LinuxWireless

Differences between revisions 21 and 49 (spanning 28 versions)
⇤ ← Revision 21 as of 2012-10-26 20:27:48 →
Size: 6215
Editor: penalvch
Comment: Added request for "What is the AP manufacturer, model, and firmware version?" as this got stripped in prior edit.
← Revision 49 as of 2018-02-17 16:20:26 → ⇥
Size: 7674
Editor: penalvch
Comment: 1) RM'd Ubuntu compat-wireless as it's gone. 2) Misc. tweaks.
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 4: Line 4:
== General Info == = Introduction =
Line 6: Line 6:
Escalating bugs and issues to the upstream developers is important to improving the overall quality of wireless drivers. Before we get started we will review first a few general details about the life cycle of Ubuntu's kernel releases so you are more comfortable with how things get into Ubuntu and what you are using. This page is about debugging 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi issues. Gathering debugging information is vital for developers to fix wireless driver bugs. This process helps improve the overall quality of wireless drivers.
Line 8: Line 8:
== Bug Report Minimum Requirement Information == = Debugging information to provide in your report =
Line 10: Line 10:
When providing information for a bug to be worked on by a developer, please mention the following information: First, please note "I don't know", "I haven't tested this", "I'll test later", "I'm assuming that...", etc. are not acceptable answers to any of the below. If you don't understand the question, or have to assume something, please advise to what you don't understand or are assuming specifically in your report, and it will be clarified. Otherwise, making such a response will further delay your issue being addressed.

Also, please post in your report both the question and answer, as the presentation of the information here can change:
Line 12: Line 14:
 1. If you update your BIOS to the newest version, does this change anything?
 1. Regarding your wireless Access Point (AP):
  a. What is the AP manufacturer, model, and firmware version?
  a. What wireless connection type are you using (e.g. 802.11n, 802.11g, etc.)?
  a. Encryption Type (ex. WEP, WPA2-PSK TKIP/AES)?
  a. MAC Filtering
  a. QoS/WMM
  a. Beacon Interval
  a. Router Internal Firewall
   A. If you change any of the settings above does it change anything?
 1. Does another wireless device tested with the AP have the same problem as the hardware you initially reported with?
 1. What is the distance of the wireless device from AP?
 1. What is the number and type of obstructions between your device and the AP?
  a. If you bring the device close to the AP and eliminate obstructions, does this change anything?
 1. Does the issue occur with different APs?
 1. Is it a regression (e.g. did the problem happen in a prior Ubuntu release)?
  a. If so, what release specifically did it last work with?
  a. If you do not know, could you please test for this in the earliest release of Ubuntu that is supported as per [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases|Ubuntu Releases]]?
 1. Does compat-wireless provide a work around or solution following [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/LinuxWireless#Compat-wireless_in_Ubuntu]]? Please mention in your report the specific version you tested for compat-wireless from the Ubuntu repos and upstream.
 1. Does this problem occur in the newest mainline kernel following [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds]]? Please mention what specific version of the mainline kernel you tested with in your report.
 1. Does ndiswrapper provide a work around following [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper]]? Please mention what specific version of ndiswrapper you tested with, and a link to the Windows driver you used in your report.
  a. If ndiswrapper does not work for you, you are welcome to file a new bug report by executing at a terminal: {{{
ubuntu-bug ndiswrapper-utils-1.9 }}}
 1. For Broadcom wireless chipsets, does the proprietary Broadcom STA wireless driver provide a work around following [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BroadcomSTA%28Wireless%29]]? Please mention what specific version of Broadcom STA you tested with in your report.
 1. For Realtek wireless chipsets:
  a. Does the Realtek Backport PPA provide a work around following [[https://launchpad.net/~lexical/+archive/hwe-wireless]]? Please mention what specific version of the Realtek Backport PPA you tested with in your report.
  a. Does the upstream Realtek drivers downloaded from [[http://www.realtek.com.tw]] provide a work around? Please mention what specific version of the drivers you tested with in your report.		  2. If you update your BIOS to the newest version following the guide [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate|here]], does this change anything?
 3. Regarding your wireless Access Point (WAP):
  3a. What is the current WAP manufacturer, full model, revision, and firmware version? <<BR>>
  3b. If you update the WAP to the latest firmware does it change anything? <<BR>>
  3c. What wireless connection type are you using (802.11ac, 802.11n 150/300, 802.11g, etc.)? <<BR>>
  3d. If you switch to a different wireless type (802.11g or 802.11n if you are using 802.11g) does this change anything? <<BR>>
  3e. What channel specifically are you using when this problem is reproducible? <<BR>>
  3f. In order to understand the wireless environment your WAP is working in, please provide the output of the following terminal command: {{{
sudo iw dev wlan0 scan | grep -i "ds parameter set"
}}}
  3g. What encryption type are you using (ex. WEP, WPA2-PSK, etc.)? <<BR>>
  3h. If you change and remove encryption entirely does this change anything? <<BR>>
  3i. Do you have QoS (Quality of Service)/WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) enabled? <<BR>>
  3j. If you disable/enable QoS/WMM does it change anything? <<BR>>
  3k. What is the current beacon interval (usually default is 100)? <<BR>>
  3l. If you adjust this to 50 does it change anything? <<BR>>
  3m. Does your WAP have a firewall enabled? <<BR>>
  3n. If you enable/disable the firewall does it change anything? <<BR>>
  3o. What frequency are you using (2.4GHz, 5GHz, etc.)? <<BR>>
  3p. If you change frequency does it change anything?
 4. Does another wireless device tested with the WAP have the same problem as the hardware you initially reported with?
 5. What is the distance of the wireless device from the WAP?
 6. What is the number and type of obstructions between your device and the WAP?
  6a. If you bring the device close to the WAP and eliminate obstructions, does this change anything?
 7. Does the issue occur with different WAPs?
 8. Is it a regression (i.e. did the problem happen in a prior Ubuntu release)? If so, what release specifically did it last work with? If you do not know, could you please test for this in the earliest release of Ubuntu that is supported as per [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases|Ubuntu Releases]]?
 9. Does this problem occur in the newest mainline kernel following [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds]]? Please mention what specific version of the mainline kernel you tested with in your report.
 10. After testing the latest mainline kernel:
  10a. If the mainline kernel works, does the [[http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/|development release]] work? Please mention in your report the specific version you tested.
Line 40: Line 44:
== Ubuntu's kernels ==

