broadcom-sta (wl)

[cparke]

I am using Porteus v5.01 KDE.

I believe that I need this Broadcom proprietary kernel driver broadcom-sta to get my wifi PCIe card to work. Older articles indicate it used to be included in the kernel module, but doesn't look like it is anymore. It also isn't found searching for Porteus modules (using pmod) nor the Slackware official packages (using slapt-mod). It's strange, as I think it's a pretty commonly needed package!

So I did find it here, however: https://slackbuilds.org/repository/15.0 ... oadcom-sta

However, to install that, first I need to build some source against the kernel headers, of course.

So I installed the 05-devel.xzm module. Still I don't think that contains Linux headers and build environment itself, just the build tools. In particular /lib/modules/6.8.10-porteus/source is a broken link to non-existing /usr/src/linux. I need the 6.8.10-porteus kernel headers, in particular, where do I get those from? What else do I probably need?

[ncmprhnsbl]

you're looking for: 06-crippled_sources-6.8.10-64bit.xzm it's in the same folder you would have found 05-devel.xzm (http://porteus.org/porteus-mirrors.html > /x86_64/Porteus-v5.01/kernel/ )

[Ed_P]

This posting may help cparke. Detecting wifi with broadcom (Post by Blaze #97933)

[cparke]

As Ed mentioned to me when this issue came up again, you need the http://dl.porteus.org/x86_64/Porteus-v5 ... -64bit.xzm module (change the Porteus version appropriately) in order to build the Broadcom 'wl' kernel module for your kernel.


Furthermore. there is no need to reboot after you get the new kernel built and installed!

1) Remove the old free Broadcom module that doesn't work from the kernel memory and the Wifi card:

Code: Select all

sudo modprobe -r bcma

2) Update the kernel module dependencies

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sudo depmod

3) Install the new kernel driver

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sudo modprobe wl

4) Check that the module loaded as a driver for the adapter (fix the -s bus:slot with the correct values):

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sudo lspci -vvv -s 2f:0

If everything goes right, the Wifi network adapter will appear!

[Ed_P]

As Ed mentioned to me when this issue came up again, you need the http://dl.porteus.org/x86_64/Porteus-v5 ... -64bit.xzm module (change the Porteus version appropriately) in order to build the Broadcom 'wl' kernel module for your kernel.

I did not.

This posting may help cparke. Detecting wifi with broadcom (Post by Blaze #97933)

I referred you to the Blaze posting above which allows you to download a Broadcom module for your wifi system. No kernel rebuilding necessary, just download the module, move it to your /modules folder and activate the module.

And those steps apparently worked for gab2023 in January.

[cparke]

Ed - kernel drivers like this one must be built against the Linux headers of the kernel they are to be used within in order to be installed. If the kernel gets updated, the kernel drivers must be rebuilt! This isn't building the kernel, it is building the kernel module.

I downloaded the broadcom-wl driver posted on SlackBuilds, but the steps to install it are not direct. First, you must unpack the binary .tar.gz, then add the source .tar.gz into that, then run the SlackBuilds script inside that unpacking under root, and only then do you get a .tgz Slack package to convert to Porteus with txz2xzm and then activate and load into the kernel. Only then can the wifi card use the driver and work.

It's a process!

[Ed_P]

This is Porteus, it is not necessary to rebuild the kernel to add a Porteus module.

And this conversation should be in your thread not gab2023's.

[cparke]

This is Porteus, it is not necessary to rebuild the kernel to add a Porteus module. And this conversation should be in your thread not gab2023's.

That's the point - we don't have a Porteus module for this non-free driver, as it is no longer included in the kernel Porteus module. So we have to make a separate Porteus module ourselves.

I'm posting here so the whole story on how to do this is consolidated in the one place where it began.

[Ed_P]

If you read the link I pointed you to and download the broadcom module Blaze created and activate it you will have access to your wifi. You don't have to build a new module, you don't have to rebuild the kernel, just do what Blaze wrote.

Copy to modules folder this module broadcom-wl-6.30.223.271_6.5.5_porteus-x86_64-1_SBo.xzm
Reboot Porteus and test your WiFi.

I'm posting here so the whole story on how to do this is consolidated in the one place where it began.

The whole story was told in the thread's 1st couple of postings.

[cparke]

If you read the link I pointed you to and download the broadcom module Blaze created and activate it you will have access to your wifi. You don't have to build a new module, you don't have to rebuild the kernel, just do what Blaze wrote.

That Porteus module is for kernel 6.5.5 from January. Porteus is now running with kernel 6.8.10. The old kernel module won't work with the new kernel!

What would really help here is an optional Porteus repo (ex: GitHub subdomain) for posting non-free Porteus kernel modules like this one for each kernel. Each one is accompanied with the original proprietary license from the manufacturer. Distributing these builds via file sharing websites is not the best solution; technically it's not even legal because the license is not included. That's probably why this driver is not included with the Porteus kernel anymore. It's also not a good idea, because following that approach, I would now post my build of the kernel driver for Broadcom STA on kernel 6.8.10 with my own MediaFire account, and then people reading here in the forum are going to come across one or the other and get confused what to do when none of them work (even I tried to use your pre-built Porteus module first, but it goes into a directory where it won't be used because it may not work).

Alternatively, a script that checks for the dependencies and executes a build of the kernel module for the currently running kernel is the way other distros handle this,

[Ed_P]

That Porteus module is for kernel 6.5.5 from January. Porteus is now running with kernel 6.8.10. The old kernel module won't work with the new kernel!

Rather than speculate, try it

[cparke]

Fine, I see you put the build for both kernel 6.5.5 and kernel 6.8.10 in the same Porteus module, but kept the filename stating just 6.5.5.

That would work, but are you going to keep adding builds? There is no signature for the file either.

[Ed_P]

(All current broadcom postings now in the current broadcom topic thread. )

So cparke have you tried Blaze's module/steps yet?

That would work, but are you going to keep adding builds?

We don't see too many broadcom users but Blaze is very good at creating modules for them if needed.

The Porteus system certainly has kernel updates but they don't require all the user's xzm modules to be updated when the kernel is updated. I don't know what systems you have worked with that are so interlinked but Porteus certainly isn't.