Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR

[Jeremy Austin-Bardo]

I am not sure if this should be bug or a wishlist. BUT aircraft-manager crashes miserably when I add the package to a Jaunty Ubuntu-Netbook-Remix. I wanted that aircraft manager installed to turn off and on my bluetooth support mostly.

I did dig into the code of aircraft manager and discovered two incompatibilities with the UNR live image for Jaunty. First the kernel is missing a module called hci_usb which may explain why bluetooth notification icon does not appear. I know this cause I ran the command that this app ran directly in a terminal.

Second the d-bus messages for network manager appear to have changed which does explain why it crashes in the first place. I know this cause it spews "dbus.exceptions.DBus Exceptions: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: Method "getWirelessEnabled" with signature "" on interface ("null") doesn't exist. This method is called with getWifiState() on line 300 of aircraft-manager.

As I said I am unsure how this should be handled :/ but I think that aircraft-manager should be usuable in Jaunty even if the entire mini9 package set stays with Hardy. It seems only common sense to keep those brave mini9 users happy.

[Adal Alom Rodríguez (arpia49)]

Hello, i've got a Dell Mini 9 with Ubuntu 9.04.

No working bluetooth for me :(

I've installed aircraft-manager (8.10 version) and that's what I got (also attached):

$ sudo aircraft-manager
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager-util", line 6, in <module>
    import portio
ImportError: No module named portio
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager-util", line 6, in <module>
    import portio
ImportError: No module named portio
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 359, in <module>
    app = GUI()
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 79, in __init__
    self.cbBT.set_active(self.getBtState())
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 302, in getBtState
    f = open("/tmp/bt_status", "r")
IOError: [Errno 2] No existe el fichero ó directorio: '/tmp/bt_status'

$ sudo aircraft-manager-util
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager-util", line 6, in <module>
    import portio
ImportError: No module named portio

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Marking invalid for Dell Mini project (since it only covers Ubuntu 8.04)

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

It appears that the problem is the installation of the portio perl module, which is installed as part of the aircraft-manager package. This module is installed in such a way that it cannot be imported in Jaunty, which leads to various failures when aircraft-manager-util is run.

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

I think that Jeremy is trying to make aircraft-manager-5 work, while I am trying to make aircraft-manager_bellmont11 work. The bellmont11 version is the one that would be installed on a fully up to do dell-mini with Dell's version of 8.04.1.

I believe that a user who has disabled bluetooth or wireless using the method in the bellmont11 version of the utility will need the bellmont11 version working in order to re-enable.

[Jeremy Austin-Bardo (ausimage)]

You are correct... aircraft-manager-5. I do not know anything about any
perl module... gdebi did not claim other dependencies. I know only what
I read in the python code. The dbus method imployed does not work for
jaunty.The application specifically breaks in on nmOutput claiming an
invalid method.

>> bus = dbus.SystemBus()
.. nm = bus.get_object('org.freedesktop.NetworkManager',
.. '/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager')
.. nmOutput = nm.getWirelessEnabled()

And when I looked at what the code was doing to turn off and on the
bluetooth. I discovered issuing the commands in the terminal showed that
the kernel module in question was missing. So, I am fairly confident
that python would throw an error here as well.

>> if action == "on":
.. os.system("modprobe hci_usb reset=1")
.. os.system("/etc/init.d/bluetooth start")
.. elif action == "off":
.. os.system("/etc/init.d/bluetooth stop")
.. os.system("hciconfig hci0 down")
.. os.system("rmmod hci_usb")

Now as to what differences are between belmont11 and 5, I have not
investigated. I just thought explicit examples would be more helpful and
clear.

On Wed, 2009-04-15 at 13:46 +0000, Brandon Williams wrote:
> I think that Jeremy is trying to make aircraft-manager-5 work, while I
> am trying to make aircraft-manager_bellmont11 work. The bellmont11
> version is the one that would be installed on a fully up to do dell-mini
> with Dell's version of 8.04.1.
>
> I believe that a user who has disabled bluetooth or wireless using the
> method in the bellmont11 version of the utility will need the bellmont11
> version working in order to re-enable.
>
--
jeremy austin-bardo <email address hidden>
Ubuntu Communty Member / Ubuntu New York Leader / Ubuntu Scribes Leader

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

I am not confident that aircraft-manager-5 actually works to disable the radios, which is the important part where battery use and aircraft restriction compliance is concerned. That's why the author switched to the other method in later version, and why the belmont11 version is the one shipped on the mini.

I updated the packaging of the belmont11 version so that it can be installed in Jaunty. The only changes that I made were to the debian/control and debian/rules files. No code changes were required. You can install it from my PPA: https://launchpad.net/~opensource-subakutty/+archive/ppa/.

Hopefully, the maintainer will adopt my packaging changes.

Please note that the Jaunty version will only enable and disable the radios. It will not disable wireless in network-manager. The dbus method that aircraft-manager uses for enabling and disabling wireless in network-manager does not appear to work in Jaunty. I would be happy to update the utility if someone can tell me an alternate command to run.

