Ubuntu
jockey package

Server 11.04 AMD - Jockey from CLI for BCM4318?

Asked by Monton

I am attempting to install "product: BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller" on an 11.04 AMD box.

So far I have tried:

apt-get upgrade; apt-get dist-remove -y; apt-get purge -y; apt-get autoremove -y;
apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer -y;
shutdown now -r
lshw -C network;

ifconfig displays wired, hamachi and loopback.

lshw -C network -- shows the Wifi as being UNCLAIMED still.

modprobe -r b43 ssb wl
modprobe wl

According to : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/bcm43xx it is "b43 - BCM4306/3, BCM4311, BCM4312, BCM4318, BCM4320 "

apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source -y; shutdown now -r;

Step 1.

To install b43-fwcutter issue the following command in a terminal (under the desktop menu Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and follow the prompts:

~$ sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter

Since Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal additional installation of the package firmware-b43-installer can be helpful and/or necessary, respectively:

~$ sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer firmware-b43legacy-installer

Step 2.

Under the desktop menu System > Administration > Hardware/Additional Drivers, the b43 drivers can be activated for use.

For Step 2, this box has no GUI. Jockey-GTK will not run because of no GUI. Is there a way to enable the "restricted drivers" by CLI?

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Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure) said : 		#1

You don't actually need a GUI to run jockey-gtk. You can pass it command-line arguments, and it will act as a command-line program. Run "jockey-gtk --help" (without the quotes) to list the commands you can use.

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Monton (carldavidbrown) said : 		#2

With out a GUI, Jockey-gtk -c / -l ... etc gives errors instead of working.

Without Jockey is there anyway to enable the restricted drivers?

"# jockey-gtk -c
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/jockey-gtk", line 27, in <module>
    from gi.repository import GdkPixbuf, Gtk, Notify
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/importer.py", line 76, in load_module
    dynamic_module._load()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/module.py", line 249, in _load
    overrides_modules = __import__('gi.overrides', fromlist=[self._namespace])
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/overrides/Gtk.py", line 1251, in <module>
    raise RuntimeError("Gtk couldn't be initialized")
RuntimeError: Gtk couldn't be initialized"

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Ubfan (ubfan1) said : 		#3

The open b43 driver and open b43 firmware should both work for your 4318 chip. Since this is 11.04, I recommend avoiding the proprietary Broadcom STA (aka wl) driver. Check the bug reports if you really want the wl driver, -- didn't work under Natty last time I tried. Determine which firmware(s) you have installed:
ls /lib/firmware/b43
ls /lib/firmware/b43-open
You should be good if either or both directories are present. If both are present, the b43 will be the one used.
The first installation (or first after a "sudo apt-get purge b43-fwcutter) when on a wired connection should offer to download Broadcom files, accept this, and the /lib/firmware/b43 files should be installed.
The installation of the firmware-b43-installer should install the /lib/firmware/b43-open files.

The installation of the bcmwl... package probably blacklisted the b43 driver. I'd simply purge that package, and check that no leftover blacklists exist in /etc/modprobe.d. The blacklist b43 instruction may be in a separate file, or added to the file blacklist.conf.

A reboot should load modules b43 and ssb with no effort on your part, and the wl module should not be present.

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