Fix for all Broadcom BCM Series Wireless cards on SLED and OpenSuSE

This here is the easiest fix. It works for all Broadcom BCM4311-, BCM4312-, BCM4313-, BCM4321-, BCM4322-, BCM43224-, and BCM43225-, BCM43227- and BCM43228n chipsets. It also replace the old bcm43x drivers. Just make certain that you have a compiler installed, as well as the kernel headers. It doesn’t matter what kernel version you have, as longs s it is in the 2.6.x or 3.x.x versions. Go here and download the right file for your computer (32 or 64 bit). Save it to your home folder. Then follow the instructions here. The instructions provided by that link are good. I just did this today, so I know that it works and will save a lot of people from headaches like this.

On 07/07/2012 04:16 PM, techningeer wrote:
>
> This here is the easiest fix. It works for all Broadcom BCM4311-,
> BCM4312-, BCM4313-, BCM4321-, BCM4322-, BCM43224-, and BCM43225-,
> BCM43227- and BCM43228n chipsets. It also replace the old bcm43x
> drivers. Just make certain that you have a compiler installed, as well
> as the kernel headers. It doesn’t matter what kernel version you have,
> as longs s it is in the 2.6.x or 3.x.x versions. ‘Go here’
> (http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php/) and download the
> right file for your computer (32 or 64 bit). Save it to your home
> folder. Then follow the instructions ‘here’
> (http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/README.txt). The instructions
> provided by that link are good. I just did this today, so I know that it
> works and will save a lot of people from headaches like this.

That solution may work; however, you taint your kernel by loading a binary-only
driver. No one outside of Broadcom has ever seen that code, and we have no idea
what it does. The downside is that no kernel developer will even look at a
kernel oops as long as the taint flag “P” is set. In addition, every time your
kernel is changed, that driver will break.

Just to save anyone any headaches—the 64-bit version of this driver does not work with the Netgear WN311B wireless adapter, which is supposedly a Broadcom 4321-based device although it identifies itself as 4329. It is prone to crashes which are apparently related to overheating and even when it works it is *very *slow. The 32-bit version of the driver, on the other hand, works well.

On 07/18/2012 11:56 AM, evetsnameloc wrote:
>
> Just to save anyone any headaches—the 64-bit version of this driver
> does not work with the Netgear WN311B wireless adapter, which is
> supposedly a Broadcom 4321-based device although it identifies itself as
> 4329. It is prone to crashes which are apparently related to overheating
> and even when it works it is -very -slow. The 32-bit version of the
> driver, on the other hand, works well.

What is the PCI ID for this device? Without that information, we can tell
nothing. In fact, the identification comes from using the PCI ID to look up the
device in a table.

Most of the developers use 64-bit systems. I find it hard to believe that the
driver works with 32-bit and fails on the 64-bit architecture.

What driver and kernel version are you using?

The PCI ID is 14e4:4329.

When I was running openSUSE 11.2 (kernel 2.6.xxx if I remember correctly) the wl driver would quickly cause a kernel panic. I tried it again with version 12.1 and it worked but *very *slowly. I found this problem to be reported by others but only with this particular wireless adapter (Netgear WN311B). With both openSUSE versions, the problem was only with the 64-bit driver.

I had so much trouble with it (not wanting to revert to a 32-bit installation just to make it work) that I got a a wireless client-mode access point which I attach to my system through the ethernet port.