Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

jbodhorn · 2015-12-29 09:11:56

I'm quite stuck atm, I have a wifi hardware switch that is unresponsive and I can't use wifi because of it, it's even blocking my usb wifi card.

I came across someone saying to add this option CONFIG_HP_WIRELESS=y, saying; It's a Linux kernel configuration option. Device Drivers -> X86 Platform Specific Device Drivers -> HP WIRELESS.

Is this something that I can add to a conf file or the like or is this an option when compiling the kernel? If it's the later is it hard to compile a kernel? How do I find out what info I need about the computer before I attempt to compile?

Nothing in my life has been easy recently so I guessing that option doesn't belong in some conf file somewhere.... I've never compiled a kernal, and I've only compiled a few programs in the past, but none did I have to set options... ./configuration make make install is the most I've done, is compiling a kernel much more advanced?

here is the post I was referring to: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=177541

BTW the wifi touch sensor/button is the only one that doesn't work, volume and all other buttons respond just fine, running lubuntu on this laptop my wireless worked just fine, though I never tried to turn it off with that button.

Also I've already checked my bios and tried unblocking/unlocking with rfkill

Last edited by jbodhorn (2015-12-29 09:16:22)

tom.ty89 · 2015-12-29 09:35:47

Well: https://projects.archlinux.org/svntogit … ce65#n6194
It's an option in kernel compilation. Apparently the driver module is built in repo kernel (=m), it's just not built statically (=y).

jbodhorn · 2015-12-29 21:38:44

I was going to ask a few questions about compiling a kernel, but I'll have to wait till later... I've found I have a lot of reading to do before I'll even know what to ask. So for now I'll just ask if my selected reading is the approiate reading material I need and if there are any key term I should search for for further reading material.

I'm starting my reading with this
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernels
which has pointed me to this:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_Build_System
and this
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Creating_packages
and this
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ke … ompilation
and the kernels#Compilation link has linked me to this
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ke … ild_System
which seems to be the most relevent to what I'm doing, or want to do anyway.

The only question I have atm is from something I read in the first link, I read this: The config file of your currently running kernel is also always available in your file system at /proc/config.gz. Since that is the current kernel config of the system I want to change something on would that be relevent to me compiling a kernel? That line came from a section about patches and patchsets which is why I'm unsure. Would that config have or allow me to find any options I should set when compiling?

Thanks much
-Joe

ewaller · 2015-12-29 21:46:44

jbodhorn wrote:

...and if there are any key term I should search for for further reading material.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:A … ion/Kernel
No, I am not joking by providing a link to the Gentoo Handbook. It provides a nice walk through of building a kernel. You will want to grab the kernel source from Kernel.org, not by using Genoo's emerge command.

sesese9 · 2015-12-29 22:18:43

I agree with ewaller because downloading the source from kernel.org will give the the as-is kernel versus a modified version from Gentoo

jbodhorn · 2015-12-29 23:29:32

If I compile a kernel and then there is an updated kernel installed through a system update would it keep the changes I made? or would I have to compile that kernel with the options I want?

ewaller · 2015-12-29 23:50:29

The kernel that is used is the one selected from the boot loader. Generally, you will want to leave the stock Arch kernel alone and install a new kernel to the boot partition with a different file name. If it needs an initrd, you will be generating a separate initrd with a different name on the boot partition as well. You will probably configure your bootloader with different entries for the stock kernel / initrd and the custom kernel / initrd.

I should mention that the name of the kernel (not to be confused with the file name of the kernel I mentioned above) is baked into the kernel as one of the configuration options. You should change the kernel name using the configuration tools to something unique to you. This kernel name is what is reported by uname -a.

Once you boot, the kernel that is running, which knows its own name, may need some kernel modules. The kernel looks under /lib/modules/ for a directory that matches its name. You will have a directory there for the stock kernel -- don;t muck with it. You should also have a directory there that corresponds to the name you picked for your kernel. When you run make modules_install (Even if that is done in a pkgbuild) those modules are installed in the proper directory on /lib/modules/ for the kernel being built.

Edit: I forgot to explicitly answer you. Later, when the main line kernel is updated, its copy on the boot partition, its initrd, and its modules will be updated; but none of that will muck with your custom kernel, initrd or modules.

Last edited by ewaller (2015-12-29 23:52:26)

snakeroot · 2015-12-30 00:06:55

If you are using the stock Arch 4.2.5-1 kernel, CONFIG_HP_WIRELESS is already compiled in as a module. Try

 zcat /proc/config.gz | grep HP_WIRELESS

and see.

What does running

rfkill list

show?

jbodhorn · 2015-12-30 03:09:06

From what I've read this is the problem that I need this set to y and not m and that I need to compile myself to set it that way

joe@arch_server ~]$ zcat /proc/config.gz | grep HP_WIRELESS
CONFIG_HP_WIRELESS=m

I've tried to unblock using rfkill but it still says hard blocked

[joe@arch_server ~]$ rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: yes

Here's with the usb card plugged in, even though it says its not blocked it still is in network manager, I can connect wirelessly through the command line with the usb card, but not the internal card

 [joe@arch_server ~]$ rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: yes
4: phy4: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no

now my laptop is showing that it's in airplane mode and to turn off airplane mode use the hardware switch... That came up when I unplugged the usb wifi card I had used during the install of arch the first time, yes this is the second install I'm now working with... I used the usb card thinking maybe the reason I couldn't get the wireless working due to drivers, which it turns out wasn't the case.

I kept playing with settings after the first install of arch trying to get the wifi working through network manager and figured I had messed something up pretty bad, I gave up and reinstalled using a wired connection and right now I'm running on a wired connection till I can get all this sorted out.

It's funny, I probably would have spent a lot less time trying to figure out what the problem was if that usb card hadn't been plugged in and the first install had been done on a wired connection. It would have also been less time if I would have put the card away instead of leaving it plugged in on my second install attempt using a wired connection.

I had left the card plugged in because I didn't want to lose it before I could put it away...

Last edited by jbodhorn (2015-12-30 03:10:35)

Arch Linux

#1 2015-12-29 09:11:56

Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#2 2015-12-29 09:35:47

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#3 2015-12-29 21:38:44

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#4 2015-12-29 21:46:44

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#5 2015-12-29 22:18:43

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#6 2015-12-29 23:29:32

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#7 2015-12-29 23:50:29

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#8 2015-12-30 00:06:55

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

#9 2015-12-30 03:09:06

Re: Arch Linux kernel configuration option, wireless hardware switch issue

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