MX Linux Forum

JayM wrote: Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:01 amI bet Huckleberry Finn will be able to suggest some things when he comes online. He's pretty good with wifi and networking issues, among other things.

Thank you so much

AVLinux wrote: Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:58 am...then the WiFi wouldn't work at all either on the running system or the Snapshot. The WiFi works perfectly running the system with the 5.9.1 kernel, ... it seems to me that there are either conflicting modules or something is preventing the interface from coming up at boot.

Yep.

On the other hand, same question comes to mind: then why doesn't that conflicting one (if there's) doesn't conflict/get loaded on the installed system but on live-session only ? :)

• There seems to be no candidate to be conflicting (other than iwlwifi , though that chip number (8086:4222) is not in the list of its supported devices). You can try blacklisting that.

• At worst case, you can try putting a .sh in Autostart Applications list (on the installed system, then take a snapshot, or on live-session directly, then Remaster), simply :
  

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  sudo modprobe -r iwl3945 ; sudo modprobe iwl3945

  (maybe with sleep ... between )

Weirdly sometimes the vice versa happens: Everything works ootb on live-session with the official iso but not when installed, and you try this and that :)

• Alternatively (though no such issue on the installed system) this works about disconnection issues, (again you can directly do that on live-session, then remaster if you like)
  

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  echo "options iwl3945 disable_hw_scan=0" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/iwl3945.conf

  (... or even both: .sh at startup and this .conf in etc... )

Hi Huck!

Thanks for the help! I will give those a try on the next round of Snapshot tests. I know my way around multimedia stuff but I am absolutely terrible at Networking stuff. The module option looks like a good place to start, it seems to make sense, the WiFi card is there but not fully switched on... Maybe it's a firmware package fluke...?

I'll post back with what i find out

OK...

For fun I created the iwl3945.conf and put it in /etc/modprobe.d and it is present on the Live Filesystem (as in it is getting properly incorporated into the ISO) but still the ISO boots with no WiFi due to 'device not ready' so then in a terminal as Root in a Live session I did modprobe -r iwl3945 followed a few seconds later by modprobe iwl3945 but there was no change in status in the Network Manager notification area. Once again if I launch the Network Assistant and graphically unload and reload the iwl3945 driver it will start working on Reload...?

I'm puzzled, isn't running the modprobe commands doing exactly the same thing as the graphical Network Assistant utility is?

If you put it at Session and Startup => Autostart Apps (this is according to Xfce) it will be done from the very beginning.

Yes, you can do using gui, but to be loaded next boot, changes need to get permanent, you need to Remaster after changes, you know.. With modprobe, you directly load /unload module in kernel, but Network Assistant blacklists / unblacklists (prevents or not)

But.. when NM doesn't work , what does inxi -n show on live session? Or lsmod | grep iwl

Hi, posting from a live sesh with wired internet working..

demo@mx1:~
$ inxi -n
Network: Device-1: Broadcom Limited BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX driver: b44
Device-2: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network driver: iwl3945
IF: wlan0 state: down mac: fe:ec:69:5d:c0:81
IF-ID-1: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: 00:14:22:f3:10:89
demo@mx1:~
$



demo@mx1:~
$ lsmod | grep iwl
iwl3945 61440 0
iwlegacy 69632 1 iwl3945
mac80211 483328 2 iwlegacy,iwl3945
cfg80211 327680 3 mac80211,iwlegacy,iwl3945
demo@mx1:~
$

I understand about using autostart but I want to distribute this snapshot so I don't want too many specifics tweaks for my hardware if that is going to mess things up for somebody else booting it..

So, the driver is ok, it looks loaded in both outputs:

Device-2: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network driver: iwl3945

Just, for some reason NM doesn't work .. State is down ...

So, no need to do anything extra, no need to .sh file, autostart etc..

So.. it shows no list of available APs ? (I'd say left & right click on NM icon if it was Xfce :) )

Hmmm... NM bug?

If you can see any Access Points, no ..

No pointy accesses can be found...
It's a 'so close' kind of issue.. :-/

What about right-click on NM icon? The top three boxes checked, right? "Enable ..."