RT2500pci Regression

[Nille]

Since Kernel 3.4 the rt2500pci WLAN Hardware switch is permanent turned Off. That Blocks every Wlan Device to work on that System.

This is the Commit that cause the Regression

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=e2bc7c5f3cb8756865aa0ab140d2288f61599dda

This is the Upstream Bug Report:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=73821

Thats the Pull Request:

http://marc.info/?l=linux-wireless&m=140293723015652&w=2

Thats the Commit in the linux-next Tree:

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git/commit/?id=616a8394b5df8c88f4dd416f4527439a4e365034

I hope that this Fix get Backported to the affected Ubuntu Releases. Currectly a User has 2 Options with this Hardware. Bkacklist and use a WLAN-Stick or Blacklist and use the Windows XP Driver with the NDISWrapper.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-3.13.0-29-generic 3.13.0-29.53
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-29.53-generic 3.13.11.2
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-29-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: laptop 1686 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Fri Jun 27 11:35:53 2014
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=846dd280-ab4d-4b25-902f-3d3e2798456b
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-04-11 (76 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release i386 (20131016)
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 003 Device 002: ID 093a:2510 Pixart Imaging, Inc. Optical Mouse
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
MachineType: NOTEBOOK SAM2000
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
 Socket 1:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
 Socket 1:
   no card
ProcFB: 0 radeondrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-29-generic root=UUID=a7b1d8e6-9dbc-4cbe-9ea7-f204ccde6281 ro
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-29-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-29-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.127.4
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: yes
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-04-18 (69 days ago)
WifiSyslog:

dmi.bios.date: 08/24/2005
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A1013AM7 V3.50
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: MICRO-STAR INT'L CO.,LTD
dmi.chassis.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrA1013AM7V3.50:bd08/24/2005:svnNOTEBOOK:pnSAM2000:pvr0131:cvnMICRO-STARINT'LCO.,LTD:ct10:cvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.:
dmi.product.name: SAM2000
dmi.product.version: 0131
dmi.sys.vendor: NOTEBOOK

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Nathan (nblomquist+ubuntuone)]

I was recently trying to bring an old laptop back to life. It contained a MiniPCI Ralink RT2500. It had Maverick installed and the wireless worked.

I then started trying to install Trusty 14.04 on it. The wireless was constantly disabled in live CDs and I tried a bunch of workarounds that failed.

I finally found the linux kernel bug report that was linked in this bug report and found that it was implemented in kernel 3.14.18 (just recently).

So my workaround that finally fixed the issue was to install the 3.14.18 utopic kernel from here:
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.14.18-utopic/

Specifically for me it was the i386 debs:

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.14.18-utopic/linux-headers-3.14.18-031418_3.14.18-031418.201409060201_all.deb
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.14.18-utopic/linux-headers-3.14.18-031418-generic_3.14.18-031418.201409060201_i386.deb
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.14.18-utopic/linux-image-3.14.18-031418-generic_3.14.18-031418.201409060201_i386.deb

It would be much better from a long term standpoint if these changes were backported to 3.13 and put into the longterm kernel of trusty.

Thanks

[Nathan (nblomquist+ubuntuone)]

It looks like this has been merged back to 3.13.

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/git?p=ubuntu/ubuntu-trusty.git;a=commit;h=6fa469ab90e90d007a1027350d1f6a3cb58fd2d7

But I swear when I updated to the newest kernel Ubuntu-3.13.0-35.62 it didn't work last night.

I will try it again tonight when I get home and report back.

Thanks.

[Nathan (nblomquist+ubuntuone)]

Looks like my laptop wasn't updated to 3.13.0-35.66, it was updated to 3.13.0.35.42. That is why I didn't see my RT2500 working when I updated.

I tried to install .62, but my laptop is too old and doesn't support PAE (Pentium M, so during installation of 14.04 I needed to use forcepae).

That is off topic, so for now I will be waiting to see if this fix gets pushed into a kernel my laptop supports. Looks like it is getting there.