Re: talk about going around robinhood's barn...

["Darren Albers" <dalbers gmail com>]

On 3/14/07, Mike Padlipsky <the map alum mit edu> wrote:
> ... or maybe hunting heffalumps.  but apparenty the only way i can
> perhaps get what i take to be a simple question about networkmanager
> answered is to 'post a message to all the list members' and hope
> somebody either knows the answer or at least can aim me at whoever
> the unspecified-anywhere-i-could-spot purveyors of this program the
> apparent web site of which
> [http://www.gnome.org/projects/NetworkManager/] seems to have been
> composed by an old-line ibm salesman, since all it does is tell you
> how great it's going to be.  [unless, of course, i'm supposed to
> plink the red hat inc. link since they're the copyright holders, even
> tho i always thought there were only copyleft's in this world.]
>
> answer by direct netmail, as we called it when we were inventing it,
> please, since as should be obvious i'm not on the mailing list and
> have no desire to be on it.  [don't ask why; i might answer ... at
> far more length than you'll want to see.]
>
> so, here's what i want to know:  how, if at all, can i get
> networkmanager to offer me a choice between both the built-in wifi
> widget in my new lenovo 3000 n100 [which i think of as "VistaSystem
> 1" because, like playstations, if you work incredibly hard you can
> get at the computer you know is in there rather than just do the
> things it wants you to do -- as in play playstation games on
> playstations and use vista on vistastations -- provided you're
> willing to run the super grub disc to clean up after incredible
> obscenities that vista commits upon the mbr if you happen to need to
> use the now dual-booted vista that comes with the thing ... and which
> will wipe out your linux along with everything else on the hard drive
> if you have to reinstall the bloody vista], which isn't the ipw3945
> i'd been misled to believe it was going to be, but some broadcom
> thing that's apparently not going to be usable on linux yet [i speak
> after a week or more of trying to get it to work ... and, of course,
> failing], and the airlink usb thing i picked up for 12bux at fry's in
> case i could never get what i thought at the time was the ipw3945 to
> work, but it was supposed to on linux, especially ubuntu 6.10, which
> i happened to choose for reasons i've already forgotten but i think
> had something to do wit the ipw3945 was supposed to work with it.
>
> ok, that's a rather involved sentence.  and it doesn't quite make the
> real point, which is that there's the built-in wifi on eth1 that
> doesn't work and this usb wifi on eth2 that should work, but all
> network manager seems to do is notice eth1, so how can i make it
> notice both [and then select the latter] -- or can't i make it notice
> both and i'll have to wait for ubuntu 7.04 which is supposed to
> support the built-in [i think]?
>
> and PLEASE don't tell me to switch to your favorite 'distro'
> instead.  i just invested another several hours doing a clean
> reinstall of 6.10 in hopes of clearing away all the messes i'd made
> trying to get all three of the wifi widgets to work and then either
> get the usb one to work or wait until 'feisty' comes out officially
> because there's enough about the current ubuntu that i do like that i
> don't intend to abandon it ... this time; i've abandoned any number
> of 'distros' over the last few years, and i think i'm finally willing
> to stay with it.  so if i have to use bloody vista to get at the 'net
> from my living room when i want to get at the net from my living room
> for 6 weeks or so, so be it.
>
> for that matter, don't ask me exactly which broadcom and zydas chips
> are involved either.  i know that neither might be workable [except
> for the fact that somehow i did get one of them -- i think the usb
> one -- to work, once, it's just that it wouldn't work the next time
> and i couldn't recreate what i'd done to accidentally make it work
> after that], but all i want to know is how i can i get netmanager to
> let me see/choose between eth1 and eth2.
>
> and yes, i have wasted far too much time looking for anything
> remotely resembling documentation on networkmanager.  all i found was
> a probably outdated 'faq' which was no help and which didn't indicate
> how to communicate with whoever wrote it ... unless the plinkable
> last revised by item that led to a logically blank page was meant to
> be the way to communicate, in which case it's broken.
>
> thanks, and
>
> cheers, map


Ok in that long email I was not able to determine exactly what issue
you are having so let me try and break it down.

You have two wireless cards:
1) Broadcom Mini-PCI
2) Some USB device

Network Manager sees the MiniPCI device but not the USB device?

Can you post your /etc/network/interfaces (commenting out any keys)

and post the type of chipset in the usb device?

Please make sure you include the list on the reply so others can see
the same information.

Thanks