Beginners Howto for WLAN setup?

fLares · n00b Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 15

Hi. Is there a nice and easy to understand Howto on setiing up a WLAN with gentoo? I have a PC with gentoo running on it. It is connected to the Internet and also has a local Net attached (small one - just one Windows Box in that). There is a Firewall running to protect the local Net from attacks.
What I want now is to put my "conceptronic"-WLAN card into it, and set it up in a way which will allow me to use a WLAN USB stick in my IBM Thinkpad to access the local Net and the Internet. But of course I don't want everybody else to use this connection.
So I need help-files or howtos about
* how to install the hardware (I mean not actually how to insert the card, but how to get the proper drivers running)
* how to make the WLAN active and accessible
* how to make the WLAN secure against attacks while allowing me to use it as a connection to my local Net as well as the Internet

Does anyone know easy howto-files on that? I am rather new to Linux, so I do not readily understand many of the howtos I have found on the net. I just know that I have to install the card and then set up "WAP" or "WEP" (some sort of enryption or protocol?) on it and then maybe run a "VPN" (tunneling protocol?) over all of this. What I don't know (besides how to install all this) is how I can identify my laptop and grant it access while denying all others access...

I hope it is not too hard. In Windows it was really easy, but I'd like to use the Gentoo Box for it, since it is my connection to the Internet and my fileserver...

Many Thanks
Ciao
fLares

Master Shake · Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 11:07 pm Post subject:

First off does that card even work with linux? Next you need to recompile your kernel with support for that wireless cards chipset's support. Then you might want to emerge wireless-utils I think its called. Then configure it through a console with something like this:

jakubc · Posted: Fri May 06, 2005 6:46 am Post subject:

Hi,

to get the connection set up:

0. emerge packages according to the "Install" section here http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Wireless_Configuration_and_Startup

1. Find out what chipset your card uses. a list (don't know if it's complete) is for example here: http://www.linux-wlan.org/docs/wlan_adapters.html.gz

2. Make sure you have the wireless option in your kernel eneabled:

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

my ifconfig ra0 crashes wen i make the ifconfig ra0 up but the first time I had setupd the driver i worked just fine but after reboot the module did'n load and the interface did'nt start and this hapends ever since
how can I fix this

jakubc · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 4:47 pm Post subject:

hi,

what is your computer setup? i.e. /etc/conf.d/net & /etc/conf.d/wireless. What does iwconfig say before you try "ifconfig ra0 up"? Also do you have SMP enabled in your kernel?
_________________
Regards,
Jakub Cerny

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

were do I enable smp ?!?!
on the kernel.....

wen I make the iwconfig after I load the module rt2500.ko
iwconfig ra0
no wireless extentions.
the fist time I made the ifconfig ra0 up then run the utility and working
now ifconfig ra0 up... c
crash
now wen i make the iwconfig ra0
tells no wireless extentions
ifconfig ra0
gives the info of the device...

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

I have ro reboot to gete the info from the file...
I cant access any connection from the linux....

jakubc · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 5:36 pm Post subject:

Are you sure you are loading the rt2500 driver at bootup? do you have rt2500 in your /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.YOUR_KERNEL ? (oops I forgot that in the post above... will fix it right away). That could be problem no.1.

Problem no.2 could be that you have SMP (Simultaneous multi processing) enabled in your kernel, the rt2500 driver does not like that at all! so if you have this disable it. If you did have it remember to recompile rt2500!

The first time it didn't crash could be because you "modprobe"'d it and the module was loaded...

did that help? is iwconfig at least saying something?
_________________
Regards,
Jakub Cerny

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

the steps I have made to stup the card was:
-------------------------------------install frist access-------------------------------------------------
make -c /usr/src/linux SUBDIRS=$PWD modules
during the make he tels mos skipd files... but is so fast I cant se what errors was....
but he instals
then
modprobe rt2500
can't find module
modprobe rt2500.ko
cant find module
then I have made
/sbin/insmod rt2500.ko
loade suceful
lsmos
rt2500
iwconfig ra0 essid wlan
no wireless extentions
so
ifconfig ra0 up
then compile and run the aplication
I was surfing
cool
--------------------------but after reboot-----------------------------
lsmod
no module
in the module dir
modprobe rt2500.ko
cant find module
insmod rt2500.ko
loaded
iwconfig ra0
no wireless extentions
ifconfig ra0 up
crash.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
now wen was to linux to get the /etc/conf.d/net file
i have found the one wireless It didn't fount..
so this is the
net file
# /etc/conf.d/net:
# $Header: /home/cvsroot/gentoo-src/rc-scripts/etc/conf.d/net,v 1.7 2002/11/18 19:39:22 azarah Exp $

# Global config file for net.* rc-scripts

# This is basically the ifconfig argument without the ifconfig $iface
#
iface_eth0="10.0.0.12 broadcast 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0"
#iface_eth1="207.170.82.202 broadcast 207.0.255.255 netmask 255.255.0.0"

