old and faulty rt2860sta [The self compiled rt2860sta works.]

[Asbjørn Gabrielsen]

This report concerns the Gigabyte AirCruiser N300 GN-WB31N-RH, with a Ralink RT2870 chip set. The problem seems to concern several other devices with this chipset as well, considering all the different guides I've come across while trying to make it work. There is several reports concerning this chip set here on launchpad, but it's still an issue, an issue that should be an easy fix for maverick.

I'm running lucid (kernel 2.6.32-24 generic).

First of all the current driver in the kernel is old. The latest driver (v2.4.0.1) can be downloaded here: http://www.ralinktech.com/support.php?s=2

Second, the driver is not set up to allow WPA encryption by default. This can be easily fixed by editing the two lines concerning this in the file /os/linux/config.mk (in the downloaded driver folder) before running make/make install. WPA is very common and should be activated by default.

Third. My device is apparently recognized as another chip set, and ubuntu loads the rt2800usb driver instead of the correct rt2870sta. I've had to blacklist rt2800usb to make it load the right driver.

Fourth. My device is not included in the device list (/common/rtusb_dev_id.c) for the new driver. The lsusb command gives this information on my Gigabyte device: ID 1044:800c Chu Yuen Enterprise Co., Ltd

Bug report #632187 concerns the same Gigabyte usb device on the same kernel, but does not mention the blacklisting rt2800 issue. In my experience the problem can not be solved without blacklisting the rt2800 driver.

A quick search here at launchpad indicates that there is other devices missing in the device list as well.

In short by, blacklsiting the rt2800 driver, editing the device list and activating WPA, i got it to work.
---
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: STAC92xx Analog [STAC92xx Analog]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: asbjoern 1334 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf6ffc000 irq 43'
   Mixer name : 'SigmaTel STAC9205'
   Components : 'HDA:838476a0,102801f9,00100204'
   Controls : 18
   Simple ctrls : 11DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=86d62931-370a-4a85-8b20-c9f290f2b781InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Alpha amd64 (20100920)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude D630
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: linux (not installed)
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic root=UUID=f80f3451-05ac-44f9-a3c4-3d62126ea8d3 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=nb_NO:nb:no_NO:no:nn_NO:nn:en
 LANG=nb_NO.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-22.33-generic 2.6.35.4Regression: No
RelatedPackageVersions: linux-firmware 1.38
Reproducible: YesTags: maverick kernel-net needs-upstream-testing
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-22-generic x86_64
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare
dmi.bios.date: 01/04/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A17
dmi.board.name: 0WM416
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA17:bd01/04/2010:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeD630:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0WM416:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude D630
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

###The Gigabyte GN-WI30N-RH uses the Ralink RT2860 wireless chipset with support for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n (draft standard).###

[Jeremy Foshee (jeremyfoshee)]

Hi Asbjørn,

Please be sure to confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu. ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/ . If the issue remains, please run the following command from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal). It will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report.

apport-collect -p linux 638791

Also, if you could test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

    [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Asbjørn Gabrielsen (asbjoerngabrielsen)]

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[Asbjørn Gabrielsen (asbjoerngabrielsen)]

  Hi

I have now tested the ISO image, by doing a fresh install on my
computer. At first the device appears to work fine. It connects, with
WPA encryption, and it stays connected. This is an improvement from lucid.

However, there is a problem with speed. The connection is slow. I have
100% signal strength and network information says I'm connected at
54Mbps, but browsing is slow. I have double checked my connection, both
with cable and by plugging the wifi dongle into my other computer
(running lucid with my self-compiled driver). It must be the driver
that's the problem.

When running lsmod | grep "rt2", I get this
asbjoern@ubuntucat:~$ sudo lsmod | grep "rt2"rt2800usb
9955 0
rt2800lib 31970 1 rt2800usb
rt2x00usb 11316 2 rt2800usb,rt2800lib
rt2x00lib 31575 2 rt2800lib,rt2x00usb
led_class 3393 1 rt2x00lib
mac80211 266657 2 rt2x00usb,rt2x00lib
cfg80211 170293 2 rt2x00lib,mac80211
crc_ccitt 1699 1 rt2800usb

The output shows that the device use the rt2800usb driver, instead of
the rt2870sta. When I blacklist this driver, the device doesn't work at
all. As far as I can understand, there's still something wrong in the
device list(s).

I have run the apport-collect command from your e-mail below.

When I install the latest upstream kernel and boot with that, i get an
error message and the computer boots to a command prompt instead of
gnome. I get no further.

AG

On 21. sep. 2010 09:22, Jeremy Foshee wrote:
> Hi Asbjørn,
>
> Please be sure to confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu. ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/ . If the issue remains, please run the following command from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal). It will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report.
>
> apport-collect -p linux 638791
>
> Also, if you could test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]
>
>
> ** Tags added: needs-kernel-logs
>
> ** Tags added: needs-upstream-testing
>
> ** Tags added: kj-triage
>
> ** Changed in: linux (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[noname2 (noname2-deactivatedaccount)]

y still the old buggy driver in the latest maverick kernel.
PLS FIX IT

[Andreas Noteng (andreas-noteng)]

Setting triaged/high after request by Fabia Marconi.

[gcb (gcb0)]

eeepc1000 with a rt2860sta. it always worked. i don't remeber to ever blacklist the usb driver.

from ubuntu 8 to 10.10

[Malcolm Scott (malcscott)]

I just had the rt2860sta driver cause a kernel crash on an Asus EeeBox B202 on lucid. Kernel messages attached (JPEG photo, sorry, couldn't extract them any other way).

I wasn't connected to a wireless network; I just ran powertop, which in turn ran iwpriv and triggered the crash.

Might I suggest that drivers in the kernel staging area are not yet ready to be autoloaded?

[Wolfgang Kufner (wolfgangkufner)]

AFAIK the rt2860sta is in staging because it does bring its own stack instead of using the in kernel mac80211 stack. Not because it is especially flakey.
For the same reason it will also never make it from staging to the kernel proper. Instead the rt2x00 driver family is supposed to take over. Between lucid and maverick rt2x00 drivers have become the new default for many devices. This has worked for many, but also caused quite a few bug reports. For some on lucid, the new linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.36.. package might bring a solution.

[Simon P. (simpre)]

Had a similar problem with my Asus EEE PC 1000H which uses Ralink rt2860 Chipset. Ubuntu 10.04 loaded two drivers:
rt2800pci
rt2860sta
Result was connectivity problem with many routers. It seems to be a common problem, by blacklisting the rt 2800 driver I could fix it.

Since installing Natty (fresh installation, not update), only the rt 2800pci driver is loaded, only when my netbook was in a good mood I could connect to Wifi (and it was not too often in that mood...). Simply blacklisting one driver and loading the other one does not work any longer. By using this tutorial: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1476007 I managed to install a fresh driver from Ralink. Time consuming and tricky for unexperienced users.

Would be nice if these things would work out of the box!

[Thomas Horsten (thomas-horsten)]

Now I use 11.04 on my netbook (Eee 1000HE) and it loads the rt2800pci module by default just as it should. But it STILL doesn't work properly, every time I disconnect the AC power the WLAN connection freezes up (still shows as connected, but no data goes through), until I rmmod rt2800pci and modprobe it again !!

How hard can it be to get this working properly !!?? Extremely annoying and frustrating.

[MichaelT (mike-on-launchpad)]

I put EB4 onto my eeePC901 months ago and haven't looked back, my needs are just FireFox over WLAN and it works great. Haven't tried Aurora.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Asbjørn Gabrielsen, this bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? If so, could you please test for this with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ .

If it remains an issue, could you please run the following command in the development release from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report:

apport-collect -p linux <replace-with-bug-number>

Also, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available (not the daily folder, but the one all the way at the bottom) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested. For example:
kernel-fixed-upstream-v3.12-rc7

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description. As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[dino99 (9d9)]

This is no more a supported version now