New to Suse

English Network/Internet
1

Sorry for the total lack of knowledge but I’ve never done anything with Linux except to load it.

I’ve installed it on a Lenovo N100 laptop. It installed just fine and works when the Ethernet cable is hooked into it. But I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get it to find the wireless network. This is my neighbor’s computer and her network is unsecure so I don’t even have to put in a network key. Her router is a D-link/G model. She has a desktop with a D-link USB adapter and XP on it that hooks up just fine so I know the network works. I just can’t figure out a way to get her laptop to 1) find a wireless network, and 2) hook up to the wireless network.

Like I said I’m new to Linux. I know that in XP you can go into the Device Manager and see if any devices, like a wireless adapter, is enable or not but I don’t know how to do that in Suse. In XP it just automatically discovers any wireless networks in range but on Suse I can’t find any.

I’ve clicked on the little network icons at the bottom but it just doesn’t seem like it’s detecting any networks.

Any info you guys/gals can give me on the basic how to of setting up a network would be appreciated. Please keep in mind once again that I’m not well versed in Suse, or Linux in general, and don’t know most of the terms or how-to’s that most of you probably do. Thanks.

2

First go to Yast - Network Devices - Network Settings
and configure you wireless device in there

Then right click the Network Manager on the Panel and add wlan
fill in the details
save and connect

remember you need the SSID and passphrase - you may also need your wireless MAC to be added to the router as a allowed access point

3

**Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. This is my friends laptop and I had to have her bring it over.

I did what you said. I went into YaST. I clicked on the Network Settings. I’m not exactly sure how to configure my wireless device. Do I click on “Edit”??

I clicked on “Edit” for the device “BCM94311MCG wlan mini-PCI” IP address “DHCP” and it brought up the Network Card Setup.

Under the General tab it has:**

"Device Activation
Activate device: At Boot Time

Firewall Zone
Assign Interface to Firewall Zone: Automatically Assigned Zone

Device Control
Enable Device Control for Non-root User Via KInternet

Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU)
Set MTU: (This one was blank and I set it to: 1500 (Ethernet, DSL broadband. I have EMBARQ DSL.)

**Under the “Adress” tab it has:
**
Device Type: Wireless ----- Configuration Name: wlan0 (These are listed but are not highlighted. They’re already in there and can’t be changed I guessed.

Dynamic Address: DHCP is listed

**Under the Hardware tab:
**
Udev rules
Device Name: wlan0 (not highlighted)

Kernel Module
Module Name: ssb----- Options: blank

**I clicked next and it brought up the Wireless Device Settings
**

Operating Mode: Managed
Network Name (ESSID): Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B
Authentication Mode: No Encryption
Key Input Type (not highlighted)
Passphrase is checked
Encryption Key: blank (I don’t have my network locked down)

**I clicked next and a pop up came up that said “Using no encryption is a security risk. Really continue?” I clicked yes.

It brought me back to the original Network Settings page. The device listed as my wlan mini-PCI says BCM94311MCG wlan mini-PCI(Not connected)
MAC: 00:19:7e:69:1d:64
-Device name: wlan0
-Started automatically at boot
-IP address assigned using DHCP

I clicked “Finish” and it goes to the “Saving Network Configuration” page. It goes through the following checklist and checks each one:
**
Write drivers information
Write device configuration
Write network configuration
Write routing configuration
Write hostname and DNS configuration
Set up network services
Write firewall settings

Then it gets to “Activate network services” with just an arrow pointed at it and then a window pops up that says:

“Cannot access installation media
(Medium 1)
Check whether the server is accessible”

“Download (curl)error for ‘http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/11.0/repo/oss/repodata/repomd.xml’
Error code:
Error message. Couldn’t resolve host ‘download.opensuse.org’”

If I hit retry it doesn’t do anything. Just shows me the same error code. Then I hit skip and it gives me this error code:

“Download (curl)error for ‘http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/11.0/repo/non-oss/repodata/repomd.xml’
Error code:
Error message. Couldn’t resolve host ‘download.opensuse.org’”

**I hit skip again and it says:
**
“Download (curl)error for 'http://download.opensuse.org/update/11.0/repodata/repomd.xml
Error code:
Error message. Couldn’t resolve host ‘download.opensuse.org’”

**I hit skip again and it gives me the same error code. I hit skip again and it just recycles through the error codes each time. Then it just goes back to the YaST control center.

