Install Ndiswrapper on Debian 2.6.9 for wireless (802.11G) access

Posted by ryan
at 8:51 PM on Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Howto install Ndiswrapper on a Debian Dell D500 laptop for wireless 802.11G access for the embedded Dell Truemobile 1300 nini PCI card:

Step 1:Download and install ndiswrapper from source (assumes you have kernel-headers installed [apt-get install kernel-headers-2.6.9-1-686]):

Step 2: Download and extract the windows drivers file (list of other chipsets can be found at: http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/phpwiki/index.php/List)

  • download for truemobile 1300: http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R81433.EXE
  • unzip R81433.EXE
  • mkdir /lib/windrivers/ /lib/windrivers/net/
  • cp AR/bcmw5a.inf /lib/windrivers/net/
  • cp AR/bcmw5.sys /lib/windrivers/net/

Step 3: Load the ndiswrapper module and windriver

  • modprobe ndiswrapper
  • Verify module loading by: lsmod | grep ndiswrapper
  • ndiswrapper -i /lib/windrivers/net/bcmw5a.inf
  • Verify driver loading: ndiswrapper -l
  • Verify module/driver loading: dmesg | grep ndiswrapper

Step 4: install wireless tools and settings (raw netconfig file can be found at http://www.linux-wireless.org/Wireless/Drivers/Install-HOWTO/Drivers/BroadCom/Old/netconfig.sh):

  • apt-get -t testing install wireless-tools
  • netconfig scan
  • netconfig home

Resources:
- My edited netconfig file (hard coded for dhclient and BCM4306 chipset)

VMWare 4.5 Install on Debian 2.6.9

Posted by ryan
at 2:27 PM on Tuesday, December 28, 2004

This is more a how-to for myself than a great post, but I’ve recently struggled through getting VMWare installed on my Debian 2.6.9 laptop and thought this would be a good place to post the steps I took so I can recreate the installation in the future.

Step 1: Download and extract the VMWare evaluation binary:

Step 2: Install VMWare:

  • cd vmware-distrib
  • ./vmware-install.pl
  • do not run the vmware-config.pl script that the installer prompts you for

Step 3: Install VMWare any-any update

Step 4: Configure VMWare

  • /path/to/vmware/bin/vmware-config.pl
  • compile the modules when prompted and go about normal configuration for your machine

VMware is now runnable as /path/to/vmware/bin/vmware.

Clarification: Thanks to Mr. Frosti for this: You need to install “module-init-tools” to insert the modules into the kernel.

Todo: On reboot VMware needs to be reconfigured w/ vmware-config.pl. Why?
This didn’t work for me either: See this thread (http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=8531&tstart=60) on the edit you need to make on your /etc/init.d/vmware script. Running the any-any update as suggested in the thread didn’t fix it for me.

Debian 2.6.9 Kernel Compile w/ MPPE support

Posted by ryan
at 12:20 PM on Tuesday, December 28, 2004

This is just a place for me to jot down my own personal HOWTO for compiling my Debian 2.6.9 kernel with MPPE support (which will allow me to connect to a Microsoft VPN)

Step 1: Install the latest kernel image to get a base config

  • apt-get install kernel-image-2.6.9-1-686
  • reboot into the kernel

Step 2: Get the latest kernel source, ncurses and kernel-headers

  • apt-get -t testing install kernel-source-2.6.9 libncurses5-dev kernel-headers-2.6.9-1-686 kernel-package
  • cd /usr/src
  • tar -xvjf kernel-source-2.6.9.tar.bz2
  • ln -s ./kernel-source-2.6.9 ./linux

Step 3: Install and apply the MPPE kernel patch:

  • apt-get install kernel-patch-mppe
  • cd /usr/src/linux
  • ../kernel-patch/all/apply/mppe

Step 4: Build the kernel packages (<a href=”http://pptpclient.sourceforge.net/howto-debian-build.phtml”>http://pptpclient.sourceforge.net/howto-debian-build.phtml, <a href=”http://www.adamhooper.com:4242/mcgill-vpn-mppe/#kernel”>http://www.adamhooper.com:4242/mcgill-vpn-mppe/#kernel):

  • cd /usr/src/linux
  • make-kpkg clean
  • cp /boot/config-2.6.9 ./.config
  • make-kpkg —append-to-version -mppe—config menuconfig—initrd kernel_image kernel_headers

In the kernel menu config make sure of the following selections

  • Device drivers —> Networking support --> PPP support (M)
  • Device drivers —> Networking support --> PPP support -> PPP MPPE compression (M)
  • Processor type and features —> Processor family --> Pentium M (This is obviously for me only as I’m on a Centrino laptop – Dell d500 & d600)

Step 5: Install the kernel and kernel header packages

  • cd ..
  • dpkg -i kernel-image* kernel-headers*

Step 6: Verify MPPE support

  • reboot into new kernel
  • test mppe support via: > modprobe ppp-compress-18 && echo success

And the next step is actually setting up the scripts to connect to your VPN…