[SOLVED] ifconfig -a does not display wlan0

[rebutter11]

Try
# ifconfig wifi0 up
or
#if config ath0 up

[slender]

Still the same --

# ifconfig wifi0 up
wifi0: ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device
# ifconfig ath0 up
ath0: ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device


This is so puzzling -- the harware is detected, the driver installed, but somehow I cannot seem to activate the wireless lan ...

Thanks for your efforts,

Stephan

[vonbiber]

obviously you have not installed the last version of slackware
(slackware12.2)
I advise you to do so, because your wireless card (intel 3945) is
supported and if you do
ifconfig -a
you should see wlan0

I had the same wireless card on a laptop where I had installed
a previous version of slackware
I had to rebuild the kernel and install the firmware in order to
use my card
Also the interface used to be called eth1
It since a certain version of linux2.6 (I don't remember which)
it's been changed to wlan0
anyway, to see if the card is installed and to find out the interface
name, you just
# cat /proc/net/wireless

and on the last line you should see its name (eth1 or wlan0)

[saivin]

Hi slender,
First and foremost, have you turned ON your wireless? I mean physically turning on the switch, not through 'ifconfig wlan0 up'.

It may look silly but many a time I have done this myself, keeping the wireless/bluetooth turned off and trying to connect wireless.

Just cross check.

[slender]

The wlan is physically activated.

What I ended up doing, re-installing the kernel, and the thing worked. No one really seems to know why this problem occurs, or how to fix it, but I'm happy that I can use the wireless.