Ipw2100
The Ipw2100 is the Linux driver for the Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter found in Centrino laptops.
Contents
Packages
- Fedora Packages(1): Fedora Core includes the ipw2100-drivers in FC3 (with updates) and FC4. You still need to grab the firmware from http://rpm.livna.org/
- Fedora Packages(2): http://www.atrpms.net/name/ipw2100/
- Mandriva: The ipw2100 driver modules are included in the stock kernel package; the firmware is included in the commercial distribution or available from http://plf.zarb.org/
- Debian Sarge includes the source code for the modules in package ipw2100-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2100-source). You additionally need to download firmware manually.
- Debian Etch includes a version of the modules in its kernel or for a later version install package ipw2100-modules-2.6-486, ipw2100-modules-2.6-686, ipw2100-modules-2.6-686-bigmem, ipw2100-modules-2.6-k7 and ipw2100-modules-2.6-amd64 or the source code for them in ipw2100-source (http://packages.debian.org/ipw2100-source). You additionally need to download firmware manually.
Status
- Works, but not reliable in recent kernels up to 2.6.33. Random crashes of the firmware, see [1],[2].
- In development but usable. Version 1.0.5 works quite well with kernel 2.6.10.
- Works very well with kernel 2.6.16-9. Only firmware needs to be copied to the appropriate directory and everything works out-of-box.
Installation
Debian Sarge
# apt-get install ipw2100-source
# module-assistant -t build ipw2100-source
[is this how module-assistant works in Sarge?]
Debian Etch
The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2100-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2100-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.
The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching version 1.3 firmware and install it:
# tar -xvf ipw2100-fw-1.3.tgz -C /lib/firmware
# mv /lib/firmware/ipw2100-fw-1.3/* /lib/firmware
Debian Unstable
Install ieee80211-source:
# apt-get install ieee80211-source# module-assistant -t build ieee80211-source
The kernel includes a version but if you want a more recent version install the module ipw2100-modules-2.6-486 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-686 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-686-bigmem or ipw2100-modules-2.6-k7 or ipw2100-modules-2.6-amd64 depending on your architecture.
The firmware is not distributed with Debian due to licensing reasons, download the matching version ?.? firmware and install it:
# tar -xvf ipw2100-fw-?.?.tgz -C /lib/firmware
# mv /lib/firmware/ipw2100-fw-?.?/* /lib/firmware
Additional Comments
Make sure to try the newest version. You will need to install the loadable binary firmware provided on http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net/firmware.php as required by the driver.
To install the firmware, decompress the .tgz in /lib/firmware
To turn off the radio on boot-up load ipw2100 with option disable=1, i.e. # modprobe ipw2100 disable=1.
