Comment 8 for bug 1154219

Actually I think bug 1097519 is a duplicate of this bug.

The title of this bug is a better description of the problem: the wrong driver is loaded for the 4311 (at least on my Dell Inspiron 1501) and worse in the last two releases this problem craps out the wired driver as well!

A thing I notice in /var/log/syslog:

Oct 1 11:43:41 valencia kernel: [ 13.133362] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
Oct 1 11:43:41 valencia kernel: [ 13.133466] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
Oct 1 11:43:41 valencia kernel: [ 13.133566] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.

Another thing I notice in /var/log/syslog:

Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.408527] wl driver 6.30.223.30 (r390414) failed with code 21
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.408549] ------------[ cut here ]------------
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.408624] Kernel BUG at f96be33a [verbose debug info unavailable]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.408713] invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.408788] Modules linked in: wl(POF+) dell_wmi sparse_keymap dell_laptop parport_pc(F) snd_hda_codec_idt dcdbas ppdev(F) snd_hda_intel bnep radeon snd_hda_codec snd_hwdep(F) rfcomm snd_pcm(F) snd_page_alloc(F) snd_seq_midi(F) snd_seq_midi_event(F) snd_rawmidi(F) bluetooth snd_seq(F) lib80211 snd_seq_device(F) ttm snd_timer(F) cfg80211 drm_kms_helper psmouse(F) snd(F) drm sp5100_tco soundcore(F) serio_raw(F) k8temp i2c_piix4 i2c_algo_bit wmi video(F) shpchp ohci_pci ati_agp mac_hid lp(F) parport(F) pata_acpi sdhci_pci sdhci pata_atiixp ahci(F) libahci(F)
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.409800] CPU: 0 PID: 418 Comm: modprobe Tainted: PF O 3.11.0-8-generic #15-Ubuntu
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.409920] Hardware name: Dell Inc. Inspiron 1501 /0UW744, BIOS 2.3.0 03/15/2006
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410030] task: f4cae700 ti: f4918000 task.ti: f4918000
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410109] EIP: 0060:[<f96be33a>] EFLAGS: 00010246 CPU: 0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410250] EIP is at wl_cfg80211_detach+0xca/0xd0 [wl]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410327] EAX: 00000000 EBX: f50db034 ECX: f50dbe00 EDX: f50db034
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410418] ESI: f5965800 EDI: f50dbe00 EBP: f4919bd0 ESP: f4919bc0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410510] DS: 007b ES: 007b FS: 00d8 GS: 00e0 SS: 0068
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410591] CR0: 8005003b CR2: b768e428 CR3: 351dc000 CR4: 000007f0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410684] Stack:
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410717] 00000000 f50db034 f5965800 f50dbe00 f4919be8 f96b7443 f50db00c f50db000
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.410876] f5965800 f42c9800 f4919c94 f96b7ae8 c109dc8d f4919c34 c109df27 c1a725c0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411034] 00000400 01919c0c c1a932e0 00000046 0000033b 00000000 00000000 0000033c
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411192] Call Trace:
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411277] [<f96b7443>] wl_free_if.isra.12+0x23/0xa0 [wl]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411399] [<f96b7ae8>] wl_free+0x78/0x260 [wl]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411472] [<c109dc8d>] ? wake_up_klogd+0x2d/0x30
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411544] [<c109df27>] ? console_unlock+0x297/0x470
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411623] [<c162db5b>] ? printk+0x50/0x52
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411713] [<f86d6581>] wl_pci_probe+0x568/0xfe7 [wl]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411794] [<c1045128>] ? default_spin_lock_flags+0x8/0x10
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411880] [<c14015a1>] ? __pm_runtime_resume+0x51/0x70
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.411962] [<c13252df>] pci_device_probe+0x6f/0xb0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f6b69>] driver_probe_device+0x79/0x360
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c1325233>] ? pci_match_device+0xb3/0xc0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f6f01>] __driver_attach+0x71/0x80
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f6e90>] ? __device_attach+0x40/0x40
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f4f77>] bus_for_each_dev+0x47/0x80
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f665e>] driver_attach+0x1e/0x20
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f6e90>] ? __device_attach+0x40/0x40
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f6297>] bus_add_driver+0x1c7/0x280
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c1324eb0>] ? pci_pm_suspend+0x120/0x120
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c1324eb0>] ? pci_pm_suspend+0x120/0x120
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13f74da>] driver_register+0x6a/0x130
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<f86d6000>] ? 0xf86d5fff
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c13241a2>] __pci_register_driver+0x32/0x40
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<f86d6017>] wl_module_init+0x17/0x19 [wl]
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c10020ca>] do_one_initcall+0xca/0x190
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<f86d6000>] ? 0xf86d5fff
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c104866f>] ? set_memory_nx+0x5f/0x70
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c10b4a3e>] load_module+0x10ce/0x18d0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c10b52cf>] SyS_init_module+0x8f/0xf0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] [<c163eb0d>] sysenter_do_call+0x12/0x28
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] Code: 45 f0 e8 ca 6d 98 c7 90 fb 90 8d 74 26 00 89 f8 e8 7c ba ff ff 89 f8 e8 55 bb ff ff 89 f8 e8 3e d3 ff ff 83 c4 04 5b 5e 5f 5d c3 <0f> 0b 8d 74 26 00 55 89 e5 57 56 53 83 ec 10 3e 8d 74 26 00 8b
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.412005] EIP: [<f96be33a>] wl_cfg80211_detach+0xca/0xd0 [wl] SS:ESP 0068:f4919bc0
Oct 1 11:14:29 valencia kernel: [ 14.428336] ---[ end trace 8bbd9c5b26a07167 ]---

As I mentioned, in raring and saucy this problem craps out the wired driver as well.

It is possible to uninstall the (incorrect) wireless driver and reboot with a working wired network, and then install the correct wireless driver (the b43 driver). It may be possible to turn off the incorrect driver with the wireless hardware Fn-key which can bring back the wired connection. It may be possible to turn off the incorrect driver in the Settings>Software.

Any new user with the urge to try Ubuntu on a machine with this wireless hardware will conclude that the system is a piece of junk. This problem should be fixed so as not to leave that impression.