Newbie Linux help!

Discussion in 'Linux / Unix Discussion' started by Boycie, Aug 17, 2005.

  1. Boycie
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    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Hi,

    After Ubuntu being recommended I have decided to give it a go.
    It installed fine but I have had some gyp getting the wireless to work. The problem is I don't know if the the card is configured ok because device manager doesn't say if it is working or not and I don't know if it can find any networks because i can't find a "view availible networks "like in XP.
    It did work for a while but then just wouldn't work. Any advice on how to check for availible networks or how device manager works would help :D
     
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  2. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I don't have any experience with Linux and wireless (just wait until ffreeloader gets here, tho...) but what happens when you open a terminal window and type "ifconfig"? You should get a list of all your network interfaces including the wireless one. Does it show an IP address and such? Can you ping it? That's where I'd start.

    EDIT: Trying to see what all this looks like on Debian in the GUI. When you open System Tools -> Networking, you should get a list of network adapters. Presumably the LAN and Wireless adapters will both be listed. There is a Network Profiles button in that box but I'm not sure it is what you are looking for. :oops:
     
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  3. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Boyce,

    I have absolutely no wireless knowledge at all. However, I can tell you how you can see if the card has been recognized and if the driver for it is loaded or not.

    Open a bash prompt and enter lspci -v | more. That will list out all pci cards on your machine. The pipe symbol "|" followed by the "more" command will allow you scroll the output up one screen at at time by hitting the spacebar so it doesn't all scroll past you faster than you can read it. You can find the correct Linux driver for the card through Google searches for the name of the card.

    To find out if the driver has for the wireless card has been loaded enter lsmod from the bash prompt. That will list out all the kernel modules(drivers in linux) that are loaded in the kernel. Then all you have to do is see if the name of kernel module you found by doing Google searches matches one of the modules listed by lsmod.

    And I think, but am not sure, that if you type iwconfig from a bash prompt it will tell you if the card has been configured. I always thought it was ifconfig, but read something the other day about iwconfig being used for wireless addresses. Could be wrong though. As I've never configured one all I have to go on is hearsay.
     
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  4. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    Rock on! I tried the iwconfig command while putty-ed into my development box at work. It runs a modified Slackware and has a wireless AP installed. Got a whole fund of info. Interestingly enough tho, then I run ifconfig, I get a list of all the interfaces including wireless. The info is different, tho so it's interesting. Thanks for the helpful tips, Freddy. :)
     
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  5. Boycie
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    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Thanks Guys.

    Trip- I did see your reply last night- thank you. As i was just off to bed i didn't reply. Sorry. :oops:

    Ffreeloader- Thanks for your help. The iwconfig works but the ismod command isn't recognised. Also, to check to see if the driver is installed i need to be able to use the vertical little line but can't get that to work either. :rolleyes:

    There must be a configuration problem because on boot it says configuring network devices and then stays there for about a minute. It then carries on after saying fail........
    Also this morning when I booted it up it wouldn't work off the LAN either! Now would you believe the wireless is and the LAN isn't.
    I hope I can stick with it because it seems like a great OS to start with. Is there anyway i can get device manager to display what is causing a problem and if it can detect any wireless networks.

    Thanks again guys :D
     
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  6. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    Not "ismod" but "lsmod". That first letter is a lower case "L". Linux is extremely case sensitive so "lsmod" is not the same as "Lsmod". Hope that helps.
     
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  7. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    You misread parts of what I wrote. I wrote lsmod, not ismod. Also, the vertical line is shift+\. I haven't seen a computer yet that the pipe symbol doesn't work on, unless the keyboard is broken.

    It's looking for a dhcp server, not finding one, and failing to get an address, for at least one of your cards. At least that's what happens during the Debian install routine. I haven't seen the Ubuntu install routine. If I was you I'd get the networking working properly with one card first, and then start working on the other, so I'd remove one card until I was comfortable configuring and troublshooting the first one.

    BTW, there is no device manager in Linux. :biggrin You get to learn how the system actually works, not use a wizard. At least in Debian that's how it works. I haven't used Ubuntu so I'm unsure what they do differently, but I know device manager is a Windows thing.

    If you're behind a cable modem/dsl router you can manually set the NIC's IP address out of the range of the dhcp addresses it gives out. They normally only give out about the first 100 IP addresses with dhcp. You configure that in /etc/network/interfaces. Here is an example of how that file is used:
    Now you're left to Google, trip, Phoenix, and the Ubuntu forums for help with the wireless card. I know nothing about that.
     
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  8. Phoenix
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    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    if you find lspci does not work either
    try

