Hi,
i got the gigafast WF721-AEX wirelss network card adapter for my laptop and it works like a charm on my windows system but i have been unsuccesfull to install it on linux.

On a "cardctl ident" i get this output..
-----------------------------------------------------
Socket 0:
product info: "Realtek", "Rtl8139"
manfid: 0x0000, 0x024c
function: 6 (network)
-----------------------------------------------------------

i downloaded a driver for rtl8180 and managed to get the lights to work. the card led blinks et all but i have not been able to successfully ping any address... here are the outputs for various commands ..

lspci -vv''
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co.,
Ltd.: Unknown device 8180 (rev 20)
Subsystem: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.: Unknown device 8180
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
Status: Cap+ 66Mhz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
Latency: 64 (8000ns min, 16000ns max)
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
Region 0: I/O ports at 4000 [size=256]
Region 1: Memory at 10800000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0-,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold+)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
------------------------------------------------------------------------

dmesg out put
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180 Wireless Lan Driver 2003-06-11 loaded********
PCI: Setting latency timer of device 03:00.0 to 64
RTL8180: 03:00.0: region #0 IS a PIO resource!
RTL8180: request_region(0x00004000,0x00000100) !
RTL8180: STA is NOT acting as AP!
RTL8180: LITTLE_ENDIAN memory access
RTL8180: station mode eeprom info
RTL8180: EEpromAddressSize = 8!
RTL8180: eepromID = 0x8129
RTL8180: EEPROMVersion = 0x0102
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 0 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 1 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 2 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 3 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 4 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 5 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 6 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 7 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 8 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 9 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 10 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 11 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 12 = 0xfd
RTL8180: Tx Power Level, channel 13 = 0xfd
RTL8180: ChannelPlan = 0x0000
RTL8180: RFChipID = 0x0003
RTL8180: EEPROMVersion > 0x0101
RTL8180: AntennaDiversity = TRUE
RTL8180: CSThreshold = 0x000b
RTL8180: DigitalPhy = FALSE
RTL8180: DefaultAntennaB = FALSE
RTL8180: CSMethod = RCR_EnCS1
divert: allocating divert_blk for wlan0
RTL8180: wlan driver loaded. ioaddr=0x4000, irq=11, MAC_addr=0:90:47:6:26:36
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [ssid2scan]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [networktype]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [authtype]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [channel]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [ssid]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [wepmode]
RTL8180: Set wepmode = OFF
RTL8180: ------ Enable wlan driver ------
RTL8180: WLAN driver version 1.3
RTL8180: wireless LAN controller RTL8180 + philips RF.
RTL8180: PHILIPS_Config()
RTL8180: PHILIPS_Config() - Analog mode
RTL8180: ENABLE_RTL_DCST
RTL8180: Set dot11PrivacyInvoked = 0.
RTL8180: encryptmode = RTL_ENC_NONE
RTL8180: wepkeymode = WEP_MODE_OFF
RTL8180: Select a BSS and Join it at channel 6.
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: ------ Disable wlan driver ------
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [networktype]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [ssid2scan]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [ssid]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [channel]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [authtype]
RTL8180: Use RTL private command [wepmode]
RTL8180: Set wepmode = OFF
RTL8180: ------ Enable wlan driver ------
RTL8180: WLAN driver version 1.3
RTL8180: wireless LAN controller RTL8180 + philips RF.
RTL8180: PHILIPS_Config()
RTL8180: PHILIPS_Config() - Analog mode
RTL8180: ENABLE_RTL_DCST
RTL8180: Set dot11PrivacyInvoked = 0.
RTL8180: encryptmode = RTL_ENC_NONE
RTL8180: wepkeymode = WEP_MODE_OFF
RTL8180: Select a BSS and Join it at channel 6.
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------
RTL8180: wlan0 Link status:
RTL8180: Channel number = 6
RTL8180: beacon period = 100
RTL8180: BSSID = 0x00:0x0d:0x88:0x20:0x76:0x74
RTL8180: SSID = default
RTL8180: Capability = 0x01
RTL8180: AID = 0x01
RTL8180: Operational rate = 0x0F <bit 0~3 = 1~11 Mbps>
RTL8180: ----------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ifconfig output
----------------------------------------------
lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:10 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:10 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:700 (700.0 b) TX bytes:700 (700.0 b)

wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:90:47:06:26:36
inet addr:192.168.0.10 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:1803 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
RX bytes:1357656 (1.2 Mb) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)
Interrupt:11 Base address:0x4000

--------------------------------------------------------------------


thanks , any help will be helped !
Im running redhat 9
kernel version 2.4.20

That's weird, it looks like it has associated with the AP, you've given the device an IP address... it looks fine. Was that a hand assigned IP? If so, did you hand assign it the route also? And can you simply ping the router IP, 192.168.0.1 I assume?

Also, might want to check the monster thread on this subject:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=61832

Cheers,

Finegan

i have hand assigned the IP but i dont know what u mean by route...do i have to set the "route add gw 192.168.0.1" ? i have tried that but it says that the network is unreachable. Thanks for the link to the monster thread..sadly i started out with that thread and i am where i am now because of the solutions that i tried from that thread ! I am new to networking; the "wlanup" script had an IP address 192.168.1.180, i just fooled around with the IP address after reading the thread . i am using a
D-Link DI-514 router...if that helps !

thanks

I also unable to ping to any address !

What subnet is the router actually using? It looks like your problems are on the ethernet layer, it looks like the wireless layer is fine, its associated with the access point and so on.

Technically rh9 should be able to grab an IP from the router with:

dhclient wlan0

Although a lot of people have had problems with dhcp and this thing just due to the UDP nature of dhcp and the broadcast request. This is a very very bad driver.

To manually assign an IP, assuming the router is 192.168.0.1:

ifconfig wlan0 192.168.0.23 up
route add default gw 192.168.0.1

then make certain you have some nameservers:

echo "nameserver 123.123.123.123" > /etc/resolv.conf

of course... you'll have to replace that 123.123.123.123 with your ISP's nameservers.

Cheers,

Finegan

hi,
I know u have heard this before and its possibly cliche ..... but im posting this thru my wirelss card gigafast ! Awesome ... thanks a huge lot ! just had to add default gateway and set ip right !

thanks again !