compile from source and include a new driver in 19.3

[Member roland]

I recently bought a PCIe/USB wlan + bluetooth card, when it arrived with a small dvd I realised the required driver was source code, and needs to be compiled and linked in order to run. (please forgive my mainframe terminology).
I have never needed to do this before with a PC so I am looking for pointers and suggestions to enable me to complete the process.
Attached is the readme file which describes the procedure to be followed. I was immediately suspicious when I read that the kernel source must be present in order to produce the executable module. I do not really believe that, having a mainframe background, where such matters as linking or consolidation are usually handled by the operating system, or can be optional only for efficiency. Maybe using modprobe will achieve the required inclusion of the new module into the kernel without kernel source being present? Does the make procedure have to be run on the target machine or can it be run on another with the same kernel then copied to the required machine? The make you see in the screenshot was not on the target machine, which requires kernel 4.19.152.

I ran make as described in the readme file, using the Makefile which is attached, which I presume used the 2 files supplied, asix.h and ax88179_178a.c.

I now have a new file created by make named modules.order, it is not an executable object module as it contains text.
make reported 2 errors which may be merely warnings that do not affect the compile. However no module was produced and error 1 was reported, please see terminal screenshot.
Any pointers or comments will be thankfully received, many thanks in advance.

Attachments:

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   make_driver_1.jpg
   

[Member roland]

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Sorry I always forget about file types not allowed, here they are as pdf.

Attachments:

1. Makefile.pdf
2. modules.pdf
3. readme.pdf

[Member Xecure]

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roland wrote:

Attached is the readme file which describes the procedure to be followed. I was immediately suspicious when I read that the kernel source must be present in order to produce the executable module.

It means the kernel headers.

roland wrote:

Does the make procedure have to be run on the target machine or can it be run on another with the same kernel then copied to the required machine?

It needs to be done on the installed objective machine.

Question: Did you check if the module was already included in the linux kernel? In my system (running kernel 5.8.7-antix.1-amd64-smp), the driver is already included, so there is no need to compile it and install it manually.

$ locate ax88179_178
/usr/lib/modules/4.9.212-antix.1-amd64-smp/kernel/drivers/net/usb/ax88179_178a.ko
/usr/lib/modules/5.8.7-antix.1-amd64-smp/kernel/drivers/net/usb/ax88179_178a.ko

The only thing you didn0t explain is what the firmware file is. That may be the only thing missing for it to work on antiX.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Xecure. Reason: Show kernel module

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member roland]

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The required module is found using the locate command, see screenshot. I have obtained this wlan connexion using a Linksys USB wlan adapter as an interim measure, not the PCIe card I wish to get working.

I do not know what the firmware file is that you are referring to, I have a lack of terminology relating to Linux that gets in the way here.

I can see that the driver being present, it only requires to be associated with the new device in some way to become active. If you would point me in the right direction that will be a great help to me, thanks and best wishes.

Attachments:

1. 

   ax88179_178a.jpg
   

1. inxi_zv8.pdf

[Member Xecure]

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roland wrote:

I recently bought a PCIe/USB wlan + bluetooth card

Is it PCI or USB? Are we taking about ONE device or 2 different devices?

Looking again at the readme file you uploaded earlier:

ASIX AX88179_178A USB 3.0/2.0 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter

The driver is only for the ethernet part of the USB device. Are you sure the device matches the CD/DVD? It doesn’t mention any wireless or bluetooth chips or functionality.

Did you connect the PCI card yet? If you did, we need to see if it is being detected at all.
lspci -nn

Was the PCI device connected when you performed the inxi command, which output you just shared? If it was, then it seams it is not detected properly. We will have to start from the pci information and try different solutions little by little.

The firmware may already be included inside of the PCI device (some have it inside, and some don’t need it), or it may be a file somewhere in the firmware folder.
We could start with the device id.
sudo dmesg | grep -i “ax88179\|0df6:0072″`

But I think we first need to make sure we are talking about the same device.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Xecure. Reason: typo

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Moderator caprea]

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Completely offtopic, your graphiccard isn’t installed properly.

Device-1: NVIDIA GT218 [GeForce 210] driver: nouveau v: kernel
bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 10de:0a65
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: 1280×800~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: N/A v: N/A direct render: N/A

[Member userzero]

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El archivo README hace referencia a un dispositivo como la que se muestra a continuación en la imagén… ¿?
PD: La versión actual del controlador es la 1.20.0 (Release Date: 2020-04-27)

Attachments:

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   asix.jpeg
   

[Member roland]

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The device was described as a PCIe wlan adapter with bluetooth capability. It is plugged into a PCIe single lane slot and also to an internal PCI port via cable. But I am using a TP-Link USB wlan adapter as an interim measure to get network access ,until this is fully installed.

The issue dvd appears to contain drivers for a range of devices and operating systems, I used the folders /media/cdrom/USB LAN/ASIX/88179/Linux to locate driver source tar file.

The PC is a new build and I am aware certain devices may not be correctly installed. I am giving priority to a dependable network installation before turning to several other known issues such as occasional freezing which I thought I had cured with kernel 4.19.152.

I have never been able to satisfactorily install Nvidia drivers on any PC! My excuse is that I do little that requires fancy graphics capability, being mainly text and simple browsing, and the default software usually suffices.

lspci -nn delivers a list of messages which mean little to me.

sudo dmesg | grep -i “ax88179\|0df6:0072″` it seems finds nothing corresponding to the text.