[Jeremy Austin-Bardo (ausimage)]

Thought I would add my test results with the ppa version
aircraft-manager-12 does enable and disable bluetooth activity on my
dell mini 9. Though the wireless as stated does not work. Though I did
notice that after unchecking, clicking ok, then coming back in and
checking the wireless, clicking ok once again. The wireless icon did
"refresh" (ie disconnects and reconnects).

On Thu, 2009-04-16 at 03:18 +0000, Brandon Williams wrote:
> ** Changed in: netbook-remix
> Status: New => Confirmed
>
--
jeremy austin-bardo <email address hidden>
Ubuntu Communty Member / Ubuntu New York Leader / Ubuntu Scribes Leader

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

My PPA now has version 12.1, which uses the new dbus method for enabling/disabling wifi in network manager. This version is now functionally identical with the previous version.

I wish I could figure out how to get these changes adopted upstream. I can't seem to contact the maintainer/author, and I can't find a public repository and/or bug tracking system.

[stecklum (stecklum)]

I tried aircraft-manager versions 11 and12.1 together with portio-0.4 on my XPS M1330 runnung 64bit 8.10 but without success. The program hangs with 99%CPU and I have to kill it. Here is the command line output

$sudo aircraft-manager
 Status WIFI
^CTraceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 359, in <module>
    app = GUI()
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 36, in __init__
    self.init_radios()
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager", line 347, in init_radios
    ret = subprocess.call(cmd)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.5/subprocess.py", line 444, in call
    return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.5/subprocess.py", line 1184, in wait
    pid, sts = self._waitpid_no_intr(self.pid, 0)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.5/subprocess.py", line 1014, in _waitpid_no_intr
    return os.waitpid(pid, options)
KeyboardInterruptTraceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager-util", line 234, in <module>

    getStatus(1)
  File "/usr/bin/aircraft-manager-util", line 15, in getStatus
    status = portio.inb(0x6c)
KeyboardInterrupt

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

AFAIK, aircraft-manager only works on the dell mini 9n and 10v. It is using low-level portio to interface directly with the hardware. If the hardware doesn't work exactly the way the upstream developer expected it to, then aircraft-manager can experience all sorts of catastrophic failures. That's not a bug in aircraft-manager, though.

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

I've marked this bug confirmed for the dell mini project. It _was_ invalid, until dell upgraded network-manager to version 0.7. Now, the version of aircraft-manager in my repository is the only version that is fully functional on an up-to-date dell mini 9n or 10v running dell's ubuntu. The version in the dell-mini repo can't control the wireless toggle setting of network-manager 0.7.X.

[anjilslaire (anjilslaire)]

Brandon, I've installed Aircraft-Manager on Karmic UNR on the Mini 9, and the battery suddenly refuses to charge, even after disabling airplane mode. I've tried the following to re-enable the battery without success:
http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dell-mini-9-hardware-issues-problems/420-battery-not-charging-2.html#post12070
http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dell-mini-9-hardware-issues-problems/1955-fix-no-battery-charging-ubuntu.html#post15644

Any suggestions?

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

Unfortunately, the code in aircraft-manager-util (the script that does the real work) looks a bit like magic to me. It uses a raw interface to the hardware ports and figuring out whether or not it does the right thing requires a lower level understanding of what the hardware is doing than I have.

The best that I can suggest is to toggle the AC status. The following commands will do it:

    sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING off
    sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING on

If that and the suggestions in the two threads that you referenced don't solve the problem, then my best guess would be that it's a problem with the battery. Folks on the 'Ubuntu on the Dell Mini' google group might have additional suggestions.

[anjilslaire (anjilslaire)]

Cool, I'll try that, thanks.
Here's a thought:
Since this is making calls to the hardware directly charging won't work even if the system is powered off) I would guess that it's associated to the BIOS or firmware in some way. Obviously resetting the BIOS to default values doesn't work, but what do you think about *flashing* the BIOS? Wouldn't that reset everything to a clean slate, BIOS/firmware/hardware-wise?

Just a thought. I'll try toggling things directly when I get a chance.

