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#1 2012-02-19 05:58:06

awayand
Member
Registered: 2009-09-25
Posts: 398

kernel upgrade breaks wifi

I tried a kernel upgrade from linux-3.0.7-1 to the latest 3.2 kernel but I have an odd issue. I am using wifi on my laptop which works fine but after two/three minutes just stops working. I cannot ping my gateway anymore, but the link still seems to be up.

Does anyone know what I can do to troubleshoot this? For example, where are the logs which could give me pointers? How do I figure out what "driver" my card is using?

Has anyone had this issue before? I am using an Aspire AS3810TG-734G32n

Thanks!

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#2 2012-02-19 06:51:05

Avant-texte
Member
Registered: 2012-02-13
Posts: 136

Re: kernel upgrade breaks wifi

This is a known bug. The forums started getting  plastered with posts of wifi problems around the time 3.0.6 or the switch to kmod. Thankfully it's goten beter with 3.0.7, but the bugs are still there.

I've seen many variations on the wifi problem, but you described the exact same symptoms I'm dealing with. Which is interesting since we have different wireless hardware/drivers. I tracked the problem down to usage. The exact bandwidth usage to time ratio ratio reqired before my connection seizes on me varies, but I can have a working connection for hours as long as I keep my load nominal. The workaround I found is to double unload & reload my wireless driver. One unload/reload cycle never works and it always takes two before dhcpcd will associate again. It was utterly unbearable unbearable for me with 6. Thankfully, now it's at least workable if I don't download too much too fast (e.g. visiting a around dozen websites in a minute or performing a -Syu). If this keeps up though, I will be forced to downgrade until further notice.

If someone else (esp someone with different drivers running) confirms the same symptoms as me, I'll need to make sure that's reflected in whatever is still in the bugtrack.

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#3 2012-02-19 06:59:12

ajaxas
Member
Registered: 2009-02-23
Posts: 65
Website

Re: kernel upgrade breaks wifi

Both of you should chek what wireless driver is in use: if it's ath9k, then read this thread: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=134374
The patches for the bug are already in 3.3-rc4 and will be in 3.2.7.

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#4 2012-02-19 07:20:31

awayand
Member
Registered: 2009-09-25
Posts: 398

Re: kernel upgrade breaks wifi

doesn't look like ath9k, unless iwlwifi is a description of something else and I am missing something:

$ lspci -knn
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation WiFi Link 5100 [8086:4232]
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation WiFi Link 5100 AGN [8086:1301]
        Kernel driver in use: iwlwifi

I will downgrade to 3.0.7 again and wait for better times...

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#5 2012-02-20 19:10:53

Avant-texte
Member
Registered: 2012-02-13
Posts: 136

Re: kernel upgrade breaks wifi

ajaxas wrote:

Both of you should chek what wireless driver is in use: if it's ath9k, then read this thread: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=134374
The patches for the bug are already in 3.3-rc4 and will be in 3.2.7.

Lol, yes, I've come across that post. (and several others). Unfortunately, I'm using the rt2800pci driver. I would have to know if I was to unload &reload reload my driver. wink

No ath9k solution works for me. ...I did try, though.

I am already using 3.2.7 and as I said, it did get better for me but is still buggy. However, my issue (as described) is clearly a bug in the code and probably not something that cannot easily be toubleshooted on the forums. I avoided raising a bug for my particular issue before 3.2.7 because driver related wifi bugs were already being dealt with and thusfare no one else has reproduced my symptoms. If it's been fully solved for ath9k in 3.2.7 but my problem persists, than I may need to. ...it may be a related but different problem.

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#6 2012-02-20 19:22:21

Gusar
Member
Registered: 2009-08-25
Posts: 3,605

Re: kernel upgrade breaks wifi

awayand wrote:

doesn't look like ath9k, unless iwlwifi is a description of something else and I am missing something:

iwlwifi has issues as well. I think this thread covers all possible workarounds: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=135864
Though your issue sounds like a bug that I think was fixed in 3.3-rc4. Don't know if the fix is in 3.2.7, or if 3.2 even has that exact issue I have in mind. Definitely try all the stuff in that thread though, especially swcrypto.

Last edited by Gusar (2012-02-20 19:25:21)

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