# unable to get wireless working

## dmonty

I'm not able to get the wireless working - modprobe ipw2200 is not working.  See details below:

```

lspic -v

03:03.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2915ABG [Calexico2] Network Connection (rev 05)

        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 1000

        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 4

        Memory at feafa000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]

        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2

        Kernel modules: ipw2200

net-wireless/ipw2200-firmware is installed

modprobe ipw2200

WARNING: /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200 line 1: ignoring bad line starting with 'options'

FATAL: Error inserting ipw2200 (/lib/modules/2.6.32-gentoo-r7/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ipw2x00/ipw2200.ko): Unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg)

dmesg

[ 2682.210819] libipw: Unknown symbol lib80211_crypt_info_init

[ 2682.210961] libipw: Unknown symbol lib80211_get_crypto_ops

[ 2682.211532] libipw: Unknown symbol lib80211_crypt_info_free

[ 2682.211662] libipw: Unknown symbol lib80211_crypt_delayed_deinit

[ 2682.212994] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_change_mtu

[ 2682.213101] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_rx_mgt

[ 2682.213688] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_is_valid_channel

[ 2682.213967] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_xmit

[ 2682.214194] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_freq_to_channel

[ 2682.214280] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_networks_age

[ 2682.214636] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_get_geo

[ 2682.215261] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_rx

[ 2682.215491] ipw2200: Unknown symbol print_ssid

[ 2682.215675] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_wx_get_encodeext

[ 2682.215761] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_wx_get_encode

[ 2682.215965] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_wx_set_encode

[ 2682.216132] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_txb_free

[ 2682.216308] ipw2200: Unknown symbol free_ieee80211

[ 2682.216671] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_channel_to_index

[ 2682.216795] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_wx_set_encodeext

[ 2682.216964] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_wx_get_scan

[ 2682.217117] ipw2200: Unknown symbol libipw_set_geo

[ 2682.217206] ipw2200: Unknown symbol alloc_ieee80211

```

----------

## Telemin

I would suggest that the error message is fairly self explanatory.

 *dmonty wrote:*   

> 
> 
> ```
> 
> WARNING: /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200 line 1: ignoring bad line starting with 'options'
> ...

 

Could you please post the contents of /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200, and we can have a look at the options line.

-Freestyling-

----------

## dmonty

 *freestyling wrote:*   

> I would suggest that the error message is fairly self explanatory.
> 
> Could you please post the contents of /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200, and we can have a look at the options line.
> 
> -Freestyling-

 

I forgot to mention that removed /etc/modprobe.d/ipw2200 early on. No file.

I'm suspecting that something is missing when I built the kernel but I have no idea what to look for in menuconfig.

----------

## Telemin

OKay, looking at those errors again it would appear that you are missing lib80211 from the kernel.  Make sure that in your menuconfig you have selected:

```

---> Networking Support

   ---> Wireless          

                                                      

       <*>   cfg80211 - wireless configuration API              

                    

       [*]     cfg80211 wireless extensions compatibility (NEW)   

          

       <*>   Common routines for IEEE802.11 drivers        

                   

       <*>   Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)    

```

CONFIG_LIB80211 is provided by "common routines for IEEE802.11 drivers" options but the others are commonly required as well.

Hope this helps

-Freestyling-

----------

## dmonty

```

--- Networking support

--- Wireless

<*>   cfg80211 - wireless configuration API

[ ]     nl80211 testmode command

[ ]     enable developer warnings

[ ]     cfg80211 regulatory debugging

[*]     enable powersave by default

[ ]   cfg80211 DebugFS entries

[*]   Old wireless static regulatory definitions

-*-   Wireless extensions

[ ]     Wireless extensions sysfs files

{*}   Common routines for IEEE802.11 drivers

[ ]   lib80211 debugging messages

<*>   Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)

Default rate control algorithm (Minstrel)  --->

[ ]   Enable mac80211 mesh networking (pre-802.11s) support

[*]   Enable LED triggers

[ ]   Export mac80211 internals in DebugFS

[ ]   Select mac80211 debugging features  --->

```

Only the following options are checked on the 802.11 page everything else is left unchecked.

```

--- Device Drivers

--- Network Device Support

--- Wireless LAN

--- Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11)

<M>   Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG and 2915ABG Network Connection

[*]     Enable promiscuous mode

-*-       Enable radiotap format 802.11 raw packet support

[*]       Enable creation of a RF radiotap promiscuous interface

[*]     Enable QoS support 

```

----------

## Telemin

As far as I can see all of your kernel configs are correct.  One possible cause of the problem though is that if you have recompiled the kernel several times you may not be booting the correct one.  Could you please doublecheck (by recompiling and copying back over to /boot) that you are booting the correct kernel image.  Another favourite mistake is to forget to mount /boot before you copy the kernel image over so make sure you do this too!!

Also when you say that you have installed ipw2200-firmware can you confirm that the firmware is present in /lib/firmware?

-Freestyling-

----------

## dmonty

I'm using genkernel to make the kernel

genkernel --splash=emergence --install --clean all

No separate /boot partition.  Every time I run genkernel it updates kernel, initramfs 

```

gentoo1 ~ # ll /boot

total 10948

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1571644 May 11 10:41 System.map-genkernel-x86-2.6.32-gentoo-r7

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root       1 May  5 11:37 boot -> .

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root    4096 May 11 10:46 grub

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5937331 May 11 10:41 initramfs-genkernel-x86-2.6.32-gentoo-r7

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3692608 May 11 10:41 kernel-genkernel-x86-2.6.32-gentoo-r7

gentoo1 ~ # ll /lib/firmware/

total 596

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  12007 May 10 23:08 LICENSE.ipw2200-fw

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  26222 May  6 00:56 em8300.bin

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 191154 May 10 23:08 ipw2200-bss.fw

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 185428 May 10 23:08 ipw2200-ibss.fw

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 187836 May 10 23:08 ipw2200-sniffer.fw

```

I wonder if I'm missing some crypto kernel settings?  What are the required crypto  settings for wireless?

I wish genkernel could detect all the hardware in the computer and automatically pick the right drivers.

----------

## dmonty

Fixed the ipw2200 module!

I enabled a bunch of crypto stuff in moduleconfig and it started working.

Next step is to get wireless working with wicd...  I'll take a crack at it now.

Thanks for all your help.

----------