I don’t know what it means by installation media. Does it mean my OpenSuse disc?? I have that in the drive. Or do I need my router installation disc?? I’m also working on this at my home on my network so hopefully if I can get it working here it will also hook up to my friend’s network. Any info you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks**

4

The download error is due to having online repo’s enabled
disable all but your install media - in yast repositories

you need to re-enable them when you have the network running

otherwise you are on the right lines

But I’m a little confussed bt
**“Device Control
Enable Device Control for Non-root User Via KInternet”
**
Mine is by network manager

5

Okay. I went into the software repositories and disabled everything except the one that said DVD. That seemed to work. At least it went through it’s check list. As soon as it went to “Activate Network Services” though the window disappeared and went right back to the Yast Control Center.

I went to what I assumed was the Network Manager at the bottom, the 2 computers together, and right clicked on it.

There are 2 boxes at the top of the window that opens. “Enable Networking” and “Enable Wireless”. I went to Edit Connections and it brought up the “Network Connections” window. I clicked on the “Wireless” tab and clicked on the “Add” button.

This brought up the editing window. I put the connection Name: as “wlan0”.
The box that says “Connect automatically” is checked and the box that says “System setting” is not checked.

I put in the SSID box: Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B
Mode is set to “Infrastructure”. Should it be “Ad Hoc”??
BSSID is blank
I put the MAC address in the next box.
MTU is set to “automatic”.

Under the Wireless Security tab the security is set to none as I don’t have my network locked down.

Under the IPv4 tab the “Method” box is set to DHCP.
Nothing in the Addresses box and nothing in the boxes for “DNS Servers” and “Search Domains”.

I click OK and it shows that “wlan0” is added to the Wireless tab on the Network Connections window and it says “never” next to it.

I click close and nothing happens. I left click on the Network Manager icon and tried the “Connect to Other Wireless Networks” option. I enter the name of my network and click connect and it just says “Disconnected: The network has been disconnected”. Talk about frustrating.

Did I disable the wrong repo’s?? Am I adding my device wrong?? You told me that you were confused by "“Device Control
Enable Device Control for Non-root User Via KInternet”. Should I uncheck that?? I just don’t understand why it isn’t showing me any networks that it is detecting and then letting me connect to them.

6

I put in the SSID box: Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B Make sure this is correct
Mode is set to “Infrastructure”. Should it be “Ad Hoc”?? Depends (mine is Managed)
BSSID is blank
I put the MAC address in the next box. What MAC did you put here?
MTU is set to “automatic”.

Did I disable the wrong repo’s?? NO
Enable Device Control for Non-root User Via KInternet". That’s OK. I was refering to the Global Options Tab in Yast - Network Settings

I click OK and it shows that “wlan0” is added to the Wireless tab on the Network Connections window and it says “never” next to it. This seems to suggest you have a setting wrong. But I can’t just decided where you are - in Yast or the panel network manager??

7

The SSID is correct.

In YAST the mode is set to “managed” but on the Network Manager, the little “two monitors” icon on the task bar, when you click “Edit Connections”,it brings up “Network Connections”.
Under the Wireless tab it has “System Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B (wlan0)” and to the right of that it has the un-highlighted word “never”.
I click on the “System Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B (wlan0)” and then go to the tab that says “Edit”.
This brings up the “Editing System Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B (wlan0)”. It has the box that says “Connect automatically” and the “System setting” boxes checked.
Under SSID: it has “Belkin_N_Wireless_C2A04B”
Under Mode: it is blank.
Under BSSID: it is blank.
Under MAC address: it is blank.
Under MTU: it is set to “automatic”.

When I try to add the MAC Address from this panel and change the Mode to anything, it says “Updating connection failed: Please use YaST to change this connection…” That’s what I was talking about. I don’t know if I’ve added my wireless device correctly.

“What MAC did you put here?” MAC: 00:19:7e:69:1d:64

I still don’t know what I could have done wrong. I went through YaST and the Network Devices and Network Settings.

When I go into “Network Settings” it brings up the Network Settings - YaST window. I click on the name of my device under the “Overview” tab: BCM94311MCG wlan mini-PCI.

In the info box underneath it has this:
BCM94311MCG wlan mini-PCI (Not connected)
MAC : 00:19:7e:69:1d:64

  • Device Name: wlan0
  • Started automatically at boot
  • IP address assigned using DHCP

When I click “Edit” for this device it brings up the Network Card Setup window. Under the Hardware tab it has the “Device Name” as “wlan0”. Should this be changed?? Every time I go through this process it just ends up going through it’s checklist

“Write drivers information
Write device configuration
Write network configuration
Write routing configuration
Write hostname and DNS configuration
Set up network services
Write firewall settings
etc…”

There’s got to be something I’m doing wrong. I don’t understand why it keeps saying “Not connected” under my device name. Also, I have to be doing something wrong when it comes to adding this device on the panel.

