Broadcom 440 Onboard nic on Asus A7V8X KT400

[raid517]

Hi, sorry for the near double post, but I think I posted this on the wrong thread originally. My problem is that have had big problems getting networking running on this new system I have just built.. I have a Broadcom onboard nic and I connect to the net via a modem router via a PPTP VPN, or virtual private network. Since I have tended always to dual boot with Windows for games etc, I can say in Windows it is a complete breeze to configure. But as usual with Linux its a whole different story. Don't get me wrong, once you've overcome all your problems linux is generally worthwhile. But it sure can be a painful process getting there...
All views are welcome. Has ayone ever done this before? and if so what are the steps involved? I need to do this is if I even want to have a hope of building from stage 1 for emerge...

Q

[jkcunningham]

I have Gentoo working with the broadcom chipset on an ASUS 87V8X - probably the same board. There was a little fooling around to get it working, but it wasn't too bad. As I recall I never could get it working as a module, but it works fine when compiled into the kernel. Just select it under Network Devices.

Also, here are a couple links I found useful:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=53738&highlight=bcm4400
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=46649&highlight=bcm4400

It is interesting that at the time I installed Gentoo on that machine, I was able to emerge the bcm4400 driver, but now it says its masked.

Regards,
-Jeff

[raid517]

Erm where exactly in the kernel is that? I looked and couldnn't find it. Forgive me for sounding dumb too, but how could you use emerge if you needed to get your network running first in order to use emerge? Sounds like a chicken and egg for me. It may be too much to ask, but is there any possibility you could give me a brief breakdown of the exact steps you took? Also to be clear I have to connect through a router/adsl modem via a VPN, do you know how to do this? Even if I can get the driver up and running, its the VPN part that worries me.

I read those threads and they are very helpful, but they don't quite cover that. BTW if I wanted to read a web page in text format from the live CD stored on a floppy disk, can I do that? If so how? I don't print much stuff, so have no use for a printer and need to be able to easily refer back to the instructions. Also, what is the included text editor in the live CD?

Q

[raid517]

Oh and BTW thanks very much for your response.

Q

[weazy]

text editor: nano
kernel: networking devices
text browser: lynx
the vpn: shouldnt cause a problem if it permits network traffic to the Internet

the livecd loads the basic generic drivers to allow you to emerge on the net.

[raid517]

Ok as far as the VPN goes, its just me and my one computer connected to it. (Its not really a network as such, its just me connected to my router and that's just the way it likes to be set up). So there is no additional traffic to the net beyond what I'm doing. Another problem is my ISP still requires me to log in with a user name and password. Are you saying the VPN will be automatically configured (which would be soooo cool) and I wouldn't need to specifiy it as a VPN connection?. It seems to have detected my network ok. (I'm thinking pre-emptively, as I haven't attempting installing yet). Also, how whould I enter my name and log on details and have them saved so I wouldn't have to keep entering them in the future?

Q

[raid517]

Ok I kind of answered that question about password and stuff... I read the instructions (now there's a revolution). But I'm a bit stuck, its asking for my password and user name via PPPoE and not PPTP VPN. Also the PPPoE setup asks for my primary DNS server. I don't have any information about any DNS servers. I looked at my modem configuration and it doesn't have this info either. Does this mean that this information will automatically be supplied by my ISP's server? (Given that PPPoE is in any case not relevant to me).
If I could do this in gentoo, set up my network that is, I think I would definately fall in love with it. Everything I have read so far has only been good... (Indeed the reason I got DSL was to try Gentoo).

Q

[jkcunningham]

When you boot of the LiveCD you are running a special kernel that has all the ethernet modules precompiled and available to it. I don't know what algorithm they use to figure out which is the right one, but it probably a process of polling the hardware and trial and error. In any event, what you are emerging during the install are modules for your kernel, not the one on the cdrom. You would think that the information figured out from the one would be passed on to the other, but it isn't. Maybe there's a good reason, or maybe no one has gotten around to adding that feature yet.

