b43-fwcutter broke rfkill on 9.10

[7er]

Hello.

On my laptop wireless networking worked perfectly (8.04 — 9.04) until I upgraded to Ubuntu 9.10. Wireless was disabled and trying to bring it up resulted in "SIOCSIFFLAGS: Unknown error 132". After looking at dmesg I decided to look at rfkill and it appeared hard-blocked. I must tell you that my laptop does have a wireless switch (not exactly a switch but a push-button with LED) but I never used it and I'm not even sure it actually ever worked. Regardless, pressing it now doesn't put anything to dmesg, doesn't change rfkill state and doesn't do anything else except toggling the LED. After trying to google for a while I decided to backup my /home and do a fresh install. After installation finished, the first thing I did was to check rfkill, and it was not blocked! However, WiFi was still down because driver was not installed. So i did

apt-get install b43-fwcutter

and found that rfkill got hard-blocked again! And even after uninstalling b43-fwcutter it still remained the same. So I can guess that b43-fwcutter breaks rfkill upon installation, and this issue seems to be only for 9.10 because I never had any Wi-Fi problems before.

Now could you please advice what should I do in order to get my wireless up again?

Below is various information according to the guide:

Laptop model: Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo D 1840W

root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# lspci -nn | grep "Broadcom"
00:0b.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4303 802.11b Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:4301] (rev 02)
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:03:0d:10:8b:3b  
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
          Interrupt:19 Base address:0xe800 

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:""  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=off   
          Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# lsmod | grep b43
b43                   122136  0 
b43legacy             117752  0 
mac80211              181236  2 b43,b43legacy
cfg80211               93052  3 b43,b43legacy,mac80211
led_class               4096  2 b43,b43legacy
ssb                    35300  3 b43,b43legacy,b44
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# dmesg | grep b43
[    2.922723] b43-pci-bridge 0000:00:0b.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
[   18.979699] b43legacy-phy0: Broadcom 4301 WLAN found
[   19.004018] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Found PHY: Analog 0, Type 1, Revision 4
[   19.004044] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Found Radio: Manuf 0x17F, Version 0x2053, Revision 2
[   19.024023] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Radio initialized
[   19.201052] b43legacy ssb0:0: firmware: requesting b43legacy/ucode2.fw
[   19.663797] b43legacy ssb0:0: firmware: requesting b43legacy/pcm4.fw
[   19.694143] b43legacy ssb0:0: firmware: requesting b43legacy/b0g0initvals2.fw
[   19.837407] b43legacy-phy0: Loading firmware version 0x127, patch level 14 (2005-04-18 02:36:27)
[   19.895253] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Chip initialized
[   19.895576] b43legacy-phy0 debug: 30-bit DMA initialized
[   19.895759] b43legacy-phy0 warning: LEDs: Unknown behaviour 0x44
[   19.895770] b43legacy-phy0 warning: LEDs: Unknown behaviour 0x46
[   19.895782] b43legacy-phy0 warning: LEDs: Unknown behaviour 0x12
[   19.895798] b43legacy-phy0 warning: LEDs: Unknown behaviour 0x4D
[   19.895844] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Wireless interface started
[   19.895882] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Adding Interface type 2
[   24.805043] b43legacy-phy0: Radio hardware status changed to DISABLED
[   24.805055] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Radio initialized
[   24.849022] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Removing Interface type 2
[   24.861143] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Wireless interface stopped
[   24.861282] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0260 (RX) max used slots: 1/64
[   24.861343] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0200 (RX) max used slots: 1/64
[   24.861405] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x02A0 (TX) max used slots: 0/128
[   24.869034] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0280 (TX) max used slots: 0/128
[   24.877025] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0260 (TX) max used slots: 0/128
[   24.885647] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0240 (TX) max used slots: 0/128
[   24.893047] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0220 (TX) max used slots: 2/128
[   24.901032] b43legacy-phy0 debug: DMA-30 0x0200 (TX) max used slots: 0/128
[   24.909023] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Radio initialized
[   24.909039] b43legacy-phy0 debug: Radio initialized
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# sudo lshw -C network
  *-network:0             
       description: Ethernet interface
       product: SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet
       vendor: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS]
       physical id: 4
       bus info: pci@0000:00:04.0
       logical name: eth0
       version: 91
       serial: 00:03:0d:10:8b:3b
       size: 10MB/s
       capacity: 100MB/s
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list rom ethernet physical tp mii 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd autonegotiation
       configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=sis900 driverversion=v1.08.10 Apr. 2 2006 duplex=half latency=64 link=no maxlatency=11 mingnt=52 multicast=yes port=MII speed=10MB/s
       resources: irq:19 ioport:e800(size=256) memory:dfffc000-dfffcfff memory:dffc0000-dffdffff(prefetchable)
  *-network:1
       description: Network controller
       product: BCM4303 802.11b Wireless LAN Controller
       vendor: Broadcom Corporation
       physical id: b
       bus info: pci@0000:00:0b.0
       version: 02
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
       configuration: driver=b43-pci-bridge latency=64
       resources: irq:18 memory:dfffe000-dfffffff
  *-network DISABLED
       description: Wireless interface
       physical id: 1
       logical name: wlan0
       serial: 00:90:4b:1d:20:be
       capabilities: ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11b
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# iwlist scan
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

wmaster0  Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan0     Interface doesn't support scanning : Network is down

root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# lsb_release -d
Description:    Ubuntu 9.10
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# uname -mr
2.6.31-14-generic i686
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
 * Reconfiguring network interfaces...                                                                                                                [ OK ] 
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes
root@lyuda-laptop:/home/lyuda#

[chili555]

Hard blocked: yes

Does your laptop have both a Fn key combination and a hardware switch, like mine does? When the hardware slider goes to 'off' on my lappy, rfkill shows Hard blocked: yes and it changes to Hard blocked: no when I slide it back to 'on.' What is the make and model of your laptop?

[7er]

I think I wrote this in the first post. There is no Fn+... combination for disabling wireless, only a pushbutton, and it doesn't work at all. I mean, it affects nothing but its own LED. The laptop is Amilo D 1840W.

P.S.
Could it be possible to somehow disable rfkill at all or to make driver just ignore it? I don't need disabling WiFi anyway...

[chili555]

Please run:

rfkill list

with the button pushed and the LED on and again with it off; let's compare the result. Also, please run:

sudo rfkill unblock all
rfkill list

Any change?

Could it be possible to somehow disable rfkill at all or to make driver just ignore it?

That's what I hope we can do!

[7er]

root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes
root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes
root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill unblock all
root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes

[7er]

Pressing button doesn't change anything.

[chili555]

wlan0 IEEE 802.11b ESSID:""
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: Not-Associated
Tx-Power=off
--- snip ---

Please let us see, in order:

rfkill list
sudo iwconfig wlan0 txpower auto
rfkill list

If this works, we will make it permanent.

[7er]

No, it doesn't.

P.S. Forgot to paste:

root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes
root@lyuda-laptop:/# iwconfig wlan0 txpower auto
root@lyuda-laptop:/# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: yes

[chili555]

Man, oh man! This is giving me a migraine!

This is a desperation hail-Mary attempt. Please try:

sudo modprobe acer-wmi

Press the wireless switch until the LED comes on. Next do:

rfkill list
iwconfig

Are my prayers answered?

[7er]

root@lyuda-laptop:/# modprobe acer-wmi
FATAL: Error inserting acer_wmi (/lib/modules/2.6.31-14-generic/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/acer-wmi.ko): No such device
root@lyuda-laptop:/#

Looks tough indeed... :-/