[Bug + Fix] Tumbleweed Kernel 3.0 broken for Ralink RT3090 wireless

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hello all,

The new Linux Kernel 3.0.0-39-desktop in Tumbleweed regresses my wireless on my Lenovo ideapad S205 netbook.

$ lspci | grep etwork
03:00.0 Network controller: RaLink RT3090 Wireless 802.11n 1T/1R PCIe

Symptoms:
Before (2.6.39.xx): 3 network interfaces present using ifconfig and iwconfig (eth0, lo, wlan0)
After (3.0.0-39.1): only 2 network interfaces present (eth0, lo)

Cause:
Missing kernel module. The rt2860sta kernel module which was used by 2.6.39 has been kicked from staging,
rt2800pci was supposed to take over, however has not been configured into the Tumbleweed build.

Workaround/Fix:
Download kernel sources from lkml.org. Then build and install an rpm changing the configuration
(Device drivers/Network device support/Wireless Lan/Ralink driver support/Ralink rt27xx/rt28xx/rt30xx (PCI/PCIe/PCMCIA) support)
to include the rt2800pci kernel module ( How To Compile A Kernel - The SuSE Way | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials ).
The wireless should work again after reboot.

Or wait for GKH to fix the Tumbleweed build,

  • or give me some hints, where I’ve screwed up and could have solved the problem much faster and easier :wink:

Best regards,
Felix Köhler

#2

Ok, sorry for my premature posting, the “fix” (building and using the new 2800pci module) works only unreliably :-(.

I tested the kernel 3.0.0 rt2800pci a bit more in depth last night and while it sometimes works, the connection is really flaky and unstable (About every 10th package is not lost). It also gives scary messages when doing an rcnetwork restart (“wpa configured in but not tested”) so it actually seems pretty pre-alpha at least regarding its support for the RT3090.

Kernel 2.6.39 with rt2860sta works like a charm, so I’ll try reverting the removal of rt2860sta (fefecc6989b4b24276797270c0e229c07be02ad3) and see if i can get the “old and trusty staging driver” to work on kernel 3.0 this night.

Best regards,
Felix