I'm looking through my notes from the install. I see that I figured out the module I needed while booted off teh LiveCD by looking at the output of "lsmod" which showed me that the ethernet module it was using was bcm4400. Then I tried selecting it in the makeconfig as a module (M), recompiled the kernel and emerged bcm4400, put it in the /etc/modules.autoload, and launched it with "modprobe bcm4400", but it didn't work. Then I tried compiling into the kernel (*) directly. (Note: I'm using the gentoo-sources kernel.) I restored modules.autoload to the way it was before, ran "rc-update add net.eth0 default" and "/etc/init.d/net.eth0 start" and it worked. From my notes, it looks like I may not have done this last step which could explain why I couldn't load it as a module. Anyway, here is the sequence as best I can reconstruct:

# cd /usr/src/linux
# make menuconfig
(pick (*) bcm4400 support)
make dep && make clean bzImage modules modules_install
# cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot

# nano -w /etc/conf.d/net
(make sure iface_eth0="dhcp")

# rc-update add net.eth0 default
# ./net.eth0 start

Try something like that.
-Jeff

[raid517]

That's real helpful, but in RC4 my network, such as it is was autodetected. That is all of the drivers already appear to be in place. My problem is that the only connection option appears to be over PPoE and not PPTP VPN, this means that it is not obvious at this time to me as to how I can establish a connection. If someone can explain this step to me, I'm sure I can make great progress on my own. Might I just say thanks for responding to this issue, it was speaking with some of the other members of this forum that originally encouraged me to try gentoo.

Having said this you would think that as an almost exclusively network based distribution, Getoo would take all possible network conditions into consideration. I have looked around the web and there is a fair bit of work being done with Linux PPP VPN connections (though I have opted to abandon innitial attempts to get this configuration running under Red Hat, in favour of Gentoo exactly because it is at least able to auto detect my network, something that Red Hat failed miserably at).

Basically to cut a long story short, I need to establish a PPTP VPN connection and be able to enter my username and password details so that I can connect to my ISP. The question is, how exactly do I do that?

Answer that and all my problems will be solved.

Q

[raid517]

Well I have read around the net a bit and it seem it is possible, but so far I still don't know how... I am very keen to try to resolve this matter. I would not like to simply have to give up. Failing all else can anyone recommend a good inexpensive DSL modem that is guaranteed to work?

Q

[raid517]

Ok I don't want to bitch about the help I have got, you guys have been great. But at least can someone say that this is not possible and suggest an alternate strategy that is at least guaranteed to work. If I have to rule this approach out, I would at least be satified to know it can or cannot be done. What is it that I need to be doing to get Gentoo on the net? I'm not sure its my isp that wants a VPN connection, so much as my modem/router that likes to be set up that way. I'll take any advice about guranteed working configrations going, as it seems I am running out of options and pursuing PPTP VPN is simply causing me to fall of the end of the page, with no possible resolution in sight.

Once again, all views are welcome.

Q

[jkcunningham]

Why don't you work one problem at a time? Forget about VPN for until after you get a regular connection to work correctly. Did you try:

[raid517]

[dma]

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=43004&highlight=bcm4400

Unsupported beta version (1.0.3 instead of 1.0.1) I got from the author.

[raid517]

Well ok, never mind the VPN then. I have another problem. Is it possible to use a modem router running PPPoA? My UK ISP requires that I use this protocal to connect to their servers.

If I can't get PPoA running, I think I'm screwed.

Q

[raid517]

Na... its looking bad.... I can't get my head round the idea that for a networking based distribution, Gentoo seems to only have very limited support for networking protocalls. Is it accurate that gentoo only supports PPPoE type connections?
If so should I give up? I confess I would dearly love to see in Gentoo an interface just like in my router that allows one to set up basic networking protocalls and options (nothing too complex though) and that would allow you to select between the whole variety of networking options RFC 1483 bridged, RFC 1577 IPoA, RFC 2516 PPPoE, RFC 1483 Routed, RFC 2364 PPoA, Transparent Bridge, VPN etc... Just so that any and every possibility would be covered. By not including a PPTP or VPN option, or any obvious PPPoA support, gentoo developers seem to be neglegting large parts of Europe and Australia. I don't want to quit, I'd rather not quit. But if I can't get a connection to the net running I don't see how I can go on. It is an extremely dissapointing outcome.
Is there any chance that RC5 or whatever will include any PPPoE and/or PP TP/VPN options or should I give up all hope of ever being able to install gentoo completely?

Your advice is very welcome.

Q