During the Ubuntu development cycle, which happens every 6 months, the Ubuntu kernel will pick the latest stable kernel release available. At Ubuntu's Intrepid release cycle, for example, this was the 2.6.27 kernel, for Jaunty this was the 2.6.28 kernel, and for Karmic 2.6.31.

== The Linux wireless guide on reporting bugs ==

Please be sure to read this guide, then finish this guide.

http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Documentation/Reporting_bugs

== The Ubuntu proposed repository ==

Keep in mind Ubuntu has a "proposed" repository which allows you get newer kernels stable kernels (if you are 2.6.27.10 the proposed repository may have a 2.6.27.14 kernel). Instructions on enabling this repository may be found [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed|here]]. The kernels are propagated over time from the proposed repository to updates over a few weeks period of time after general testing and acceptance.

== Ubuntu Intrepid kernel release to stable kernel map ==

Unfortunately Ubuntu's Intrepid kernels do not tell you what the extraversion is (the .10 in 2.6.27.10) and this is required to report bugs upstream. Because of this you can look at the [[http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/info/kernel-version-map.html|Ubuntu kernel version --> detailed mainline kernel version map]] to find out what exact upstream mainline kernel your kernel is based on.

For example if you get:

{{{
ogasawara@emiko:~$ cat /proc/version_signature
Ubuntu 2.6.27-10.20-generic		   10b. If the mainline kernel doesn't work, could you please test compat-wireless from upstream via [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/LinuxWireless#Compat-wireless_from_upstream|here]] and advise to the results?
 11. Only for '''Broadcom''' wireless chipsets, does the Broadcom STA driver work following [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx]]? Please mention what specific version of Broadcom STA you tested with in your report.
 12. Only for '''Realtek''' wireless chipsets:
  12a. Does disabling the firmware power management change anything? This may be done via a terminal: {{{
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/DRIVER.conf
}}}{{{
options DRIVER ips=0 fwlps=0
}}} where DRIVER is the kernel driver in use for your card found by executing at a terminal: {{{
lspci -v
}}}
  12b. Does the upstream proprietary Realtek driver downloaded from [[http://www.realtek.com.tw]] work? Please mention what specific version of the drivers you tested with in your report. If it doesn't work, please contact the card vendor, for example ASUS (not Realtek), file a case number requesting the driver be fixed, and post the case number to your report.
 13. Only for '''Intel''' wireless chipsets:
  13a. '''Please advise to which firmware version the device is using.''' Stating the linux-firmware version (ex. apt-cache policy linux-firmware), while necessary, is not the firmware version in use, but the package version of linux-firwmare. In order to find the version in use, one may check dmesg. For example, if the chipset was using the iwlwifi driver:{{{
cat /var/log/dmesg | grep "firmware version"
[ 2.820714] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: loaded firmware version 25.222.9.0 op_mode iwlmvm
}}} For more on this, please see [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Firmware|here]]. <<BR>>
  13b. Did this work on a prior [[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware|linux-firmware]] version? If you don't know, please test a prior release and advise to which version of the firmware, and kernel you tested specifically. <<BR>>
  13c. Does this work, or have a measurable positive impact using the latest firmware available from [[https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=17045|Intel]]? If you don't know, please test this with the latest mainline kernel, and firmware available for your chipset.
 14. Does ndiswrapper work following [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper]]? Please mention what specific version of ndiswrapper you tested with, and a link to the Windows driver you used in your report. <!> If ndiswrapper does not work, you are welcome to file a new bug report by executing at a terminal: {{{
