WLAN-driver repository.
Hello! I have read announcements and basic descriptions of the build service, smart and of a new concept of kernel modules, so maybe my idea is already in those new concepts. Apart from the discussion around GPL or binary, I thought it might be very nice for the user, if there was an easy way to get WLAN working. There is currently yet another discussion about binary on the kernel-mailinglist due to intel's announcement of their new chipset's driver, so it seems that it becomes more and more difficult for a normal user to get its existing hardware to work. Further there is no site on opensuse, that has detailed, complete and reliable data on which chipsets will be natively supported in 10.1 and newer. One way or another, justified or not, the user will blame SuSE, if the hardware cannot be made working easily. So I want to ask, whether it would be feasible to have a "WLAN-repository", which can be used by a user without searching the web for the chipset used by one's card or getting any hints from somebody that is more familiar with that matter. Of course one should not be forced to install the driver again after each Kernel-update or have to compile anything. The only thing needed should be a hint during installation that the WLAN-card is not supported because of the drivers not being open source and that one should start "install-wlan-driver" after the installation has finished. That tool would give access to the WLAN-repository, which is fed as packman is. Since there are only a handlful chipsets, it should be possible to provide drivers for each, including a list of wlan-cards that use them. The user could either search for a chipset, or the name of the wlan-card and simply install the driver. For those cards that use a firmware, it wold be very helpful to have a script bundled with the driver that is executed by the tool and installs and renames the files needed, as YOU currently does, or maybe by searching the manufacturer's driver-cd. Please do not make this a discussion about whether GPLed-drivers would be the solution, since that will not happen, at least not until 10.1. Further there seem to be some legal issues that force companies to have at least some part of their drivers in binary, which might make not sense, yet companies like Intel simply have to comply the law, no matter whether it makes sense or not. http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/32620 Sven
Hi, On Monday, February 27, 2006 at 13:56:07, Sven Burmeister wrote:
So I want to ask, whether it would be feasible to have a "WLAN-repository"
Dont talk the talk, walk the walk. Make yourself familiar with the KMP workflow, build the packages and set up a repository. If you are clever you do that together with some other repository packagers to avoid yet another repository. We really need more people that do stuff :) Henne -- Henne Vogelsang, Core Services "Rules change. The Game remains the same." - Omar (The Wire)
Hi Sven, hey, great idea, and would be a differentiating point for the SuSE distri! And a BIG help for users. Please do it! Axel Sven Burmeister wrote:
Hello!
I have read announcements and basic descriptions of the build service, smart and of a new concept of kernel modules, so maybe my idea is already in those new concepts.
Apart from the discussion around GPL or binary, I thought it might be very nice for the user, if there was an easy way to get WLAN working. There is currently yet another discussion about binary on the kernel-mailinglist due to intel's announcement of their new chipset's driver, so it seems that it becomes more and more difficult for a normal user to get its existing hardware to work. Further there is no site on opensuse, that has detailed, complete and reliable data on which chipsets will be natively supported in 10.1 and newer.
One way or another, justified or not, the user will blame SuSE, if the hardware cannot be made working easily.
So I want to ask, whether it would be feasible to have a "WLAN-repository", which can be used by a user without searching the web for the chipset used by one's card or getting any hints from somebody that is more familiar with that matter. Of course one should not be forced to install the driver again after each Kernel-update or have to compile anything.
The only thing needed should be a hint during installation that the WLAN-card is not supported because of the drivers not being open source and that one should start "install-wlan-driver" after the installation has finished.
That tool would give access to the WLAN-repository, which is fed as packman is. Since there are only a handlful chipsets, it should be possible to provide drivers for each, including a list of wlan-cards that use them. The user could either search for a chipset, or the name of the wlan-card and simply install the driver.
For those cards that use a firmware, it wold be very helpful to have a script bundled with the driver that is executed by the tool and installs and renames the files needed, as YOU currently does, or maybe by searching the manufacturer's driver-cd.
Please do not make this a discussion about whether GPLed-drivers would be the solution, since that will not happen, at least not until 10.1. Further there seem to be some legal issues that force companies to have at least some part of their drivers in binary, which might make not sense, yet companies like Intel simply have to comply the law, no matter whether it makes sense or not.