# For DHCP set iface_eth? to "dhcp"
# For passing options to dhcpcd use dhcpcd_eth?
#
#iface_eth0="dhcp"
iface_ra0="dhcp"
#dhcpcd_eth0="-N"
dhcpcd_ra0="-N"

# For adding aliases to a interface
#
#alias_eth0="192.168.0.3 192.168.0.4"

# NB: The next is only used for aliases.
#
# To add a custom netmask/broadcast address to created aliases,
# uncomment and change accordingly. Leave commented to assign
# defaults for that interface.
#
#broadcast_eth0="192.168.0.255 192.168.0.255"
netmask_eth0="255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0"

# For setting the default gateway
#
gateway="eth0/10.0.0.1"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
note
this access I coldn't evel insmod it tells that is already on file
I have made lsmod...
and their is no module... listed...
this is geting... real bad.......
if you can help I wold be thankful...
sorry about bad ing...

thanks for you time

jakubc · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 5:46 pm Post subject:

I'm sorry I'm in a hurry, but did you emerge all the packages from the HOWTO?

if so then do:

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

thanks

for the help but the emerge tels that the rt2500 driver has ben masked so I can't use the emerge comand

jakubc · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 10:24 pm Post subject:

hi i'm back:-))

put this into your /etc/portage/package.keywords (if you don't have this file create it)

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

so ok I have downloaded the source put it in the packeg dir... ther merge rt2500
it tells
ebuilt net-tools/rt2500 ok
so
i done modprobe rt2500
module not found
modprobe rt2500.ko
module not found
modprobe rt2500.o
module not found
iwconfig ra0
no such device
ifconfig ra0 no such device

one more thing the compilation of the drivers gives an error that I had already sen in the kernel compilation on the wireless modules
tryed to make a pointer to an integer without a cast....
does it make any diference !?

is their any other way to load the module ?!
because this is realy geting me insane....
thanks realy thanks for your help becaus I'm realy almost in limt do quit this.... Y i'm thinking in buy a new wlan card...

jakubc · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

I had my share of problems with wireless as well so I can appreciate your situation:-)

What drivers are you using? i.e. where did you download them? The drivers in portage work fine:

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

done that.....
same problem....
i alreadi tried to format the computer....
put every thing again just like that...
and the same problem happend in fact now the sound card and the grafic interface don't work.....
startkde
cant connect to xserver and sais this for eternety....
but the drivers sit don't work in my laptop
the pcmcia wen it starts it alwais sais a socket 1 error
I'm going to instal the old disto again...
no one can help....
thanks ani way
I'm mad because I don't like the oder dsisto... so I gess I'm can't use linux...
this are the things that don't work.....
un less is theirs a mirecle way to put this to work....
the ati m9 128 MB of my laptop is not detected
the realtec ethernet card not dectected too
wen I mount the cdrom the frist time alwais sais an error works at the second time
mouse usb with well not working.... the table pad not working to (I working whit only the keyboar )
pcmcia sokect error... wen started....
soud card it worked the firt time i had instaled the other ones.... not realy...
in windows every thing works..
in fedora too
but the gentoo doen't

so i gess the gentoo does not suport my laptop..
is it possible !?

jakubc · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 8:38 pm Post subject:

wow, that sounds pretty borked... :-(

I would urge you however to have a little bit more patience, gentoo (and linux in general) is great because unlike Windows everything has it's clear reason for going wrong (although it may not seem so at first:-) ). Have you tried to check out his HOWTO]? It could help with the pcmcia - wireless problem (at least I hope I got it right... your wireless is pcmcia right?)...

try to post the rest of the questions in relevant forums... the X and the mousepad....

next to everything really does have an explanation... so please don't give up!

for anyone reading this who has some ideas please post! (I admint that all of this is going too far for my linux EXPerience so far:-( )

thanks!
_________________
Regards,
Jakub Cerny

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

I'm going to try installing for one mor time....
but...
I'm in the limit...

xline · n00b Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 24

do you have msn our someting...
that way we cold talk...
im a computer programer.

yes with this probles it doen't look like but i was since 9 ... a windows user i have 23 so
you can imagen...

factodude · n00b Joined: 10 Nov 2003 Posts: 38

Just curious, the last time you upgraded/recompiled your kernel did you make sure /boot was mounted before copying over the kernel image? I've only gotten that error before when installing the driver to the wrong kernel directory. Like the symlink would point to the newest kernel, but the actual image would not be on the boot drive. Hence, you couldn't mount it since you didn't have that kernel loaded.

fLares · n00b Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 15

I almost got it, but it seems the ra2500 driver does not support "master" mode, so I cannot use it (or the conceptronics wlan card I have) to provide WLAN for my home :-(

Guess I have to buy an access point instead or get an old wlan card with a "prism" chipset which seems to be about the only thing that supports this master mode. Sadly the chipset is almost never listed when I buy a card and most older cards seem to have outdated WLAN-standards.