---------------------------------------------------------------------- This document is provided by Netdigix Systems INC. No warrenty is provided with this document. If you find any errors in this document please email contact at netdigix.com with the changes and we will gladly make the appropriate changes. http://www.netdigix.com This Document can be distributed freely as long as this document remains unaltered. for paid support please see http://www.netdigix.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the most simple way to get the Linksys wireless network card to work with debian This document is based on the Linksys WMP54G wifi 54Mb/s card, but I am sure that these instructions will work for the other Linksys 802.11a 802.11b and 802.11G cards. 1) First off you will need a kernel and kernel source that is higher then 2.4.20. My suggestion is to download the Debian kernel from apt source and compile a kernel that is higher then 2.4.20. I will explain quickly how to do this below, if you already have done this or know how to do this then skip to step 2. 1b) you will need to download a kernel source from apt. to do this first you want to update your apt database: [shell]# apt-get update 1c) now you want to search for the latest kernel source: [shell]# apt-cache search kernel-source snip: kernel-source-2.4.25 - Linux kernel source for version 2.4.25 with Debian patches kernel-source-2.4.26 - Linux kernel source for version 2.4.26 with Debian patches 1d) next we will choose the kernel that we want (latest) and download the source: [shell]# apt-get install kernel-source-2.4.26 1e) now that the kernel source is done downloading we will have to go to the source directory and uncompress the kernel source: [shell]# cd /usr/src/ [shell]# bzip2 -d kernel-source-2.4.26.tar.bz2 [shell]# tar xvf kernel-source-2.4.26.tar [shell]# ln -s kernel-source-2.4.26 linux 1f) ok kernel source is now downloaded and we are almost ready to go we just have to check that we need all the nessacery packages we need to compile the kernel: make, gcc and ncurses-dev if you do not have these packages then you will have to use apt to install them [shell]# apt-get install make gcc ncurses-dev 1g) now we will compile the kernel and all the needed modules etc.. (I cannot help you on what needs to be compiled into the kernel you will have to figure out yourself what needs to be in there) [shell]# cd /usr/src/linux [shell]# make menuconfig 1h) after you have selected the options you want in the kernel you will now compile it run these commands one after another: [shell]# make dep [shell]# make clean [shell]# make bzImage [shell]# make install [shell]# make modules [shell]# make modules_install [shell]# /sbin/lilo 1i) make sure lilo will boot the right kernel then reboot the system 2) now we are going to have to get the packages we need to get the linksys wireless card to work you will have to add these lines to your /etc/apt/sources.list deb http://rigtorp.se/debian/ unstable/ deb-src http://rigtorp.se/debian/ unstable/ or download the files at http://www.e.kth.se/~rigtorp/files/tmp/?C=M;O=A then update the apt database again: [shell]# apt-get update then install the needed packages: [shell]# apt-get install ndiswrapper-bcm94306 ndiswrapper ndiswrapper-source NOTES: when installing the ndiswrapper it will ask for the directory to your kernel source it should be /usr/src/linux or /usr/src/kernel-source-2.4.XX/ the XX being some number. 2b) after those packages are finished installing you will double check that the drivers are loaded properly: [shell]# ndiswrapper -l you should see: Installed ndis drivers: bcmwl5 present 2c) now you will have to compile the ndiswrapper driver, just type in the commands as shown below: [shell]# cd /usr/src/modules/ndiswrapper/ [shell]# make install when the compile is finished you will need to load this module: [shell]# insmod ndiswrapper check that your Linksys network card is now reconized: [shell]# dmesg you should see at the end: snip: wlan0: ndiswrapper ethernet device xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx 2d) Now you will need to activate the card: [shell]# ifconfig wlan0 up check that the wlan0 interface is now visable: [shell]# ifconfig -a you should see somthing like this wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0C:41:61:71:E1 UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 RX bytes:0 (0.0 b) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b) Interrupt:5 Memory:dd800000-dd801fff 2e) configure the interface in /etc/network/interface as you see fit.