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/32620
Sven
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Axel Burwitz wrote:
Hi Sven,
hey, great idea, and would be a differentiating point for the SuSE distri! And a BIG help for users.
not really. how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first? bye, MH
Hi, On Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 12:04:26, Mathias Homann wrote:
Axel Burwitz wrote:
hey, great idea, and would be a differentiating point for the SuSE distri! And a BIG help for users.
not really.
how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first?
You use your brain and work around it. There is no technical solution to avoid that problem. You cant fix it i dont know why everybody uses this as an argument against helping people to workaround it... Henne -- Henne Vogelsang, Core Services "Rules change. The Game remains the same." - Omar (The Wire)
On Tue, Feb 28, 2006 at 12:04:26PM +0100, Mathias Homann wrote:
how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first?
To download the ISOs, you need to have a working connection. So you download all those RPMs, put that in a directory and use makeSUSEdvd with the -a option to add those RPMs while burning the DVD. houghi -- Nutze die Zeit. Sie ist das Kostbarste, was wir haben, denn es ist unwiederbringliche Lebenszeit. Leben ist aber mehr als Werk und Arbeit, und das Sein wichtiger als das Tun - Johannes Müller-Elmau
Hi! Am Dienstag, 28. Februar 2006 12:46 schrieb houghi:
On Tue, Feb 28, 2006 at 12:04:26PM +0100, Mathias Homann wrote:
how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first?
To download the ISOs, you need to have a working connection. So you download all those RPMs, put that in a directory and use makeSUSEdvd with the -a option to add those RPMs while burning the DVD.
I am not sure about the legal implications, but one could even offer an ISO of the repository and use Yast's driver-CD module. On the other hand one could just copy the repository to a USB-stick and use it as a source. The only problem is the firmware. I think it is not allowed to have it in the repository, so there is a need to extract it from the manufacturer's driver-CD. Sven
On Tue, Feb 28, 2006 at 03:18:51PM +0100, Sven Burmeister wrote:
The only problem is the firmware. I think it is not allowed to have it in the repository, so there is a need to extract it from the manufacturer's driver-CD.
This will depend on driver, on manufacturer and perhaps several other things. I just reacted to the fact that if somebody has a repository already, that there is an easy way to include them in your ISO. Wether this is allowed or not again will depend on manuafacturer, device, country, what you have as a licence and this is of no issue to Novell. I could even be the manufacturer. houghi -- Nutze die Zeit. Sie ist das Kostbarste, was wir haben, denn es ist unwiederbringliche Lebenszeit. Leben ist aber mehr als Werk und Arbeit, und das Sein wichtiger als das Tun - Johannes Müller-Elmau
Mathias Homann wrote:
Axel Burwitz wrote:
Hi Sven,
hey, great idea, and would be a differentiating point for the SuSE distri! And a BIG help for users.
not really.
how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first?
bye, MH
Hi Mathias, I think really every every PC today has a good old normal ethernet card for cable access, and everybody I know who uses computers including myself prefers the stable cable network access in installation situations. You set up and configure a PC while attached via cable, and only when everything works fine you detach and test the WLAN connectivity. So for me I can't see the problem, rgds, Axel
Hello, Axel Burwitz wrote:
I think really every every PC today has a good old normal ethernet card for cable access, and everybody I know who uses computers including myself prefers the stable cable network access in installation situations. You set up and configure a PC while attached via cable, and only when everything works fine you detach and test the WLAN connectivity. You are right. And it's a theoretical discussion anyway, as wlan support is not available during installation, only on the installed system. If someone has access and network bandwidth for downloading 5x700MB, then 2-3 megabyte for the WLAN driver should not be a problem. Bye,
-- CzP http://peter.czanik.hu/
Mathias Homann wrote:
Axel Burwitz wrote:
Hi Sven,
hey, great idea, and would be a differentiating point for the SuSE distri! And a BIG help for users.
not really.
how do you install network drivers off the internet, when your network is not working because you need to install the network drivers first?
bye, MH
This is about openSUSE. You have to download iso-files first. To do that you need working network connection. So what would be the problem to use the same connection for drivers. hth -- Regards, Rajko.
participants (7)
-
Axel Burwitz -
Henne Vogelsang -
houghi -
Mathias Homann -
Peter Czanik -
Rajko M -
Sven Burmeister