Missing network configuration tool

[stevie_b]

I'm trying to return to the Linux fold after an absence of several years. I've installed Xubuntu 8.10 on my laptop (only 256mb RAM, hence Xubuntu not Ubuntu).

I'm struggling to get my wireless ethernet card working. I've got to a certain stage (by googling *a lot* and following how-tos), but now I'm completely stuck.

I've added a driver for my card using ndisgtk, but when I click on "Configure Network", I get a dialog box stating "Could not find a network configuration tool". Any ideas where I can get one, or what's happened? I'm pretty sure I haven't removed it myself (I wouldn't know how).

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[buccaneere]

This is a good starting point I believe...

HOWTO: Wireless Security - WPA1, WPA2, LEAP, etc. - Ubuntu Forums

[kr0nik]

update with: sudo update-manager -d
install ndiswrapper. Find the native windows drivers for your wireless card. in my case i had to use netgears wn311t. When they were extracted i would get netmw14x.inf (the driver).
find out what the device number is (forget what its called exatly) but it will be ####:#### (it will have letters) so do a "lspci -nn" minus the quotes.
it will show a list of stuff with network devices and such, Find your wireless adaptor and on the line with it it will have something like:
00:04.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet [1039:0900] (rev 91)

Im not booted into linux so im ssh'd into my shell. but your wireless card will show something like that. note down the numbers nad letters inside the [####:####]

"sudo ndiswrapper -i driver.inf" (/etc/ndiswrapper will create a folder named "netmw14x" inside it. make sure you are in the directory with the driver file. and dont forget the .inf part).

"sudo ndiswrapper -a 11ab:2a08 netmw14x" (lspci -nn will show device ids. with different versions of ndiswrapper it might be -d. but do sudo ndiswrapper -a or -d depending on your version. "ndiswrapper -a ####:#### driver" notice the driver on this one doesnt have the .inf part )

"sudo ndiswrapper -l" will now say the device is present and it can be configured normally.

after that you'll want to edit your network manager so you can use it with the wireless adaptor. so do

sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf
under [ifupdown], change managed=true

after youll want to add your alias with ndiswrapper so

"sudo ndiswrapper -m"

next youll want to make the module dependencies (its like a makefile) so do:

"sudo depmod -a"

and then youll want to load the modules so it will work:

"sudo modprobe ndiswrapper"

and then

"sudo ifup wlan0"


an overview of commands

1. sudo apt-get install ndiswrapper-common
2. sudo ndiswrapper -i driver.inf
3. lspci -nn (note down the device id)
4. sudo ndiswrapper -a ####:#### driver
5. sudo ndiswrapper -m
6. sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf (change managed to true)
7. sudo depmod -a
8. sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
9. sudo ifup wlan0

and your wireless should show up in the network manager

[edit] atleast thats all waht worked for me. i tried for months to get wireless to work and it wouldnt. the only thing i didnt do was change the managed to true which made it work. an easier way to install the driver though is using ndisgtk so you dont have to go through all the hassle of running commands. as it says ndisgtk gimp toolkit so its for x instead of a command line.

[D-cat]

In a terminal:

sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf

under [ifupdown], change managed=true

save file, exit

sudo apt-get install gnome-network-admin

then restart the computer.
---
Edit: Oops, didn't show kr0nik's post before posting mine... his is more informative.

[kr0nik]

lol. i hope it worked.

[stevie_b]

This is a good starting point I believe...

HOWTO: Wireless Security - WPA1, WPA2, LEAP, etc. - Ubuntu Forums

- Thanks buccaneere. I've had a look at the link, and I think it's somewhat different to what I've done so far, so I'll pursue my current course of action, but will certainly get back to that link if it doesn't work.

an overview of commands

1. sudo apt-get install ndiswrapper-common
2. sudo ndiswrapper -i driver.inf
3. lspci -nn (note down the device id)
4. sudo ndiswrapper -a 11AB:1FAA mrv8335 Driver mrv8335 is already used for '11AB:1FAA'
5. sudo ndiswrapper -l mrv8335: driver installed, device (11AB:1FAA) present
6. sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf (change managed to true)
6b. sudo ndiswrapper -m Module configuration already contains alias directive - this text appeared twice
7. sudo depmod -a
8. sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
9. sudo ifup wlan0 Ignoring unknown interface wlan0=wlan0

and your wireless should show up in the network manager

Thanks kr0nik, I appreciate you typing all that up. I managed to find the Windows driver for the card (Netgear WG511v2 with the Marvell chipset). System responses are in bold above.

Not quite sure what you mean by "wireless should show up in the network manager". How do I enter the network configuration into Xubuntu (e.g. SSID, encryption key, type of encryption such as WPA2, etc)? I've been trying to use ndisgtk to do this, but when I click on Configure Network", I get a dialog box which says "Could not find a network configuration tool". Could my ndisgtk package be corrupt in some way? I installed all the pre-requisites which the Xubuntu file manager requested.

In a terminal:

sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf

under [ifupdown], change managed=true

save file, exit

sudo apt-get install gnome-network-admin

then restart the computer.

Thanks D-Cat. I've changed "managed" to "true" as per kr0nik's post. I haven't installed gnome-network-admin yet, mainly because I don't have a direct internet connection on the Xubuntu laptop at the moment. Does gnome stuff work with Xubuntu? Would gnome-network-admin allow me to enter the SSID, encryption key, etc? If so it sounds promising, although I'm still confused as to why my ndisgtk seems to be partly broken.

[D-cat]

The XFCE desktop (Xubuntu default) has the ability to load both Gnome and KDE programs providing the proper libraries are installed. As long as you install your programs via apt (apt-get, aptitude, synaptic, etc), the proper libraries will be tagged, downloaded, and installed automatically (assuming you have an Internet connection at the time).

If you will be often dealing without Internet access, you may want to check out the aptoncd project.

[stevie_b]

OK D-Cat, I'll try that. Any ideas as to why my ndisgtk can't find a network configuration tool? I guess the obvious answer is that ndisgtk doesn't come with one, but I find that strange because without one there's a button in it's window that does nothing.

Thanks for the heads-up about APTonCD. I can connect my laptop to the internet via ethernet cable, but it means I have to kick my girlfriend off her computer, if she'll let me.

Edit: Aha! [ubuntu] ndisgtk "Could not find a network configuration tool." - Ubuntu Forums, post #11. "gnome-network-admin", here I come!

[stevie_b]

Where do I enter information about the network encryption? I've just installed gnome-network-admin, and now the "configure network" button works in ndisgtk, but the Connections tab has all the options (Wireless connection, Wired connection, Wired connection, Point to point connection) greyed out, with no option to add a new network. I've rebooted, but that didn't change anything.

ndisgtk confirms that the windows driver for my wireless network card is installed.

Stuck again. Can anyone help? Maybe the responses to terminal commands I posted 3 posts ago might indicate a problem somewhere, but I don't know enough about the commands to spot it.

[D-cat]

Is there an "Unlock" button somewhere or some point where it asks you your password? I'm guessing the configuration options are grayed out for lack of permissions.

If it never asks for a password, press [Alt + F2] and type in the run box gksudo /usr/bin/ndisgtk and ok.

If it asks your password and is still grayed out, then it's back to the drawing board for me... please let us know how it goes.