how to install netgear ma401

[NeilBlue]

Hello,

I am using a compaq laptop running RH7.3 and I would like to install a netgear MA401 card.

I have the card running under windows, but I want to get back to linux. I can't find a simple guide to help set up the card from scratch. Please could anyone help.

Thank you
Neil

[mdwatts]

Have you tried Google (http://www.google.com/linux?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22netgear+MA401%22) ?

[NeilBlue]

I have found a few pages about what to do after having downloaded and installed some soffware, but I can't find any info on what software I need to get going or where to get it from.

[mdwatts]

Did you try the search results under the link I posted for Google?

Are any of the pcmcia modules loaded?

wlan-ng etc.?

[NeilBlue]

I didn't realise the google link was a specific url, I though that the link had just been highlighted on the page. I will check the link out when I get home from work.

Thanks
Neil

[NeilBlue]

OK,

I have done a fresh install of RH 7.3 with source rpm and gcc.
I am running of a Compaq evo n600c.
I have a Netgear ma401, which is working now under windows 2000 on the same machine.

When I installed RH7.3 the netgear light came on, but there was no interface listed for it under ifconfig

/var/log/message showed:

Jul 5 22:48:47 localhost cardmgr[694]: initializing socket 0
Jul 5 22:48:47 localhost cardmgr[694]: unsupported card in socket 0
Jul 5 22:48:47 localhost cardmgr[694]: product info: "NETGEAR MA401RA Wireless PC", "Card", "ISL37300P", "Eval-RevA"
Jul 5 22:48:47 localhost cardmgr[694]: manfid: 0x000b, 0x7300 function: 6 (network)


I then installed:

pcmcia-cs-3.1.34.tar.gz and linux-wlan-ng-0.1.13.tar.gz

will all the defaults apart for the src location

I then started the services as in the readme's ant replugged in the card.
The led continued to flash and /var/log/message now shows

Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost cardmgr[2424]: executing: 'modprobe hermes'
Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost cardmgr[2424]: executing: 'modprobe orinoco'
Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost cardmgr[2424]: executing: 'modprobe orinoco_cs'
Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost cardmgr[2424]: executing: './network start eth1'
Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost kernel: eth1: Channel out of range (0)!
Jul 6 00:20:47 localhost /etc/hotplug/net.agent: invoke ifup eth1


I am not out of range as I am sitting at the same desk I am using the laptop from now.

I don't know what to do next :confused:

Please help
Neil

[mdwatts]

Not that I know anything about wireless networking in Linux, but shouldn't you be using eth0 and not eth1?

Do you have 2 ethernet devices in your EVO?

Maybe try

./network start eth0

from /etc/rc.d/init.d or whatever directory your distro uses.

[NeilBlue]

yes, the evo has a built in ethernet card which is eth0

[mdwatts]

Have a look at this document (http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Linux.Wireless.usage.html) and also


http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:jUasorzDtpMC:www.collaborium.org/onsite/jos2000/lectures/carlo/radio/wireless/howto/Linux.pdf+eth1+Channel+out+of+range+(0)&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

to see if something there helps.

Damn links still don't work half the time.:(

[NeilBlue]

Thanks, I got to the link in the end.

Reading the wireless site and the PCMCIA how-to's, it looks like:
1) cardmgr finds the card and the matching entry in wireless.opts.
2) The channel setting looks wrong, but iwconfig won't allow me to set the channel for this card.
3) I can't set the channel directly with iwconfig eth1 channel 6

Mmmm...

[mdwatts]

Can you set the channel in /etc/pcmcia/wireless.opts

CHANNEL="6"

[NeilBlue]

iwconfig won't allow the setting for this card

[mdwatts]

Sorry as I really don't know what else to suggest.

I actually never even knew I had the wireless script and wireless.opts in /etc/pcmcia.

Have you tried Google searches using different search criteria to see if someone else has had the same problem and hopefully posted the solution?

Does Netgear have a support site or a usergroup?

[NeilBlue]

I have tried the netgear site, and may searches seem to give a range of answers. Some report that they installed RH7.3, then just plugged in the card and it worked, but generally I can't seem to find any consistency. I wonder if it has anything to do with the type of laptop, (but I don't think that is likely as the card is being recognised eventually).

The next thing I am going to try is downloading Mandrake 8.2 and see if that is any easier to setup.

One strange thing I have found with the searches though is many people report getting linux drivers with the netgear ma401 card, but there were no dirvers or any mention of linux with the retial box that I got?

