12.04 + 3.8 kernel + Broadcom STA = :(

[Roasted]

Hello. I just did a fresh install of 12.04.2. I also installed from the repos linux-image-generic-lts-raring. This brought my kernel to 3.8.0-25. Disappointingly, I fired it up without Broadcom support. I hard wired it and tried to install through additional drivers, but it failed to do so.

Any ideas how I can get this running?

EDIT - Jockey syslog:

http://paste.ubuntu.com/5774768/

[ajgreeny]

Just out of interest, why do you want or need the raring kernel 3.8.0-25; does it add something you must have?

If not, why not simply remove it and run the default, now 3.5.0-34.

I tried the 3.8.0-25 on my 12.04 Xubuntu 64 bit, but it did strange graphical things (coloured horizontal bands across the screen where the plymouth image would normally be) just before the login screen appeared, so I removed it just in case other problems occurred, even though it seemed to run with no problems, but then I don't use wireless on my desktop machine.

[Roasted]

I've been having lockup issues on all variants of the 3.8 kernel so far, including the recently-added (to Ubuntu) 3.8.0-25. The devs on the bug report asked me to try out other kernels. Problem is, when I upgrade to those kernels Broadcom STA is just magically gone. Re-adding it through additional drivers yields no positive results. I'd love to try 3.9 or even 3.10 RC for further bug testing, but if I cannot get STA installed without a monumental headache it's a dead end for me.

What enrages me more is this particular laptop (Lenovo E430) cannot use anything but the Broadcom card it came with. I tried to swap with an Intel card in hopes it would work out of the box, but the BIOS locked up because it was not a "signed" card. A call to Lenovo confirmed that I cannot switch wireless cards on this laptop regardless of what I do.

Mental Note: Avoid Lenovo at all costs with future devices.

So anyway, 3.8.0-25 is out and I still have the lockup issue. If I could test 3.9 or 3.10 RC with Broadcom STA, I'd be in much better shape for helping devs work out the kinks with this bug.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...l/+bug/1188774

[chili555]

Out of morbid curiosity, what Broadcom device do you have?

lspci -nn -d 14e4:

Thanks.

[wolftune]

The results of that command for me are: Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n [14e4:4359]

I have the same problem with kernel 3.8, and I need kernel 3.8 for multiple reasons. One is that 3.8 solves other issues with my particular machine. Another is that an ALSA bug which avoids kernel panic is fixed and that's important in my particular case doing audio work with KXStudio. This one issue with the Broadcom driver is the only problem I have with 3.8.

I really hope someone can help me find an answer! Thanks

[chili555]

Broadcom Corporation BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n [14e4:4359]

The module aliases suggest this works with Broadcom's driver bcma. What is the result of:

sudo apt-get remove --purge bcmwl-kernel-source
sudo modprobe -r wl
sudo modprobe bcma

Is a wireless interface created, ideally wlan0?

iwconfig

Does it scan and see networks?

sudo iwlist wlan0 scan

Are there any informative messages in the logs?

dmesg | grep -e wlan -e bcma

[wolftune]

sudo modprobe -r wl
results in:
FATAL: Module wl not found.

I didn't have iwconfig, needed to install wireless-tools

After doing so, iwconfig brings:
eth0 no wireless extensions.
lo no wireless extensions.

iwlist command you gave brings:
wlan0 Interface doesn't support scanning.

the dmesg command brings:
[ 579.667641] bcma: bus0: Found chip with id 0xA8DC, rev 0x00 and package 0x08
[ 579.667683] bcma: bus0: Core 0 found: ChipCommon (manuf 0x4BF, id 0x800, rev 0x25, class 0x0)
[ 579.667714] bcma: bus0: Core 1 found: IEEE 802.11 (manuf 0x4BF, id 0x812, rev 0x1E, class 0x0)
[ 579.667767] bcma: bus0: Core 2 found: PCIe (manuf 0x4BF, id 0x820, rev 0x12, class 0x0)
[ 579.667800] bcma: bus0: Core 3 found: SDIO Device (manuf 0x4BF, id 0x829, rev 0x07, class 0x0)
[ 579.680535] bcma: bus0: Bus registered

Finally, trying to install says to check jockey.log and that includes:

2013-07-18 23:56:03,454 WARNING: modinfo for module wl failed: ERROR: modinfo: could not find module wl

2013-07-18 23:56:03,456 WARNING: /sys/module/wl/drivers does not exist, cannot rebind wl driver
2013-07-18 23:56:03,489 DEBUG: BroadcomWLHandler enabled(): kmod disabled, bcm43xx: blacklisted, b43: blacklisted, b43legacy: blacklisted
2013-07-18 23:56:10,225 DEBUG: BroadcomWLHandler enabled(): kmod disabled, bcm43xx: blacklisted, b43: blacklisted, b43legacy: blacklisted
2013-07-18 23:56:10,248 DEBUG: BroadcomWLHandler enabled(): kmod disabled, bcm43xx: blacklisted, b43: blacklisted, b43legacy: blacklisted
2013-07-18 23:56:10,267 DEBUG: BroadcomWLHandler enabled(): kmod disabled, bcm43xx: blacklisted, b43: blacklisted, b43legacy: blacklisted

Now, I am able to start the system with a 3.2 kernel, and then the wireless driver installs and functions, although other things I mentioned are then problematic as I really need 3.8 for other purposes.

Thanks for the help!

[chili555]

then the wireless driver installs and functions

Installs?? What driver installs? bcma is installed by default in Ubuntu, at least in later versions.

I didn't have iwconfig, needed to install wireless-tools

How is that possible? Where did you get the 3.8 kernel to install? From the PPA? Here, for example? http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa...e/v3.8-raring/ Did you install linux-image-extra?

Finally, trying to install says to check jockey.log

What are you trying to install? I thought we were removing bcmwl-kernel-source, as I believe it is incorrect for your device, and not installing.

[ptn107]

Download the previous version of the wl driver here (64-bit) or here (32-bit). This is version 5.100.82.112 and may work for you. The newer 6.20.155.1 that was backported to the 12.04 LTS version is having problems for almost everyone. It's something to try.

Install it:

sudo apt-get -y install dkms; sudo dpkg -i bcmwl-kernel-source_5.100.82.112+bdcom-0ubuntu3_amd64.deb

[wolftune]

Installs?? What driver installs? bcma is installed by default in Ubuntu, at least in later versions.

I meant installing the Additional Drivers program's thing that sets up proprietary drivers. It works when I boot the system into 3.2. Then it says the proprietary driver is inactive if I restart in 3.8. If I go back to 3.2 it works again, although it goes away when I do the remove command as you suggest.

How is that possible? Where did you get the 3.8 kernel to install? From the PPA? Here, for example? http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa...e/v3.8-raring/ Did you install linux-image-extra?What are you trying to install? I thought we were removing bcmwl-kernel-source, as I believe it is incorrect for your device, and not installing.

The 3.8 I am using is actually from KXStudio PPAs, but I happen to know that other it is simply the low-latency version backported directly from Raring. I do not have linux-image-extra installed, but I have linux-image-lowlatency installed. Anyway, the only linux-image-extra packages I see at all in Synaptic are specific 3.2 versions.

Anyway, bcmwl-kernel-source is what the Additional Drivers program installs correctly in 3.2 and it then functions fully with wireless, but brings an error and won't work with 3.8. Indeed, I can remove it, and then wireless won't work in either case. When I mentioned install, it was using that program again after having removed bcmwl-kernel-source.

Perhaps it is indeed not the right thing, so the question is what is right? I'll try what the other post suggests…