Broadcom-STA "wl" wifi drivers

[Ed Howdershelt]

Dell XT3 and Broadcom BCM43228-my solution
Battle with wireless hardware
Short story: I won, and I offer a possible quick and easy solution to all others fighting with proprietary cards like the BCM43228.

I'm a long-time user of Linux, not a total noob, and I'm not afraid of CLI stuff. I switched completely away from Windows to Mint in 2005 and Puppy's been my boot default since 2009 or so. I'm currently running Puppy Tahr on 4 lappies and a desktop in dual boots with Mint 18.2.

BUT... after a few hours of combing the net (and this forum in particular) for some reasonably simple way to make the XT3's wifi work, I got sick of trying to adjust and/or create drivers and just removed the BCM43228 card.

Having had no problems at all with wifi in a Dell 2110, a Toshiba Portege 750M, and a bunch of other older Dell lappies that have passed through my hands over the last few years, I went here:

https://www.parts-people.com/blog/2015/ ... tallation/
and matched up card numbers from lappies that hadn't had problems with Puppy or Mint.
One of their techs spent some time on the phone with me verifying my findings and I ended up buying one of these for ten bucks:

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php? ... em&id=9299 - a Dell Wireless 1501 Draft N Wireless WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n Half-Height Mini-PCI Express Card - #K5Y6D

When I booted up after swapping out the cards, both Linuxes found and loved the new card. Problem solved.

The next time I sell one of these lappies, it'll very likely go to a Windows user, so I can put the Broadcom card in it and be rid of it.

This note isn't meant to be a promo for my website or parts-people's, but it IS a recommendation to check out their database. Thorough infos and pictures and FREE to browse.

Hope this helps someone else get past a proprietary card,
Ed
Ed Howdershelt - Abintra Press
Science Fiction & Semi-Fiction
http://abintrapress.com (blog)

[lisek]

Hi!
Could someone guru wifi put drivers for broadcom 43142 into slako64 or tahr64 so I could try wifi connection in live session without installing puppy to hd.
Is it stupid question / petition?

[ozsouth]

See previous page(14).

If you have Slacko64 6.9.9.9 kernel 4.9.30, you can load the wl driver from the link below, by downloading the .pet file & clicking on it in Rox-Filer.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... &start=198

[lisek]

Where can I download Slacko64 6.9.9.9 with kernel 4.9.30?
Here is:
http://puppylinux.com/
Slackware64 14.1 64-bit Slacko64 Puppy 6.3.2

edit:
ok, got it already:)

[jppuppy]

Anyone has wl module for slacko64-6.3.0. (k 4.1.11) or Tahr64-6.0.5 (k 3.14.54)?
If not, can someone point to the sources, patches and any special module making instructions? (long thread to search )

Hi Mav

Check current version (currently 6.30.223.271) from:
http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11

Get the most recent patched source from ubuntu or debian - e.g. from:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/br ... .223.271-7
(try upping the last number to get latest) get
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+archive/p ... rig.tar.xz

Extract the sources for the required arch - i386 or amd64 and have a look in broadcom-sta-6.30.223.271/amd64/src/wl/sys and check the latest kernel mentioned LINUX_VERSION in:
wl_cfg80211_hybrid.c
wl_linux.c

(Currently = 4.2.0 so 4.1.11 and 3.14.54 should be ok)

patch wl_linux.c at about line #220 - change eth% to wlan%

In a system with devx and kernel sources installed, open a terminal in the extracted sources folder and type:
make

Result if compilation finishes without errors is wl.ko in the folder

If the compilation fails and your kernel is later than the one above, search the web for suitable patches!!

Package as a .pet for the particular kernel (i.e. correct name for /lib/modules/xxxx/kernel/drivers/net/wireless) with a pinstall.sh that just calls depmod -a

Test - install the .pet, then:
modprobe wl
lsmod
dmesg

to check that the new module loads without errors

then in a running system, blacklist whatever drivers were claiming the wifi device

upload to a repository and share....

Cheers
peebee

Hi guys,
I've been struggling with compiling broadcom-wl driver for some time.
I'm using broadcom-sta-6.30.223.271 amd64.

I've got stuck at compilation error

Code: Select all

ld: Relocatable linking with relocations from format elf64-x86-64 (/root/Downloads/broadcom-sta-6.30.223.271/amd64/lib/wlc_hybrid.o_shipped) to format elf32-i386 (/root/Downloads/broadcom-sta-6.30.223.271/amd64/wl.o) is not supported

I do it on amd 64 bit processor and wonder how to set up any make parameter to sort it out.

I've tried so far sth like:

Code: Select all

make ARCH=x86_64

but with no luck.

Do you guys have any ideas?

[ozsouth]

Which Puppy are you using to do this (version no., kernel and 32 or 64bit)? Looks like a 32/64bit mismatch between source used & Puppy used.

[jppuppy]

Hi, I'm using:

puppy_tahr64_6.0.6.sfs
kernel_sources-3.14.79-tahr.sfs
devx_tahr64_6.0.6.sfs
kernel version: 3.14.79

My laptop has 64 bit amd processor.

