ipw2200 + ML 10.2 + kernel 2.6.14 + firmware_helper + udev + hotplug questions

I've been told that udev does the hotplugging at boot up (instead of
/sbin/hotplug) and it doesn't install the firmware at boot time. As a
result, at boot time, the boot process pauses until timeout when trying to
bring up wlan0 (ipw2200). ipw2200 & ieee80211 does install. I am able to
workaround this by executing rmmod ipw2200 && modprobe ipw2200. The
firmware gets loaded this way. My understanding is that /sbin/hotplug is
called (instead of udev) when I do this.

It has been suggested that the firmware loading problem with ipw2200 is a
result of a problem with udev. Someone posted that the solution to this
firmware issue is the use of firmware_helper in a rule placed in
/etc/udev/rules.d. I could not urpmi firmware_helper but I did find the C
code. I built firmware_helper and placed it in /sbin and created the rule
and placed it in /etc/udev/rules.d. But, it didn't fix the problem.

One of the things I'm wondering is if /sbin/hotplug can be used
in the udev rules instead of /sbin/firmware_helper. Or is there another,
more elegant, solution to this issue?

Mandriva 2005LE, kernel 2.6.14, udev-054-6.1.102mdk,
hotplug-2004_09_23-7mdk, ipw2200-1.0.8, ipw2200-fw-2.4, ieee80211-1.1.6

udev rule posting:

<snip>

> To solve it, you need to add a rule to udev. In the dir
> /etc/udev/rules.d, I created the file '999-firmware.rules' (it has to
> run last). In that file, I added this line:
>
> * * * ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="firmware",
> RUN+="/sbin/firmware_helper"

<snip>

johnny wrote:

> I've been told that udev does the hotplugging at boot up (instead of
> /sbin/hotplug) and it doesn't install the firmware at boot time. As a
> result, at boot time, the boot process pauses until timeout when
> trying to
> bring up wlan0 (ipw2200). ipw2200 & ieee80211 does install. I am able
> to workaround this by executing rmmod ipw2200 && modprobe ipw2200. The
> firmware gets loaded this way. My understanding is that /sbin/hotplug
> is called (instead of udev) when I do this.
>
> It has been suggested that the firmware loading problem with ipw2200
> is a result of a problem with udev. Someone posted that the solution
> to this firmware issue is the use of firmware_helper in a rule placed
> in /etc/udev/rules.d. I could not urpmi firmware_helper but I did find
> the C code. I built firmware_helper and placed it in /sbin and created
> the rule and placed it in /etc/udev/rules.d. But, it didn't fix the
> problem.
>
> One of the things I'm wondering is if /sbin/hotplug can be used
> in the udev rules instead of /sbin/firmware_helper. Or is there
> another, more elegant, solution to this issue?
>
> Mandriva 2005LE, kernel 2.6.14, udev-054-6.1.102mdk,
> hotplug-2004_09_23-7mdk, ipw2200-1.0.8, ipw2200-fw-2.4,
> ieee80211-1.1.6

I have ipw2200 running perfectly under 2005LE on this computer, and
don't remember any hassles when getting it set up apart from having to
install the firmware.

My setup has the following features:

1. "alias eth2 ipw2200" in /etc/modprobe.conf [Note that it's ethX, not
wlanX. I should have thought ipw2200 would default to the same
identifier whatever the computer, but who knows.]

2. Firmware installed in /lib/hotplug/firmware/

3. Configuration settings in the
file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth2.

One point to bear in mind is that I installed the firmware manually
rather than from an RPM. If your system does not have five files
"ipw-*.fw" in /lib/hotplug/firmware that might be part of your problem.
I haven't done anything to alter the default udev/hotplug settings on
this installation. Both udev and hotplug seem to be running side by
side.

Let me know if I can give you any further information.

Rob

--
Rob Kemp
(E-Mail Removed)

Rob Kemp wrote:

> johnny wrote:
>
>> I've been told that udev does the hotplugging at boot up (instead of
>> /sbin/hotplug) and it doesn't install the firmware at boot time. As a
>> result, at boot time, the boot process pauses until timeout when
>> trying to
>> bring up wlan0 (ipw2200). ipw2200 & ieee80211 does install. I am able
>> to workaround this by executing rmmod ipw2200 && modprobe ipw2200. The
>> firmware gets loaded this way. My understanding is that /sbin/hotplug
>> is called (instead of udev) when I do this.
>
> I have ipw2200 running perfectly under 2005LE on this computer, and
> don't remember any hassles when getting it set up apart from having to
> install the firmware.

I use mine under ubuntu, and haven't done _anything_ - including installing
firmware (though there _is_ firmware: ubuntu installs it as part of the
kernel package).
>
> My setup has the following features:
>
> 1. "alias eth2 ipw2200" in /etc/modprobe.conf [Note that it's ethX, not
> wlanX. I should have thought ipw2200 would default to the same
> identifier whatever the computer, but who knows.]

It goes anywhere you want, afaict. On mine it's eth1, and I can't see any
evidence of an alias, anywhere. I think it's being done in udev.

> One point to bear in mind is that I installed the firmware manually
> rather than from an RPM. If your system does not have five files
> "ipw-*.fw" in /lib/hotplug/firmware that might be part of your problem.

omigod! I have 7 :-)

> I haven't done anything to alter the default udev/hotplug settings on
> this installation. Both udev and hotplug seem to be running side by
> side.

Same here. It seems there is a version of udev that's obsoleting and
removing hotplug, but not all distros have it yet.
--
derek