KNOW-HOW Ask Klaus! ASK KLAUS!
The dmesg output you sent as the computer has not been switched shows that your Linux kernel off in the meantime – with the use of supports the wireless card with bcm 43xx‑fwcutter to save the firmware the bcm43xx module, but you don’t file. The second is to try to find a place Klaus Knopper is the creator of have the firmware installed that’s neces- on the Internet where the firmware is of- Knoppix and co-founder of the sary to put this card into operation. The fered in the correct format (i.e., in this relevant snippet of the dmesg output is: case, search for a file called bcm43xx_ LinuxTag expo. He currently microcode5.fw). Be careful to double- check its origin because someone might works as a teacher, program- bcm43xx: PHY connected bcm43xx: Error: U find it funny to publish a manipulated mer, and consultant. If you have Microcode "bcm43xx_U file that breaks your hardware. The best microcode5.fw" not U place to check would be the manufactur- a configuration problem, or if available or load failed. er’s homepage, or ask their support team U to send you the file required to run their you just want to learn more bcm43xx: core_up for active 802.11 core U hardware on Linux. about how Linux works, send failed (-2) The firmware file should be placed (depending on your distro) into directory your questions to: A weird effect of this that you might /lib/ firmware or /usr/ lib/ hotplug/ firm‑ have noticed when trying to make the ware. No kernel recompilation is needed. klaus@linux-magazine. com card work is that the card still appears in Reloading the bcm43xx module with the iwconfig command’s output (or in graphical network administration GUIs), rmmod bcm43xx but any action associated with the card modprobe bcm43xx fails because it does not respond to any Wireless configuration attempts. should be sufficient. I am new to Linux and have just Many distributions have recently given Regarding your second question about downloaded and installed SUSE up distributing binary-only firmware for the graphics card: You will probably get 10.3 and I use KDE. I use an various cards, including wifi and scan- Acer Aspire 3003 WLMI, which is ners, because of sometimes “non-distrib- approx imately 2.5 years old. utable” or unclear licenses set forth by The wired connection works fine, but the manufacturers of such hardware, the wireless does not. I’ve attached the even though you as the legal owner of dmesg output. I have tried to run ndis- this wifi card have the personal right wrapper and get a message “command to use the card together with the corre- not known,” yet in YaST it is ticked! sponding firmware. The graphics drivers do not support However, you have two ways to get 3D. The SIS 660 driver is loaded, but the the firmware. One is to extract it chipset is SIS 760, which does not ap- from the same or a simi- pear to have an available Linux driver. lar card that has Can you help with these issues and been previously recommend a good source for overview initialized with the information? firmware – as long
66 ISSUE 92 JULY 2008 Ask Klaus! KNOW-HOW
Listing 1: Settings for /etc/ counting improperly. You went through • An operating system that will let me use it as a workstation and server X11/xorg.conf a fair bit of recommendations, but missed one easy possibility: The RAM (preferably 64-bit that can run 32-bit) 01 Section "Module" module itself could have been bad. • Pearl, PHP, Python, Apache web 02 ... It happened to me once, and the store server, MySQL, Java, Ruby, C++, wouldn’t exchange the RAM when I Ajax, and more 03 Load "dri" brought it in. • Set up the hard drives Raid 1 04 Load "glx" • Be the center of a VPN 05 ... Right, that possibility of just • All the usual workstation stuff having bought a bad RAM mod- I’ve considered using SUSE Enterprise 06 EndSection ule also exists. Thanks for the Desktop, SUSE Enterprise Server, VM- 07 reminder, and it happened to me once, ware Server, Ubuntu 7.10, Fedora, etc. 08 Section "DRI" too. The sad thing is that it is harder to Being new to Linux and open source – 09 Mode 0666 explain the situation to – and convince – very new – I would appreciate any and the salesperson who sold you that RAM all advice on what to use and how to set 10 EndSection than to