How to Get Back my Network Connections after upgrade to 12.1

Something similar happened when I installed 12.1 on another HDD, but this time, I’m having a little more difficulty after upgrading from 11.4: I have lost all of my wireless connections and settings. I know that my network card works because I’m using it now to communicate this from 12.2. I have gathered as much information as I can, for example:

/usr/sbin/iwlist scan

lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

I have tried /etc/init.d/network restart and systemctl restart network.service, but to no avail; there is no output, but a return carriage. Then I get the same result as above. Here is more information:

randolph@linux-ppnb:~> /sbin/lspci
...
02:00.0 Network controller: Ralink corp. RT2860
03:00.0 USB Controller: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller (rev 06)

I looked at the hardware profile in 12.1. The drivers are there for this card. I looked at network settings; they’re the same as in 12.2. I tried dmesg | less in 12.1; I have no idea what to look for among those 3000+ lines. PCIe? 2860? Anything missing? My head is swimming. Then I tried this:

linux-ppnb:~ # /usr/sbin/iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any  
          Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=0 dBm   
          Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off

So, I’m thinking maybe there is something very simple that I’m missing when I try this:

linux-ppnb:~ # sudo /usr/sbin/iwlist scan
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

I someone please point me in the right direction because I’m feeling like a very tired old man at this point. Thanks in advance.

P.S.

What’s that network connection widget called that I’m using that has “interfaces” on the left and “connections” on the right? I’ve been trying to call it up in 12.1, but I forget the name. Luckily, I still have it in 12.2 after the upgrade.

What’s that network connection widget called that I’m using that has “interfaces” on the left and “connections” on the right? I’ve been trying to call it up in 12.1, but I forget the name. Luckily, I still have it in 12.2 after the upgrade.

The front-end name depends on the desktop environment you’re using. Since you used the term ‘widget’, I’ll assume KDE4: Network Management Plasmoid


wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

Check if you have rfkill installed. You may need to re-enable your wireless interface with it.

For reference, I have

 # rfkill list
1: hp-wifi: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
2: hp-bluetooth: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
3: hp-wwan: Wireless WAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
4: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
8: hci0: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no

To unblock my wifi (already enabled in my case), I would issue

rfkill unblock 1

If you “upgraded” to 12.2 by formatting the / partition, then you are likely
missing the firmware for your Ralink RT2860. Incidentally, a /sbin/lspci is not
nearly as useful as ‘/sbin/lspci -nn’. The latter provides the PCI ID, which is
the information that the kernel uses to select a driver.

Check the output of dmesg to see if the firmware is missing. It should be in the
kernel-firmware package. You can also copy it from the working system to the one
that is not. It should be file /lib/firmware/rt2860.bin.

Thank you guys for taking New Years Eve/Day off to help me with this.

@Deano, I’m going to examine that rfkill ASAP.

@lw, The 12.1 upgrade from 11.4 is giving me trouble. 12.2 upgrade from 12.1 is fine. I’m going to look up the result of /sbin/lspci -nn ASAP.

Here are the results so far:

linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # rfkill list
If 'rfkill' is not a typo you can use command-not-found to lookup the package that contains it, like this:
    cnf rfkill
linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # cnf rfkill
                      
The program 'rfkill' can be found in the following package:
  * rfkill  path: /usr/sbin/rfkill, repository: zypp (repo-oss) ]

Try installing with:
    zypper install rfkill

I didn’t try installing it yet because I’m not sure if zypper needs a web connection.

linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # /sbin/lspci -nn
[snip]
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Ralink corp. RT2860 [1814:0781]
03:00.0 USB Controller [0c03]: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller [1b21:1042]
04:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller [10ec:8168] (rev 06)

As far as dmesg, I’m not sure what to look for. If RT2860 or 1814 is in there, then it’s just plain escaping me. The best I could find is a reference to PCI express:
snip

    1.793516] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: setting latency timer to 64
    1.793542] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: irq 40 for MSI/MSI-X
    1.793592] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: setting latency timer to 64
    1.793612] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: irq 41 for MSI/MSI-X
    1.793660] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: setting latency timer to 64
    1.793681] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: irq 42 for MSI/MSI-X
    1.793748] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793750] pci 0000:02:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793753] pcie_pme 0000:00:05.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded
    1.793764] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793766] pci 0000:03:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793768] pcie_pme 0000:00:07.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded
    1.793780] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793782] pci 0000:04:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
    1.793784] pcie_pme 0000:00:0a.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded

snip

Then at the tail end is hundreds of lines of this:

snip

  851.653096] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  851.654193] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  851.655220] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  851.656278] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  854.658315] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  854.658800] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
  854.659346] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  854.660127] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
  854.660526] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
  854.661176] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep

snip

/lib/firmware/rt2860.bin is definitely there in 12.1, but I don’t know if it’s working. I have yet to try copying this firmware from 12.2

I appreciate further recommendations for my next steps. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year!

On 12/31/2012 10:26 PM, HealingMindNOS wrote:
>
> Here are the results so far:
>
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # rfkill list
> If ‘rfkill’ is not a typo you can use command-not-found to lookup the package that contains it, like this:
> cnf rfkill
> linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # cnf rfkill
>
> The program ‘rfkill’ can be found in the following package:
> * rfkill path: /usr/sbin/rfkill, repository: zypp (repo-oss) ]
>
> Try installing with:
> zypper install rfkill
> --------------------
>
>
> I didn’t try installing it yet because I’m not sure if zypper needs a
> web connection.

Did you install from the DVD? The rpm might be on it - I’m not sure.

