Request: Adding DSL support for RT2500 cards
Forum: Networking
Topic: Request: Adding DSL support for RT2500 cards
started by: bigpilot
Posted by bigpilot on April 12 2006,17:15
The Ralink RT2500 chipset is used in a lot of cheap wireless cards, marketed under a variety of brands. Because it's so promiscuous I would like to see native support for it in DSL.
Posted by doobit on April 12 2006,19:31
If you already compiled it, then maybe you could make us a .dsl extention? We would really appreciate that! 
Posted by bigpilot on April 12 2006,19:49
I've compiled it but to 'integrate' it into DSL so it would work seamlessly out-of-the-box would be another matter, as I'm still starting to figure out Linux networking myself. I don't know where to alter scripts at this moment.Besides, it would be better to add it to the default DSL system, not as an add-on extension.
Posted by ckx on April 13 2006,08:04
| Quote (bigpilot @ April 12 2006,13:15) |
| The Ralink RT2500 chipset is used in a lot of cheap wireless cards, marketed under a variety of brands. Because it's so promiscuous I would like to see native support for it in DSL. |
I second the motion!
Posted by bufalo on April 13 2006,10:59
| Quote (ckx @ April 13 2006,04:04) | ||
I second the motion! |
i agree BTW its not just on cheap card my linksys wireless card also uses it
Posted by roberts on April 13 2006,15:29
I would have to borrow a card and be given the module for such consideration.
Posted by bigpilot on April 13 2006,18:14
I can compile the module for you if you wish. 
How about me compiling a module for a Release Candidate and you bake it into the RC and return the result to me and I'll check if it works.
Posted by roberts on April 22 2006,22:26
Compiling a modules is not a problem.Dropping a module into the base is not going to be a practical issue.
Size outstanding. Not having a card to integrate the software is the problem. I know I had to borrow a card from a user before I could make a wireless dsl extension that would integrate into DSL.
Maybe, lets try this route:
What are the brand names of said cheap cards?
Maye I can a piggy bank to break into.
Posted by bigpilot on April 23 2006,09:04
I, for example, have a Sweex networking card, which is a pretty well known brand in Europe. The card cost me about $23 . Some people noted that they're also used in more well-known brands such as Linksys.But how about my proposal that you compile support into a DSL RC candidate and me and other RT2500 users testing if it works? That way you would have reviews of multiple RT2500 cards from different manufacturers.
Posted by xxooss on May 01 2006,21:03
I am trying to get the Belkin wireless G USB "stick" to work. It's a Belkin Model# F5D7050I have the driver files in the /tmp directory but thats about as far as I hve gotten. I think I need to add (wlan0) to the system map in grub? or something. Can someone help me with this setup and then i can try the ndis wrapper.
Posted by grossjo on May 04 2006,08:34
Hi roberts,unfortunately i cannot borrow my wlan card as it is in daily use.
The digitus DN-7001G is a cheap wlan-pc-card using the rt2500 chipset.
CU
grossjo
Posted by roberts on May 04 2006,16:02
It all may be moot.As I recall this discussion for rt2500 native support requires a non SMP kernel. We will not forgo this feature.
I do see this chipset mentioned many times on the ndiswrapper < site. >
Now that DSL 2.4RC2 has a much updated ndiswrapper I would certainly try that approach.
Posted by dmoc on July 07 2006,15:41
Just curious: why an smp kernel for DSL when uni-processor machines are the majority by far? Why not have both smp and non-smp versions of each release? I find myself in the same position as a lot of other people, get dsl installed fine but stuck with no secure wireless so cannot continue to use dsl.
Posted by finalreckoning on Oct. 31 2006,01:57
i have a belkin f5d7011 it was like 30- 50 dollars\
Posted by finalreckoning on Oct. 31 2006,02:00
ps. where i live the majors (in order from most common to least common) is linksys, netgear, and belkin
Posted by jgombos on Nov. 04 2006,19:16
| Quote (doobit @ April 12 2006,15:31) |
| If you already compiled it, then maybe you could make us a .dsl extention? We would really appreciate that! |
What is a .dsl extension? I got the RT73 driver working on the latest DSL version, but I'm new to DSL. Are the steps for how to make an extension published anywhere? If it's not too complicated, I might build an extension so folks don't have to go through < what I went through >.
Posted by Winter Knight on Nov. 04 2006,21:39
What is a DSL extension?< http://damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Category:MyDSL >
At the bottom of that page, there is a link titled "Creating MyDSL Extensions".
However, a dsl extension won't work for this particular problem. As roberts pointed out, this driver does not work with an smp kernel. DSL uses an smp kernel. An extension can't replace the kernel, because in order to use a new kernel, you have to reboot, but when you reboot, your extensions are lost.
Posted by jgombos on Nov. 05 2006,05:53
| Quote (Winter Knight @ Nov. 04 2006,16:39) |
| However, a dsl extension won't work for this particular problem. As roberts pointed out, this driver does not work with an smp kernel. DSL uses an smp kernel. |
I didn't think it was an smp kernel, because I didn't realize an smp kernel would work on a single processor.. I figured that was an issue because they might go to an SMP kernel in the future.
I don't understand why the driver would have to support SMP. My Red Hat box uses an SMP kernel, and it never gave me issues. In fact, Roberts can't be correct, because I was able to compile the RT73 driver for DSL. It works. I would be willing to create an extension, but I'm having < difficulty understanding what an extension is, and how to make one >.
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 05 2006,06:15
This is _not_ for the rt73 driver, but for the rt2500 driver.
Posted by jgombos on Nov. 05 2006,06:45
| Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ Nov. 05 2006,01:15) |
| This is _not_ for the rt73 driver, but for the rt2500 driver. |
That might explain the confusion. The RT73 driver is really an abbreviation for the RT2573 chip. So I thought RT2500 was just a generic name for a series of similar chips (since the RT2571 chip uses the same driver as the RT2573). However, I did notice there is a seperate driver labelled RT2500, so it may indeed be different.
Posted by huzzzo on Nov. 06 2006,18:21
hi there, I'm new on DSL with my old pentium 133 LAPTOP ;)if I use ndiswrapper, I can use my rt2500 card? Or I have to recompile the kernel without SMP?
I'm noob so I'm not able to recompile the kernel for now, but... what's SMP? It's useful on old machines? I need wireless!
Thanks!
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 06 2006,19:57
question 1: yesquestion 2: if you want to
SMP is for symmetrical multiprocessing... you can look it up via google for more info. Basically you don't need it if you only have 1 processing thread - in your case I doubt your laptop has more than 1 cpu.
Posted by huzzzo on Nov. 06 2006,20:14
thank you man ok kernel is an option now.
I'm trying with ndiswrapper, the problem is that i neet WPA, so I'm downloadin wpa_supplicant now.
Posted by huzzzo on Nov. 06 2006,21:05
mmh if I type iwconfig after I specify the INF file to ndiswrapper, I cannot see any wireless interface. do I something wrong?
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 06 2006,21:43
You probably need to configure it first.
Posted by huzzzo on Nov. 06 2006,22:27
woot,i'm following the ndiswrapper wiki at < http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/mediawiki/index.php/Installation >
it says to use iwconfig to configure it, but if it there isn't... what I have to do?
noobie has no limits
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 06 2006,22:31
Try using lwconfig and/or netcardconfigelse, search the forums/wiki/google on instructions on how to set it up manually