14e4:4311 [HP Compaq nx7400 Notebook PC] bcmwl package was suggested by KDE driver manager but broke the system

[Rostislav Kandilarov]

On fresh 14.10 install on the first GUI run in KDE the KDE Driver Manager suggested installation of bcmwl-kernel-source (see attached screenshot)for my Broadcom Corporation BCM4311. After successful installation of the package and restart, my system got

Jan 4 23:32:13 Beatles kernel: [ 19.485177] wl driver 6.30.223.248 (r487574) failed with code 21
Jan 4 23:32:13 Beatles kernel: [ 19.485208] ------------[ cut here ]------------
Jan 4 23:32:13 Beatles kernel: [ 19.485242] kernel BUG at include/net/cfg80211.h:3343!

full description of the message in attached file (syslog_extracted.log).

For some reason this also affects the driver for my NIC and my laptop got out of any possible network connection. So instead of configuring the wireless card it left me with only "lo" interface :(. I would expect properly configured modules for WAN and LAN....

Luckily
apt-get remove --purge bcmwl-kernel-source
restores the previous state so I can submit this bug via LAN.

Now I'm running Ubuntu 14.10 but the same happened half an year ago when I tried to install 14.04 on this laptop.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: bcmwl-kernel-source (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-28.38-generic 3.16.7-ckt1
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-28-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu8
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Mon Jan 5 01:00:26 2015
SourcePackage: bcmwl
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

Here is the syslog with "kernel BUG at include/net/cfg80211.h:3343!"

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Rostislav Kandilarov, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Could you please provide the missing information following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx#Filing_bug_reports ?

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

I've checked at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx and installed b43 driver:
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer
 which up to now seems to work with my BCM4311. So I would recommend KDE driver manager NOT to recommend bcmwl but b43 for BCM4311 (Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN [14e4:4311]).

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

Thanks Christopher,
down in the post is the needed information (though to open new bug with ubuntu-bug if it is better?):

apt-cache policy bcmwl-kernel-source
bcmwl-kernel-source:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
     6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://bg.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ utopic/restricted amd64 Packages

 lspci -vvnn | grep -A 49 Network
10:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN [14e4:4311] (rev 01)
        Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company BCM4311 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller [103c:1364]
        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
        Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 17
        Region 0: Memory at f4000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=2 PME-
        Capabilities: [58] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
                Address: 00000000 Data: 0000
        Capabilities: [d0] Express (v1) Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
                DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <4us, L1 unlimited
                        ExtTag+ AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset-
                DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
                        RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
                        MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
                DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
                LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s, Exit Latency L0s <4us, L1 <64us
                        ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
                LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- CommClk+
                        ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
                LnkSta: Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
        Capabilities: [100 v1] Advanced Error Reporting
                UESta: DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                UEMsk: DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                UESvrt: DLP+ SDES- TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                CESta: RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr-
                CEMsk: RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr-
                AERCap: First Error Pointer: 00, GenCap+ CGenEn- ChkCap+ ChkEn-
        Capabilities: [13c v1] Virtual Channel
                Caps: LPEVC=0 RefClk=100ns PATEntryBits=1
                Arb: Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128-
                Ctrl: ArbSelect=Fixed
                Status: InProgress-
                VC0: Caps: PATOffset=00 MaxTimeSlots=1 RejSnoopTr...

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

"New" BIOS installed (HP claim that bootable usb could do the trick and lost me some time...):

root@Beatles:~# dmidecode -s bios-version && dmidecode -s bios-release-date
68YGU Ver. F.0E
08/27/2008

Then installed bcmwl driver
sudo apt-get --reinstall install bcmwl-kernel-source

Then blacklisted all b4*, wl and related drivers:
root@Beatles:~# cat /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-temp.conf
blacklist b43
blacklist b44
blacklist ssb
blacklist wl
blacklist ssb_hcd
blacklist b43legacy
blacklist brcmsmac
blacklist bcma

Reboot and when modprobing wl I got the same
....
 kernel: [ 214.826743] wl driver 6.30.223.248 (r487574) failed with code 21
 kernel: [ 214.826776] ------------[ cut here ]------------
 kernel: [ 214.826814] kernel BUG at include/net/cfg80211.h:3343!
.....
Adding attached the "new" kernel bug.

Rebooting (which is tricky due to the kernel state) and tested b43 and b44 - working, hopefully writing this post from the laptop.

P.S. I found it annoying that wl requires modprobe ignore install b44 when b44 is my ethernet driver....

