Arch Linux

Coacher

Guest

Can't enable rfkill hard block.

Hi, all!

I have Intel wifi link 5100 card on my notebook and using rfkill to change its state.
Software block works good with my card, but I need to switch card to hard block.

 cat /sys/class/rfkill/rfkill0/uevent
RFKILL_NAME=phy0
RFKILL_TYPE=wlan
RFKILL_STATE=1

But

# echo "2" > /sys/class/rfkill/rfkill0/state

gives error 'illegal argument'.

Wifi itself works well. Searching about this issue gave nothing too(
How to enable hw block?

Last edited by Coacher (2009-11-13 20:02:39)

xduugu

Member

Registered: 2008-10-16

Posts: 292

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

Why do you not use the hardware switch of your notebook? I guess it is called hard(ware) block because it is done by hard- and not by software.

iphitus

Forum Fellow

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2004-10-09

Posts: 4,927

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

from kernel docs

state: Current state of the transmitter
         0: RFKILL_STATE_SOFT_BLOCKED
             transmitter is turned off by software
         1: RFKILL_STATE_UNBLOCKED
             transmitter is (potentially) active
         2: RFKILL_STATE_HARD_BLOCKED
             transmitter is forced off by something outside of
             the driver's control.
            This file is deprecated because it can only properly show
            three of the four possible states, soft-and-hard-blocked is
            missing.

You can't set it to 2. 2 means that a physical, hardware switch has turned the transmitter off.

If you're trying to turn the wifi off, i think you're looking for 0.

Andrwe

Member

From: Leipzig/Germany

Registered: 2009-06-17

Posts: 322

Website

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

Try the app rfkill from AUR, maybe this can solve your problem.

Edit:
Sorry, I've read bad , you already use it.

Last edited by Andrwe (2009-11-14 10:51:12)

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Website: andrwe.org
Repository: repo.andrwe.org/<archtiecture>

Coacher

Guest

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

Thanks for your replies.

To xduugu:
that is the problem. the button on my notebook switch only to soft block.

To iphitus:
I've read Documentation/rfkill.txt from kernel sources. This is exactly what I want: '2: RFKILL_STATE_HARD_BLOCKED'.
And have no idea how to do it. A few time ago there was a problem with iwl3xxx-4xxx cards: it was unable to woke them from hard block.
So, maybe, such kind of behaviour is the result of fixing this in kernel code (just disable hard blocking).

To Andrwe:
Yes, I've tried rfkill from AUR, afaik, this is just frontend for /sys/class/rfkill/, It's also gave no result.

Any other ideas?

Last edited by Coacher (2009-11-14 16:26:03)

fluffylime

Member

From: Russia, Moscow

Registered: 2009-04-03

Posts: 47

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

Some time ago I had trouble with rfkill. When it was HARD_BLOCKED on boot, I can't turn wifi on. Removing and inserting module with modprobe didn't work. But if you 'rmmod' it and modprobe again, it is ok.

fixing this in kernel code (just disable hard blocking)

If you disabled it in kernel, I think it will not work. Correct me if I misunderstood something.

Last edited by fluffylime (2009-11-14 18:49:08)

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English is not my native language, sorry.

Coacher

Guest

Re: Can't enable rfkill hard block.

To fluffylime: I've tried loading/unloading modules already before. No result.
About kernel code you are correct. But I did nothing with it. I also don't know how the kernel developers fixed that issue, that was my suggestion.
What card do you have? And what version of kernel?