If you really loved the older (now unsupported) versions of the linux-wlan-ng drivers, you can go here.
I am merely an RPM packager. I provide packages for all the RedHat versions I currently run (7.3, 8, 9). I do not write the drivers or generate source code to actually support the hardware. The real heros are the developers in the linux-wlan-ng project. They have their own website and you should refer to it for questions regarding driver support, odd behavior and functionality, and any bugs you might uncover that are not related to the RPMS. The original source code, mailing list, and its archives are all available.
This website and the bandwidth to support these packages were kindly donated by Josh Wyatt at unixguru.raleigh.nc.us.
The content contained on this website is designed to help those who desire the neat and tidy nature of pre-compiled packages. Previously, the only RPMS built for linux-wlan-ng were built for v0.1.10 of the software and against older version of the Redhat 7.x Linux kernel. The packages listed below are meant to provide kernel support for a number of kernels. I personally can contribute mainstream Redhat distribution kernel modules.
Well, the whole RedHat distribution scene has gotten complicated. RedHat 9 (or really 8.1 or whatever) will make things difficult to keep track of all the various RPMS. I hope that everyone will let me know if things get confusing and provide helpful suggestions to help correct the problem.
When a new errata kernel is released, I will do my best to release the modules for each distribution as soon as I can. However, I'm extremely busy at the best job I could ever have. So please be patient. The README and SRPMS packages provided should give you plenty of help in building modules for your own kernel whether it's a new errata kernel or a custom kernel not terribly different from RedHat kernels. Feel free to send me (email address is in the README file) the kernel-wlan-ng-modules for your kernel, provided it is a mainstream kernel release (i.e a Mandrake kernel, etc.) and I'll post it on the website for others to download.
I currently do not have access to older versions of RedHat (i.e. 7.3 or 8.0). I also don't have access to Fedora Core 1 (stupid install keeps bombing my VMware). Below are the latest drivers for RedHat 9. I've also provided drivers for Fedora Core 1 but please be advised that they were built on a RedHat 9 box. I'm positive it won't work but it was simply to just run the script with the FC1 kernel source. To resolve the situation, you are free to build your own RPMS based on information provided on this website.
You have to download three packages: the base package (kernel-wlan-ng), the interface package (kernel-wlan-ng-XXX, where XXX = usb, pci, or pcmcia), and the kernel module package (kernel-wlan-ng-modules-XXX.YYY, where XXX = rh73, rh80, rh9 and YYY refers to the kernel package release version.WARNING: You must install the RPMs that match the CPU type that your kernel was built for! For example, if you are running the i386 kernel, EVEN IF YOU HAVE AN i686 CPU, you must use the i386 RPMs. To determine which CPU your kernel was built for, look at the /boot/kernel.h file.All of these are located below. Be extremely careful to download the RPMS from the same distribution! Do not mix 7.3 or 8.0 or 9 RPMS.
If you just installed Redhat and/or have updated your kernel with up2date through the Redhat Network, you most likely have the correct pairing of CPU hardware and kernel CPU build. HOWEVER, don't just assume you do. Make SURE you do.
1. The output of 'uname -a'.
2. The contents of /boot/kernel.h.
3. Your kernel version (or, output of 'rpm -qa | grep kernel-2')
4. An excerpt from /var/log/messages at the time you insert your PCMCIA card.
It should begin with something like:5. The brand, model and any versioning information for your wireless card hardware.
Aug 26 14:32:52 localhost cardmgr[813]: initializing socket 0 Aug 26 14:32:52 localhost cardmgr[813]: socket 0: Bromax OEM 11Mbps 802.11b WLAN Card (Prism 2.5) Aug 26 14:32:52 localhost kernel: cs: memory probe 0xa0000000-0xa0ffffff: clean. Aug 26 14:32:52 localhost cardmgr[813]: executing: 'modprobe prism2_cs'
RedHat 9 RPMS
Fedora Core 1 RPMS
Red Hat Enterprise 3 RPMS
kernel-wlan-ng-0.2.1-pre14.src.rpm
* Sat Apr 12 2003 Tim Miller
- Removed some typos from the spec file..mostly this was the echo'ed statements
on post-install scripts.
