Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230AGN (need driver for this WiFi) ...

[nyceyes]

Hi...

The website, intellinuxwireless -DOT- org says that the relevant
kernel module drivers for devices like this laptop's Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230AGN
are the following (though that site doesn't explicitly mention this exact device):

root# locate iwlwifi
/lib/modules/2.6.35.10-74.fc14.x86_64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl3945.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.35.10-74.fc14.x86_64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwlagn.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.35.10-74.fc14.x86_64/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwlcore.ko

An "lspci -k" doesn't show any of these bound to this hardware device (which, again,
is a Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230AGN device). See here....

root# lspci -k

03:00.0 Ethernet controller: JMC250 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 05)
Subsystem: CLEVO/KAPOK Computer Device 7100
Kernel driver in use: jme <--- GOOD for the Ethernet device
Kernel modules: jme <--- GOOD

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0e31 (rev a1)
Subsystem: CLEVO/KAPOK Computer Device 7100
Kernel driver in use: nvidia <--- GOOD or the video controller.
Kernel modules: nvidia, nouveau, nvidiafb <--- GOOD

04:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (rev 34)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Centrino Advanced-N 6230 AGN
Kernel driver in use: <---- missing here NO GOOD! NOTHING FOR THE WiFI Device.
Kernel modules: <---- missing here NO GOOD

This is true even after I do a "modeprobe iwlagn" (etc.)

It looks like we need a driver for this. I've written the folks at "ilw -AT- linux.intel -DOT- com",
but no response.

What to do?

Thanks,
Noel

[nyceyes]

I tried two things to solve this.

(1) One of the linux-wireless developers alerted me to the compat-wireless project located at
"wireless.kernel -DOT- org/en/users/Download".

This is where you can download the latest code for kernel module drivers having anything
to do with the wireless subsystem in linux (i.e. linux drivers for your wireless hardware). This
is latest code that is destined for the linux kernel (and in some cases have already been
integrated into it). The instructions for how to compile and integrate this into your currently
running kernel is pretty clearly described in the above URL, should your stock wireless drivers
not work for you - as was the case with me. Although this technique did not work for me, it was simply because my kernel (the Fedora kernel itself - not the drivers I tried to integrate into it
from the compat-wireless site - was too old for my very bleeding-edge hardware). This will in
work and work well in most cases!!! Try it.

(2) This worked for me... After downloading and compiling kernel version 2.6.38-rc4
(latest at the time of this writing at kernel.org), I was finally able to get "wlan0"
up via the included "iwlagn.ko (etc)" driver, as confirmed by "ethtool -i
wlan0".

When the hardware is too new (cutting edge), you need to download the
latest kernel and compile it yourself. Doing a "yum update kernel" (etc), is not enough because
Fedora's release schedule would not necessarily have the latest enabling enhancements
and fixes.