[SOLVED]MacBook Pro 9.1 - mageia 3 - wifi broadcom 4331

[bachysoucychymy]

Dear All,

i was thinking about it for a long time, and two weeks ago i did it, I am working now under linux !
i installed mageia 3 in dual boot with refit on my macbook pro 9.1.
I chose mageia because of the comunity-based, non commercial, multipurpose aspects of the project (also because i'm french )
And i am realy hapy with it so far, so thank you for all your work guys !

but, i have one last major issue, i can't make working my wifi card. It's a broadcom card 4331.
I made many web research andfinaly found this page : http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

i first followed the mandriva instructions here : http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Installing_ ... _or_higher
the "Installing the firmware on Mandriva Linux 2011 or higher" part

then i tried the generic part : "Other distributions not mentioned above"

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export FIRMWARE_INSTALL_DIR="/lib/firmware"
wget http://www.lwfinger.com/b43-firmware/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
tar xjf broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
sudo b43-fwcutter -w "$FIRMWARE_INSTALL_DIR" broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/wl_apsta.o


and the "Switching between drivers" part

nothing worked
when i go on mageia control center > hardware > broadcom 4331 and i click configure, i add a wirless network, i steel have only one choice : ndiswrapper.

i have to miss something, any idea ?
all my bests

[bachysoucychymy]

some infos

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uname -r
3.8.13-server-1.mga3


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lspcidrake -v |grep Broadcom
unknown         : Broadcom Corporation|BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n [NETWORK_OTHER] (vendor:14e4 device:4331 subv:106b subd:00f5) (rev: 02)
sdhci_pci       : Broadcom Corporation|NetXtreme BCM57765 Memory Card Reader (vendor:14e4 device:16bc subv:14e4 subd:0000) (rev: 10)
tg3             : Broadcom Corporation|NetXtreme BCM57765 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe [NETWORK_ETHERNET] (vendor:14e4 device:16b4) (rev: 10)


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rpm -qa |grep broadcom
broadcom-wl-common-5.100.82.112-12.mga3.nonfree
broadcom-wl-kernel-desktop-latest-5.100.82.112-80.mga3.nonfree
broadcom-wl-kernel-3.8.13-server-1.mga3-5.100.82.112-80.mga3.nonfree
broadcom-wl-kernel-3.8.13-desktop-1.mga3-5.100.82.112-80.mga3.nonfree
broadcom-wl-kernel-server-latest-5.100.82.112-80.mga3.nonfree


[bachysoucychymy]

i'll try with the 3 options bcm, b43, wl

1 broadcom-bcma-config
just after reboot

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[root:~] # lsmod |grep bcma
bcma                   41640  0
[root:~] # lsmod |grep b43
[root:~] # lsmod |grep wl
[root:~] #


ok bcma module is well loaded, not the others
MCC > network and internet > set up a new … > wireless = ndiswrapper
failed

2 - b43 and b43-fwcutter
already did the b43-fwcutter with broadcom-wl-5.100.138 and broadcom-wl-5.10.56.27.3
b43-tools is already installed but not b43-openfwwf
removed the broadcom-bcma-package (b43 will not be blacklisted)
blacklist wl
reboot
[i'll continu this post after reboot ]
…
[just rebooted]

Code: Select all

lsmod |grep b43
b43                   405759  0
mac80211              516080  1 b43
cfg80211              500693  2 b43,mac80211
ssb                    67873  1 b43
rng_core               13292  1 b43
pcmcia                 61803  2 b43,ssb
bcma                   41640  1 b43
mmc_core              115783  5 b43,ssb,mmc_block,sdhci,sdhci_pci
[root:~] # lsmod |grep wl
[root:~] #


MCC > network and internet > set up a new … > wireless = ndiswrapper
failed again

[oj]

if you try ndiswrapper you need the windows driver for the card, but more important, the system is going to try loading ndis and the win driver every time now, trying to set up with a Linux driver won't work.

You have to delete the interface entirely and start over using the non-ndis option, which can differ. If you see some mention of a broadcom interface AND see a generic looking "wlan0" option, try setting up wlan0. (you should be on line with a wire at this point)

Another possible source of trouble is the difference between using the tools in the Mageia control center versus using the applet in the 'system tray' area. (notifications) The applet calls "networkmanager," which has it's own rather spooky way of handling the interface. If you use the tools in mcc, you could try setting up without the 'allow networkmanager to manage the interface' option set. Just bear in mind you have 2 separate tools vying for the subsystem.

[bachysoucychymy]

thanks for your answers oj, i was feelling lonely

if you try ndiswrapper you need the windows driver for the card

i d'ont want to use ndiswrapper, i red that it's instable

You have to delete the interface entirely and start over using the non-ndis option, which can differ. If you see some mention of a broadcom interface AND see a generic looking "wlan0" option, try setting up wlan0. (you should be on line with a wire at this point

can you explain how can i delete the interface ?
i am not shure i already have one actualy,
i have an ethernet connection working well and i never installed ndiswrapper because i knew i didn't want it
when i click on the network icon on the trail i see i am connected with System eth0
how can i check that that interface i should delete ?

Another possible source of trouble is the difference between using the tools in the Mageia control center versus using the applet in the 'system tray' area. (notifications) The applet calls "networkmanager," which has it's own rather spooky way of handling the interface. If you use the tools in mcc, you could try setting up without the 'allow networkmanager to manage the interface' option set. Just bear in mind you have 2 separate tools vying for the subsystem.

ok here is my process : i go on MCC, then i click on Set up a new network interface, then i choose Wireless, and here i stop because i have only one otpion which is "ndiswrapper"
i should have here my others drivers, isn't it ?

[oj]

ah, so it's not seeing the device at the kernel level...

First, in the event you'd need to delete and interface the tool is right there on the page in mcc that has the setup tool. It says something like 'remove a connection.'

But sounds like you don't have a wireless iface to delete... is there a light indicating the transmitter is on? Do you have a physical switch to turn wifi on/off? It may be that Linux isn't starting the interface on boot, which would mean you won't see it in mcc. If you don't have a switch or an indicator light to confirm, you might have to go into BIOS and change something. I've seen options like "allow software switching" and similar for wifi in BIOS. Disabling that forced the transmitter to turn on at boot.

Does the computer have windows on it? I've also had dual boot systems where Linux wouldn't turn the transmitter on (and there is no switch) but windows does. I would have to boot windows, then restart (not a cold shutdown) and start into Linux, and the transmitter would remain on.

Once I got the wireless set up on those machines Linux would start it at boot every time. I just had to boot the windows to get the transmitter on so mcc would see it.

I'll tell you one thing I would have done by now: I'd boot a fedora live system and see if it picks up wireless. For some reason fedora recognizes, starts and correctly configs the broadest variety of wifi devices. I just heard fedora 19 was released today... I'd definitely try booting a f18 or f19 live system just to see if it starts the wifi. If it does, then the device is Linux compatible and you should be able to get it running in Mageia.

[bachysoucychymy]

no there isn't light indicating the card is on
there isn't physical switch.

no my computer haven't windows but osx, and i tried to boot on osx, activate wifi and reboot on linux … no effect

my laptop is a macbook pro 9.1 and my wifi card is a broadcom BCM4331
i know from google that my mac and it wifi card are supported by linux, but most of content i can find talk about ubuntu, not mageia

i tried to boot on fedora 19 live cd, but without results
i will try with others distribs

BIOS o_O , do you realy tyhink it is necessary …

[bachysoucychymy]

Resolved !
see the resolution here (in french)
thank you og !

[isadora]

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Thanks ahead!!!