OnBoard Ethernet Gigabyte 8i945GCMX-S2 in CentOS5

Situation:

- CeontOS5.0 with Xen installed on machine with Gigabyte 8i945GCMX-S2
- No ethernet card discovered

Resolution:

try:

#lspci

for this device there should be:

01:05.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8169SC Gigabit Ethernet (rev 10)

if so, then download linux 2.6 driver from here and untar it. Next steps are described in its readme file but i'll put short in here.

on CentOS5.0 with Xen type (as root):

#yum install kernel-xen-devel

(If your kernel is without xen it will be #yum install kernel-devel).
Now change directory to this unpacked driver previously downloaded and type:

# make clean modules
# make install
# depmod -a
# insmod ./src/r8169.ko

Now it should work. Try dmesg. It should show something like:

r8169 Gigabit Ethernet driver 6.003.00-NAPI loaded
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:05.0[A] -> GSI 21 (level, low) -> IRQ 20
eth1: RTL8169SC/8110SC at 0xee62e000, 00:1a:4d:3c:42:e2, IRQ 20

You can also try ifconfig -a. There should be eth0 (or ethN where N is number)

Wifi for Acer Aspire 3023 WLMi for Ubuntu 7.10

Problem: Wifi for Acer Aspire 3023 WLMi for Ubuntu 7.10 does not work

Resolution: (not trivial)

This is common issue (broadcom wireless) but with little addition. Acer Aspire 3023 WLMi has Broadcom Corporation BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller is described here as 'usually not working'. I don't know in what other notebooks it is mounted but I found resolution for Acer Aspire 3023 WLMi. Problem is in those special buttons - precisely in WiFi button. Adding broadcom firmware does not cause wifi working.

Ok, here is resolution:

Part 1 - install Broadcom wireless bcm4318
Start with this page.
In shortcut:
- obtain windows driver for wireless from here
- unzip it
- install bcm43xx-fwcutter
- use this bcm43xx-fwcutter on downloaded driver

# bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware ./bcmwl5.sys
# bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware/`uname -r` ./bcmwl5.sys

With other broadcom controller now you should have wifi

Part 2 - enable wifi button
There is module written for this purpose - acerhk
In shortcut:
- download this or this and untar
- enter directory
- edit file acerhk.c and change first uncommented line

#include <linux/config.h>

to

#include <linux/autoconf.h>

- # make && make install
- edit file /etc/modules and add following lines:

acerhk poll=1 autowlan=1
bcm43xx

After rebooting notebook it should work. Now you have gleaming wireless button (and mail client button flashing :) - don't ask, I don't know why).