MEPIS Community Forum

SimplyME 11 on Netbook ASUS EeePc 1000H: fresh install, but no WLAN

Hello there,
I am using SimplyMEPIS 11.0.12 32 Bit on a Asus EeePc netbook, and can't get connected to Internet via WLAN (802.11n Ralink Wireless LAN Card, and probanbly at a PCI-Bus).
WLAN is not running, but however connected with my IP address, according to MEPIS Network Assistant (in the Menu), and Network Management (in the System Tray). Furthermore, I received a pop up message stating that "KTTSD failed to start".
Firefox 9.0.1, is currently installed, however, which seems to be quite a old version: It tries to connect to Internet, and looks up Google, but then fails, stating that it can't find the server.
MEPIS Network Assistant and Network Management seem to cunfuse each other, and it looks like as if there is a conflict between them. Network Assistant shows, that the relevant driver for WLAN is "rt2800pci", and shows a MAC address, "System Name wlan0", and "Type: Wireless 802.11".
It seems that both, "networking" and "wireless" have to be enabled, but "wifi" is blocked in Network Assistant, and WLAN only gets connected, if "wlan0" and "eth0" are both enabled, and the network restarted and refreshed.
But they are only greyed out, and neither of them has a red or green color.
When I activate Network Assistant, the Network Management shuts down, and isn't accessable anymore, and states "no network interfaces".
The Konsole command "rfkill list" shows blutooth is blocked. And then I try: "rfkill unblock wifi", and am not sure, if that helped. But I can get wifi back, by using the keyboard buttons "Fn and F2, which has a wifi icon.
If Network Management doesn't show "WLAN Interface", I can bring it back with pressing twice thos buttons.
Network Assistant says that there is no wifi interface, and I can not activate it there.

To see my system specs, google for:
www.
sysprofile.de/id166094
(with no space inbetween "www." and "sysprofile...".)
Link not permitted, in the forum member banner?...

Seems that the following chipsets, or chips are relevant for my WILAN connectivety:
Atheros AR928x WLAN,
Ralink 300 Mbit WLAN-N,
WLAN Modul Ralink 802.11b/g/n

And the relevant driver is:
Ralink RT2860

That is all what I can think about, at the moment, to describe my problem.
I did read the MEPIS Manual, at "Wireless Internet Access", and did loads of reasearch and troubleshooting, but with no solution, yet. I also looked trough this special forum section, and googled for the distro on my laptop, to find already same solved problems. I just understand, that this version of Mepis Linux should cause fewer problems to run Linux on a EeePc netbook. Most drivers that one had to install, are no longer required to install with this distro version: so where am I stuck?

I also, put all my specs together, all one place, so you don't have to squeeze me out, for this or the info about my system. It is all there at the "sysprofile.de" website, under my member ID and "eeepcuser" member name.

So, I hope this will be a quick fix, from now.

Do you have any suggestions? - Thank you.

Did you use the Kwallet when prompted when you first set up the wireless network?

Yes.

edit:
Network Management states: "Connection State: Unmanaged". And:
"Networking Interface Unmanaged", and "WILAN Interface Unmanaged".
In the Controle Module for Network Connections the "Wireless" card states: "Connection: ISP Whatnot", and "Last Used: Never". All tabs/cards are accessible exept the blanked out card for "Mobile Broadband". (I think that driver is not selected in the control module of the Network Assistant.

edit:
By the way:
I am posting from a other laptop (same model, but with Windows), and therefor I am able to troubleshoot in realtime, and give instant feedback: The other Laptop with MEPIS is powered on. I can go back and fore, between both laptops. (When I used to only have one laptop, it was awkward, because I had to post back, after booting a LiveCD.) However, I have a copy of MEPIS on a USB stick. Which is sometimes useful.

Since I don't run Mepis but AntiX instead. Which means I am not proficient using KDE tools in Mepis to connect. Maybe I can get you to post more info so Mepis members can see what is going on.