ubuntu-bug ndiswrapper-utils-1.9
Line 65: Line 66:
You can then look at the map as to what exactly this maps to. In this case this would map to the 2.6.27.7 kernel. = Compat-wireless from upstream =
Line 67: Line 68:
It should be noted that the /proc/version_signature is an Ubuntu specific feature to help you get the detailed kernel version. Upstream has a more bleeding-edge tree called linux-next, that uses the stable tree as it's base. One would want to test this, as it contains the latest features and fixes, and is a staging area for code that may be merged into Linus's tree. Testing this gives developers vital information on what may fix your issue. For more on this, please see [[https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/linux-next.html|here]].
Line 69: Line 70:
== Compat-wireless in Ubuntu == = The Ubuntu proposed repository =
Line 71: Line 72:
Ubuntu packages compat-wireless in the linux-backports-modules package. Keep in mind Ubuntu has a "proposed" repository which allows you to get newer stable kernels (if you are using 2.6.27.10 the proposed repository may have a 2.6.27.14 kernel). Instructions on enabling this repository may be found [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed|here]]. The kernels are propagated over time from the proposed repository to updates over a few weeks period of time after general testing and acceptance.
Line 73: Line 74:
For Precise, this may be done by executing the following at a terminal: = The Linux wireless guide on reporting bugs =
Line 75: Line 76:
{{{
sudo apt-get -y install linux-backports-modules-cw-3.3-3.2.0.23-generic-pae
sudo reboot
}}}

You will probably get newer version of this package if you enable the proposed repository as explained above.

It should be noted that linux-backports-modules is updated regularly but not every day. If you want to ensure you are running bleeding edge you are better off using [[http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Download|compat-wireless directly]]. Also keep in mind that linux-backports-modules installs modules in /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/updates/ and upon removal the modules are not removed. So be sure to rm -rf that updates directory (and only the updates directory!).		 For debugging information preferred by upstream please see:
[[http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Documentation/Reporting_bugs]]

Introduction

This page is about debugging 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi issues. Gathering debugging information is vital for developers to fix wireless driver bugs. This process helps improve the overall quality of wireless drivers.

Debugging information to provide in your report

First, please note "I don't know", "I haven't tested this", "I'll test later", "I'm assuming that...", etc. are not acceptable answers to any of the below. If you don't understand the question, or have to assume something, please advise to what you don't understand or are assuming specifically in your report, and it will be clarified. Otherwise, making such a response will further delay your issue being addressed.

Also, please post in your report both the question and answer, as the presentation of the information here can change:

  1. What is the full computer model number (ex. HP G32-301TX Notebook PC)?

  2. If you update your BIOS to the newest version following the guide here, does this change anything?

  3. Regarding your wireless Access Point (WAP):

    • 3a. What is the current WAP manufacturer, full model, revision, and firmware version?
      3b. If you update the WAP to the latest firmware does it change anything?
      3c. What wireless connection type are you using (802.11ac, 802.11n 150/300, 802.11g, etc.)?
      3d. If you switch to a different wireless type (802.11g or 802.11n if you are using 802.11g) does this change anything?
      3e. What channel specifically are you using when this problem is reproducible?
      3f. In order to understand the wireless environment your WAP is working in, please provide the output of the following terminal command: 

      sudo iw dev wlan0 scan | grep -i "ds parameter set"

      3g. What encryption type are you using (ex. WEP, WPA2-PSK, etc.)?
      3h. If you change and remove encryption entirely does this change anything?
      3i. Do you have QoS (Quality of Service)/WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) enabled?
      3j. If you disable/enable QoS/WMM does it change anything?
      3k. What is the current beacon interval (usually default is 100)?
      3l. If you adjust this to 50 does it change anything?
      3m. Does your WAP have a firewall enabled?
      3n. If you enable/disable the firewall does it change anything?
      3o. What frequency are you using (2.4GHz, 5GHz, etc.)?
      3p. If you change frequency does it change anything?

  4. Does another wireless device tested with the WAP have the same problem as the hardware you initially reported with?
  5. What is the distance of the wireless device from the WAP?
  6. What is the number and type of obstructions between your device and the WAP?
    • 6a. If you bring the device close to the WAP and eliminate obstructions, does this change anything?
  7. Does the issue occur with different WAPs?

  8. Is it a regression (i.e. did the problem happen in a prior Ubuntu release)? If so, what release specifically did it last work with? If you do not know, could you please test for this in the earliest release of Ubuntu that is supported as per Ubuntu Releases?

  9. Does this problem occur in the newest mainline kernel following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds? Please mention what specific version of the mainline kernel you tested with in your report.

  10. After testing the latest mainline kernel:

    • 10a. If the mainline kernel works, does the development release work? Please mention in your report the specific version you tested.

      10b. If the mainline kernel doesn't work, could you please test compat-wireless from upstream via here and advise to the results?

  11. Only for Broadcom wireless chipsets, does the Broadcom STA driver work following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx? Please mention what specific version of Broadcom STA you tested with in your report.

  12. Only for Realtek wireless chipsets:

    • 12a. Does disabling the firmware power management change anything? This may be done via a terminal: 

      sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/DRIVER.conf
      options DRIVER ips=0 fwlps=0

      where DRIVER is the kernel driver in use for your card found by executing at a terminal: 

      lspci -v

      12b. Does the upstream proprietary Realtek driver downloaded from http://www.realtek.com.tw work? Please mention what specific version of the drivers you tested with in your report. If it doesn't work, please contact the card vendor, for example ASUS (not Realtek), file a case number requesting the driver be fixed, and post the case number to your report.

  13. Only for Intel wireless chipsets:

    • 13a. Please advise to which firmware version the device is using. Stating the linux-firmware version (ex. apt-cache policy linux-firmware), while necessary, is not the firmware version in use, but the package version of linux-firwmare. In order to find the version in use, one may check dmesg. For example, if the chipset was using the iwlwifi driver:

      cat /var/log/dmesg | grep "firmware version"
[    2.820714] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: loaded firmware version 25.222.9.0 op_mode iwlmvm

      For more on this, please see here.
      13b. Did this work on a prior linux-firmware version? If you don't know, please test a prior release and advise to which version of the firmware, and kernel you tested specifically.
      13c. Does this work, or have a measurable positive impact using the latest firmware available from Intel? If you don't know, please test this with the latest mainline kernel, and firmware available for your chipset.

  14. Does ndiswrapper work following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper? Please mention what specific version of ndiswrapper you tested with, and a link to the Windows driver you used in your report. Info <!> If ndiswrapper does not work, you are welcome to file a new bug report by executing at a terminal: 

    ubuntu-bug ndiswrapper-utils-1.9

Compat-wireless from upstream

Upstream has a more bleeding-edge tree called linux-next, that uses the stable tree as it's base. One would want to test this, as it contains the latest features and fixes, and is a staging area for code that may be merged into Linus's tree. Testing this gives developers vital information on what may fix your issue. For more on this, please see here.

The Ubuntu proposed repository

Keep in mind Ubuntu has a "proposed" repository which allows you to get newer stable kernels (if you are using 2.6.27.10 the proposed repository may have a 2.6.27.14 kernel). Instructions on enabling this repository may be found here. The kernels are propagated over time from the proposed repository to updates over a few weeks period of time after general testing and acceptance.

The Linux wireless guide on reporting bugs

For debugging information preferred by upstream please see: http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Documentation/Reporting_bugs

Kernel/LinuxWireless (last edited 2018-02-17 16:20:26 by penalvch)