calling all IT gurus(wireless linux ?)

[dave_p]

im running mandrake 9.1 (2.4.21pre) and i am trying to get it to play nice with my linksys wusb v2.5 wireless usb network interface. no dice. i dont have the kernel source installed, i tried using the rpms packaged from the wireless linux project specifically for my card and no dice. the rpms are geared for redhat but should have worked(kernels too new??)
i suck at building kernels right now so a fresh build is doable but not the preferred solution.

anyhoo, does anyone know a distro that supports my usb wireless device??

or, does anyone know a free good proxyserver that i can run on a wireless windows box and then hardwire to the linux box. i have nics up the pooper so topology is not an issue, i can get as funky as need be. the *nix box is just 2 floors away from the wired lan so i need some kind of wireless solution.

[Star_Base_CGI]

That really sucks.

You did everything I would have done but for whatever reason you just dont seem to have a driver for a USB Wireless lan device.

I would concentrate on getting some kind of wireless USB device driver but I would say that would be difficult if not imposible.

I would look specifically for Linux Compatable WAP or wireless PCI card products and maybe shell out a few dollars for that.

[dave_p]

thanks for the reply Star_Base_CGI, im on the market for another wireless lan card so i may just do that.
no 34 is not too old for a second childhood.
the real trick is to never leave it in the first place(while still being a responsible person and productive member of society). as long as your childish tendencies are the pure and goodhearted ones and not the selfish and immature ones you can do little wrong.

I would concentrate on getting some kind of wireless USB device driver but I would say that would be difficult if not imposible.

thats pretty much the reason i set out to do it in the first place, but it is a pretty elusive goal so far.

[Dryden]

Any new Red Hat driver/module RPMs targeted to 8.0 & 9 are not going to work for you, since there are several Linux 2.5 kernel enhancements that are back-ported into the Red Hat 2.4 kernels (heavily with RH 9).

If you're set on running Mandrake, you'll need to grab the relevant kernel sources and libraries and install (if you haven't done so already). You should NOT have to build a new kernel, just install all the appropriate source packages to allow you to compile the Wi-Fi drivers/modules.

Then, grab the Atmel source code and follow the directions.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/atmelwlandriver/

[and/or]

http://atmelwlandriver.sourceforge.net/news.html

[dave_p]

cool, i thought this thread was dead!
ill download the third iso image tonight, it has the source on it. im running mandrake because well, it was free. it was packaged with a magazine i bought so i slapped it on a box. only the first 2 disks were included so the source was not installed but that is easy enough to fix. maybe ill find some other stuff on the disk like pico and emacs. for some reason they werent installed either.
thanks for the help.

[alkafluence]

Try picking up a Wireless Bridge like the Netgear ME101 or the Linksys WET11, instead of trying to run USB wireless. Wireless support on Linux is spotty enough, and throwing in USB doesn't help.

The bridge just plugs into your Ethernet Card, and acts as an extension to your existing Wireless Lan. No drivers, no additional setup, no hassles.

[dave_p]

here is how i solved this problem for anyone who may be interested:
i happened to have an old dell 166 laying around that happened to have usb ports. i put the wireless nic on that and installed a free proxy called analogx on it and essentially turned it into a wireless bridge for a total cost of $o.oo. the linux box is wired to the dell with a crossover cable i made from some cat 5 i had. so for the first time i am posting on AO with a linux system.