CrunchBang Linux

In spite of the the "permission denied" and the "no such file" messages, my wifi is now working after inputting these commands.  Whether it's stable or not is a question for another day, but it works now.  I don't know what I did, though.  Here's my question:

What file or files should I look in see the status of my working wifi?  Does this question even make sense?  I mean, how do I see what the now working code looks like so that I can replicate it in the future?

And thanks for all your help.  Like t0ast, I've learned a lot.

If

sudo modinfo wl

then

filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.32-5-686/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/wl.ko
license:        MIXED/Proprietary
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004727sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004357sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004353sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d0000432Dsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d0000432Csv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d0000432Bsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d0000432Asv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004329sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004328sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004315sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004313sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004312sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004311sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        lib80211
vermagic:       2.6.32-5-686 SMP mod_unload modversions 686 
parm:           oneonly:int
parm:           piomode:int
parm:           instance_base:int
parm:           nompc:int
parm:           name:string

As for turning off the power:

lappy:~$ iwconfig eth1 power off
Error for wireless request "Set Power Management" (8B2C) :
    SET failed on device eth1 ; Operation not permitted.
lappy:~$ sudo iwlist eth1 power off
[sudo] password for aaron: 
iwlist: command `power' needs fewer arguments (max 0)

But it DOES change the terminal if I Fn + something else...

It's a fair question.  As far as I can tell, it is on.  There is no physical switch.  When I first got in late 2008 it was running Dellbuntu and switched off and on via fn 2.  And of course there is the right mouse "enable wireless."  I have ever only turned wifi off when I was on Dellbuntu,  I migrated to Mint Xfce in late 2009 and have never turned it off using fn 2 since.  I have only occasionally used right button "wireless disabled."

After finishing my dissertation last month I decided to play with other distros (tired of Mint Xfce).  Since then I have briefly installed #! Statler, #! 9.04, lubuntu 11, and Ali puppy remix.  I have never turned off wifi during that time but have had similar problems in puppy as in Statler but wifi worked fine under 9.04 and lubuntu.

TMI?  ANyway, not a dumb question.  I actually wondered if I had somehow turned it off during the installs.  I don't know if fn2 even works anymore and right mouse shows "wireless enabled."

THe thing that kills me is that this seems to be a regular problem but I'm the only one who cannot get it resolved.  Yargh.

Thanks for the help machinebacon.

 sudo ifconfig eth1

renders

eth1      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:23:08:1e:4e:21  
          inet6 addr: fe80::223:8ff:fe1e:4e21/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 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:17 

I must get in on this:  I have the same problem, have been having the same problem, and I cannot resolve it so far using any of this traditional fixes.  Just so ya'll know I'm not lazy, the following are the pages to which I have referred and tried:

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … er-alpha1/       (the broadcom how-to)
http://wiki.debian.org/wl#Squeeze
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … confusion/                (my original query)
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/110823/#p110823                                                (tranche's first epic assist)
http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … onnecting/    (and his second)

First time out I didn't have root privileges so I couldn't update anything or use synaptic as root.   I reinstalled using a WinDiskImager USB instead of Unetbootin.  I do have root now and even see that the updated synaptic includes the b43-fwcutter and b43 driver, so I started there.  Even though they show install it doesn't work.

Going through the Debian Wiki first time I couldn't get past the blacklist of drivers, but that's resolved itself.

I'm using a broadcom BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY.  If I

lspci -k 

the broadcom stanza shows that I'm already using the wl driver, eg.

 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)
Subsystem: Broadcom Corporation Device 04b5
Kernel driver in use: wl 

Finally, and this is probably it, if I

 sudo ifconfig wlan0 

I get a device not found error.

I was able to get this driver to work in Mint.  I like #!.  I'd rather not enter the distro lottery again.  Any more suggestions?

This is driving me absolutely  nuts!

I reinstalled, connected via ethernet this time, and had the same issue with setting up the network, as expected.  But this time several different things have happened:

1. During the network setup, even though I knew it wouldn't connect because of the b43 issue, I input the network name and WP Key and SSID, etc.  When I unplugged the ethernet cable it showed my network, AND THEN CONNECTED showing 100% signal.  But when I tried to connect to the web (super w) the screen came up "no connection"

2. following earlier instructions, I was able to get into root by typing

su
[password]
visudo

which gave me

visudo: /etc/visudoers.tmp unchanged

So I typed

sudo nano /mount-point/etc/sudoers

which opened an empty editing window in nano with the file name "/mount-point/etc/sudoers"

I had hoped there would be some code there, but added the line

username ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

anyway and tried to save using cmd X, which gave me

Save modified buffer? (Y)
File name to write: /mount-point/etc/sudoers [enter]

Error writing /mount-point/etc/sudoers: No such file or directory

For what it's worth, this feels like progress.  I got a wireless connection, though not really, and I got further in the terminal than I have before.

And another thing: on a lark I opened synaptic and did a search for b43 and both firmware-b43-installer and b43-fwcutter appear as installed,  Thinking that maybe Corenominal included I thought I'd try installing it that way, but I cannot enter synaptic as root: if I input usename password it opens but says without root permissions I cannot change the system and if I input root password the entire screen blinks once and I'm back where I started.

As I keep pounding away at this, any more suggestions?  Why do I not have an /etc/sudoers file?  Or is it the /etc/sudoers.d file that appears in thunar?  Can I write one?

Seriously, what the eff?

Yes!  That's the problem.  I installed from a USB, and when I insert that I of course get a thunar window with all the files.  None of these are /etc/sudoers.  (And does it matter that my folder name on the SSD is actually /etc/sudoers.d?)

When I try to reboot from the usb - thinking I could go into recovery mode - the system automatically goes into install.  There is no other option available.  Am I misunderstanding the way usb install work (e.g. they really aren't live cds as such)?

In the meantime what I tried to do follow the Debian wiki instructions for installing lenny.  Starting from the top, when I aptitude install I get:

Ign cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux 6.0.0 _Squeeze_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20110207-09:05] squeeze Release.gpg
Media Change: Please insert the disc labeled 'Debian GNU/Linux 6.0.0 _Squeeze_ - Official Snapshot i386 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20110207-09:05' in the drive '/media/cdrom/' and press [Enter].

If I then move to "aptitude install build-essential debhelper module-assistant quilt wireless-tools"

I get dependency issues between broadcom-sta-source and both debhelper and quilt and am given options to resolve the issue, but once I do that it says that, for example, debhelper package cannot be found. 

So I downloaded the debhelper and quilt packages myself using but now don't know what to do with them.

Sorry to be so thick, but by the gods I am trying.

Sorry to be so thick, but to the end of what file?

I came across the same solution at linuxquestions.org: basically go to terminal, type visudo to open the sudoers file, then add username ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL    though there the code is simply usename ALL=(ALL) ALL

But when I do that I get {visudo: /etc/sudoers: permission denied}

Presumably because username is not already in sudoers as having  the right permissions.

Somehow through all this I managed to download Skype and install it through synaptic (which required a root password), but I cannot even get into synaptic as root now.