[SOLVED] [wireless] driver module cannot be loaded automatically (was: wifi device unclaimed)

Michael Uplawski · 12-19-2023, 12:46 AM

Good morning

On a Debian system, identical to the one I use right now (Trixie), the wireless device stopped working. Today.

It is an Intel AC 3165 and the driver ipw2200 is loaded. However the output from lshw is this:
--------------

Code:

 *-pci:1
             description: PCI bridge
             product: Sunrise Point-LP PCI Express Root Port #6
             vendor: Intel Corporation
             physical id: 1c.5
             bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.5
             version: f1
             width: 32 bits
             clock: 33MHz
             capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
             configuration: driver=pcieport
             resources: irq:123 memory:a1000000-a10fffff
           *-network UNCLAIMED
                description: Network controller
                product: Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 Plus Bluetooth
                vendor: Intel Corporation
                physical id: 0
                bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0
                version: 99
                width: 64 bits
                clock: 33MHz
                capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
                configuration: latency=0
                resources: memory:a1000000-a1001fff

-----------
The ethernet-device is still okay, it seems. Right now I am shuttling with an external disk between two machines to give you the above information.

At first I thought about rfkill and have installed the utility, but a

Code:

user@machine:~$ sudo rfkill unblock all

has no influence. I have no experience with rfkill and do not know what it could have changed. It has probably nothing to do with the problem.

iwconfig gives “no wireless extension”

I read some discussions on the Web, but although they start just like my own, here, they diverge in quite different directions... I updated yet another Linux-system on an external disk from the handicapped computer, yesterday evening, without any difficulty. The network connection via Wifi worked normally. No changes were made to the locally installed system.

What should I do next ?

[It is almost 8h AM and I will be at work. I come back to this discussion later]

Michael Uplawski · 12-19-2023, 12:56 PM

UPDATE. New facts.

The core problem is my inability to have iwlwifi loaded upon system startup.

modprobing iwlwifi results in

Code:

:~$ sudo modprobe iwlwifi
modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'iwlwifi': Invalid argument

Adding iwlwifi to /etc/modules-load.d/modules.conf produces upon startup

Code:

17.385735] iwlwifi: `N' invalid for parameter `enable_ini'

Edit: If I found out, where the parameter 'enable_ini=N' is set, I can replace 'N' by '0' and see if it helps. For the time, I am unable to see a configuration. It is not in /etc/modules, nor modules-load.d.

... whereas

Code:

user@machine:/usr/lib/modules/6.5.0-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi$ sudo insmod iwlwifi.ko 
user@machine:/usr/lib/modules/6.5.0-5-amd64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi$ lsmod | grep iwlwifi
iwlwifi               544768  1 iwlmvm
cfg80211             1343488  3 iwlmvm,iwlwifi,mac80211

I am writing this post via this very network connection.
The missing iwlwifi module hit me, when I compared my running Debian systems to this one. Now I do not remember what else I can do with an obviously functioning driver module to have it loaded upon system startup.

Can you give me a hint, please ?

TIA.

Michael Uplawski · 12-20-2023, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Uplawski

Edit: If I found out, where the parameter 'enable_ini=N' is set, I can replace 'N' by '0' and see if it helps.

Found out, replaced, saw and it helped.

Solved.