Code: Select all

# uname -a
Linux puppypc30702 3.14.79 #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Dec 10 14:04:42 GMT 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Driver sources (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+archive/p ... rig.tar.xz)
have two directories: amd64 and i386.
I run make inside amd64

[ozsouth]

You are using 32bit source with a 64bit puppy - previous few pages have links to 64 bit source & a working driver for your Tahrpup - see quotes below.

64bit source:

Ok, I've got updated source (July 2017) for 64bit wl driver - can now create newer modules. Must have kernel sources & devx for desired puppy loaded. Then cd / and expand (tar -zxvf) source file attached. Then cd /hybrid_wl & run make.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=043 ... 6757166267

Tahr64 driver:

Broadcom module for Tahrpup64 k3.14.79 available via link
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=671 ... 8141797896

Need to skiplist b43, bcma, brcmsmac, ssb (in /etc/rc.d/MODULESCONFIG). Then copy wl.ko to /lib/modules/3.14.79/kernel/drivers/net/wireless.
Then run depmod in terminal & reboot. Connect via SNS. Will show as eth1 (most likely).

[jppuppy]

Yes, it works!
Thank you for the help!

Directly downloaded wl.ko worked immediately, however compiling still threw errors about architecture.

Finally I've run in /usr/src/linux

Code: Select all

make mrproper
make oldconfig
make modules_prepare

That created proper config files with architecture variables etc.

Then compilation of the driver finished successfully.

[ozsouth]

Excellent. When I've messed around in /usr/src/linux, with each failed attempt I run 'make clean', which restores the original config. If you don't do it each time, it needs recreating.

[ozsouth]

I have replaced the bcm43132 card in my laptop (with an Atheros) so can no longer test & will not be making any more wl drivers.

Update: I tried to make a driver for the new LxpupSc64 18.03, just as a last hurrah, but the July 2017 source wouldn't compile.

[ozsouth]

Well, I compiled a 64bit kernel 4.9.94, and whilst testing, found I could make a wl driver for it. I can't test it, but it compiled & loaded ok.
Edit: found a nearly-dead machine to test - am posting from it - module works.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=087 ... 4323648854

Need to first swap in the new kernel (has Spectre/Meltdown mitigation) - see here:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 954#989954

[ozsouth]

I made a wl driver for Slacko64 kernel 4.4.126 (by Sailor Enceladus). I can't test it, but it compiled & loaded ok. Driver from above post using same source was briefly able to be tested - ok, so this one should work too. http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=252 ... 8037883008

Edit: now confirmed working
.

[stemsee]

Please build the module for 4.16.5 x86_64!

Could you post your source package and method text file?

[ozsouth]

Alas, the source (below) does not compile after kernel 4.9, hence then 4.9.94 64bit kernel I posted (see above).
Update: seems to work regardless.

The 64bit wl source is at http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=043 ... 6757166267

Latest Method: Must have kernel sources & devx in desired puppy loaded. Then cd / and expand (tar -zxvf) source file attached.
Then cd /hybrid_wl & run 'make clean' then 'make'. Need to skiplist b43, bcma, brcmsmac, ssb (in /etc/rc.d/MODULESCONFIG).
Then copy wl.ko to /lib/modules/(kernel no.)/kernel/drivers/net/wireless. Then run depmod in terminal. Reboot.
.

[stemsee]

Thank you!

[ozsouth]

I made a 64bit wl driver for 4.14.35, but it compiled with warnings - it loaded, but may crash in use. I can't test it so definitely use at own risk.
Update: confirmed working.
Available at: http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=192 ... 6277667904

[ozsouth]

UPDATE: Alternate wl module for Xenialpup64 7.5 k 4.9.58 made. Confirmed working.
Get it here: .http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=074 ... 1564471669
Need to skiplist b43, bcma, brcmsmac, ssb (edit /etc/rc.d/MODULESCONFIG at about line 24 - see example pics below).
Then copy wl.ko to /lib/modules/4.9.58/kernel/drivers/net/wireless. Then run depmod in terminal. Then reboot.

[JPsDad]

PeeBee
<Here is the 32-bit wl driver for Slacko-6.3.0 k3.14.55-nopae as a .pet:

broadcom_wl_v6.30.223.271_x86_32-k3.14.55_nopae_s630.pet>

== Error 404

Makes life hard.

Sorry...

link should be:
http://www.smokey01.com/peebee/broadcom ... e_s630.pet

== Error 403 Forbidden - HostGator

[perdido]

PeeBee
<Here is the 32-bit wl driver for Slacko-6.3.0 k3.14.55-nopae as a .pet:

broadcom_wl_v6.30.223.271_x86_32-k3.14.55_nopae_s630.pet>

== Error 404

Makes life hard.

Sorry...

link should be:
http://www.smokey01.com/peebee/broadcom ... e_s630.pet

== Error 403 Forbidden - HostGator

lets make life un-hard then
You can find it here
https://archive.org/download/Puppy_Linu ... river_Repo

.