I will also try going over the news groups, but for now the laptop will just have to stay with Windows :(

Thanks for your help

Neil

[mdwatts]

This is from the wavelan.txt in the 2.4.19 kernel source documentation directory.

Not sure how much it will help, but it does have a couple of links that may help.


The Wavelan drivers saga
------------------------

By Jean Tourrilhes <jt@hpl.hp.com>

The Wavelan is a Radio network adapter designed by
Lucent. Under this generic name is hidden quite a variety of hardware,
and many Linux driver to support it.
The get the full story on Wireless LANs, please consult :
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/

"wavelan" driver (old ISA Wavelan)
----------------
o Config : Network device -> Wireless LAN -> AT&T WaveLAN
o Location : .../drivers/net/wavelan*
o in-line doc : .../drivers/net/wavelan.p.h
o on-line doc :
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan.html

This is the driver for the ISA version of the first generation
of the Wavelan, now discontinued. The device is 2 Mb/s, composed of a
Intel 82586 controller and a Lucent Modem, and is NOT 802.11 compliant.
The driver has been tested with the following hardware :
o Wavelan ISA 915 MHz (full length ISA card)
o Wavelan ISA 915 MHz 2.0 (half length ISA card)
o Wavelan ISA 2.4 GHz (full length ISA card, fixed frequency)
o Wavelan ISA 2.4 GHz 2.0 (half length ISA card, frequency selectable)
o Above cards with the optional DES encryption feature

"wavelan_cs" driver (old Pcmcia Wavelan)
-------------------
o Config : Network device -> PCMCIA network ->
Pcmcia Wireless LAN -> AT&T/Lucent WaveLAN
o Location : .../drivers/net/pcmcia/wavelan*
o in-line doc : .../drivers/net/pcmcia/wavelan_cs.h
o on-line doc :
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan.html

This is the driver for the PCMCIA version of the first
generation of the Wavelan, now discontinued. The device is 2 Mb/s,
composed of a Intel 82593 controller (totally different from the 82586)
and a Lucent Modem, and NOT 802.11 compatible.
The driver has been tested with the following hardware :
o Wavelan Pcmcia 915 MHz 2.0 (Pcmcia card + separate
modem/antenna block)
o Wavelan Pcmcia 2.4 GHz 2.0 (Pcmcia card + separate
modem/antenna block)

"wvlan_cs" driver (Wavelan IEEE, GPL)
-----------------
o Config : Not yet in kernel
o Location : Pcmcia package 3.1.10+
o on-line doc : http://www.fasta.fh-dortmund.de/users/andy/wvlan/

This is the driver for the current generation of Wavelan IEEE,
which is 802.11 compatible. Depending on version, it is 2 Mb/s or 11
Mb/s, with or without encryption, all implemented in Lucent specific
DSP (the Hermes).
This is a GPL full source PCMCIA driver (ISA is just a Pcmcia
card with ISA-Pcmcia bridge).

"wavelan2_cs" driver (Wavelan IEEE, binary)
--------------------
o Config : Not yet in kernel
o Location : ftp://sourceforge.org/pcmcia/contrib/

This driver support exactly the same hardware as the previous
driver, the main difference is that it is based on a binary library
and supported by Lucent.

I hope it clears the confusion ;-)

Jean

[NeilBlue]

At last. I found the problem was the ma 401 does not use the general interface. I neede d to use iwpriv to get the card specific methods which were:

eth0 Available private ioctl :
force_reset (8BE0) : set 0 & get 0
card_reset (8BE1) : set 0 & get 0
set_port3 (8BE2) : set 1 int & get 0
get_port3 (8BE3) : set 0 & get 1 int
set_preamble (8BE4) : set 1 int & get 0
get_preamble (8BE5) : set 0 & get 1 int
set_ibssport (8BE6) : set 1 int & get 0
get_ibssport (8BE7) : set 0 & get 1 int

then I used iwpriv "force_reset"

this makes the card rescan for the correct channel

Cheers

[mdwatts]

So you have success?

If you have the time, you may want to write out a 'How I Did It' as I'm sure many will benefit from your experience.

I would think most of us (most certainly myself) have no idea how to setup and configure wireless nics in Linux and having a how-to may help some of our members.

[NeilBlue]

there is now a how I did it in the other forum

Neil :)

[mdwatts]

Looks quite good and I've bookmarked your tutorial for future reference.

Thanks...