Re: Help please - install the WiFi driver
On Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:53:37 -0500
Mark Filipak <markfilipak.linux@gmail.com> wrote:
> My objective:
> Install WiFi driver into Debian+LXDE so that I can connect to the
> Internet.
>
> My problem:
> All the help I can find covers installing packages over the Internet.
> But I can't install packages over the Internet because I can't reach
> the Internet until I've installed the driver (not part of Debian
> because it's non-free) and a Network Manager (apparently, not part of
> Debian+LXDE ...or at least I can't find it under System Tools ...I
> think that's what the menu item is named).
>
Network manager is not actually necessary to do anything, and until
recently it had a rather poor reputation, usually being known as Notwork
Manager. It's quite big and overbearing, and has many plug-ins, for
OpenVPN, wi-fi, 3G dongles and other things. It does seem to work these
days, or at least the Sid version does. I don't have it on my
workstation, which is a purely wired-Ethernet machine, but both my
laptop and netbook have it.
> Packages I have:
> aptitude_0.6.3-3.2+squeeze1_amd64.deb // Debian - Package Manager
> firmware-iwlwifi_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb // Debian - WiFi Drivers
> synaptic_0.70~pre1+b1_amd64.deb // Debian - Package Manager
> wicd_1.7.0+ds1-5+squeeze3_all.deb // Debian (all but Gnome) -
> Network Manager wireless-tools_30~pre9-5_amd64.deb // Debian -
> WiFi Tools
>
> Documentation I have:
> (copied off the Internet and saved where I can get to them when I'm
> in Debian+LXDE...) "How to use a WiFi
> interface" (http://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/HowToUse) "Intel PRO-Wireless
> 3945 and WiFi Link 4965 devices" (http://wiki.debian.org/iwlegacy)
> "WiFi Ad-hoc Network" (http://wiki.debian.org/WiFi/AdHoc)
> "iwconfig" (http://wiki.debian.org/iwconfig) iwconfig man page as a
> text file.
>
> BTW, before I go on, I already tried opening a file manager (in
> Debian+LXDE) and simply double-clicking one of the .deb files.
> Nothing happened.
>
There are packages which will install .deb files in this way, having
set up the right file association, but they are not installed by default
in LXDE. Anyway, the missing link here is that you use dpkg:
dpkg -i <full-name-of-.deb-file>
Assuming you have the right driver, you shouldn't have a problem. I've
never used wicd, but no doubt someone else will tell you if you need to
do anything with it. I'm not a big wireless fan. Network Manager Just
Works, or at least it does for me.
> I don't know what to do or what I'll need once I'm booted back into
> Debian+LXDE ...remember: I won't have Internet. Assuming that I'll
> need to know how to run a Package Manager, I've looked at the
> following
> (http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/index.en.html#contents):
When you have Net access, there's a vast number of apt-get and aptitude
tutorials, or Synaptic is fairly intuitive to use without much help.
>
> (Before listing the contents of the appropriate section of debian-faq
> below, I need to say that I really, really tried to read this stuff.
> My eyes glazed over.
You must know, from long experience, that theory is almost useless
until you've done a bit of practice, by rote if necessary.
>
> You guys know the stuff above. I'd be willing to *try* to read it if
> you think I'll need it,
No. I don't know most of that and, with three somewhat different Sid
installations, I probably do more upgrades than most people. I look
things up as and when I need them. I can't say offhand how to export an
Exchange mailbox, either, but I know how to find out how to do it, and
I have done it a few times.
Aptitude and apt-get will be installed by default, they both drive dpkg
which is the low-level package manager and is part of the Debian core.
Synaptic is a GUI program and I use it when Sid has issues with
upgrades, as it does occasionally, I find it faster than aptitude in
identifying things that are currently uninstallable. Some people never
use it, and my server doesn't have a GUI, so I obviously don't use it
there. Debian Stable is much better-behaved than Sid.
All three apt tools will install everything in the repositories they are
configured for, you only need dpkg for .deb files obtained elsewhere. I
use it for that maybe twice a year. A lot of Linux software has a .deb
available even if Debian has not yet included it in a distribution.
dpkg does have many other uses, but not for the beginner. Among other
things, it will pretty much copy a Debian installation, complete with
all software installed from the repositories. You can migrate from 32
bit to 64 bit hardware that way. Let's see you do that with Windows.
There is also a GUI Update Manager, but either apt-get or aptitude will
do updates from the command line with minimal effort.
> However, one thing's for certain: If I
> don't succeed with this, a year from now I will not be running Linux.
You think we care? It will be your loss.
You do realise, yet again, you are in an unusual situation? I can't
remember ever being stuck with a single computer and nothing but wi-fi.
If you'd just installed Windows, and it didn't have the right wi-fi
driver, you'd be in exactly the same position. You might be worse off,
as it's usually recommended to fire up Windows in a new network on a
cable, as sometimes it has trouble getting DHCP over wi-fi for the
first time. When the connection has been made once, all is well after
that.
The bottom line is that I, as the saying goes, walk both the Light and
Dark Paths, and I use Windows where I have to, and Linux everywhere
else, by preference. There are many, many reasons for that, and I'm sure
most of them would be valid for you also. But you have to find out for
yourself.
--
Joe
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