So,

I was working one evening, next morning my wireless card didn't get an ip, but instead came up "link failed". Dmesg shows many errors, here are a few excerpts:

eth1: IRQ handler is looping too much! Resetting.

hermes @ 00010140: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010140: Card removed while issuing command 0x0011.

eth1: error -16 disabling MAC port
eth1: error -16 configuring card

eth1: error -110 configuring card
eth1: error -110 disabling MAC port

These messages will repeat sometimes hundreds of times for every dhcp attempt.

I have two machines, and now none of my 3 cards function on either one though I've used them for 2 years in the case of one, 9 months in the case of the other, and the third is a brand-new replacement. They all report being PRISM2 cards from the orinoco_cs drivers.

The most interesting part was when I tried to compile and run the latest kernel (2.6.14). I booted and same issues- same errors. Rebooted to my older Fedora stock kernel (2.6.13 series I believe) and viola, wireless worked again. Next reboot- no wireless.

I most recently just tried a from scratch install of FC4 again (on both machines), same symptoms on all 3 cards.

I've found people with similar errors on the web, but none with even remotely recent kernels. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
ben

Just for the record, here's the dmesg output when card services are started and skips a bit to where the errors start.


cs: IO port probe 0xc00-0xcff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0xc00-0xcff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0xc00-0xcff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0x800-0x8ff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0x800-0x8ff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0x800-0x8ff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0x100-0x4ff: excluding 0x1e0-0x1e7 0x200-0x207 0x220-0x22f 0x330-0x33f 0x388-0x38f 0x408-0x40f 0x480-0x48f 0x4d0-0x4d7
cs: IO port probe 0x100-0x4ff: excluding 0x1e0-0x1e7 0x200-0x207 0x220-0x22f 0x330-0x33f 0x388-0x38f 0x408-0x40f 0x480-0x48f 0x4d0-0x4d7
cs: IO port probe 0x100-0x4ff: excluding 0x1e0-0x1e7 0x200-0x207 0x220-0x22f 0x330-0x33f 0x388-0x38f 0x408-0x40f 0x480-0x48f 0x4d0-0x4d7
cs: IO port probe 0xa00-0xaff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0xa00-0xaff: clean.
cs: IO port probe 0xa00-0xaff: clean.
cs: memory probe 0xa0000000-0xa0ffffff: clean.
orinoco 0.15rc2 (David Gibson <hermes@gibson.dropbear.id.au>, Pavel Roskin <proski@gnu.org>, et al)
orinoco_cs 0.15rc2 (David Gibson <hermes@gibson.dropbear.id.au>, Pavel Roskin <proski@gnu.org>, et al)
eth1: Hardware identity 0005:0004:0005:0000
eth1: Station identity 001f:0001:0008:000a
eth1: Firmware determined as Lucent/Agere 8.10
eth1: Ad-hoc demo mode supported
eth1: IEEE standard IBSS ad-hoc mode supported
eth1: WEP supported, 104-bit key
eth1: MAC address 00:02:2D:87:0D:4E
eth1: Station name "HERMES I"
eth1: ready
eth1: index 0x01: Vcc 3.3, irq 11, io 0x0100-0x013f
...
...
eth1: IRQ handler is looping too much! Resetting.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while waiting for command 0x0011 completion.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0011.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
eth1: Error -110 setting multicast list.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0002.
eth1: Error -19 disabling MAC port
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while waiting for command 0x0011 completion.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0011.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
eth1: Error -110 setting multicast list.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0002.
eth1: Error -19 disabling MAC port
application mixer_applet2 uses obsolete OSS audio interface
audit(:0): major=252 name_count=0: freeing multiple contexts (1)
audit(:0): major=113 name_count=0: freeing multiple contexts (2)
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0011.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
eth1: Error -110 setting MAC address
eth1: Error -110 configuring card
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
eth1: Error -110 setting MAC address
eth1: Error -110 configuring card
printk: 7 messages suppressed.
hermes @ 00010100: Card removed while issuing command 0x0021.
eth1: Error -110 setting MAC address
eth1: Error -110 configuring card

A couple of more notes:

[root@hapipepu ben]# ifconfig eth1 up
SIOCSIFFLAGS: Connection timed out
[root@hapipepu ben]# cardctl insert 0
ioctl(): Device or resource busy
[root@hapipepu ben]# cardctl info 0
PRODID_1="TOSHIBA"
PRODID_2="Wireless LAN Card"
PRODID_3="Version 01.01"
PRODID_4=""
MANFID=0156,0002
FUNCID=6
[root@hapipepu ben]# cardctl eject 0
[root@hapipepu ben]# (i.e. no error on eject)

after an insert:
[root@hapipepu ben]# iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

sit0 no wireless extensions.

Warning: Driver for device eth1 has been compiled with version 19
of Wireless Extension, while this program supports up to version 17.
Some things may be broken...

eth1 IEEE 802.11b ESSID:"" Nickname:"HERMES I"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.457 GHz Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00
Bit Rate:11 Mb/s Sensitivity:1/3
Retry limit:4 RTS thrff Fragment thrff
Encryption keyff
Power Managementff
Link Quality=0/92 Signal level=134/153 Noise level=134/153
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

Try to bring up the interface:
[root@hapipepu ben]# ifup eth1

Determining IP information for eth1... failed; no link present. Check cable?
[root@hapipepu ben]# iwconfig eth1
eth1 IEEE 802.11-DS ESSID:"" Nickname:"hapipepu"
Mode:Managed Bit Rate:11 Mb/s
RTS thrff
Encryption keyff
Link Quality:0 Signal level:134 Noise level:134
Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

Also, i'm solely using a toshiba portege 3505. i gave up on the other machine.

Anyone have any ideas? It's driving me nuts. Weeks and weeks trying with 2 different cards (one of my 3 was found to actually not work...) both getting the same errors. I've tried about everything I can think of with disabling other hardware, changing pcmcia resources, completely manual configuration, nada.

thanks,
ben

before doing and ifup eth1 or a dhclient eth1, iwconfig eth1 shows:

Warning: Driver for device eth1 has been compiled with version 19
of Wireless Extension, while this program supports up to version 17.
Some things may be broken...

eth1 IEEE 802.11b ESSID:"" Nickname:"HERMES I"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.457 GHz Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00
Bit Rate:11 Mb/s Sensitivity:1/3
Retry limit:4 RTS thrff Fragment thrff
Power Managementff
Link Quality=0/92 Signal level=134/153 Noise level=134/153
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0


Afterward, iwconfig shows:

eth1 IEEE 802.11-DS ESSID:"leaky" Nickname:"hapipepu.benhall.com"
Mode:Managed Bit Rate:11 Mb/s
RTS thrff
Link Quality:0 Signal level:134 Noise level:134
Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

Which of course is a lot fewer entries.

-ben