* Thu Apr 10 2003 Tim Miller
- Upgraded source package to 0.2.0. Given the new configuration file layout
with the linux-wlan-ng modules, have moved the configuration files into the
base package (instead of each platform package). Also, man pages are now
included in the base package.
* Sun Nov 3 2002 Tim Miller
- Added Athlon kernel support.
* Thu Oct 24 2002 Tim Miller
- Bug fix in PCI module. The service commands used "on" instead of the
traditional "start". No one has complained so possibly that script
supports on/off as well, but changed it nonetheless.
* Mon Oct 13 2002 Tim Miller
- Bug fix for USB %post script. Added PCI module loading/unloading in the
%post and %preun script sections.
* Sat Oct 11 2002 Tim Miller
- Added patch to boost 0.1.15 to 0.1.16pre2 in order to allow compilation
on RedHat 8.0 systems. Also switched off "ONBOOT" for the PCMCIA interface
package.
* Wed Oct 2 2002 Tim Miller
- Oops. In the %post of PCI, I do not try to load the drivers. I
should, although it will generate more questions when there are errors.
* Sun Sep 15 2002 Tim Miller
- Have done the unthinkable: in order to be able to build i386, i586, and
i686 modules (along with their unsupported SMP counterparts), I've hacked
up the spec file to actually go into the kernel source directory and
force the Redhat kernel config process to use the correct config file AND
change the /boot/kernel.h in the process. Oy vey!
* Sat Sep 14 2002 Tim Miller
- Upgraded source to 0.1.15! Upped the release version to 5! More patch
removal this time (no more reverting the kernel version detection) and
the /sbin path patch made it into 0.1.15. So, the only patch I have left
is the one I use locally to configure the source for RPM building! Cool!
The -doc package was removed and several packages were re-arranged in order
to separate out different actions for different users. For example, the
/etc/wlan.conf is now ONLY included in PCI and USB packages. The PCMCIA
package is the only one with /etc/pcmcia stuff in it.
As a side note, there are still some software additions...which will remain
until a kind USB user will tell me whether they are needed or not. A short
summary is that 0.1.15 now supports the hotplug feature in USB and PCI.
A recently added (to my RPMS) hotplug script was taking care of that for
WUSB11, but I don't know if it is needed anymore since 0.1.15 supports
hotplugging.
* Mon Aug 26 2002 Tim Miller
- Added patch to correct the lack of /sbin in patch of rc.wlan script.
Notice and patch provided by David S Johnson.
* Sun Jul 21 2002 Tim Miller
- Upgraded source to 0.1.14! This has required the removal of 3 patches
which have now made it into the wlan-ng source (only one was mine I think).
The following additional changes also had to be made:
1. The kernel version detection in 0.1.14 Configure script has changed.
As a result, RedHat built kernels (or more specifically, the Redhat
kernel-source RPM) now reports a multiple line kernel version.
I've created a patch which reverses this change in Configure back
to the 0.1.13 method of doing things.
* Tue Jun 25 2002 Tim Miller
- CRAP! Redhat upped the Wireless Extensions version from 12 to 13 when
going from 2.4.18-3 to 2.4.18-5. As a result, the SIOCSIWNAME define
changed to SIOCSIWCOMMIT. So, I had to create a patch for prism2wext.c.
Upped release number to 4.
* Tue Jun 25 2002 Tim Miller
- Integrated Erick Calder's modifications for better USB support and
moved his ifcfg-wlan0 to the main package...not just USB.
* Mon Apr 29 2002 Tim Miller
- Removed the unnecessary patches from the SRPMS.
* Sat Apr 27 2002 Tim Miller
- Heh...just read the RPM web site HOWTO and realized there were %config
and %doc macros. Increased release to 3.
* Wed Apr 24 2002 Tim Miller
- Added doc package so that the wlan-ng configuration and LICENSE information
is provided...increased release number to 2.
* Sat Apr 20 2002 Tim Miller
- PCMCIA TARGET ROOT bug that occurs in 'make config' does not occur in
'make auto_config'. Removed patch3 from prep section.
* Sat Apr 20 2002 Tim Miller
- Modified the RH72 and RH72+SGI module builds to be completely generic
with appropriate macro defines when RPM is called.
* Sat Apr 20 2002 Tim Miller
- SPEC file created under GPL v2