Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

[Fred Plissonneau]

From: Fred Plissonneau <cohomewp4@gmail.com>
To: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org


Anyone can help ?

Thanks

On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 4:19 PM, ch wp4 <cohomewp4@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am facing an issue during installation of an external USB-WiFi stick
> on my Linux box (Ubuntu 10.04).
> Actually, I have already successfully compiled and installed ath9k
> driver using compat-wireless-2.6.38.2-2.
> The internal WiFi NIC is fully operational.
> Now, I want to add temporarily an external USB-WiFi stick (D-Link DWA
> 160). I've found that this hardware
> is using an ar9170 chipset and therefore I've recompiled
> compat-wireless targeting now the carl9170 driver.
> Once again, this working perfectly.
> But when I switch-off and back on my PC, only the latest installed
> WiFi interface is working.
>
> Digging into the system, I've found that ath9k has disappeared from the
> /lib/modules/2.6.32-27-generic/updates/drivers/net/wireless/ath directory.
> It looks like the 'make install' command is doing some cleaning which
> has, in my particular use case, an undesirable
> side-effect.
> Can someone point me to the line in the Makefile causing this problem
> or is it the desired behaviour ?
>
> Thanks for your help
> Fred Plissonneau
>

Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

[Ali Bahar]

On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 11:59:17AM +0200, Fred Plissonneau wrote:
> From: Fred Plissonneau <cohomewp4@gmail.com>
> To: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
> 
> 
> Anyone can help ?

Not me!
But let me see if I at least understand your problem:

 
> On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 4:19 PM, ch wp4 <cohomewp4@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am facing an issue during installation of an external USB-WiFi stick
> > on my Linux box (Ubuntu 10.04).
> > Actually, I have already successfully compiled and installed ath9k
> > driver using compat-wireless-2.6.38.2-2.
> > The internal WiFi NIC is fully operational.
> > Now, I want to add temporarily an external USB-WiFi stick (D-Link DWA
> > 160). I've found that this hardware
> > is using an ar9170 chipset and therefore I've recompiled
> > compat-wireless targeting now the carl9170 driver.
> > Once again, this working perfectly.

So you have an on-board ath9k, which does work, and an ar9170 USB
stick, which does work.


> > But when I switch-off and back on my PC, only the latest installed
> > WiFi interface is working.

So only the on-board ath9k fails?


> > Digging into the system, I've found that ath9k has disappeared from the
> > /lib/modules/2.6.32-27-generic/updates/drivers/net/wireless/ath directory.
> > It looks like the 'make install' command is doing some cleaning which

Ha? Why does 'make install' run after a power-cycle?!! That ran only
after you compiled the driver.


> > has, in my particular use case, an undesirable
> > side-effect.
> > Can someone point me to the line in the Makefile causing this problem
> > or is it the desired behaviour ?

Again, the makefile does not come into this. After you've installed
the drivers, you can forget about the makefile.

So are you saying that the ath9k module somehow got deleted from your
file system?

later,
ali

Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

[Fred Plissonneau]

Hi Ali,

On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 3:07 PM, Ali Bahar <ali@internetdog.org> wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 11:59:17AM +0200, Fred Plissonneau wrote:
>> From: Fred Plissonneau <cohomewp4@gmail.com>
>> To: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
>>
>>
>> Anyone can help ?
>
> Not me!
> But let me see if I at least understand your problem:
>
>
>> On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 4:19 PM, ch wp4 <cohomewp4@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > I am facing an issue during installation of an external USB-WiFi stick
>> > on my Linux box (Ubuntu 10.04).
>> > Actually, I have already successfully compiled and installed ath9k
>> > driver using compat-wireless-2.6.38.2-2.
>> > The internal WiFi NIC is fully operational.
>> > Now, I want to add temporarily an external USB-WiFi stick (D-Link DWA
>> > 160). I've found that this hardware
>> > is using an ar9170 chipset and therefore I've recompiled
>> > compat-wireless targeting now the carl9170 driver.
>> > Once again, this working perfectly.
>
> So you have an on-board ath9k, which does work, and an ar9170 USB
> stick, which does work.

Exactly

>
>
>> > But when I switch-off and back on my PC, only the latest installed
>> > WiFi interface is working.
>
> So only the on-board ath9k fails?

In fact only the last installed driver remains in the system
directories (/lib/modules/...)
The last-but-one installed driver has been removed during the "make
install" of the second one.

