Setting GuruPlug to be a stable WiFi Client

[chthon]

Confused newbie here.  I've spent many hours getting my GPS standard in wifi client mode and to connect to my wireless network (and was eventually successful) but have fallen foul of the instability of the wifi drivers with the kernel shipped with the device.  Since everything I need to do with my GPS is reliant on me having a stable wifi client configuration I want to follow these instructions here to get an install updated kernel, modules and drivers.

http://www.plugcomputer.org/plugwiki/index.php/Setting_GuruPlug_to_be_a_stable_WiFi_Client

So, for simplicity sake I'm happy using the pre-compiled binaries available on the wiki (thanks for whoever put them up there).  (being new to embedded linux-based systems I simply don't understand the provided instructions for compiling the relevant kernel, modules and drivers)

How can I actually install the pre-compiled binaries?  Can I just copy them across in uboot with a TFTP server using the JTAG board?  Something along these lines: (I'm way out of my depth)

setenv serverip 192.168.***.***     (I presume this is the IP address lease from my wireless router?)
setenv ipaddr 192.168.***.***    (I presume this is the IP address of my netbook on which I have tptp-hpa running?)
tftpboot 0x6400000 guru/uImage 
some more commands to copy modules across?

I have tftp-hpa set up on Gentoo running on my netbook but I don't know what to do next.  Thanks in advance for any pointers.  In the meantime I'll try to find the appropriate M so I can RTFM.

[NewIT_Marcus]

http://www.plugcomputer.org/plugwiki/index.php/Setting_GuruPlug_to_be_a_stable_WiFi_Client

So, for simplicity sake I'm happy using the pre-compiled binaries available on the wiki (thanks for whoever put them up there).  (being new to embedded linux-based systems I simply don't understand the provided instructions for compiling the relevant kernel, modules and drivers)

How can I actually install the pre-compiled binaries?  Can I just copy them across in uboot with a TFTP server using the JTAG board?  Something along these lines: (I'm way out of my depth)

The instructions you've quoted don't require access to U-Boot, nor changing environment variables at all.

Boot your Guruplug as normal, and execute any commands per the instructions from your terminal prompt, NOT at the U-Boot prompt (which you can only access via JTAG, prior to boot).

[chthon]

Thank you for your assistance (which actually helped quite a bit -- I really was missing some big chunks of necessary understanding and what you wrote set me off on the right path).  I think it is sorted (after reading the relevant wiki pages literally dozens of times).  I am booting the newer kernel using a new version of uboot and I am in what seems like a stable wifi client mode on startup.     

[benw]

I too am trying to make my GuruPlug into a stable Wifi Client as per the instructions on plugcomputer.org (http://www.plugcomputer.org/plugwiki/index.php/Setting_GuruPlug_to_be_a_stable_WiFi_Client).

Having no experience of compiling kernels/drivers so I’m also happy to install the set of pre-compiled binaries listed at the start of the guide.

After reading through this guide and associated pages supporting this many times I’m still unclear about a couple of things.

Once Uboot and the kernel are flashed and working, what do I need to do with file (2 6 33 7 modules.tar.bz2) as it isn’t referenced anywhere in the guide. Do these modules need to be embodied into the root file system somehow?

Once the kernel boots, what do I need to do with the old root file system?
The way I understand it, it will still have old modules/drivers for the old stock kernel.
I know I have a new drivers/firmware set to copy on (Wifi drivers.tar.bz2) but what about the other kernel modules?

[chthon]

Do these modules need to be embodied into the root file system somehow?

I like the way you phrase that!  Yes, my understanding (and it took me hours to work this out) is that you simply untar and uncompress the modules -- you will get a directory called "2.6.33.7" which contains all the modules.  You need copy the directory named "2.6.33.7" into /lib/modules/ on your Guruplug.  You will see that you already have in there a directory for the 2.6.32 kernel modules.  You don't need to remove the old modules directory.  My understanding is that if you ever want to or need to boot the 2.6.32 kernel again you will always have the necessary modules just in case.  The kernel only sees those modules that it needs.

So, you're not really replacing the root file system (it's still basically Debian Lenny), you're just updating the kernel and modules... and the firmware.  The key bit of the instructions for the firmware from http://www.plugcomputer.org/plugwiki/index.php/Setting_GuruPlug_to_be_a_stable_WiFi_Client is

You should now have in your working directory two files named: mcypt.ko and sd8xxx.ko.
Copy those files along with the ones in ./SD_WLAN/FwImage/ to your /root/ directory on the guruplug.

Ok, so you haven't compiled the firmware but the compressed archive contains mcypt.ko and sd8xxx.ko and a "firmware" folder with the two other files which, if you followed the compilation instructions, presumably would be in ./SD_WLAN/FwImage/

So, copy mcypt.ko and sd8xxx.ko and the folder "firmware" into /root/ on the plug. (using USB or ssh for example) and follow the instructions for driver installation (and test that you can connect to your wireless network), and then once that is working change the initialisation scripts as instructed.

I spent another day messing around with wpa_supplicant and the initialisation scripts before it all works automatically but it is worth the frustration.  Post if you get stuck, maybe you will get stuck at the same point as me again.

 


 

[benw]

Brilliant! Thanks for the info, it all makes sense now. I will give it a try this weekend.

Much appreciated.

[benw]

Success....All working, thanks for the advice.

Did you have any success with bluetooth? I noticed a couple of errors on boot (booting with the old init_setup.sh before I modified it) complaning about missing bluetooth modules. It did however start a bluetooth PAN listed in ifconfig so it appears to be working, though i've not tested it?

[chthon]

Glad you got it working!

I too have some Bluetooth error messages on boot but I'm yet to investigate further.