centrino - Radio Frequency Kill Switch - RESOLVED

[alan at comm-tech.org]

On Mon, 2005-01-10 at 01:58, Matt Zimmerman wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 10, 2005 at 12:48:02AM +0000, alan at comm-tech.org wrote:
> 
> > Although drivers are loading on this laptop, the onboard wifi device
> > will not activate. 
> > 
> > dmesg:
> > ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 0.11
> > ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2004 Intel Corporation
> > ACPI: PCI interrupt 0000:02:06.0[A] -> GSI 10 (level, low) -> IRQ 10
> > ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
> > ipw2200: Radio Frequency Kill Switch is On:
> > Kill switch must be turned off for wireless networking to work.
> > 
> > Apparently this is to do with the wifi button to the left of the
> > keyboard that turns on the wireless device. In order for windows to use
> > the device, it uses software hooked to this button to activate the wifi
> > device, but I cannot find the equivalent for Linux.
> > 
> > I have been trying the solution here: http://rfswitch.sourceforge.net/,
> > but cannot compile the driver in Ubuntu suggested by the Laptop Support
> > Table. (possibly cos its ipw2100) Has anyone come across these Switches
> > on newer Laptops, and how to get them working in Ubuntu?
> 
> These switches are fairly common, but the ones I have seen are "hard"
> (physical) switches, rather than "soft" (software-controlled) ones, and so
> they don't present much of a problem.
> 
> A software-driven switch would require a driver, possibly the one you found,
> or possibly a different one.  I would try to get the rfswitch driver working
> first.
> 
> -- 
>  - mdz

It is a software switch, and it *does* work with rfswitch drivers,
although the radio light does *not* come on.

For the Amilo Pro, use the top link from
http://rfswitch.sourceforge.net/. . Another copy lies here:
http://communitytechnology.org.uk/linux/os/fsam7400-0.4.0.tgz

* You need to download this file: fsam7400-0.4.0.tgz
Even though it only mentions ipw2100, it appears to work OK with
ipw2200.
* make clean ; make ; make install.
* Make an entry in /etc/modules for fsam7400 to have it start
automatically.

Note that I first I did have to 
1) Install linux-686 - cannot get it working in 386(?!)
2) Install build-essential and ncurses5
3) copy /boot/config-2.6.8.1-4 to /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.8.1/.config
4) run make from usr/src/2.6.8.1/ 
5) Then run make modules. 

Thanks all for the pointers.

/a