>
>
>> > Digging into the system, I've found that ath9k has disappeared from the
>> > /lib/modules/2.6.32-27-generic/updates/drivers/net/wireless/ath directory.
>> > It looks like the 'make install' command is doing some cleaning which
>
> Ha? Why does 'make install' run after a power-cycle?!! That ran only
> after you compiled the driver.
>

No, no it is not after the power-cycle. I just mention here that after
power-on, my first installed
driver as disappeared and I suspect the Makefile to contain "rm"
command which does too much cleaning
in my particular case.

I am following the README information here (or may I've made a
mistake, let me know).
./scripts/driver-select ath9k
make
sudo make install (I'm running UBUNTU)
sudo modprode ath9k

./scripts/driver-select carl9170
make
sudo make install
sudo modprode carl9170

If I don't switch off, everything works fine (just because both
modules are loaded into the memory).


-->> Last minute (4:30PM today !-) :
I've found the lines causing the problem. There located just after the
"uninstall:" tag which is also built during "make install".
If I delete lines #318 to #326 in the Makefile (right after the "make"
command and before "make install") it works fine now.
That is to say, the ath9k.ko file is not deleted anymore during the
installation of the second driver.
This workaround is working fine. I am not sure my specific problem is
relevant in the normal use case .

Thanks,
Fred.

>
>> > has, in my particular use case, an undesirable
>> > side-effect.
>> > Can someone point me to the line in the Makefile causing this problem
>> > or is it the desired behaviour ?
>
> Again, the makefile does not come into this. After you've installed
> the drivers, you can forget about the makefile.
>
> So are you saying that the ath9k module somehow got deleted from your
> file system?
>


> later,
> ali
>

Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

[Larry Finger]

On 06/21/2011 10:02 AM, Fred Plissonneau wrote:
>
> No, no it is not after the power-cycle. I just mention here that after
> power-on, my first installed
> driver as disappeared and I suspect the Makefile to contain "rm"
> command which does too much cleaning
> in my particular case.
>
> I am following the README information here (or may I've made a
> mistake, let me know).
> ./scripts/driver-select ath9k
> make
> sudo make install (I'm running UBUNTU)
> sudo modprode ath9k
>
> ./scripts/driver-select carl9170
> make
> sudo make install
> sudo modprode carl9170
>
> If I don't switch off, everything works fine (just because both
> modules are loaded into the memory).
>
>
> -->>  Last minute (4:30PM today !-) :
> I've found the lines causing the problem. There located just after the
> "uninstall:" tag which is also built during "make install".
> If I delete lines #318 to #326 in the Makefile (right after the "make"
> command and before "make install") it works fine now.
> That is to say, the ath9k.ko file is not deleted anymore during the
> installation of the second driver.
> This workaround is working fine. I am not sure my specific problem is
> relevant in the normal use case .

Your problem is that you are using the driver-select script wrong. It has 
nothing to do with your interfaces having the same chip vendor. In addition, 
your "workaround" is likely to cause many problems with dead modules not being 
removed.

You need to select ALL the modules you will ever need before you do the make 
step. By deleting ath9k from the configuration when you select carl9170 and 
vice-versa, you tell the system that you no longer want the other one. Strangely 
enough, but that is exactly what it does.

You need to use

./scripts/driver-select ath

That will build ath5k, which you do not need; however, the other two will be 
available. In you want, you could always edit config.mk and remove the line with 
"CONFIG_ATH5K=m".

Larry

Re: Makefile deletes previous driver install when two WiFi interfaces are from the same chip vendor

[Ali Bahar]

Hi Fred,


On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 05:02:57PM +0200, Fred Plissonneau wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 3:07 PM, Ali Bahar <ali@internetdog.org> wrote:
> > On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 11:59:17AM +0200, Fred Plissonneau wrote:
> >> From: Fred Plissonneau <cohomewp4@gmail.com>


> >> > But when I switch-off and back on my PC, only the latest installed

> In fact only the last installed driver remains in the system
> directories (/lib/modules/...)
> The last-but-one installed driver has been removed during the "make
> install" of the second one.

I think I understand: you built a new driver, ran a 'make install' to
install it, and you suspect that the makefile removed another device's
driver. However, since the latter driver is already loaded into RAM,
you don't notice its loss until the next time you reboot.



> ./scripts/driver-select carl9170
> make
> sudo make install
> sudo modprode carl9170

> If I delete lines #318 to #326 in the Makefile (right after the "make"
> command and before "make install") it works fine now.

I don't know the makefile, nor anything specific to Ubuntu. But if the
procedure selects a specific driver, then its installation step should
not delete other drivers!

All's well that ends well! ;-)
ali