# mini-pci Wifi

## willdev

Hi All,

I have looked at many threads dealing with pcmcia-cs, wifi and cards.  I have done all the suggestions and tips listed in them and I still can't get my wifi working.

I have a prism2 chipset built in wifi.  I have compiled and loaded the pcmcia-cs modules (pcmcia, i82365, ds), cardmgr starts and listens.

However the built in mini card is not recognized by cardmgr.

Here is what I see:

```

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] watching 1 sockets

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: IO ports 0xc00-0xcff: Device or resource busy

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: IO ports 0x800-0x8ff: Device or resource busy

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: IO ports 0x100-0x4ff: Device or resource busy

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: memory 0xc0000-0xfffff: Input/output error

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: memory 0x60000000-0x60ffffff: Input/output error

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: memory 0xa0000000-0xa0ffffff: Input/output error

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] could not adjust resource: IO ports 0xa00-0xaff: Device or resource busy

May 16 14:19:16 [cardmgr] starting, version is 3.2.4

May 16 14:25:20 [cardmgr] exiting

erato sbin # cardctl ident

Socket 0:

  no product info available

erato sbin # dump_cis

Socket 0:

  no CIS present

```

I alsi tried to emerge the linux-wlan-ng to see if that would work.  It doesn't compile:

```

In file included from prism2_usb.c:5:

prism2sta.c:486: unknown field `owner' specified in initializer

prism2sta.c:486: warning: initialization from incompatible pointer type

make[3]: *** [prism2_usb.o] Error 1

make[3]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....

make[3]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1_pre3/work/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1-pre3/src/prism2/drive r'

make[2]: *** [all] Error 2

make[2]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1_pre3/work/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1-pre3/src/prism2'

make[1]: *** [all] Error 2

make[1]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1_pre3/work/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1-pre3/src'

make: *** [all] Error 2

 

!!! ERROR: net-wireless/linux-wlan-ng-0.2.1_pre3 failed.

!!! Function src_compile, Line 169, Exitcode 2

!!! failed compiling

```

I have created a net.eth1 but nothing recognizes the device.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

-John

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## brick

I can't help you with your emerging linux-wlan-ng problems. Maybe try removing the linux-wlan-ng directory and rsyncing - that might refresh a corrupted file or something? I've definitely had my share of emerge quirks and i don't know reliably how to fix them. This is what I've done at least and it seems to work:

emerge linux-wlan-ng

rc-update add wlan default

/etc/init.d/wlan/start

dhcpcd wlan0

Unfortunately often when I am in x-windows (gnome 2.2) and have the wireless going, my computer will randomly and completely lock up forcing a hard reboot, and it's frustrating me to no end. x-windows never locks when wireless is not dhcpcd'd and nothing seems to lock when I'm not in x-windows.  Does anybody have any idea as to what I could do to fix this? 

--Nick

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## xming

just a thought,

minipci is pci in a mini form, so it is not pcmcia, can you see your card with lspci or cat /proc/pci ?

Ming-Wei

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## xr31Daisy

mini-pci ?

That sounds like the kind of card you can find in a dell laptop.

What card is it exactly ? model ? chip ?

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## wolf31o2

All mini-PCI drivers are the same as their PCI big brothers.  Use the PCI prism2 driver and it should recognise your mini-PCI card.

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## xr31Daisy

 *wolf31o2 wrote:*   

> Use the PCI prism2 driver and it should recognise your mini-PCI card.

 

Not always.

For example the Dell TrueMobile 1150 is based on a PCI/PCMCIA bridge : the mini-PCI card acts exactly like an extra PCMCIA, and requires the use of the pcmcia driver.

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## Random Juju

For what it's worth, I'm having EXACTLY this problem, too.  The interesting thing is that I had this setup working with pcmcia-cs under redhat.

I've heard that using an earlier version of pcmcia-cs prevents bad juju, but I haven't been able to get that to play nicely with 2.4.20-r5 (gentoo).  Emergining anything earlier than 3.2.4 produces an error in /usr/src/linux/include/linux/timex.h (#error You lose.).  I get lots of complaints about CONFIG_HZ being undeclared.

Also, modprobing orinoco_cs on my setup gives:

```
/lib/modules/2.4.20-gentoo-r5/pcmcia/orinoco.o: unresolved symbol hermes_init

/lib/modules/2.4.20-gentoo-r5/pcmcia/orinoco.o: insmod /lib/modules/2.4.20-gentoo-r5/pcmcia/orinoco.o failed

/lib/modules/2.4.20-gentoo-r5/pcmcia/orinoco.o: insmod orinoco_cs failed
```

Not sure what the deal is with that, but it sounds like something else that could be resolved with another version of pcmcia-cs.

Grumble grumble.

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## Sargonas

I had this problem with my gateway 450.  What I did was build hermes wireless drivers as modules into the kernel and then It let me modprobe ds.o and from there my orinoco_cs.o  which let me see my mini-pci  orinoco card.  Hopes this helps alittle

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## Random Juju

I partially solved my problem.

Building support for wireless networking directly into the kernel BUT NOT BUILDING ANY DRIVERS AT ALL makes almost everything happy when used with pcmcia-cs.  I still get the complaints about the ports and memory ranges, which is odd since it does complain about every single one, but at least I have a usable wireless setup.

If there's any demand for a better explanation for what I did, pester me and I'll get on it.

Happy hunting.

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## Random Juju

So I think I found a better solution.  Some disclaimers first, though:

 I am using a Dell Latitude C640 with a TrueMobile 1150 mini-pci card.  I am running gentoo-sources-2.4.20-r5 and pcmcia-cs 3.2.4.

 I am not using any other PCMCIA devices.  I do not know if this will make things get silly with other cards.

With that said, here's how I got things working:

 Make pcmcia-cs not be on your system.  Unmerge it if you have it, or just keep moving if you don't.

 Beat things with the kernel configuration stick.

 Under "General setup," add PCMCIA/CardBus support as a module.  Enable only CardBus support for the bridges (I suspect that i82365 support would still be happy, but I haven't tested it).

 Under "Network device support," enable Wireless LAN (non-hamradio).  I enabled Hermes chipset, Hermes in PLX9052..., Prism 2.5 PCI..., and Hermes PCMCIA support as modules.  I'm sure that a couple of those can go, but, again, haven't tested which.

 Recompile your kernel.

 Re-merge any modules that were most likely lost in the recompilation (xfree-drm, alsa-driver, etc.).  Also emerge pcmcia-cs.  The kernel-based support will be detected, and pcmcia-cs won't clobber the existing modules, but will give you cardmgr.

 Add yenta_socket and ds to modules.autoload.

 Reboot.

 Enjoy.

I think that should cover it.  Let me know if anything blows up.

(EDIT:  Sesshomaru, I just realized that it sounds a lot like I'm repeating you.  I guess I am in a lot of ways, but this actual procedure resolved a LOT of the problems I was having in getting from pcmcia-cs drivers to kernel drivers.)

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## Sargonas

ah, dont worry about repeating me, yours looks alot better and has steps....I have good information, but I never present it well.....Anyway glad you got it working   :Very Happy: 

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