Using wireless on a PowerBook G4

Thanks, this does get me started in the right direction. I tried to
do "apt-cache search b43 bcm43" and nothing came up. I don't know how
to find my wireless chip type; when it was running OS X, it just ran
AirPort (which hid all the important details I guess). I guess the
easiest solution is to burn some packages to a CD and install them
that way? I installed Debian with a DVD (just the first ISO).

Thanks again,
Chris

On Jan 30, 2009, at 5:53 PM, Gerfried Fuchs wrote:

> * Christopher Jones <c_jones.RemoveThis@MIT.EDU> [2009-01-30 22:42:10 CET]:
>> Hi all, just installed Etch on my PowerBook G4. I can't activate the
>> wireless. My /etc/network/interfaces looks like
>>
>> auto lo
>> iface lo inet loopback
>>
>> allow-hotplug wlan0
>> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>> wireless-essid (my network name)
>>
>> When I try to connect with wifi-radar, I just get errors ("Interface
>> doesn't support scanning : No such device"). Any advice for a
>> newbie?
>
> Depending on your wireless chip you most propably need the firmware
> for
> it. I'm not sure if this is the right thing for you because you didn't
> mention which you have, but I guess bcm43xx-fwcutter and b43-fwcutter
> will be the packages of your interest.
>
> Hope that helps!
> Rhonda
>
>
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On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:42:10 -0500
Christopher Jones <c_jones.TakeThisOut@MIT.EDU> wrote:

> Hi all, just installed Etch on my PowerBook G4. I can't activate the
> wireless. My /etc/network/interfaces looks like
>
> auto lo
> iface lo inet loopback
>
> allow-hotplug wlan0
> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
> wireless-essid (my network name)
>
> When I try to connect with wifi-radar, I just get errors ("Interface
> doesn't support scanning : No such device"). Any advice for a newbie?
>
> Chris Jones
> c_jones.TakeThisOut@mit.edu
>
>

Which version of the PowerBook is it? This would help identify which
wireless card is built in. Also, try running the following command.
This lists all the network interfaces installed/detected and paste the
output here.

$ lshw -class network

If you don't have lshw installed you can install it from aptitude (sudo
aptitude install lshw).

Amit


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Hi all,

Thanks for all of your help. I got things working.

Using lspci I was able to see that in fact I needed a BroadCom
driver. I used a wired connection to apt-get bcm43xx-fwcutter. (I'm
using kernel 2.6.18-6-powerpc).

Then modprobe bcm43xx, then I checked iwconfig and finally `ifconfig
eth2 up`. Basically after a while I was able to follow the directions
on wiki.debian.org:

http://wiki.debian.org/bcm43xx

One last thing: I tried to apt-get a newer kernel version, and I
successfully installed 2.6.24 (apt-get install linux-image-2.6.24-
etchnhalf.l-powerpc linux-headers-2.6.24-etchnhalf.l-powerpc), but
when I logged out and back in, uname -r told me that I was still
running 2.6.18-6. How can I update to the kernel that should've been
installed?

Thanks!

On Jan 31, 2009, at 12:31 AM, Amit Uttamchandani wrote:

>
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:42:10 -0500
> Christopher Jones <c_jones.DeleteThis@MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
>> Hi all, just installed Etch on my PowerBook G4. I can't activate the
>> wireless. My /etc/network/interfaces looks like
>>
>> auto lo
>> iface lo inet loopback
>>
>> allow-hotplug wlan0
>> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>> wireless-essid (my network name)
>>
>> When I try to connect with wifi-radar, I just get errors ("Interface
>> doesn't support scanning : No such device"). Any advice for a
>> newbie?
>>
>> Chris Jones
>> c_jones.DeleteThis@mit.edu
>>
>>
>
> Which version of the PowerBook is it? This would help identify which
> wireless card is built in. Also, try running the following command.
> This lists all the network interfaces installed/detected and paste the
> output here.
>
> $ lshw -class network
>
> If you don't have lshw installed you can install it from aptitude
> (sudo
> aptitude install lshw).
>
> Amit
>
>
> --
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-powerpc-REQUEST.DeleteThis@lists.debian.org
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>


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On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:58:43 -0500
Christopher Jones <flawless.void.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:

[snip]

>
> One last thing: I tried to apt-get a newer kernel version, and I
> successfully installed 2.6.24 (apt-get install linux-image-2.6.24-
> etchnhalf.l-powerpc linux-headers-2.6.24-etchnhalf.l-powerpc), but
> when I logged out and back in, uname -r told me that I was still
> running 2.6.18-6. How can I update to the kernel that should've been
> installed?
>
> Thanks!

When you install a new kernel, a kernel image is installed in /boot.
In /boot you will see initrd.img and vmlinux. When you do an 'ls -l'
you will see that infact these are symlinks to a specific kernel image
in /boot.

So to use the newer kernel simply symlink the initrd.img and vmlinux to
their respective kernel versions. For example in my lenny system they
are:

initrd.img -> initrd.img-2.6.26-1-powerpc

vmlinux -> vmlinux-2.6.26-1-powerpc

Good luck
Amit


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On Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 01:58:43AM -0500, Christopher Jones wrote:
>
> One last thing: I tried to apt-get a newer kernel version, and I
> successfully installed 2.6.24 (apt-get install linux-image-2.6.24-
> etchnhalf.l-powerpc linux-headers-2.6.24-etchnhalf.l-powerpc), but when I
> logged out and back in, uname -r told me that I was still running
> 2.6.18-6. How can I update to the kernel that should've been installed?

You need to reboot to activate a new kernel. Just logging out and in is
not enough.

Gaudenz

--
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.
Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
~ Samuel Beckett ~


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