Wireless failing to start on Thinkpad X40

**jpff** · 26-Jul-2010, 10:56

Just installed 11.3 on an aging IBM Thinkpad X40. But the network (and xdm) does not work. I saw in the logs the cryptic message

nl80211 driver does not support authentication/association or connect commands

This machine worked on 10.3, so this is a confusuion.

What should I try next?

==John ff

**DenverD** · 26-Jul-2010, 11:14

jpff wrote:
> What should I try next?

i'd suggest you try methodically working through the three 'stickies'
at the top of this page:
http://forums.opensuse.org/english/g...here/wireless/

and, then if you still have no luck post again, but include the info
requested in the "Welcome" sticky...

there are some folks who hang here who can help you--if you can't
figure it out i'm sure..

oh, one thing most might also ask is: how did you get from 10.3 to
11.3? format install, or upgrade in place..
DVD, CD, what?

hmmmmmm....by "xdm) does not work" are you saying X is not starting?
if so, that is different issue and one which should be covered in
install-boot-login (and is maybe easily cleared...but, i don't know
how...there are those there who do know)

--
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

**caf4926** · 26-Jul-2010, 11:19

Post result of:

/sbin/lspci -nnk

**lwfinger** · 26-Jul-2010, 11:21

On 07/26/2010 12:06 PM, jpff wrote:
>
> Just installed 11.3 on an aging IBM Thinkpad X40. But the network (and
> xdm) does not work. I saw in the logs the cryptic message
>
> nl80211 driver does not support authentication/association or connect
> commands
>
> This machine worked on 10.3, so this is a confusuion.
>
> What should I try next?

Please report your wireless device from the output of "/sbin/lspci -nnk". I
think this message arises because the driver for your device does not use
mac80211 and nl80211.

Are you using ifup? If so, I just found a bug in ifup-wireless for devices that
do not use nl80211. It is reported (Bug 625403) and a fix posted there, but it
will take some time to propagate a fix.

**jpff** · 27-Jul-2010, 02:13

Originally Posted by caf4926

Post result of:

/sbin/lspci -nnk

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O
Controller [8086:3580] (rev 02)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad R50e [1014:055c]
Kernel driver in use: agpgart-intel
00:00.1 System peripheral [0880]: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor
to I/O Controller [8086:3584] (rev 02)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad R50e [1014:055d]
00:00.3 System peripheral [0880]: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor
to I/O Controller [8086:3585] (rev 02)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad R50e [1014:055e]
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graph
ics Device [8086:3582] (rev 02)
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:0557]
Kernel driver in use: i915
00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Dev
ice [8086:3582] (rev 02)
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:0557]
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) US
B UHCI Controller #1 [8086:24c2] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052d]
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) US
B UHCI Controller #2 [8086:24c4] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052d]
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) US
B UHCI Controller #3 [8086:24c7] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052d]
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Con
troller [8086:24cd] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052e]
Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev 81
)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) LPC Interface Bridge [808
6:24cc] (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller [8086:2
4ca] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052d]
Kernel driver in use: ata_piix
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) SMBus Contr
oller [8086:24c3] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad [1014:052d]
Kernel driver in use: i801_smbus
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller [0401]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4
-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller [8086:24c5] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:0558]
Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH
00:1f.6 Modem [0703]: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Modem
Controller [8086:24c6] (rev 01)
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:055a]
Kernel driver in use: Intel ICH Modem
02:00.0 CardBus bridge [0607]: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II [1180:0476] (rev 8d)
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:0555]
Kernel driver in use: yenta_cardbus
02:00.1 SD Host controller [0805]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter
[1180:0822] (rev 13)
Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad X60s / Z60t [1014:0556]
Kernel driver in use: sdhci-pci
02:01.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Intel Corporation 82541GI Gigabit Ethernet Controlle
r [8086:1077]
Subsystem: IBM Device [1014:055b]
Kernel driver in use: e1000
02:02.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG [Calexico2] Net
work Connection [8086:4220] (rev 05)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation IBM ThinkPad R50e [8086:2712]
Kernel driver in use: ipw2200

**jpff** · 27-Jul-2010, 02:15

Originally Posted by lwfinger

On 07/26/2010 12:06 PM, jpff wrote:[color=blue]
Are you using ifup? If so, I just found a bug in ifup-wireless for devices that
do not use nl80211. It is reported (Bug 625403) and a fix posted there, but it
will take some time to propagate a fix.

I use traditional systems like ifconfig/ifup. Minimal GUI stuff

**lwfinger** · 27-Jul-2010, 07:50

On 07/27/2010 03:36 AM, jpff wrote:[color=blue]
>
> lwfinger;2196522 Wrote:
>> On 07/26/2010 12:06 PM, jpff wrote:
>> Are you using ifup? If so, I just found a bug in ifup-wireless for
>> devices that
>> do not use nl80211. It is reported (Bug 625403) and a fix posted there,
>> but it
>> will take some time to propagate a fix.
>
> I use traditional systems like ifconfig/ifup. Minimal GUI stuff

Apparently, your configuration has not been tested and fails. As root, please
make the following change to /etc/sysconfig/network/scripts/ifup-wireless

Find the line that says "ipw2200|ipw2100|ipw3945|hostap_*)" and change to
"ipw3945|hostap_*)". Immediately before that, insert the following block:

ipw2200|ipw2100)
WPA_DRIVER=wext
;;

These changes will cause the ipw2X00 units to use wext rather than nl80211,
which will restore the behavior of 10.3.

Please report back on the success/failure of this change. It was not part of the
fix I sent earlier and will need to be submitted if it helps.

**jpff** · 28-Jul-2010, 02:04

Originally Posted by lwfinger

On 07/27/2010 03:36 AM, jpff wrote:[color=blue]

Find the line that says "ipw2200|ipw2100|ipw3945|hostap_*)" and change to
"ipw3945|hostap_*)". Immediately before that, insert the following block:

ipw2200|ipw2100)
WPA_DRIVER=wext
;;

These changes will cause the ipw2X00 units to use wext rather than nl80211,
which will restore the behavior of 10.3.

Please report back on the success/failure of this change. It was not part of the
fix I sent earlier and will need to be submitted if it helps.

I made that change but it did not seem to give a working system, but the messages are different!

Setting up (remotefs) network interfaces:
eth1 device: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG [Calexico2] Network
Connection (rev 05)
eth1 starting wpa_supplicant
ioctl[SIOCSIWENCODEEXT]: Invalid argument
ioctl[SIOCSIWENCODEEXT]: Invalid argument
eth1 IP address: 172.16.4.17/24
eth1

All the problems remain.

Am I hitting some change in authentication in the network code?

I will try again, but there are physical problems with the attempt.
The other problems like the long delay in booting after the message imapd and the non-functioning xdm get in the way
==John ff

**jpff** · 28-Jul-2010, 02:18

Just tried again with a full power cycle and i seem to have wireless back.
Thanks

Now onto th eother problems

==John ff

**lwfinger** · 28-Jul-2010, 06:38

On 07/28/2010 03:36 AM, jpff wrote:
>
> Just tried again with a full power cycle and i seem to have wireless
> back.
> Thanks
>
> Now onto th eother problems

As it seems that the fix to ifup-wireless helped, I'll add that change to my fix
and push it as well.