Need to install support for Realtek RTL8191SE Wireless NIC without Linux network connectivity

mnuid · May 23, 2011, 10:23pm

On the forums I found this post from someone else who also has a Realtek RLT8191SE wireless card. I could not follow the same procedure because wireless is the only connectivity I have from Linux. I looked into the 11.3 repository specified in the first “zypper” command he was told to use, then I looked at the corresponding repository for 11.4. In other words, I looked for the rpm’s I needed in Index of /repositories/driver:/wireless/openSUSE_11.4/x86_64. I decided that the two rpm’s I needed are :

rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm
rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm

That seemed to me to be the pattern used for all the different wireless NICs in these repositories.

So, from Windows, I downloaded both of them and then rebooted into my new openSuSE 11.4 Desktop. An “rpm -qip” on the first one suggested that it did somehow include the firmware which was specified as the second argument in the zypper command. The rpm install for it worked. But the second one failed with a dependency check looking for rtl8192se-firmware. So, there is some trick or missing command here that “zypper” knows about but I don’t. Of course, maybe “zypper” would of needed connectivity to resolve it too. That is where I need help.

In the following cut&paste, my-docs is a symbolic link to the “My Documents folder” on Windows. /windows/C/Documents\ and\ Settings/… Yes, I’m lazy.


don@mylaptop:~> sudo /sbin/lspci | grep ireless
02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8191SEvB Wireless LAN Controller (rev 10)

don@mylaptop:~> rpm -qip my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm
warning: my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 DSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 4073bdbe: NOKEY
Name        : rtl8192se                    Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version     : 0019.1207.2010                    Vendor: obs://build.opensuse.org/driver:wireless
Release     : 1.1                           Build Date: Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:36:48 AM PDT
Install Date: (not installed)               Build Host: build27
Group       : System/Kernel                 Source RPM: rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.src.rpm
Size        : 39797                            License: GPL
Signature   : DSA/SHA1, Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:37:23 AM PDT, Key ID 5308b44c4073bdbe
Summary     : RealTek RTL8192SE Wireless LAN NIC driver
Description :
This package contains a kernel module, firmware, some scripts and documentation for Realtek RTL8192SE PCI "draft-N" WiFi cards.

The driver will be called "r8192se_pci.ko", the follwong PCI-IDs are supported:

10ec:8171
10ec:8172
10ec:8173
10ec:8174
10ec:8192
Distribution: driver:wireless / openSUSE_11.4

don@mylaptop:~> sudo rpm -Uvf my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm
don's password:
warning: my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 DSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 4073bdbe: NOKEY
Preparing packages for installation...
rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1

don@mylaptop:~> rpm -qip my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm
warning: my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 DSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 4073bdbe: NOKEY
Name        : rtl8192se-kmp-desktop        Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version     : 0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2       Vendor: obs://build.opensuse.org/driver:wireless
Release     : 1.1                           Build Date: Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:36:48 AM PDT
Install Date: (not installed)               Build Host: build27
Group       : System/Kernel                 Source RPM: rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.src.rpm
Size        : 781688                           License: GPL
Signature   : DSA/SHA1, Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:37:23 AM PDT, Key ID 5308b44c4073bdbe
Summary     : Linux driver for Realtek RTL8192SE PCI WiFi cards
Description :
This package contains a kernel module for Realtek RTL8192SE PCI "draft-N" WiFi cards.

The driver will be called "r8192se_pci.ko", the follwong PCI-IDs are supported:

10ec:8171
10ec:8172
10ec:8173
10ec:8174
10ec:8192
Distribution: driver:wireless / openSUSE_11.4

don@mylaptop:~> sudo rpm -Uvf my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm 
warning: my-docs/SuSE11.4/rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 DSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 4073bdbe: NOKEY
error: Failed dependencies:
	rtl8192se-firmware = 0019.1207.2010 is needed by rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64

don@mylaptop:~> rpm -qa | grep rtl
rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64

don@mylaptop:~> rpm -qi `rpm -qa | grep rtl`
Name        : rtl8192se                    Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version     : 0019.1207.2010                    Vendor: obs://build.opensuse.org/driver:wireless
Release     : 1.1                           Build Date: Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:36:48 AM PDT
Install Date: Sun 22 May 2011 10:50:36 AM PDT      Build Host: build27
Group       : System/Kernel                 Source RPM: rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.src.rpm
Size        : 39797                            License: GPL
Signature   : DSA/SHA1, Sat 19 Mar 2011 01:37:23 AM PDT, Key ID 5308b44c4073bdbe
Summary     : RealTek RTL8192SE Wireless LAN NIC driver
Description :
This package contains a kernel module, firmware, some scripts and documentation for Realtek RTL8192SE PCI "draft-N" WiFi cards.