Thanks to all contributors for your valuable time. Here I work under adverse conditions, it’s almost 0 degrees farenheit and I have a very poor wlan connexion.

Attachments:

1. 

   issue_dvd.jpg
   

2. 

   sudo_dmesg.jpg
   

1. lspci_nn.pdf

[Member Xecure]

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Looking at your other post about how you set up your desktop PC, I cropped one of the photos and am displaying it here:

Is the above (blue) your pci wifi card? If so, is the connector (red) a USB connector that needs to be connected to a USB 2.0 port on your motherboard?
Maybe it is the angle of the photo, but it seems you are missing the bluetooth/wifi card on that PCI device (at least we cannot see the heat sink, that should be where the pink square indicates).

Please provide the link to the device you bought. My guess is that this is only the PCI adapter, but the wifi card (with bluetooth functionality) is missing, so this PCI card does nothing at all. it only has USB connector for the bluetoth functionality, but without the wireless card, this connector also does nothing.

I hope I am mistaken, and the link you will provide will prove me wrong. This way we can finally find the device you bought and start searching for drivers.

EDIT: See the first 2 minutes of this video so you understand what I mean by “missing the wifi card” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjCDti0RV-s

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Xecure. Reason: video link
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Xecure.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member roland]

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https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005001458043499.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.12ba63c0ZGUJk7

Thisis the www page where I bought the device. It is described as a Bluetooth wireless card, wlan adapter, if I have understood the Spanish text below correctly. It would not surprise me top learn that it isn’t a wlan adapter, the price alone makes me suspicious, and the fact that only 8 have been sold.

Tarjeta inalámbrica Bluetooth para pciE-1X a ngff-ekey PCIE, ordenador portátil, tarjeta WIFI, adaptador WLAN, placa adaptadora de antena Dual
8 vendidos

The photo of the card in its slot may be an early one while the build was ongoing, it is now connected by a short loom to an internal USB port on the mainboard, but I take your point and will remove the side and check that out. The card is so devoid of components there is no heat sink as such.

[Member Xecure]

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You can change the website language. This is in english:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001458043499.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.12ba63c0ZGUJk7

Note:.
The adaper don’t support ThinkPad Wlan card(FRU#)
Not Includes the NGFF Wlan Card !!

Meaning it is only the PCIe adapter, but does not include the wireless card. See the video I linked above. The user also bought it without knowing that it did not include the wifi card and had to buy it separately.

Contact the seller and ask them to recommend a compatible wifi+bluetooth card that works with this PCIe adapter. Then, let us know and we will check if it has Linux driver support.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member roland]

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So at present it’s as much use as a chocolate teapot! Just a pair of antennae and a Usb cable taking up a PCIe slot!

I am based in Spain but my first language is English which many far eastern vendors cannot easily accept making me select preferred language every visit instead of allowing permanent settings. I can read enough Spanish to get by so at times get into trouble with misunderstandings. I shall get onto them for suggestions. I really wanted the telecomms signals to flow via PCIe bus in preference to USB bus. No particular reason except just now I am using a TP-Link USB adapter in an external USB3.0 port and it’s very slow.

Thankyou all contributors, a very valuable lesson learned thanks to this excellent forum.

[Moderator caprea]

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I have such a pci adapter in one dektop. However, it is only for wifi.
These parts are not bad. It was a practical decision.
It fits any wifi card from an old, broken laptop.
Maybe you have one lying around, too, that you can try in the adapter. Possibly that works.

[Member roland]

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Thanks for all these comments. I should have noticed the 2 thin wires attached to the antenna points are not attached anywhere else, so something is missing. I have a quite modern laptop wifi card in the junkbox which I can try.

However before I read the above I had already pulled it out and replaced it with a Comfast 3000Mbps PCIe Wireless Adapter + BT5.0, model CF-AX200 Plus. This looks much like the one I removed but has a finned heat sink on the card. The installation leaflet suggests the makers web site for driver download, but looking there I found only a Win10 driver. However I think the chipset in this device will be a well known one and if I can discover the name I can look for it in my installation.

If the correct driver is already present, what is the procedure for associating the driver with the device?

It’s all a learning curve!

[Moderator caprea]

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From webside
Specification:

1.brand: COMFAST
2.Model: CF-AX200 Pro PCI-E PC wifi adapter (See details);
3.chipest: Intel AX200 Pro chipset;
4.New Wi-Fi with Blutetooth 5.0;
5.Standard IEEE: 802.11 ax/ac/a/b/g/n; dual band 2.4 Ghz-574Mbps/5Ghz-2400Mbps;
6.note: speed up to 2400Mbps (The router must support 802.11 ax);
7.Support MU-MIMO;
8. Operating systems: Only support Windows 10* 64bit and Linux;
9. Compatibility With: Fast computer with PCI Express (PCI-E 1X/4X/16X slot) Intertaces;
10. Specially designed heat sink ensures stable and reliable continuous operation;
11. with 2 * 6DBi high gain antennas get the better signal reception;
12. driver download: You can download the driver on comfast website or you can ask for us.

You might (probably) need the 5.8.16 kernel
Is nothing shown in inxi -zv7 ?

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