Can you post from terminal outputs of



and



as well as

you may need to be sudo to run this command in Mepis.

and



These commands are just to gather more info for this thread.

Edit: just a fancy command I have on file also to gather info if you want to use it also.

Isn't Copy&Paste a wonderful idea?

Doesn't Microsoft hold a patent on that?

Network Assistant>wireless tab... enter network name, version of security if any,and password if any... scan... if net shows just ok at bottom..(net will try to restart)... either way go to first tab in manager and uncheck or disable broadcom and ndiswrapper, check to use DHCP to connect and <apply>... will again try to restart network...might work might not...either way just go to top right and close with the x. Reboot and check for connection... if present great if not go to tray icon and click to manage connections... go to wireless tab and set up settings like in network assistant wireless section and set to connect automatically then ok it. Back to the tray icon right click and choose active interface if any and choose to connect... should connect if it's going to. If it doesn't do a google search for wicd deb download and get a copy of wicd installed and try it... you might end up having to remove network manager if it conflics with wicd. Good luck it can be very trying on the patients. Jerry

PS: If you get the grey connection dots in network manager to turn red you are almost there and it will likely connect from fiddling with the tray icon route.

Sorry for the delay.
About "copy and paste": I can't do it between displays/screens. On the one netbook is Linux, and the other netbook is Windows. So, till now, I am tiping the text off, and keeping it short, relating only to what seems to me as relevant. -Or what ways would there be, to "copy and paste", that I am not yet familiar with? All suggestions and ideas are wellcome. And now back to the topic/subject:

@rokytnji:
Just the moste important and relevant, according to my oppinion (I cant copy and paste text, because the text on the Konsole is on the other netbook screen):

Driver Module: Ralink RT2860pci
Link detected: no
Driver Status: rt2860sta is active
Driver Activation Cmd: „modprobe rt2860sta“

wlan0: Link encap:Ethernet
Bcast:

Linux asussm11 2.6.36-1-mepis-smp 1686 GNU/Linux


I will reply to the other posts, in a few minutes..., please be patient. Thank you.



Edit:
@Jboman:
Hi Jboman,
I applied the settings according to your instructions (some of them are already existing). Then I clicked the „OK“ button. But nothing changed within the existing settings of the Network Assistant control panel. And neither within Network Manager. But then, the pop up window stating that KTTSD could not start, showed up again. So, I conclude, that the refreshing via „Apply“ and „OK“ had no effect. (I also chequed the existing setting within the control panel of the (Network) Manager, as well, and left them as they are. However, there, there is a dotted line for BSSID, which I still leave empty. Other settings, where that option is given, ar set to „Automatic“.)

Then I went back to the Network Assistant and uncheck both broadcom drivers, as well as the ndiswrapper driver (which should probably be left active...) Firewall and „ipv6“, I have also unchecked. Then „Apply“ and „OK“.
However, the settings of „DHCP for DNS“ do not remain, when set, but the settings skip back the previous settings, which is in this case „Use static DNS“. And I tried it many times, to set the DHCP, but without success.

Following these settings, I restarted network, by clicking on the „Re/Start Network“ button on the right side of the Network Assistant control panel. Which blancs out part of the panel, until completly restarted, and the panel is responding again. - Again the pop up window showin up: „KTTSD can not restart“...

After this proceeding, the icon of Network Manager within the System Tray, stays changes to a square red icon with an „x“.

Further following your detailed instructions, I closed the control panel of the Network Assistant.
And rebooted and checked for connection.... Shutting the netbook off, gives a protocoll message (black screen, till it shuts off) „configuring network setting done“, or similar.
Powered the netbook on, and selected the „MEPIS on sda1, kernel 2.6,36-1-mepis-smp“, instead of „MEPIS on sda1, newest Kernel“.

Excursion:
Following the message on the black booting screen, I understand that there is an error with nework interfaces and wireless/wlan driver. But I could actually look up the failure/error messages within the log files, within File Manager, Root, „var“, then „log“, then „syslog“ file:
Here a few lines of the last section/part of the file: Voilà: and it reports, that „rt2800“ (wifi/wlan driver/module) can't get properly accessed or installed: „Error – WPDMA TX/RX busy, aborting“.

