;-)

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## fleed

I would suggest trying to compile it as a module instead of into the kernel but I've never had the same problems you had. The only issues I had were to do with an apparent incompatibility between my laptop and the card, it reports the card's vendor as ffff. Patching the prism54 module allowed me to load it.

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## hussy

I'll try using it as a module, but i have no clew what the difference would be...?

Hrm, found a post on the prism54 forum about it, but no awnser... :/

Compiling the kernel as we speak, I'll be back as soon as ive tried it!

Thank you!

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## hussy

Still the same problem thou...

And when i was about to copy the bzImage to /boot/, I managed to remove the whole dir ;-)

Don't even ask how I did it ;-D

But still, no inprovement on the problem...

Still getting firmware error.

It is odd, becaus if I do a ifconfig eth1 i get

```
eth1      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:00:00:00:00:00  

          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 

          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)

          Interrupt:10 

```

and the iwconfig eth1:

```

eth1      3COM 3CRWE154G72  ESSID:""  

          Mode:Managed  Channel:6  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00  

          Sensitivity=0  

          Retry min limit:0   RTS thr=0 B   Fragment thr=0 B   

          Encryption key: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

```

I have tried to use the card as it is now, but as it has no firmware, I cant find any AP...

----------

## nigelhannam

I have the same 3com card (came in a bundle with an AP).

Don't think I can be much help though.  I did have a couple of minor problems setting it up, but mostly to do with deferring the net script being run until after the card had succesfully initialised.

I never encountered any problems with the firmware uploading.

Using a Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop, and kernel 2.6.0 that I manually patched with the prism54 driver and compiled as a module.

fleed seems to have covered all the suggestions that I would have come up with.

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## hussy

Ok, I will try the card on another perfectly clean and reeinstalled laptop.

Se if I can manage to get it to work.

Yes, my card was also bundeled with an AP... So it is the same *Shit* :)

Anyway, thank you!

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## fleed

Check this out.

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## hussy

i have JUST fond what was wrong!

The hotplug agent was missconfigured in some way!

I downloaded this one: http://unc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/linux-hotplug/hotplug-2004_01_05.tar.gz

Installed it as the README said, did chmod -x on the unnecicary things (not needed)

Upgraded to the latest tarball from prism54.org.

checked the that the card was loaded by removing it and insert it again.

did a "dump_cis" and it was there, as it always had been.

And as a finish:

ifconfig eth1 10.0.0.1

and WEEEEEEE!! :D It worked!

So it WAS the hotplug daemon that was fucked in some way...

hrm, anyway thanks for all help, I would not even have tried it again

if it has'nt been for you guys ;)

By the way, did'nt tell you before, but this laptop runs CRUX ;-P

Thou I'm a gentoo user, but I felt that I needed some changes at this machine ;)

Thanks again!

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## b0fh

I've got a question not exactly to your problem, but I've got the same card  :Smile:  How do I tell hotplug to execute certain commands when the card is plugged in and execute when the card is removed?

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## oumpah-pah

I got the same problem with hotplug-base-20040401. I found out that it was looking for the firmware in /lib/firmware instead of /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware, so I created a link:

```
ln -s /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware /lib/firmware
```

and now it works. I don't know if this was your problem, and I know you already fixed it, but I think it can help someone else...

----------

## angelcervera

I solved this problem (Ovislink AirLive 5400PCM) with:

```

# emerge prism54

# ln -s /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware/isl3890 /lib/firmware/isl3890

```

And insert PCMCIA.

----------

## Mythos

 *oumpah-pah wrote:*   

> I got the same problem with hotplug-base-20040401. I found out that it was looking for the firmware in /lib/firmware instead of /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware, so I created a link:
> 
> ```
> ln -s /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware /lib/firmware
> ```
> ...

 

MUAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH yes  :Smile:  so much searching and the answer was in linking  :Razz: 

thank you  :Smile: 

```

eth2      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00XX...XX:4D

          inet6 addr: ..XXXXX... Scope:Link

          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:3 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:238 (238.0 b)

          Interrupt:169
```

wireless at last in Linux

Gentoo Forum RULEZ!!!

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