# [SOLVED] atheros ath5k in kernel 2.6.25?

## cr0ntab

I'm running gentoo on an hp dv6810us that has an Atheros AR5006EG wireless chipset.

```
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5006EG 802.11 b/g Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)
```

From what I've read, my options for getting this working are ndiswrapper, applying a patch from madwifi, or using the ath5k driver provided by the 2.6.25 kernel. Having exhausted the first two options, I'm now trying a newer kernel. The problem is, all the wikis and forum posts I find say that ath5k is definitely in 2.6.25, and that it should be in: Device Drivers --> Network Device Support --> Wireless LAN --> Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11) --> Atheros 5xxx wireless cards support. (For example: http://gentoo-wiki.com/Atheros_5xxx)

I've tried gentoo-sources-2.6.25-r5 and vanilla-sources-2.6.25.9, and that option doesn't appear in either one. How can I get this ath5k driver if it's not in the kernel config?

I appreciate any help I can get in getting wi-fi working on this otherwise nice laptop.  :Smile: Last edited by cr0ntab on Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:58 am; edited 1 time in total

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## pedro3

Good luck with your Atheros, if you remember, post here telling if it worked, I have a friend whose Atheros refuses to work.

Apparently ath_5k depends on EXPERIMENTAL, maybe that's why you don't see it?

```
.config - Linux Kernel v2.6.26-rc7 Configuration

Atheros 5xxx wireless cards support

CONFIG_ATH5K:

This module adds support for wireless adapters based on

Atheros 5xxx chipset.

Currently the following chip versions are supported:

MAC: AR5211 AR5212 

PHY: RF5111/2111 RF5112/2112 RF5413/2413

This driver uses the kernel's mac80211 subsystem. 

If you choose to build a module, it'll be called ath5k. Say M if 

unsure.

Symbol: ATH5K [=n] 

Prompt: Atheros 5xxx wireless cards support 

Defined at drivers/net/wireless/ath5k/Kconfig:1 

Depends on: NETDEVICES && !S390 && PCI && MAC80211 && WLAN_80211 && EXPERIMENTAL 

Location:

    -> Device Drivers

      -> Network device support (NETDEVICES [=y])   

        -> Wireless LAN 

          -> Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11) (WLAN_80211 [=y])
```

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## wrc1944

I use it on my wireless box with gentoo, and it works very well.  However, on another partition (same wireless box) that I just installed OpenSuse-11.0 final on, the ath5k driver refuses to work, and I had to resort to ndiswrapper and my old windows driver that came on a cd with the card. 

I think the 2.6.25 kernel I'm currently using (manually compiled) is a slightly earlier version than the OpenSuse kernel version, so maybe an "update" or OpenSuse patch to the ath5k broke it.  

If it's not in your kernel config, maybe Gentoo patched kerenels leave it out?  I'm not on my wireless box right now, or I'd check and see just which version I have (I forget at the moment).  If you can't solve it, post back, and I'll check my wireless box and try and offer some more info.

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## cr0ntab

Alright, I've had some luck. I downloaded the new Atheros HAL from Madwifi (http://snapshots.madwifi.org/special/) and now I have a few more interfaces that show up with ifconfig -a:

```
ath0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1F:3A:94:F2:4B  

          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:0 

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

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1E:68:3C:6B:8A  

          inet addr:10.10.10.144  Bcast:10.10.10.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

          inet6 addr: fe80::21e:68ff:fe3c:6b8a/64 Scope:Link

          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:1610 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:847 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 

          RX bytes:1460232 (1.3 Mb)  TX bytes:119234 (116.4 Kb)

          Interrupt:222 Base address:0x2000 

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  

          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0

          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host

          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  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:0 

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

sit0      Link encap:IPv6-in-IPv4  

          NOARP  MTU:1480  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:0 

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

wifi0     Link encap:UNSPEC  HWaddr 00-1F-3A-94-F2-4B-38-80-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00  

          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:280 

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

          Interrupt:21 

```

However, ath0 says the network is down:

```
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

sit0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

wifi0     Interface doesn't support scanning.

ath0      Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

```

I'm not sure why it says this but I'd guess that this dmesg output has something to do with it:

```
MadWifi: ath_attach: HAL managed transmit power control (TPC) disabled.

MadWifi: ath_attach: Interference mitigation is supported.  Currently disabled.

MadWifi: ath_attach: Switching rfkill capability off.

```

At least it's progress in the right direction.

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## cr0ntab

I missed an important step:

```
ifconfig ath0 up
```

It picks up my networks now.  :Smile: 

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