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Rostislav Kandilarov, could you please test for this in Vivid (live environment is fine) via http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ and advise to the results?

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

Done. Same problem.

After installing bcmwl-kernel-source in practice laptop is without any internet connection for not a-bit-more experienced user as modprobe wl will try to remove the NIC driver b44 and then trough "modprobe ignore install b44" wich due to the broken module/kernel state cannot be undone, process hangs. After reboot if wl is not explicitly blacklisted it will trigger the same events and prevent WIFI or LAN driver to work at all on the machine... really annoing... Good that Unity did not suggest me to install bcmwl as KDE did on 14.10 and 14.04 :)...

Some technical information
daily build of 15.04 from 06.01.2015

lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu Vivid Vervet (development branch)
Release: 15.04

uname -a
Linux ubuntu 3.16.0-28-generic #38-Ubuntu SMP Fri Dec 12 17:37:40 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

apt-cache policy bcmwl-kernel-source
bcmwl-kernel-source:
  Installed: 6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu2
  Candidate: 6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu2 0
        500 cdrom://Ubuntu 15.04 _Vivid Vervet_ - Alpha amd64 (20150106)/ vivid/restricted amd64 Packages
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid/restricted amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Jan 6 10:44:58 ubuntu kernel: [ 3042.972927] malloc in abgphy done
Jan 6 10:44:58 ubuntu kernel: [ 3042.973350] wl driver 6.30.223.248 (r487574) failed with code 21
Jan 6 10:44:58 ubuntu kernel: [ 3042.973384] ------------[ cut here ]------------
Jan 6 10:44:58 ubuntu kernel: [ 3042.974356] kernel BUG at include/net/cfg80211.h:3343!
Jan 6 10:44:58 ubuntu kernel: [ 3042.975276] invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Rostislav Kandilarov, did this problem not occur in a release prior to Utopic?

As well, does this occur using https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/broadcom-sta instead of bcmwl?

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

Christopher,

I did not remember what I've done with 12.04/10 , so I made a kubuntu usb stick with 12.04.5 and run in on the laptop. Problem is the same (3.2.0-7-generic x86, with bcmwl 6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu0.0.2 ), so for sure it happened before precise(12.04) . What is more, looking at the syslog I remind myself what I've done to make my wifi working then - to simplify - installed proper b43 driver.... At that time kde device manager did not pop up with sugestion so I did my driver choise by syslog warning suggestions for b43.

Not only did b43 not conflict with b44( the LAN driver) but it serve me for a long time ;).

When it comes to broadcom-sta, good guide for me was
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BroadcomSTA%28Wireless%29
where is said that my card [14e4:4311] works with b43 but not with broadcom-sta, so after installing I do not get an offer for the card to use the driver.

Should I report the bug on http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php directly ?

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Rostislav Kandilarov, it wouldn't hurt to e-mail them given you are testing the latest version of the driver in Vivid.

[Rostislav Kandilarov (rostislav-kandilarov)]

Ok, sent a email.

Writing here just if anybody else come to the same problem to note also the following:
when installing bcmwl-kernel-source package will be generated a blacklist file:
/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf
which has line:
"install wl modprobe -r b43 b44 b43legacy ssb; modprobe --ignore-install wl ; modprobe --ignore-install b44"
that one should comment out if want to both keep bcmwl package and have b44(LAN driver) loaded on demand .

[Andy Pearson (andyp123)]

Many years later, I can confirm the same problem still exists! Fresh install of Kubuntu 23.04 with the 14e4:4311 wireless chip, the KDE driver manager suggests installing bcmwl-kernel-source which does not work. Proper suggestion should be as above, firmware-b43-installer, which works perfectly.

Installing bcmwl-kernel-source does blacklist the b43 module which requires a little work to undo, so in my opinion having bcmwl suggested by the driver manager is worse than having no driver suggested at all. In my case, running:
cd /etc/modprobe.d/
sudo rm broadcom-sta-dkms.conf
was necessary to allow the b43 module to work, even after purging the bcmwl-kernel-source package.

This solution of installing firmware-b43-installer is known and broadly suggested across many forums, and seems to always work for this chip while bcmwl-kernel-source never works, so I would second the suggestion of the driver manager explicitly recommending firmware-b43-installer when it detects this wireless hardware.

[Andy Pearson (andyp123)]

Should note that the firmware-b43-installer package is also listed as correct for this wireless card in this fairly exhaustive list, yet the driver manager still recommends the wrong package: https://askubuntu.com/questions/55868/installing-broadcom-wireless-drivers