Intel ipw3945 wireless stoped working after update to kernel 2.6.20-1.2962

[Ian Malone]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> Nelson Escravana (nne) wrote:
>> Story:
>> Initial setup of the ipw3945 on Fc6, wasn't straight forward,
>> but after some googling around, I've figure out that I would
>> need to switch my i386 kernel to an i686 so it could match the
>> packages available. Initial used atrpms, didn't worked, then
>> used freshrpms.... it would eventually started working.
>>
>> Problem:
>> After my last update to kernel 2.6.20-1.2962 my eth1 just
>> disapeard.... no messages on the /var/messages the /sbin/ipw3945d
>> when forced to started just complains:
>> # /sbin/ipw3945d
>> ipw3945d - regulatory daemon
>> Copyright (C) 2005-2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
>> version: 1.7.22
>> 2007-07-01 17:09:58: ERROR: Could not find Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
>> Network Connection
>>
>> Ups...
>>
>> Solution:
>> # cd /var/lib/dkms/ipw3945/1.2.1-1/build
>> # make
>> # cp ipw3945.ko
>> /lib/modules/2.6.20-1.2962.fc6/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/
>> # depmod -a
>> # service ipw3945d restart
>>
>> And got it back to life.
>>
>>
> You will have to do this on every kernel update, unless you get the
> proper module for your kernel installed from ether atrpms or
> freshrpms. You need to match both the arch (i686) and kernel
> version. The same module does not work for the standard kernel, and
> the ZEN kernel, for example.
> 
> You will also want to install the proper yum plugin so that the
> kernel in not updated before the module is available. (fedorakmod is
> one, and I forget the name of the other...) I run the same module on
> my laptop, and it gets installed with the updated kernel without
> extra effort on my part.
> 

If you use dkms-ipw3945 from Freshrpms the module gets
rebuilt whenever you boot into a new kernel, meaning
you don't have to wait for a new package to be built
and the package doesn't need updated unless there's
actually a new release of the module.
http://moonshine.freshrpms.net/rpm.html?id=397

Most (all?) of the drivers available from Freshrpms work
this way (i.e. they use dkms).

-- 
imalone