Realtek rtl8821ce driver

av2zeal · 12-26-2018, 04:31 PM

Hello All,

I recently purchased a cheap laptop: Lenovo 330s-15arr. I followed these directions to solve 3 major problems with this particular model with Linux: https://www.reddit.com/r/kernel/comm...s_ubuntu_1804/.

First, I had to configuring the BIOS and the SSD to boot elilo (modified from grub). I don't know why it wouldn't boot lilo or grub2 via MBR in legacy mode.
Second, I was able to get the trackpad working via step 3, with a simple kernel append.
Third, and the reason I am making this post: the rtl8821ce driver. I followed the link in the directions to an Ubuntu guide on getting the driver working. The long and short of it, is to download the driver from this repo: https://github.com/tomaspinho/rtl8821ce. I used the SBo to build dkms and installed the driver. This lead to being able to see the adapter via iwconfig and bring it up via ifconfig. I could then search for hotspots via iwlist scan.

Now... I prefer wicd. I love the curses interface for the cli and the simplicity of the wicd-client for X. It is my preferred method of configuring wifi in Slackware. I could not, however, get it to even locate any access points via a scan. I finally broke down and did a chmod +x rc.networkmanager and started it, and voila, the adapter works.

Sorry for the long winded explination, but my question is... Is there a way to get wicd to recognize my wifi adapter? Why can networkmanager see it, but not wicd?

Thank you for your time.

Slackware64-current (+multilib)
Linux 4.19.12
Xfce

Lysander666 · 12-27-2018, 09:07 AM

Sorry to bring up a rather annoying point but - does it really matter how you're connected to the internet as long as you're connected?

You seem to most favour the CLI approach of wicd which is understandable, it is rather nice.

According to the Arch Wiki NM also has a CLI interface. I know this doesn't really answer your question but it could give you what you wanted with NM.

Further reading:

http://polarhome.com/service/man/?qf...Slackware&sf=1
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...6/#post5831846

av2zeal · 12-27-2018, 08:21 PM

Not an annoying point at all. I actually meant to add that point to my post, but it was already a rather long read.
No, it does not in fact matter. The laptop is functional and I learned quite a bit about the boot process (thank you strange Lenovo BIOS!) whilst configuring it. What people consider to be Slackware's greatest annoyance is in fact the very reason that I love it, it forces you to really learn the Unix approach to computing. But, I digress.
I appreciate your efforts to share more info about NM, I will probably read up.
My original question was more of an effort to learn more about Linux. What could I have missed? Why is NM able to handle my wifi adapter, but wicd isn't? Is there something that I can do (edit or configure) to help wicd see and configure this particular adapter?
If no one has an answer, that is fine. I will likely let this thread die and hopefully in time learn something that answers this mystery. Or, maybe... just maybe, the right person reads this post and can instill some knowledge.

willysr · 12-27-2018, 09:35 PM

did you run wicd-client & (as root) ?

Lysander666 · 12-28-2018, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willysr

did you run wicd-client & (as root) ?

I think the root command is wicd-curses?

willysr · 12-28-2018, 09:46 AM

wicd-client is for the GUI part

av2zeal · 12-28-2018, 01:51 PM

Yes, I have tried wicd-client and wicd-curses both as a standard user and as root via sudo. The software loads fine, but the scan is near instantaneous with no results.

Richard Cranium · 12-28-2018, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lysander666

According to the Arch Wiki NM also has a CLI interface. I know this doesn't really answer your question but it could give you what you wanted with NM.[/url]

nmtui is a better choice, I think. It's a curses based interface.

Lysander666 · 12-28-2018, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Cranium

nmtui is a better choice, I think. It's a curses based interface.

Apparently I've voted too many comments as helpful today and I'm not allowed any more, so I'll just reply to say I agree. Just a reminder to OP to run it as root [nmtui-connect].

bassmadrigal · 12-28-2018, 03:05 PM

It's been a long time since I've ran wicd (I now just use rc.inet1 for my wireless connections), but checking Arch Wiki, they say there should be a log for wicd under /var/log/wicd (or something close to that). Have you checked there for any pertinent output? Also, do you get any output if you run things from the terminal?

abga · 12-28-2018, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by av2zeal

...What people consider to be Slackware's greatest annoyance is in fact the very reason that I love it, it forces you to really learn the Unix approach to computing. But, I digress.
...
My original question was more of an effort to learn more about Linux. What could I have missed?
... just maybe, the right person reads this post and can instill some knowledge.