Thanks again, Brandon

> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:56:35 +0000
> From: <email address hidden>
> To: <email address hidden>
> Subject: [Bug 357412] Re: Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR
>
> Unfortunately, the code in aircraft-manager-util (the script that does
> the real work) looks a bit like magic to me. It uses a raw interface to
> the hardware ports and figuring out whether or not it does the right
> thing requires a lower level understanding of what the hardware is doing
> than I have.
>
> The best that I can suggest is to toggle the AC status. The following
> commands will do it:
>
> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING off
> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING on
>
> If that and the suggestions in the two threads that you referenced don't
> solve the problem, then my best guess would be that it's a problem with
> the battery. Folks on the 'Ubuntu on the Dell Mini' google group might
> have additional suggestions.
>
> --
> Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/357412
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Dell Inspiron Mini with Custom Dell UI: Confirmed
> Status in Ubuntu Netbook Remix: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> I am not sure if this should be bug or a wishlist. BUT aircraft-manager crashes miserably when I add the package to a Jaunty Ubuntu-Netbook-Remix. I wanted that aircraft manager installed to turn off and on my bluetooth support mostly.
>
> I did dig into the code of aircraft manager and discovered two incompatibilities with the UNR live image for Jaunty. First the kernel is missing a module called hci_usb which may explain why bluetooth notification icon does not appear. I know this cause I ran the command that this app ran directly in a terminal.
>
> Second the d-bus messages for network manager appear to have changed which does explain why it crashes in the first place. I know this cause it spews "dbus.exceptions.DBus Exceptions: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod: Method "getWirelessEnabled" with signature "" on interface ("null") doesn't exist. This method is called with getWifiState() on line 300 of aircraft-manager.
>
> As I said I am unsure how this should be handled :/ but I think that aircraft-manager should be usuable in Jaunty even if the entire mini9 package set stays with Hardy. It seems only common sense to keep those brave mini9 users happy.
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/dell-mini/+bug/357412/+subscribe

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[anjilslaire (anjilslaire)]

Well, manually toggling the commannds

> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING off
> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING on

Seems to have fixed it, but I have since done a reinstall of karmic UNR to the machine. Strangely enough, the LIVE CD works in safe graphics mode, but after a full install th xorg fails and leaves a "snowing" GUI. Weird that X can't autodetect Intel 945 chpset.. BUt that's another issue unrelated to this thread/bug.

Thanks Brandon.

anjilslaire

From: <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: RE: [Bug 357412] Re: Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:51:06 -0800

Cool, I'll try that, thanks.
Here's a thought:
Since this is making calls to the hardware directly charging won't work even if the system is powered off) I would guess that it's associated to the BIOS or firmware in some way. Obviously resetting the BIOS to default values doesn't work, but what do you think about *flashing* the BIOS? Wouldn't that reset everything to a clean slate, BIOS/firmware/hardware-wise?

Just a thought. I'll try toggling things directly when I get a chance.

Thanks again, Brandon

> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:56:35 +0000
> From: <email address hidden>
> To: <email address hidden>
> Subject: [Bug 357412] Re: Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR
>
> Unfortunately, the code in aircraft-manager-util (the script that does
> the real work) looks a bit like magic to me. It uses a raw interface to
> the hardware ports and figuring out whether or not it does the right
> thing requires a lower level understanding of what the hardware is doing
> than I have.
>
> The best that I can suggest is to toggle the AC status. The following
> commands will do it:
>
> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING off
> sudo aircraft-manager-util AC_CHARGING on
>
> If that and the suggestions in the two threads that you referenced don't
> solve the problem, then my best guess would be that it's a problem with
> the battery. Folks on the 'Ubuntu on the Dell Mini' google group might
> have additional suggestions.
>
> --
> Failure using Aircraft-Manager with Jaunty UNR
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/357412
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Dell Inspiron Mini with Custom Dell UI: Confirmed
> Status in Ubuntu Netbook Remix: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> I am not sure if this should be bug or a wishlist. BUT aircraft-manager crashes miserably when I add the package to a Jaunty Ubuntu-Netbook-Remix. I wanted that aircraft manager installed to turn off and on my bluetooth support mostly.
>
> I did dig into the code of aircraft manager and discovered two incompatibilities with the UNR live image for Jaunty. First the kernel is missing a module called hci_usb which may explain why bluetooth notification icon does not appear. I know this cause I ran the command that this app ran directly in a terminal.
>
> Second the d-bus messages for network manager appear to have changed which does explain why it crashes in the first place. I know this cause it spews "dbus.exceptions.DBus Exceptions: org.fr...

[John Conley (sciencekid66)]

i'm using 10.04.1, and the above instructions for toggling the ac charging didn't work. does this program no longer work with 10.04? i can revert back to 8.04, i still have the dellbuntu cd. is that advised?

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

Unfortunately, if you have fully up-to-date dellbuntu, their version of aircraft-manager won't work for you. However, the version in my repo should. I haven't tried aircraft-manager on 10.04. I'll give it a try when I have the chance.

Please note that toggling the AC charging state would only help if you had used aircraft-manager to turn off charging in the first place. I've seen reports from some people of AC charging breaking at a hardware level on a dell mini, and it's possible that this is the problem for you. Have you tried resetting the battery state? This is something I've seen described on one of the dell mini forums (though I can't remember which one).

[Brandon Williams (opensource-subakutty)]

I just double-checked the lucid version of aircraft-manager from my PPA on my Dell mini 10, and it reliably disables/enables AC_CHARGING using the commands listed above. If this doesn't work on your mini, then I think it's probably a hardware problem, not a software problem.

If you need it, my PPA is here: https://launchpad.net/~opensource-subakutty/+archive/ppa