8

Also, should I have the Device Activation set to “At Boot Time”?? Or should I set it to “Manual”?? And under the "Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) I set the MTU: "1500 (Ethernet, DSL broadband). Is that correct?? I put it that way 'cause I have DSL. What does "1492 (PPPoE broadband) mean?? Is that what I should have checked??

When I click “Finish” it goes through it’s checklist till it gets to “Run SusEConfig” and then the window just disappears.

9

“At Boot Time”
YES

MTU
Mine is blank

Are you sure the router is not set to access control, this would require a access point adding to the router with your MAC: 00:19:7e:69:1d:64

=============================

“What MAC did you put here?” MAC: 00:19:7e:69:1d:64

Going back to here. This is your MAC. But it would be the router MAC you need, though you shouldn’t really need it.

10

So, should I set the MTU to blank??

How do I check to see if the router is set to access control? And how do I fix it if it is??

After everything I’ve written is there anything else that you think might be wrong?? I still don’t know why the wireless device says “Not connected”. And when I click on the wireless icon on the bottom and try to connect to a new network it says disconnected. Is there anything else I should be looking at to try to fix this??

11

Is there anything else I should be looking at to try to fix this??
Learn some basics on networks.

earlier you said:

In XP it just automatically discovers any wireless networks in range but on Suse I can’t find any.

But have you actually been doing with XP on this machine what you are now trying to do with suse??

and:

She has a desktop with a D-link USB adapter and XP on it that hooks up just fine so I know the network works. I just can’t figure out a way to get her laptop to 1) find a wireless network, and 2) hook up to the wireless network.
So who set up the connection for the D-Link? Login to the router and check the settings in there.

12

Look, I’m not sure what basics of networks I’m supposed to learn. I followed your instructions from the start to try to set up the wireless adapter in the laptop. Something isn’t working. I put in the MAC address. I’ve disabled the repos. I’ve tried to add the network. Nothing works. It continues to show my network device as “not connected”.

As for XP, I know these aren’t the same programs. What I was trying to say is that in XP you go down to the little monitor symbol on the taskbar. You click on it and it’ll say something like “Wireless networks available” or something like that. Then it tells you if the network is open or encrypted. I can’t do that with Suse. I go to the network icon at the bottom of the screen and get nothing. I try to connect to a new network, type in the SSID and nothing. Says disconnected.

13

I have done some research:

It’s from here: Wireless network card - openSUSE

BCM43xx

Since version 2.6.17 of the Linux kernel there’s a native driver included. This driver is reverse engineered, Broadcom have done nothing to help get support for the cards on Linux. Besides the driver you also need non-oss firmware, unlike Intel Broadcom won’t allow distribution of this firmware by Linux distributors like Novell. So you need to manually extract the firmware from a Windows or Mac driver. Install the package bcm43xx-fwcutter. This package includes a script that will automatically get a driver from the internet and extract the firmware to the correct place. As root enter following command (I have added /usr in front of the command since in my openSUSE 10.3 system this was needed)
/usr/sbin/install_bcm43xx_firmware If it turns out, via dmesg, that you have a 4311/version 2 chip, you NEEDS kernel 2.6.25. The default openSUSE 2.6.22 kernel will not work with this device. Furthermore, you need to use driver b43, not bcm43xx, which means that you will also need new V4 firmware. I have installed the 2.6.25 kernel, the new open source b43 driver and the new version 4 firmware using the following URL:
HP Pavillion Woes
After configuring the wireless netwerk card with Yast and configuring KDE’s NetworkManager the Broadcom 802.11g adaptor BCM94311 MCG WLan Mini PCI started working correctly.

PS Just to help others with the same problem here are the clarifications I got from Larry Finger on the above mentioned URL.
I follow the URL, provided, to building a new kernel. I have a few remarks to make the text of the URL clearer and provide Larry’s answers on my questions.
ad 1 Download kernel source Select option F behind kernel 2.6.25 otherwise you will download a patch.
ad 2 Unpack In the directory you saved the linux-2.6.25.tar.bz2 file
ad 5 Make sure you have installed qt3_devel should read qt3-devel
ad 6 In the GUI question 1: Networking/Wireless … Deselect “Generic IEEE80211 Networking stack (depreciated)” I can only toggle between " . " or " V " What should I do? If you cannot deselect it completely, then leave it with a dot. I think that some other network interface module requires it, which is the reason you cannot deselect it. It won’t hurt. Dot means selects it as a module and the check has it built into the kernel.
question 2: Device Drivers/Network Device Support/Wireless LAN Should I not do anything, check or dot, with Broadcom BCM43xx wireless support (depreciated). Deselect bcm43xx.
ad7 Make How do I know that make ends witout errors? Does it say something after completion about errors? If there had been an error, it would have aborted with a message. Yours finished just fine.