The Slackware way, mentions wicd - but states "wicd is not part of the default Slackware installation at this time, as it interferes somewhat with the normal way of configuring network adapters", although already integrated in -current:
https://docs.slackware.com/slackbook:wifi
https://wiki.alienbase.nl/doku.php?id=slackware:network

wicd or NetworkManager are just tools to aid you in the configuration of your networking, neither one is representing the Slackware/Linux way. I do understand the need for a tool to help storing and managing multiple WiFi configurations, since you need to connect to different ones with a mobile computer, but I prefer to do it manually in wpa_supplicant.conf
Without going myself through the whole Linux procedure, I just found this article that looks OK about the Linux way of configuring the WiFi connection - enjoy:
http://www.pc-freak.net/blog/how-to-...-on-gnu-linux/

Trying to help you and also satisfying my curiosity about exploring these configuration tools (already convinced about NM, given the issues opened here on LQ), wicd being one that was mentioned many times here on LQ as being well designed, I went and installed it, enabled rc.wicd (exec bit) and launched wicd-curses. All these remotely through ssh on a headless Slackware -current test system.
I don't know why I couldn't get into the configuration tab, interface must be well designed, but I pressed Escape/Ctr-C/X(whatever) several times and once mistakenly Enter and it reconfigured (launched a dhcp client) my eth0 adapter, through which I was connected, and broke my ssh session. Very fast and very furious I went and removed the package, manually cleaned the leftovers too:

Code:

rm -rf /usr/lib/wicd/
rm -rf /usr/share/wicd/
rm -rf /var/lib/wicd/
rm -rf /var/log/wicd/
rm -rf /var/run/wicd

Freaking malware ... my own opinion, don't mind it.

This experience left me confirming my attitude towards these "nice" tools that do automagic - my attitude -> article picture (a picture is worth a thousand words):
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0..._of_a_century/

av2zeal · 12-28-2018, 10:22 PM

I gave the system to my daughter while she travels this week. So I am unable to do any testing on it for a while. As others have pointed out, it works well enough to use, and she is very excited about it.

bassmadrigal:
From memory: when I ran wicd-client, it would output (in terminal) something along the lines of "Scanning..." when trying to perform a scan and go to the next line, but nothing would happen. In wicd-curses it would say something along the lines of "No networks found." and trynig to R->Refresh would output something along the lines of "Scanning..." and then almost instantly go back to "No networks found." Not the exact wording, but you get the idea. I will definitely look at the wicd logs the next chance that I have to do some testing.

abga:
You are totally right, I too, also use rc.inet1.conf, and I prefer it. However, by your own admission, "I do understand the need for a tool to help storing and managing multiple WiFi configurations, since you need to connect to different ones with a mobile computer", wicd (and nm) fill this unique situation. I do remember playing around a bit with wpa_supplicant and it being a pain in the ass. I don't remember if it can store individual configurations for each hotspot. If so, this would absolutely be the correct way of doing it. I cannot, however, expect my daughter to know how to do this by herself, so something like wicd or nm becomes a necessary evil. I may be masochistic, but I would never force her to be. I'm torturing her enough by not letting her have Windows.

Thank you all for your insight. When I get a chance to do some testing on it again, I will. Again, it is mostly my own morbid curiosity as to why nm works and wicd does not.

abga · 12-28-2018, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by av2zeal

I don't remember if it can store individual configurations for each hotspot. If so, this would absolutely be the correct way of doing it.

wpa_supplicant.conf can store individual configurations and I believe wicd/NM does that (might be wrong - I'm inexperienced with the tools).
My quick & dirty way to add a hotspot/access point is:

Code:

/usr/sbin/wpa_passphrase ESSID PASSWORD | tee -a /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

You can also manually edit /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf and add a hotspot by copying the (previous) network block & change the essid/password.
And then you can add many other options, proto, key_mgmt, priority, like in this excellent example:
http://www.lsi.upc.edu/lclsi/Manuale...upplicant.conf
Subject recently discussed with business_kid:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ml#post5941475
(second half of the post)

Wish I could help you with wicd, but I'm inexperienced & now after my first encounter with it, in denial