[CentOS] atheros wifi on my oqo2

Fri Mar 15 21:07:25 UTC 2013
Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com>

On 03/14/2013 07:09 PM, SilverTip257 wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 4:27 PM, Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com>wrote:
>
> Ugh I clicked reply rather than reply-all on your message that was also
> sent directly to me.
> Back on the list we go. :)
>
>
>>   On 03/14/2013 12:33 PM, SilverTip257 wrote:
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 13, 2013 at 9:53 PM, Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com>wrote:
>>
>>> On 03/13/2013 11:17 AM, SilverTip257 wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Wed, Mar 13, 2013 at 9:48 AM, Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>   I have a few oqo2 units that I use for testing, normally using the
>>>>> dongle for ethernet connection.  Well supposedly they have atheros
>>>>> wifi.  in dmseg I see:
>>>>>
> OT:  Looks like a pretty neat device.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt84OKzFQis

Yes it is.  I had 4, but one is misplaced.  But I can't get the internal 
video working with any Linux I have tried, I have to use an external 
monitor or just run it as a headless server.  It makes a great headless 
server for a portable LAN.  Would love to get a GUI working on it though.

>
>
>>>>> ath5k 0000:03:04.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
>>>>> ath5k 0000:03:04.0: registered as 'phy0'
>>>>> ath5k phy0: Couldn't identify radio revision.
>>>>> ath5k 0000:03:04.0: PCI INT A disabled
>>>>>
>>>>> I press magic <fnc-?> per http://www.expansys.com/ft.aspx?k=119902 but
>>>>> NetworkManager is not adding wifi as a networking device.  There is no
>>>>> file under /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifc-* either.  How can I get
>>>>> the wifi working?
>>>>>
>>>>>   Does the Atheros device show up in the output of ifconfig?
>>>> ifconfig -a
>>>>
>>>   Only eth0 and lo
>>>
>>>
>>>   If it does, check the output of iwconfig.
>>>   And of course nothing here.
>>>
>>>   If neither of those yield any success, dig into the output of lspci for
>>>> info on the Ath device.
>>>> lspci -v
>>>> lspci -v | grep -A10 -B2 thernet
>>>>
>>>> with verbosity turne up another notch if you want more info
>>>> lspci -vv | grep -A10 -B2 thernet
>>>>
>>>   # lspci -vv | grep -A10 -B2 thernet
>>>      Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel
>>>
>>> 03:04.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR5413/AR5414
>>> Wireless Network Adapter [AR5006X(S) 802.11abg] (rev 01)
>>>
>>   What version of CentOS?  6.4?
>>
>>
>> Still 6.3.  I am going to rebuild on one of them tomorrow (or maybe
>> tonight) to 6.4.
>>
>>
> You might try an install of Fedora instead (as I suggest at the bottom of
> this message) and try a newer kernel.  Maybe you'll end up using the CentOS
> base and need to build a newer kernel yourself to have the proper driver
> for  that Atheros chip.  Since that unit will probably not be an
> Internet-facing host, you can run a custom kernel without any drawbacks.
>
> Since CentOS 6.[34] is running a 2.6.32 kernel, I don't know that I place
> much belief in this information [0] (see post #4) helping.  And this
> poster's Atheros is an AR5001.
>
> [0] http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1350358&p=8475659
>
>
>>
>>   By chance have you tried probing the driver by manually to test?
>> modprobe ath5k
>> lsmod | grep ath
>>
>>
>> ath5k                 129334  0
>> ath                    14106  1 ath5k
>> mac80211              184028  1 ath5k
>> cfg80211              157313  3 ath5k,ath,mac80211
>>
>>    ifconfig -a
>>
>>
>> And still only eth0 and lo listed.
>>
>> I looked into messages and picked out the following:
>>
>> Mar 11 01:37:17 oqo2 kernel: ath5k 0000:03:04.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17
>> (level, low) -> IRQ 17
>> Mar 11 01:37:17 oqo2 kernel: ath5k 0000:03:04.0: registered as 'phy0'
>> Mar 11 01:37:17 oqo2 kernel: ath5k phy0: Couldn't identify radio revision.
>> Mar 11 01:37:17 oqo2 kernel: ath5k 0000:03:04.0: PCI INT A disabled
>>
>> Perhaps this is my problem?
>>
>>
> Yes.

I just boot F18 with LXDE, as the oqo will not boot of (at least my) DVD 
drive.  Only CD.  And it comes up with even the external video blank.  
But alt-ctl-F2 gets me a root login and in messages I see similar lines 
(can't upload them becase...)

I see the registered as 'phy0' and the next line says "unalbe to init 
EEPROM".  The last that the probe failed with error -5

So this is rather bad.  Time for a bug report?

>
>
>>
>>   You might also try the tips listed here:
>> http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Laptops/Wireless
>>
>>
>> Nothing helpful there.  ath5k should just work.
>>
>>
> Agreed.
>
> You may end up checking change logs for kernel versions. :-/

F18 live CD iso.

>
>
>>
>>   Check modprobe's blacklist config for kicks.
>>
>>   Being an Atheros card I'd expect it to be rather well supported.
>>
>>
>>>      Subsystem: Atheros Communications Inc. EnGenius EMP-8602 (400mw) or
>>> Compex WLM54AG (SuperAG)
>>>      Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
>>> Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
>>>      Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
>>> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>>>      Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 17
>>>      Region 0: Memory at c2100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
>>>      Capabilities: [44] Power Management version 2
>>>          Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=375mA
>>> PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
>>>          Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=2 PME-
>>>      Kernel modules: ath5k
>>>
>>> 03:05.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
>>> RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
>>>      Subsystem: Atheros Communications Inc. Device 8139
>>>      Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr-
>>> Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
>>>      Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort-
>>> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
>>>      Latency: 32 (8000ns min, 16000ns max)
>>>      Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 18
>>>      Region 0: I/O ports at bc00 [size=256]
>>>      Region 1: Memory at c2110000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
>>>      Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
>>>          Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=375mA
>>> PME(D0-,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold+)
>>>          Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
>>>
>>> I checked in the bios that the card is enabled.  The keyboard indicates
>>> that the function key function of the / key is to turn on the radio.
>>>
>>>
>>>   So the hardware switch has the radio turned on?  Is there an indicator?
>>
>> No indicator.  That is part of the problem.  All I can do is press the fun
>> key (which is 'sticky' by default and has a little led to show it is
>> activated), then press the ? (that has the radio icon in the place where
>> the keys show what they do with the fun key), then the led goes off on the
>> fun key.  For other such combinations, you get what the key shows.
>>
>>
>>   Have you tested the hardware with any other OS or distro so we know it's
>> known good hardware?
>>
>>
>> No.  I would have to dig out the base XP CD and install that.
>>
>>
>>
> You might also consider booting Fedora on it temporarily since you'll have
> a much newer kernel.

Would my Centos kickstart work for Fedora?  Or do I have to do a fedora 
install then copy the anaconda.cfg?