    cat /proc/pci

    should list all ur pci devices
     
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  9. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    This is what I get when I run "lspci" on my Debian box:
    Code:
    jmpyles@tripwire:~$ lspci
    0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82815 815 Chipset Host Bridge and Memory Controller Hub (rev 04)
    0000:00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82815 CGC [Chipset Graphics Controller] (rev 04)
    0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801 PCI Bridge (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801BA IDE U100 (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM USB (Hub #1) (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM SMBus (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.4 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM USB (Hub #2) (rev 05)
    0000:00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM AC'97 Audio (rev 05)
    0000:01:02.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI4410 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 02)
    0000:01:02.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCI4410 FireWire Controller (rev 02)
    0000:01:03.0 VGA compatible controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 86C326 5598/6326 (rev 0b)
    0000:01:04.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82557/8/9 [Ethernet Pro 100] (rev 08)
    0000:01:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM/CA/CAM Ethernet Controller (rev 03)
    jmpyles@tripwire:~$
    This is what I get when I do "cat /proc/pci"
    Code:
    jmpyles@tripwire:~$ cat /proc/pci
    PCI devices found:
      Bus  0, device   0, function  0:
        Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82815 815 Chipset Host Bridge and Memory Controller Hub (rev 4).
      Bus  0, device   2, function  0:
        VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82815 CGC [Chipset Graphics Controller] (rev 4).
          Prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xe8000000 [0xebffffff].
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xeff80000 [0xefffffff].
      Bus  0, device  30, function  0:
        PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB/EB PCI Bridge (rev 5).
          Master Capable.  No bursts.  Min Gnt=10.
      Bus  0, device  31, function  0:
        ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 5).
      Bus  0, device  31, function  1:
        IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801BA IDE U100 (rev 5).
          I/O at 0xff00 [0xff0f].
      Bus  0, device  31, function  2:
        USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM USB (Hub #1) (rev 5).
          IRQ 5.
          I/O at 0xdd00 [0xdd1f].
      Bus  0, device  31, function  3:
        SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM SMBus (rev 5).
          IRQ 10.
          I/O at 0x540 [0x54f].
      Bus  0, device  31, function  4:
        USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM USB (Hub #2) (rev 5).
          IRQ 11.
          I/O at 0xdd80 [0xdd9f].
      Bus  0, device  31, function  5:
        Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM AC'97 Audio (rev 5).
          IRQ 10.
          I/O at 0xde00 [0xdeff].
          I/O at 0xdc80 [0xdcbf].
      Bus  1, device   2, function  0:
        CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI4410 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 2).
          Master Capable.  Latency=168.  Min Gnt=64.Max Lat=5.
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0x10000000 [0x10000fff].
      Bus  1, device   2, function  1:
        FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCI4410 FireWire Controller (rev 2).      IRQ 10.
          Master Capable.  Latency=64.  Min Gnt=2.Max Lat=4.
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefdff800 [0xefdfffff].
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefdf8000 [0xefdfbfff].
      Bus  1, device   3, function  0:
        VGA compatible controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 86C326 5598/6326 (rev 11).
          Master Capable.  Latency=64.  Min Gnt=2.
          Prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xe7000000 [0xe77fffff].
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefde0000 [0xefdeffff].
          I/O at 0xcc80 [0xccff].
      Bus  1, device   4, function  0:
        Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82557/8/9 [Ethernet Pro 100] (rev 8).
          IRQ 9.
          Master Capable.  Latency=64.  Min Gnt=8.Max Lat=56.
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefdfe000 [0xefdfefff].
          I/O at 0xcf00 [0xcf3f].
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefc00000 [0xefcfffff].
      Bus  1, device   8, function  0:
        Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82801BA/BAM/CA/CAM Ethernet Controller (rev 3).
          IRQ 10.
          Master Capable.  Latency=64.  Min Gnt=8.Max Lat=56.
          Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xefdf7000 [0xefdf7fff].
          I/O at 0xce80 [0xcebf].
    jmpyles@tripwire:~$
    
     
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  10. Phoenix
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    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    they look alot more similar if you do a lspci -v mate :)
     
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  11. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    :oops: Rats! Foiled again.

    :tongue
     
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  12. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    This is interesting. Trip, did you run cat /proc/pci on your Debian machine, or a Fedora install. There is no /proc/pci directory on Sarge. There is a /proc/bus/pci directory though. However, the only file in /proc/bus/pci that is somewhat readable in Debian is devices. The rest of the files in /proc/bus/pci and its subdirectories are unreadable by anything but lspci. Here's the output from cat /proc/bus/pci/devices:
    And here's the output from lspci -v


    There's quite a bit of difference in output on Debian.
     
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  13. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I don't know what to tell you, Freddy. I used my Debian box at work and the print out is exactly as I posted.
     
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  14. Boycie
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    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Thanks guys. I am right in saying that Ubuntu is the best starter Linux OS? There are many people praising Linspire but some say it isn't what it is cracked up to be. :blink
     
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  15. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Is that a fresh install of Sarge, did you upgrade from Woody to Sarge, or is it still Woody?
     
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  16. tripwire45
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    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    Upgraded from Woody. I supposed that would make the difference, eh?
     
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  17. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    To tell the truth.... I think Debian is the best intro to Linux. It makes you learn just about everything from scratch. It's the reason I know as much as about Linux as I do today. It forced me to learn to work on it, and my skills, such as they are, wouldn't be half of what they are had I looked for the easiest distro to learn.

    Stick with it. Don't go giving up at the first thing you run into that you don't know. Don't expect Linux to be Windows. It isn't. However, your Windows skills will increase a whole lot by learning Linux because you will be much more knowledgable about how computers in general work so you'll be able to think through Windows problems much better too.

    Linux takes time. Much more time than Windows. I learned Win 2K in probably half the time I've spent learning Debian, but I have learned much more about computing and networking since I've been learning Debian than I ever did learning Win 2K, and I have a lot of reference books. Linux just forces you to have a much deeper understanding than Windows does, and that's a good thing.
     
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  18. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Yup. Big difference. Woody used devfs and Sarge uses udev so system configuration works differently and that will be directly reflected in /proc and it's subdirectories.
     
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  19. Phoenix
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    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    my gentoo install uses devfs but i have /proc/pci (not a directory by the way)
    odd :eek:
     
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  20. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Actually, I think devfs is the reason you have /proc/pci.

    Oh, and BTW, you couldn't "cat /proc/pci" if it was a directory. :twisted: [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]


    Sorry, Phoenix. I just couldn't resist telling you what you already knew. :twisted:
     
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