lenovo carbon X1 - USB Ethernet Dongle Not Working (AX88772B)

English Hardware
1

On Linux 3.6.0-rc7-1 (SUSE Linux) I can’t get this dongle to work.

I use the driver (as recommended by Lenovo) from here AX88772B - ASIX Electronics Corporation

The drivers compile with no errors

make install
su -c “cp -v asix.ko /lib/modules/3.6.0-rc7-1-desktop/kernel/drivers/net/usb && /sbin/depmod -a”
‘asix.ko’ -> ‘/lib/modules/3.6.0-rc7-1-desktop/kernel/drivers/net/usb/asix.ko’

**modprobe asix -v **displays
/lib/modules/3.6.0-rc7-1-desktop/kernel/drivers/net/usb/asix.ko

**dmesg **displays no errors, but includes message:

usbcore: registered new interface driver asix

The output of **lsusb

**Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 08ff:2683 AuthenTec, Inc.
**Bus 001 Device 014: ID 17ef:7203 Lenovo **
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 04f2:b240 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 0489:e031 Foxconn / Hon Hai
The output of **lsusb -d 17ef:7203 -v **

Bus 001 Device 014: ID 17ef:7203 Lenovo
Device Descriptor:
bLength 18
bDescriptorType 1
bcdUSB 2.00
bDeviceClass 255 Vendor Specific Class
bDeviceSubClass 255 Vendor Specific Subclass
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 64
idVendor 0x17ef Lenovo
idProduct 0x7203
bcdDevice 0.01
iManufacturer 1 Lenovo
iProduct 2 AX88772B
iSerial 3 58265D
bNumConfigurations 1
Configuration Descriptor:
bLength 9
bDescriptorType 2
wTotalLength 39
bNumInterfaces 1
bConfigurationValue 1
iConfiguration 4 0
bmAttributes 0xa0
(Bus Powered)
Remote Wakeup
MaxPower 200mA
Interface Descriptor:
bLength 9
bDescriptorType 4
bInterfaceNumber 0
bAlternateSetting 0
bNumEndpoints 3
bInterfaceClass 255 Vendor Specific Class
bInterfaceSubClass 255 Vendor Specific Subclass
bInterfaceProtocol 0
iInterface 7 0
Endpoint Descriptor:
bLength 7
bDescriptorType 5
bEndpointAddress 0x81 EP 1 IN
bmAttributes 3
Transfer Type Interrupt
Synch Type None
Usage Type Data
wMaxPacketSize 0x0008 1x 8 bytes
bInterval 11
Endpoint Descriptor:
bLength 7
bDescriptorType 5
bEndpointAddress 0x82 EP 2 IN
bmAttributes 2
Transfer Type Bulk
Synch Type None
Usage Type Data
wMaxPacketSize 0x0200 1x 512 bytes
bInterval 0
Endpoint Descriptor:
bLength 7
bDescriptorType 5
bEndpointAddress 0x03 EP 3 OUT
bmAttributes 2
Transfer Type Bulk
Synch Type None
Usage Type Data
wMaxPacketSize 0x0200 1x 512 bytes
bInterval 0
Device Qualifier (for other device speed):
bLength 10
bDescriptorType 6
bcdUSB 2.00
bDeviceClass 255 Vendor Specific Class
bDeviceSubClass 255 Vendor Specific Subclass
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 8
bNumConfigurations 1
Device Status: 0x0000
(Bus Powered)

The output of **modinfo asix

**filename: /lib/modules/3.6.0-rc7-1-desktop/kernel/drivers/net/usb/asix.ko
license: GPL
description: ASIX AX8817X based USB 2.0 Ethernet Devices
author: David Hollis
srcversion: 3EB00488E36F8F5659BEFBB
alias: usb:v0B95p7E2Bddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0B95p772Bddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v05ACp1402ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v13B1p0018ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0421p772Addcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0DB0pA877ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0B95p772Addcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v125Ep180Dddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0B95p7720ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v1631p6200ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v1189p0893ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v07AAp0017ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v6189p182Dddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0411p003Dddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0557p2009ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v08DDp90FFddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v07B8p420Addcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0B95p1720ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v07D1p3C05ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v2001p3C05ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v2001p1A00ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0846p1040ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v077Bp2226ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v050Dp5055ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v14EApAB11ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v1737p0039ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v077Bp2226ddcdscdpiciscipin
alias: usb:v0B95p1780ddcdscdpiciscipin
depends:
vermagic: 3.6.0-rc7-1-desktop SMP preempt mod_unload modversions 686
parm: msg_level:Override default message level (int)
parm: bsize:Maximum transfer size per bulk (int)

Rebooting/reinserting device does have any affect. After inserting device get this in **dmesg:

** 6133.758891] usbcore: registered new interface driver asix
6514.502110] usb 1-1.3: USB disconnect, device number 14
6515.701128] usb 1-1.3: new high-speed USB device number 15 using ehci_hcd
6515.801403] usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=17ef, idProduct=7203
6515.801413] usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
6515.801418] usb 1-1.3: Product: AX88772B
6515.801423] usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: Lenovo
6515.801428] usb 1-1.3: SerialNumber: 58265D

Then **ip link

(note this output was from a non carbon X1 with dongle connected, thus we have a hardware ethernet port)

I’m expecting to see an additional network interface here for my USB dongle

**1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 16436 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP mode DEFAULT qlen 1000
link/ether 5c:9a:d8:d7:77:9e brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
3: wlan0: <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state DOWN mode DORMANT qlen 1000
link/ether a0:88:b4:08:61:a4 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
**
Any tips how to further diagnose the problem? (not a linux expert here…so welcome to any suggestions)
**

2

At a guess, you may need to add your vendor and product IDs in asix.c and recompile

static const struct usb_device_id    products ] = {
{
    // 88178
    USB_DEVICE (0x0b95, 0x1780),
    .driver_info =    (unsigned long) &ax88178_info,
}, {
    // 88178 for billianton linksys
    USB_DEVICE (0x077b, 0x2226),
    .driver_info =    (unsigned long) &ax88178_info,
}, {
    // ABOCOM for linksys
    USB_DEVICE (0x1737, 0x0039),
    .driver_info =    (unsigned long) &ax88178_info,
}, {
    // ABOCOM  for pci
    USB_DEVICE (0x14ea, 0xab11),
    .driver_info =    (unsigned long) &ax88178_info,
}, {
    // Belkin
    USB_DEVICE (0x050d, 0x5055),
    .driver_info =    (unsigned long) &belkin178_info,

Hopefully, it will be as simple as that.

3

Thanks, worked immediately!

4

Good result. I’m only surprised that it wasn’t already included, especially as Lenovo pointed you at the driver in the first place. :slight_smile: