Fedora 6 unstable WIFI

[Birdie312]

hey, i'm new to linux and hope to be an active guy around here.

I have a packard bell w3301 laptop and have just installed fedora 6.

I used ndiswrapper to install my windows driver for the built in wifi card and it seems to work when i get through some command line. (shown below)

http://www.bfe2142.com/Screenshot.png //drivers installed

http://www.bfe2142.com/Screenshot-1.png //then use dhclient so i can connect to the inet.

I ping google.com and get replies.

I go onto firefox or whatever and it doesnt work. Although, 1 or 2 sites strangely seem to work (this 1 being 1 of them)

Also, i go onto software updater or try and use rpm's and an error occurs about the network connection.

How can i solve this?

ps. i promise that i am not just a taker on forums :)

[stevea]

OK - I'm not that familiar with the ndiswrapper stuff (never had to deal with it) but it
sounds like you are past the wireless interface problems and still can't see the entire
web. If so then this is a network configuration problem.

The command "dmesg" will print the kernel message buffers in-order from the time of boot.
and this may be several thousand lines. Each line is a seperate event and typically not related to lines above or beneath. Anyway type "dmesg" in a terminal after you have such a problem and look through the last hundred lines or so looking for anything unusual related to ndiswrapper or networking.

Similarly the text file /var/log/messages is a message log that contains similar message sfrom the user-side apps. And the last 100-200 lines may yield a clue.

I think there must be something wrong with your network setup - but it's unclear what that would be. While your network connetion is up, you should type the following command and then post the result
ifconfig
iwconfig
route
cat /etc/resolv.conf

"ifconfig" prints the network interface config, and we are only interested in your wireless interface. [[same idea as ipconfig on Wondows]]

Similarly "iwconfig" prints wireless parameters of the wireless interface(s).

"route" tells us how packets are routed on your lan, and what if any address is used as a gateway to the Internet.

The file "resolv.conf" tells us which server resolves names. For example when you type "http://forums.fedoraforum.org" at your browser the resolve services must convert this to a numerical IP address.

---

After you collect that information I'd suggest one diagnostic test. You say that you can see some websites but not others. For example let'sa assume you can see fedoraforum.org but not google.com. So from a shell type the two commands
dig fedoraforum.org
dig google.com
and post the result.

"dig" is similar to an older deprecated utiliity "nslookup" (which also appears in Windows) and allows you to test your DNS name resolver.

I suspect there is something wrong with one of your nameservers, probably ultimately provided by your ISP. That's strictly a hunch until you collect the info above.

FWIW this is an unusual problem.
BTW - have you tried a wired (not wireless) connection and is that successful ?

==
hey, i'm new to linux and ....
ps. i promise that i am not just a taker on forums :)

There's nothing wrong with being a "taker", and in fact most newbies should be.
Do chime in when you understand a problem, but DON'T spread techno-rumors.

[Birdie312]

Result for
"ifconfig
iwconfig
route
cat /etc/resolv.conf"
{

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ ifconfig
bash: ifconfig: command not found
[Birdie@localhost ~]$ /sbin/ifconfig
eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:40:D0:7F:B0:18
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:9 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 b) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)
Interrupt:209 Base address:0xe000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:2109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:2726376 (2.6 MiB) TX bytes:2726376 (2.6 MiB)

wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:10:60:62:0B:A6
inet addr:192.168.1.5 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::210:60ff:fe62:ba6/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:9 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:36 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:1831 (1.7 KiB) TX bytes:7097 (6.9 KiB)
Interrupt:193 Memory:54000000-54002000

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ /sbin/iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth1 no wireless extensions.

sit0 no wireless extensions.

wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"G604T_WIRELESS"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.437 GHz Access Point: 00:0F:3D:B9:15:C8
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s Tx-Power:20 dBm Sensitivity=-120 dBm
RTS thr:2347 B Fragment thr:2346 B
Power Management:off
Link Quality:42/100 Signal level:-69 dBm Noise level:-96 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ route
bash: route: command not found
[Birdie@localhost ~]$ /sbin/route
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.168.1.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 wlan0
default mygateway.ar7 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 wlan0
[Birdie@localhost ~]$ cat /etc/resolv.conf
; generated by /sbin/dhclient-script
nameserver 192.168.1.1
[Birdie@localhost ~]$

}

Result for
"dig fedoraforum.org
dig google.com"
{

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ dig fedoraforum.org

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> fedoraforum.org
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 44309
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;fedoraforum.org. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
fedoraforum.org. 300 IN A 70.85.88.134

;; Query time: 292 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.1.1#53(192.168.1.1)
;; WHEN: Sun Mar 4 20:02:06 2007
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 49

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ dig google.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> google.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 3215
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 3, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;google.com. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
google.com. 29 IN A 64.233.167.99
google.com. 29 IN A 72.14.207.99
google.com. 29 IN A 64.233.187.99

;; Query time: 42 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.1.1#53(192.168.1.1)
;; WHEN: Sun Mar 4 20:02:12 2007
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 76

[Birdie@localhost ~]$ ping www.google.com
PING www.google.com (64.233.183.103) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from www.google.com (64.233.183.103): icmp_seq=1 ttl=242 time=35.1 ms

}

==

I just dont think its ethical to only go onto forums for yourself and not help others.. i go onto websites, people post once and never come back again..

Now trying wired..

[stevea]

Very fast reply !

Your interface config looks fine - ifconfig and iwconfig look just fine.

One note - it looks like you are setup on channel 6, and channel 6 & 7 are very commonly used as the default. If you have transmiiters (even your neighbor's wireless AP) on the same or an adjacent channel then this can cause a lot of loss & re-transmission and even failure. Ideally everyone nearby would select channels separated by an unused channel (ch 1, 3, 5, 7 ,9, ...).

If you execute the command (as root)
iwlist wlan0 scan
you'll see all the APs that your system has seen in the last scan period. Do this maybe 10 times in a row at 1 or 2 second intervals and you'll sometimes catch a weak signal that is interfering. Adjust your AP router and system to avoid any interfering systems.

==
More to follow.

[Birdie312]

Very fast reply !

Your interface config looks fine - ifconfig and iwconfig look just fine.

One note - it looks like you are setup on channel 6, and channel 6 & 7 are very commonly used as the default. If you have transmiiters (even your neighbor's wireless AP) on the same or an adjacent channel then this can cause a lot of loss & re-transmission and even failure. Ideally everyone nearby would select channels separated by an unused channel (ch 1, 3, 5, 7 ,9, ...).

If you execute the command (as root)
iwlist wlan0 scan
you'll see all the APs that your system has seen in the last scan period. Do this maybe 10 times in a row at 1 or 2 second intervals and you'll sometimes catch a weak signal that is interfering. Adjust your AP router and system to avoid any interfering systems.

==
More to follow.
Will do. Ya, you have no idea how desperate i am to start playing with my new distro lol.

EDIT: Err, 1 cell found with the iwlist and thats mine I'll still change channel to 1


Normal wired doesnt work anymore..

[stevea]

Your resolv.conf sends DNS requsts to your router (192.168.1.1) and I *assume* this is that same IP address as in your route table:
default mygateway.ar7 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 wlan0

"mygateway.ar7" is odd unless you have everything setup for the ".ar7" domainname. It *may* be a problem here, (though I doubt it, it could be a showstopper). A "name" is a letter followed by zero or more letters-digits-hyphens. A hostname in the /etc/hosts table is either the basic "name" or the name followed by a period and the domainname. Your system may be trying to resolve the ".ar7" domain under sone circumstances and have a serious problem since there isn't one.

My hunch is that you have /etc/host.conf with "order hosts,bind" so that (fortunately for you) the DNS checks /etc/hosts first and it finds mygateway.ar7 and avoids the problem.
--

Anyway both "dig"s were successful. Your ping time is similar to mine. Can you browse both websites ? Try a "dig" for some websitre that you cannot successfully browse.


===





I just dont think its ethical to only go onto forums for yourself and not help others.. i go onto websites, people post once and never come back again..

Now trying wired..

Your intentions are noble and I appreciate that, but the road to h*ll is paved with good intentions. I am certainly would encourage anyone to contribute to this and similar forums to the extent that they understand the problem and it's solution.

The difficulty is that some/many people have difficulty with deductive reasoning when it comes to technical problem solving -- it's the ability to diagnose that's required, and it is a skill. A few weeks ago there was a newbie who had solved his own networking problem by turning off IPv6 (completely unrelated to his problem) and half dozen other changes. This guy was running around posting relpies to every network problem that they should turn off IPv6. Complete waste of time and it just muddies the waters.

The rules are /know what you know in enough detail to understand when it is applicable, and /know what you DON'T know in sufficient depth so you can bow-out when are out of your knowledge range. I don't know ndiswrapper for example and it's no shame to let someone else answer those questions. Oh yeah - the one by Hippocrates applies too - "First do no harm".

[Birdie312]

Yeah i see what you mean on that point..

Anyway heres the dig's. Google doesnt work, jinx.com does.


[root@localhost ~]# dig www.google.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> www.google.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 20348
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.google.com. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.google.com. 10000 IN A 64.233.183.99

;; Query time: 23 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.1.1#53(192.168.1.1)
;; WHEN: Sun Mar 4 21:22:16 2007
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 48

[root@localhost ~]# dig www.jinx.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> www.jinx.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 22161
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.jinx.com. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.jinx.com. 772 IN A 66.181.77.50

;; Query time: 33 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.1.1#53(192.168.1.1)
;; WHEN: Sun Mar 4 21:22:22 2007
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 46

[root@localhost ~]#

[stevea]

Also do you have any wired connection (even a Win system) attached to the router ?

My hunch is this. Sometimes the DNS servers from your ISP) (which are accessed through your router at 192.168.1.1) have a problem. One sort of problem is that the primary DNS server may be partially broken or overloaded and when tihs happens the secondary server will be accessed - but this may take a couple of minutes and the average web-browser user will get bored and assume things are completely broken before this happens. Oddly in the cases I've seen the primary is always accessed first and the several minute delay applies to every lookup. (but lookups are cached locally for a few minutes).


One way to test this (and this is JUST for testing not everyday use) is to replace the 192.168.1.1 in your /etc/resolv.conf with a know public server like 4.2.2.2 (as root try "gedit /etc/resolv.conf", change the numbers and save) then the problem is at you ISP and you should give them a call. If it's the same intermittent response then .... things are far less clear.

Do you have something local that you can browse by wireless like the router's setup pages ? If so try those and see if everything works rapidly & reliably - switching between different pages ?

[Birdie312]

no problems on http router.

Er.. i do usually have a wired computer acting as FTP, HTTP server but its currently taken off so its just 2 wireless computers. 1 windows, 1 linux.

[stevea]

Sorry - post sa bit out of order now.

It looks like you are getting fast and complete resolution for all the websites you've passed thru "dig" so maybe name resolution isn't the problem.

What exactly happens if you place http://www.jinx.com in a firefox (is thatyour browser?) URL ?
Is this the same as if you use http://66.181.77.50 as the URL ??

Let the browser sit for ~3 minutes each unless then come to some obvious endpoint.

[stevea]

I see that jinx.com wants to set a cookie for most pages. Got cookies enabled ?
[edit]
On F'Fox it's Edit->Prefernces, select "Privacy" tab, check "Allow sites to set Cookies", and then click the "exceptions" button and make sure jinx and it's IP aren't listed.

[Birdie312]

er yeah i have them enabled an ya i can still view through ip.

EDIT: OO google works when i just put their ip in!!

[stevea]

... an ya i can still view through ip.

EDIT: OO google works when i just put their ip in!!

I don't understand.
So Jinx & google work by IP number but by name only google works ??

-S

[Birdie312]

I don't understand.
So Jinx & google work by IP number but by name only google works ??

-S
By domain, some sites work but google doesnt

By IP, all sites work.

Weird yeah.

[stevea]

Weird, but that's a great clue. It means that it is your DNS resolver that isn't working right.

1/ Is there any chance you set up a network proxy ?

2/ If no proxy it's time to try putting 4.2.2.2 in your /etc/resolv.conf and testing with that. The public resolver isn't fast, but it is very reliable. You don't need to restart anything to do this.


Also - again please describe your failure mode. I assume you just see the "blue spiral of patience" when you mouse-over firefox pointed at www.jinx.com. Not so ?

[Birdie312]

Weird, but that's a great clue. It means that it is your DNS resolver that isn't working right.

1/ Is there any chance you set up a network proxy ?

2/ If no proxy it's time to try putting 4.2.2.2 in your /etc/resolv.conf and testing with that. The public resolver isn't fast, but it is very reliable. You don't need to restart anything to do this.


Also - again please describe your failure mode. I assume you just see the "blue spiral of patience" when you mouse-over firefox pointed at www.jinx.com. Not so ?

I have no proxy, just a router. It does take a while to load jinix.com but that works, its google.com which does that.

It has my nameserver as 192.168.1.1 , i'll change it as root, 1 sec.

[Birdie312]

WOW, it works because of that nameserver thing.

Thankyou stevea. You have no idea how thankful i am.

I hope to see you around again on these forums, i hope i can help when i get good enough at linux.

[stevea]

OK - but inderstand that the long-term solution is to contact your ISP and tell them that the dnsnameserver is not responding and that you are getting regular timeouts.

Using 4.2.2.2 is not a great longterm solution either - it's not meant for private use. I suggest you look at your router config and see if you can find the primary & secondary name servers it acquired from your ISP and then see if using the IP of the SECONDARY server in place of 4.2.2.2 works.

Good luck,
-S

[edit]

Oh yeah - your dhclient will re-write resolv.conf every time you run it.
h

[Birdie312]

hmm ok thanks for the heads up. I'll try my best, thanks.