...Further reading of „syslog-KWrite“ file (- anything that looks to be relevant?...):
„Withdrawing address record for my IP address @ wlan0“.
„kernel: rt2800pci: PCI INT A disabled“.
NetworManager:
„(wlan0) bringing up device“.
„(wlan0) deactivating device“.
(wlan0) now unmanaged“.

Conclusion:
The NetworManager changes wlan0 fom manged to „unmanged“, because of a problem with „Ifupdown getting unmanaged device count; 1“


There might be some more relevant info, but I shall continue with following your instructions:

Interestingly, when going int „root“ mode, as going into File Manager Dolphin as su, the NetworManager icon in the system tray changes back to the normal default „blackEthernet plug icon“. Good: So I can check the connection:

The NetworManager states, that the „WLAN interface“ still has a „Connection State: Unmanaged“.
And which is what you wanted me to check.
And the Firefox brouser can neither connect to the servers of websites. Still no Internet.

Your quote, Jboman:
„.. go to wireless tab and set up settings like in network assistant wireless section and set to connect automatically then ok it.“: That setting is already existing („MTU: Automatic“). Thanks, anyway.

Your quote:
„Back to the tray icon right click and choose active interface if any and choose to connect... should connect if it's going to.“: As far as I can see, I can not do that (yet) within the control panel of NetworManager: I could only do that within the MEPIS disto 8.5 interface. Here, it is a „no go“.

Ok, Jboman: I will search for „wicd deb“ and download and install it. But, no, I cant do that yet, because I can't find my USB stick, which I could use for that purpose.

However, I understand that „wicd deb“ would work better for setting the connection interfaces, than the „team“ NetworManager and NetworkAssistant“. Yes, that what I read a few times before.

Yes, and as you say, Jboman, it is recommended to then remove NetworkManager, once „wicd“ is installed and running, I give you right.

Thanks a lot, Jerry.

@JBoman / Jerry:
Your quote:
"PS: If you get the grey connection dots in network manager to turn red you are almost there and it will likely connect from fiddling with the tray icon route."

- Do you mean the grey connection dots in NetworkAssistant, rather then in NetworkManager, to turn red?
If so, than that can be done, by going into the control panel of the NetworkAssistant, section "Network Control" on the "General" face, and clicking on the button "Stop Network". Doing that, and then cklicking on "Re/Start Network" show the Interface Status dots for each activated Interface, and which are either:

- red, if "Not Available",
- grey, if "Not Running",
- green, I guess, if "Running"

At the moment, the buttons within "Interface Status" in NetworkAssistant are set to "grey: Not Running".

I never discovered/saw any "Interface Status dots" within NeworkManager...

I remember having one green dot, for wlan, within the MEPIS 8.5 interface (and which meant that wlan was "Running", but the system failed to load the website pages for getting Internet access.
In my case, here, with the MEPIS 11 interface, the dots are grey, but the browser can't connect to the servers of the websites, in order to get Internet access.

However, still no running wlan, here...
Red dots are not what you want, for running an Network Interface. Grey dots are better, and green dots are best, as they show that your Network Interfaces have "Running" status.

Jerry:
Actually you want red dots to turn grey, and not the other way around, in this case. Because, if they turn grey, that is one step further towards green. From red to grey, then to green. In this case, we are alreacy on grey dots, and have already passed the red dot status.

So, how do I get green, which means "connected", or "running", or "managed"? Grey means "unmanaged"/"not running".

Thank you.

Just guessing here that you don't have a land line for eth0 for either netbook. When I run into that limitation. I copy terminal commands to a text file and save it. Then load to usb. Then copy terminal readouts again to text file. Transfer to usb. Then post on computer that has internet access. Anyways. That is how I handle scenarios like this.

Good luck with getting things sorted.

Edit: I do the same thing I mentioned above for screenshots also when I want to give more details to a thread.