The driver will be called "r8192se_pci.ko", the follwong PCI-IDs are supported:

10ec:8171
10ec:8172
10ec:8173
10ec:8174
10ec:8192
Distribution: driver:wireless / openSUSE_11.4
don@mylaptop:~>

Thanks
-Don

lwfinger · May 23, 2011, 11:34pm

On 05/23/2011 03:36 PM, mnuid wrote:
>
> On the forums I found this post from someone else who also has a
> ‘Realtek RLT8191SE wireless card’ (http://tinyurl.com/4g9b7ys). I could
> not follow the same procedure because wireless is the only connectivity
> I have from Linux. I looked into the 11.3 repository specified in the
> first “zypper” command he was told to use, then I looked at the
> corresponding repository for 11.4. In other words, I looked for the
> rpm’s I needed in ‘Index of
> /repositories/driver:/wireless/openSUSE_11.4/x86_64’
> (http://tinyurl.com/4ys9vjq). I decided that the two rpm’s I needed are
> :
>
> - rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm
> - rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm
>
> That seemed to me to be the pattern used for all the different wireless
> NICs in these repositories.
>
> So, from Windows, I downloaded both of them and then rebooted into my
> new openSuSE 11.4 Desktop. An “rpm -qip” on the first one suggested that
> it did somehow include the firmware which was specified as the second
> argument in the zypper command. The rpm install for it worked. But the
> second one failed with a dependency check looking for
> rtl8192se-firmware. So, there is some trick or missing command here
> that “zypper” knows about but I don’t. Of course, maybe “zypper” would
> of needed connectivity to resolve it too. That is where I need help.

You need to get the rpm for the rtl8192se-firmware package and install it first.
The descriptive material may be right and the firmware is already there, or it
was lying. In any case, the firmware rpm is a prerequisite. All the required
packages would have been loaded by zypper, but without network access, it won’t
work.

I have no idea how well that driver will work. It is not the official one, which
is not in the kernel until 2.6.40.

martin_helm · May 24, 2011, 12:04am

mnuid wrote:

> - rtl8192se-0019.1207.2010-1.1.x86_64.rpm
> - rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-1.1.x86_64.rpm
>
The two rpm versions which work on the Eee PC (in the footer) are

rtl8192se-firmware-0019.1207.2010-3.3.noarch
rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.1_1.2-3.3.x86_64

I do not know if that makes any difference that you have downloaded slightly
different versions.
But I would say you need the following file instead your first one
rtl8192se-firmware-0019.1207.2010-1.1.noarch.rpm
look here
http://tinyurl.com/3p7kmct
note the firmware in the rpm name!

mnuid · May 26, 2011, 4:16am

Thanks Martin. From my browser’s history I was able to find the url that your link took me to for the firmware. I went into that ftp server and downloaded the highest matching pair of firmware and desktop rpms I found, installed them, and I am now typing this post from my openSuse 11.4 system.

rtl8192se-firmware-0019.1207.2010-1.4.noarch
rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.6_0.5-1.4.x86_64

Thanks!

martin_helm · May 26, 2011, 11:45am

mnuid wrote:

>
> Thanks Martin. From my browser’s history I was able to find the url that
> your link took me to for the firmware. I went into that ftp server and
> downloaded the highest matching pair of firmware and desktop rpms I
> found, installed them, and I am now typing this post from my openSuse
> 11.4 system.
>
> rtl8192se-firmware-0019.1207.2010-1.4.noarch
> rtl8192se-kmp-desktop-0019.1207.2010_k2.6.37.6_0.5-1.4.x86_64
>
> Thanks!
>
Glad to hear that.