NICID, firmware, etc.

[l***@xmission.com]

I have an 'Instant wireless' pc card, which FreeBSD 5.2 detects:

wi0: <Instant Wireless Network PC CARD> at port 0x100-0x13f irq 11
function 0 config 1 on pccard0
wi0: 802.11 address: 00:06:25:51:ff:eb
wi0: using RF:PRISM2 MAC:HFA3841 CARD:HWB3163 rev.A
wi0: Intersil Firmware: Primary (0.3.0), Station (0.7.6)
wi0: 11b rates: 1Mbps 2Mbps 5.5Mbps 11Mbps
wi0: timeout in wi_cmd 0x0121; event status 0x8000
wi0: timeout in wi_cmd 0x0121; event status 0x8000
wi0: timeout in wi_cmd 0x000a; event status 0x8000
wi0: failed to allocate 2372 bytes on NIC
wi0: tx buffer allocation failed (error 12)
wi0: interface not running
wi0: wi_cmd: busy bit won't clear.
wi0: init failed
wi0: failed to allocate 2372 bytes on NIC
wi0: tx buffer allocation failed (error 12)
wi0: interface not running

Despite the complaints, I can ifconfig it, and ping the IP address I
give it from the box it's installed in. I don't know if it will
talk to another card wirelessly, because I don't have any other
(working) computers with wireless.

I pulled this card out of a 3-year old linksys BEFW11S4 version 1,
which will still route and switch, but can't seem to communicate
wirelessly. When I put the 'instant wireless' prism2 card back in
the linksys, I plug an actiontec prism2.5 card into my fbsd box
and ifconfig it, but I get 'status: no carrier'. My actiontec
works fine with a friend's laptop. (Sorry, I don't know what kind
of wireless card he had, it 'just worked'.)

I've already tried updating the firmware on the linksys, but that
didn't fix anything. More, it did not update the firmware on the
card. (the card has seperate firmware.) So my next try at fixing
this piece of old hardware is going to be updating the card's
firmware, and then plugging it back into into the box.

However my only machine with a pc card slot has FreeBSD as its only
installed OS, and I don't have space to install another OS.

I've been reading http://linux.junsun.net/intersil-prism/ , which is
naturally linux-centric, and it's been somewhat helpful, but I'm
not running linux. (I would if I had space for it, but ...)

So has anyone tried running the linux tools for updating the firmware
under freeBSD's linux compatibility layer?

I'm installing linux_base-8 for the first time as I send this.

[d***@des.no]

Post by l***@xmission.com
Despite the complaints, I can ifconfig it, and ping the IP address I
give it from the box it's installed in.

That doesn't mean anything. Traffic to your own IP addresses is
routed over lo0.

DES
--=20
Dag-Erling Sm=F8rgrav - ***@des.no

[l***@xmission.com]

Post by d***@des.no

Post by l***@xmission.com
Despite the complaints, I can ifconfig it, and ping the IP address I
give it from the box it's installed in.

=20
That doesn't mean anything. Traffic to your own IP addresses is
routed over lo0.

Post by l***@xmission.com
I don't know if it will talk to another card wirelessly, because I
don't have any other (working) computers with wireless.

I mentioned the test because it's in the handbook. :-) As far as I
know, it means I got one of the command line arguments right. Of
course it doesn't mean I got them all right, and it doesn't mean
the card works, but all my other wireless devices are either
broken, or plug into my laptop. So that woefully inadequate test
is the best I can do ...