You can also install rfkill by downloading the RPM on some other machine,
copying it to openSUSE 12.1 and using the rpm command to install it. I could not
find that you said 32- or 64-bit, thus the link is for 64 bits. You can follow
the set of links to find the 32-bit version if that is what you need. The link is

http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/12.1/repo/oss/suse/x86_64/rfkill-0.4-10.1.3.x86_64.rpm.

The command ‘man rpm’ will tell you how to install it.

> Code:
> --------------------
> linux-ppnb:/home/randolph # /sbin/lspci -nn
> [snip]
> 02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Ralink corp. RT2860 [1814:0781]
> 03:00.0 USB Controller [0c03]: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller [1b21:1042]
> 04:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller [10ec:8168] (rev 06)
> --------------------

The 1814:0781 device uses driver rt2860_pci.
>
>
> As far as dmesg, I’m not sure what to look for. If RT2860 or 1814 is in
> there, then it’s just plain escaping me. The best I could find is a
> reference to PCI express:
> snip
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> 1.793516] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: setting latency timer to 64
> 1.793542] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: irq 40 for MSI/MSI-X
> 1.793592] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: setting latency timer to 64
> 1.793612] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: irq 41 for MSI/MSI-X
> 1.793660] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: setting latency timer to 64
> 1.793681] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: irq 42 for MSI/MSI-X
> 1.793748] pcieport 0000:00:05.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793750] pci 0000:02:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793753] pcie_pme 0000:00:05.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded
> 1.793764] pcieport 0000:00:07.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793766] pci 0000:03:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793768] pcie_pme 0000:00:07.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded
> 1.793780] pcieport 0000:00:0a.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793782] pci 0000:04:00.0: Signaling PME through PCIe PME interrupt
> 1.793784] pcie_pme 0000:00:0a.0:pcie01: service driver pcie_pme loaded
> --------------------
>

Any output from the driver would have been later. Mainly, the message that I was
wondering about would have mentioned a failure to load the firmware, but you
have the firmware.

> snip
>
> Then at the tail end is hundreds of lines of this:
>
> snip
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> 851.653096] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 851.654193] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 851.655220] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 851.656278] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 854.658315] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 854.658800] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
> 854.659346] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 854.660127] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> 854.660526] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
> 854.661176] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> --------------------

These messages are from a USB 3.0 device that is not properly handled by the
driver in the 12.1 kernel. After seeing this, I would recommend that you try
12.2 rather than 12.1.

>>Did you install from the DVD? The rpm might be on it - I’m not sure.

Yes, I did install from a DVD and yes, I have a 64 bit system. This issue makes me curious as to why I’m having this problem with rfkill in the upgrade from 11.4 to 12.1, but not in the installation of 12.1 on a different HD. I tried zypper in 12.1, but it wants to look in the repositories for dependencies wherein I have no web connection except wireless. So, I’m wondering how to resolve those dependencies when installing rfkill. I’m hoping they’re on the DVD.

>>The 1814:0781 device uses driver rt2860_pci.

Thanks for pointing that out.

>>Any output from the driver would have been later. Mainly, the message that I was
wondering about would have mentioned a failure to load the firmware, but you
have the firmware.

OK

> 854.660526] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
> 854.661176] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
> --------------------

>>These messages are from a USB 3.0 device that is not properly handled by the
driver in the 12.1 kernel. After seeing this, I would recommend that you try
12.2 rather than 12.1.

I’m thinking that you’re right, but shouldn’t I resolve these problems in 12.1 before I go to 12.2?
The reason I upgraded to 12.2 is because I had resolved all the bugs in 12.1, but maybe I’m just a worry wart.
Thanks in advance.

On 01/01/2013 12:06 PM, HealingMindNOS wrote:
> I’m thinking that you’re right, but shouldn’t I resolve these problems
> in 12.1 before I go to 12.2?

You will never resolve the USB 3.0 part while you run the 12.1 default kernel.
Some fixes cannot be backported.

> The reason I upgraded to 12.2 is because I had resolved all the bugs in
> 12.1, but maybe I’m just a worry wart.

Clearly.

One other thing to check. Are you sure the wireless is turned on using the switch?

I’m not too worried about the USB 3.0 ports at the moment since all of my connected devices are USB 2.0. I’m guessing that this was also an issue on my other HD (which I’m using at the moment) which I have since upgraded to 12.2, but I had very few issues and I never looked in dmesg for any.

I looked for rfkill on the 12.1 DVD, but it’s not there, so I downloaded from the link. Hope all the dependencies are on the DVD. Still wondering why rfkill is missing after the 12.1 upgrade. Leaving now to attempt installation of rfkill in 12.1. I also called up the necessary network monitor widget to make sure the wireless switch is on. I’ll be back with my results. Thanks in advance.

OK, the problem can’t be rfkill because I don’t have it in 12.2 either, which works fine with wireless:

randolph@linux-l0lg:~> rfkill list
If 'rfkill' is not a typo you can use command-not-found to lookup the package that contains it, like this:
    cnf rfkill
randolph@linux-l0lg:~> cnf rfkill
                      
The program 'rfkill' can be found in the following package:
  * rfkill  path: /usr/sbin/rfkill, repository: zypp (repo-oss) ]

Try installing with:
    sudo zypper install rfkill

I would like to thank you for your time in helping me to get back my wireless connections in 12.1. I am now communicating this through 12.1. I had a feeling it was something simple because all of my network connections were off. I did mention that I was feeling like a tired old man and I wasn’t kidding. I was feeling so mentally and physically tired that I could not remember how to look up the network management widget simply to turn on my wireless connection. That’s what I did, now wireless works again.

Glad your up and running again. :slight_smile: So was the wireless hardware disabled? Or some other issue?

I had simply forgotten where the Network Management Plasmoid widget was (tool box). When I pulled it up, all my connections were back. Turned on wireless and I was up and running again.

Thanks for clarifying. :slight_smile: