Camaleón wrote:
Thanks for this information. I might end up updating the kernel, but at this stage I am still trying to understand what happens and if there is another way to go around. I also have an ASUS laptop on which I installed Debian Squeeze on a dual boot together with MSWIN XP. This laptop allows a wireless connexion, even though nothing was installed other than what already existed on "MSWIN-XP". Wireless connexions are fully operational, even though they are often active for hours. I searched about the chipset used. It appeared to be the same as on the Desktop !On Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:08:31 +0100, Bernard wrote:Bernard wrote:Hi to Everyone, On the Desktop of my association, there was no wireless card. So, I purchased one that is said to be Debian compatible. It is a PCI card TP-LINK TL-WN751ND It is supposedly based on an Atheros chipset AR 9227 I plugged it inside the Central Unit on a PCI slot, and then booted the Debian Squeeze system.(...)P.S. : I carried new tests. As said above, now that my WiFi is configured, every attempt to boot, leads to "freezing" of the system in the middle of gnome start... EXCEPT IF I shutdown my DSL/WiFi box ! As long as no connexion is possible, the system starts all right ; I can see the other WiFi available in the area (I don't have the passwords...). This being said, if I reboot my WiFi connexion on the DSL modem, then, as said before, connexion does happen all right, it seems fully operational, but only for about 45 to 60 seconds, system freezing happens next. My TL-WN751ND card is supposed to work with Debian kernel module ath9k, which is supposed to be loaded with the wireless-tools package, which is alreeady installed.There are many issues reported for system freezes regarding that kernel module (ath9k), there is even a documented bug at the Linuxwireless site:http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/ath9k/bugs#Hangs_with_PCI_devices_and_SMP_systems And even on Debian BTS: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=611946 I would try with an updated kernel. Greetings,
lspci on the laptop (the one that works fine) says :Atheros Communications Inc. AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-express rev 01
(while on the Desktop where no wireless connexion can operate for any longer than one or two minutes without system freeze, this is a AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter, TP-LINK TL-WN751ND)
As stated, both machines are on Squeeze. On the laptop where everything works fine, kernel is 2.6.32-5-686 (Debian 2.6.32.30), while it is Debian 2.6.32-41 on the problematic Desktop.
I carried a few more tests on the problematic Desktop. I tested 'Wicd' instead of 'NetworkManager'. Even though I had uninstalled (#apt-get remove --purge) the old Wicd package and re-installed a new one , it did reckognise my WiFi, but I couldn't get any connexion: the password did not seem to be accepted ; it said "wrong password". True enough, this is a "pasphrase", not a key, that was required, and I had nothing else than a WPA-PSK key, the very same one that was being reckognized by NM. I tested several times to no avail.
I am willing to test 'ifup', but I don't know what I should write in my /etc/network/interfaces file. I carried a few tests, to no avail.
I also tested another chip that I have purchased in the same time. It is a "mini-PCI" wireless card (TP-LINK model TL-WN861N). I had to purchase a special "mini-pci to pci adaptator" in order to be able to insert it in a PCI slot in said Desktop. This one is not being reckognized "out of the box" as the TL-WN751ND was. You must install 'firmware-atheros' before it gets acknowledged. This one is supposedly driven by AR922X wireless-network-adapter. But I got nowhere with this. #iwconfig said that it was on wlan1, but I could never even see any wireless network with it. I also tested it on MSWIN, where it seemed reckognized all write after proper installation with appropriate drivers... but in the end I never got any connexion ; it seems to be that my DSL box wifi signal was too weak for this chipset... The other chipset, the one that connects OK to Debian for a short time before system freeze, works perfectly under MSWIN.
So, I wonder why an atheros wifi card works so well on a laptop with Squeeze, and another very closely related Atheros chipset refuses to work on another machine on Squeeze.
If I were to upgrade kernels, which kernel would you recommend ?