buy a new one. it up. Other units are connected to a Sometimes running a memcheck from switch (Linksys ezxs88w), including the best and fastest working mode with a bootable CD or USB stick for demon- WinXP (3), Win 98 (2), and Win ME the Xorg sis driver. If it’s not included in stration will also do the trick. systems. your distribution’s main Xorg package If memcheck succeeds, but you still What would be the best configuration/ already, you need the xserver-xorg- get RAM errors during normal system setup? video-sis package. Also check for a operation, you might have one of these section in /etc/X11/ xorg.conf that says: cases in which RAM bits toggle ran- All of the distributions you men- domly only under system load. This is tioned should work fine with Section "Device" harder to prove, but running about 10 your hardware setup, and I Identifier "My Video Card" parallel ping ‑f localhost >& /dev/null & don’t see anything in your hardware list Driver "sis" and then copying a large file around in- that would be problematic. Maybe you ... side a ramdisk and comparing check- should start with Ubuntu for installation EndSection sums of the original vs. the copied file because its Debian base has the largest with md5sum sometimes helps discover software repository available – or start Unfortunately, the Composite extension circumstantial RAM failure. with Debian right away (which might be does not seem to be available for this Some shops claim that the RAM they less suitable for first-time Linux users card type, so you won’t be able to use sell cannot be returned on warranty if because of fewer good guided admin the Compiz 3D window manager. Some you install it on your own. I tend to be- tools, though). sis chipsets (the 300 series) are DRI- lieve that this behavior is illegal, but you Switching between 64 and 32 bits can capable, so some OpenGL-based games probably need help from a lawyer to get be a little problematic. Most precompiled might be able to run at decent speeds an exchange or refund. software is for 32-bit, although almost if you make sure the settings shown in any native GNU/Linux application Listing 1 are set in /etc/X11/xorg.conf. Shopping source will compile and run fine in their In case your sis chipset is not sup- I just started a subscription to 64-bit version as well. If you install and ported at all by the “sis” Xorg module, Linux Magazine and am quickly run a precompiled pure 64-bit system, you might have to stay with the VESA getting overwhelmed with infor- you might experience a slight perfor- or fbdev Xorg driver to get any graphics mation. I want to get away from Bill mance advantage (or even a large one, at all. In that case, you must change the Gates, and from one demo of SUSE desk- if you are doing a lot of computation, Device section of xorg.conf to contain top, Linux looks like a great alternative. video, and graphics processing), but Driver fbdev and change the initial boot I ant to use my new system to program then you have to run all 32-bit plugins options (framebuffer settings are set at and do web/Internet stuff. Can you and applications (some proprietary pro- boot time) to vga=791 (1024x768 resolu- help? grams, plugins, and codecs only exist tion in 64,000 colors, the mode that most Here is the new hardware I have: in 32-bit versions) in a more or less com cards support). And if that fails, revert to • ASUS Striker MB with 8GB memory plicated “chroot” environment that pro- Driver vesa. But neither supports and Intel Core 2 quad Q6600 CPU vides the 32-bit library versions used OpenGL or 3D. • 3ware SATA controller with four by those programs. 500GB SATA drives But the other way around – running Bad RAM • XFXforce GF7950 video card a 32-bit environment with occasionally In Linux Magazine Issue 89 • Acer AL2416M monitor starting a 64-bit application – is worse (April 2008), a fellow, writing • NEC Black 16X DVD+R burner to configure. about RAM he’d installed in his The unit has never been powered up For getting accelerated 3D capabilities laptop, said that he upgraded the 128MB and there is nothing on the hard drives. with your GeForce 7950 graphics card, module to 256MB and the POST was What I want on it: you will have to download and install
JULY 2008 ISSUE 92 67 KNOW-HOW Ask Klaus!
the Nvidia proprietary Linux driver from tools or instructions for Linux. Accessing Since the invention of “Win their support page. the PDA's filesystem via one of the USB modems,” which lack essential After you finish the install, you can set application protocols to which the PDA parts of being qualified as regu- up your network card to the same LAN can be set might be possible. “Mass-stor- lar modems, getting them to work has setup as your other boxes, probably au- age” only seems to apply when a flash- become difficult – and not just in GNU/ tomatic IP addressing with DHCP. card is inserted, though. So, in terms of Linux. Some newer USB Winmodems In response to “being the center of a interconnectivity with Linux, it's a very even require a firmware upload for oper- VPN”: Depending on what you plan to disappointing device. ation – as in my answer to the previous do, setting up SSH access and port for- However, it might be possible to run question. warding or installing a full OpenVPN the provided tools for Windows under Even worse, vendors use the same server could be an option. If you just Linux with Wine, but these are probably product name for different chipsets, so mean “setting up the computer as file only useful together with other Windows you don't know whether you are getting and print server for a local LAN,” install- applications. a real modem or a Winmodem. Finally, ing CUPS and Samba should be suffi- because Winmodems are cheaper, they cient, but make sure that access is only Modems are likely to diminish the available num- allowed for the local LAN, and not for I have tinkered around with ber of good modems in the long run. the entire Internet. SUSE and Knoppix Linux quite a Winmodems are sometimes called bit in the past, but I have never names like HSP (Host Signal Processor), Address Book had much luck with Windows dial-up HCF (Host Controlled Family), HSF Synchronization modems working. Recently, I decided to (Host Signal Family), controllerless, I have completely abandoned dump my Windows platforms for open- host-controlled, host-based, or softmo- Windows – after decades of SUSE, and I need some help purchasing dem. Also, it is very unlikely that Vista using DOS and Windows prod- a dial-up modem that will work for works with all of these because there are ucts – with no regrets, even while mov- Linux. I would consider Fedora, but pre- so many different chipsets, and some ing from an advanced Windows user to fer SUSE. I used to run dual operating only have streams for a specific version a square-one Linux newbie. I have since systems, Windows and Linux, but have of a single operating system. progressed, but still consider myself an decided that it’s time to make the switch My recommendation would have been unsophisticated Linux user. entirely to Linux. the Elsa Microlink 56k modem with I have settled for Ubuntu after trying I don’t care whether the modem is in- serial connection, which I also use for several distros. I have managed to do ev- ternal or external, but please give me sending faxes from my computer. Unfor- erything I was doing in Windows, and some insight into installing and purchas- tunately – especially for the USB version more. There is only one nagging rem- ing the correct one. I am so tired of run- – there also seem to be derivates with nant to my complete migration: PDA ning around town to different people the same name that lack the internal synchronization. I have an MS Windows who claim to know something but then firmware, and they won’t work without mobile 5 device (Siemens Pocket Loox give me empty looks when I mention effort. A regular modem does not need N520) that I never managed to sync with Linux. any drivers on Linux, except for the Evolution, no matter how many “how- I have two dial-up accounts, one of standard serial or USB-serial driver, tos” I have read. I have imported most which is AOL, and I understand that it whereas Winmodems need vendor/chip- of my old Outlook address book to Evo- will not work on Linux. I want to dial set-specific drivers, daemons, and some- lution, but some records are only in the to my Netscape account, though, and times also firmware. PDA and I want to transfer them. Also, I believe this should be possible. For an overview of the entire modem I would like to find a solution to sync my I have spent a great deal of time at topic, see http://tldp.org/HOWTO/ new mobile phone (Motorola A1200), Best Buy and RadioShack and I get a Modem‑HOWTO.html. I has some recom- which runs Linux but Motorola provides cold response from staff – they tell me mendations on what modem to buy, too. only Windows syncing solutions. to get Vista instead and save a few head- For a comprehensive list of modems aches. I would rather make my tower and how to get them working with no, Tough. I’m into a paper weight than upgrade to minor, or great effort, see http:// afraid the Vista. xmodem.org/modems/index.html. only one My PC specs are eMachine T2605, A good program for general dial-up who can help is 2.6GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 256GB video with providers using PPP – and should Motorola, who has RAM, and X-1300 Radeon video PCI, and also be possible with AOL, which you the complete proto- I currently have a US Robotics external mentioned – is kppp, or just the admin col specification USB modem. GUI that your distribution normally uses and development I have empty PCI slots and USB avail- for modem dialup. n kit. Strangely, al- able – does Linux work with any USB though the PDA is modems? I have heard the old serial mo- Linux-based, the dems work, but I don’t have any of these Send your Linux questions to manufacturer or know what type to get. Thanks for klaus@linux-magazine.com. doesn’t deliver any your help.
68 ISSUE 92 JULY 2008