G4 Powerbook Wireless - correction

Thu Aug 7 18:21:54 MDT 2008

Hi Barry:

I found that you don't need the latest version of OS X; actually Tiger
(10.4.6) is quite good enough.  As Apple chose to drop the PPC, I'll be
eventually switching to Windows so that I could do decent work and dual
boot between Windows and YDL running on a 4 core Cell.  So it's just as
well that your question comes up now.

Read carefully the instructions provided in the link discussing Airport
Extreme, it tells you where the file you question is found.  Please note
that Airport Extreme was a special installation option I chose at the
time I bought my G4 - so on my PB it is installed.
Keeping that in mind the following can be executed from within the
Terminal application found in Utilities within OS X.

Here is what a Terminal session looks like revealing a portion of the
directory in question; I'm showing a partial listing.  Note that ...
means something precedes and something follows:

arakus:/System/Library/Extensions aguila$ ls

...
AppleADT746x.kext
AppleAirPort.kext
AppleAirPort2.kext
AppleAltiVecDVDDriver.bundle
  ...

As far as the fwcutter application is concerned I stayed with the
version listed in the example, the update or current version didn't work
within YDL.  So I stayed with what works.

All the best...

Barry Hembree wrote:
> Derick,
>
> Thanks for your response. I went ahead and installed Mac OS X back on  
> my computer and upgraded it to the latest version. I don't seem to  
> have an AppleAirport2 file. I only have a AppleAirport file. I think  
> the AppleAirport2 file is pre-Leopard. The fwcutter program (I have  
> tried two different versions) does not seem to want to extract the  
> file I have. Any suggestions?
>
> Barry
>
> On Aug 6, 2008, at 9:00 PM, Derick Centeno wrote:
>
>   
>> Hi Barry!
>>
>> I've got the same type of computer you do.  According to the  
>> references I found
>> on-line regarding wl-4.80.53.0, for whatever reason, it is buggy and  
>> doesn't
>> work.  The only way around this is to have OS X running such that  
>> fwcutter can
>> extract the firmware from it.
>>
>> I understand your feelings regarding OS X, I commiserate.  However,  
>> a running
>> version which is used such that a viable version of the firmware  
>> becomes
>> extracted from it is the best way to insure the quality of firmware  
>> you acquire
>> and import into YDL.  I don't envy the work ahead; I can only state  
>> that once
>> you pass that stage you may find that the effort was worth it.
>>
>> The instructions on this page still work:
>> http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/support/solutions/ydl_5.x/airport-extreme.shtml
>>
>> Problems I found:
>>
>> [root at arakus b43-fwcutter-009]# ./b43-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware/
>> \/mnt/macosx/Sys*/Libr*/Ex*/Ap*/Con*/Ma*/AppleAirPort2 Sorry, the  
>> input file is
>> either wrong or not supported by b43-fwcutter. This file has an  
>> unknown MD5sum
>> 85c71d658b650fd2ef546d1d81b113a0.
>> [root at arakus b43-fwcutter-009]#
>>
>>
>> [root at arakus bcm43XX-fwcutter-006]# ./bcm43XX-fwcutter -w /lib/ 
>> firmware/
>> \/mnt/macosx/System/Library/Extensions/AppleAirPort2.kext/Contents/ 
>> MacOS/AppleAirPort2
>> Sorry, the input file is either wrong or not supported by bcm43XX- 
>> fwcutter.
>> This file has an unknown MD5sum 85c71d658b650fd2ef546d1d81b113a0.
>>
>> The above was resolved by NOT copying over the ifcfg-eth1 file with  
>> the
>> ifcfg-eth0 file. Also the HWADDR variable in ifcfg-eth1 != the  
>> HWADDR variable
>> in ifcfg-eth0. Anaconda creates both files with different  
>> definitions for the
>> hardware location accessed for Ethernet (eth0) and Wireless (eth1).
>>
>> What follows is the ifcfg-eth1 file settings located in  /etc/sys*/ 
>> net*scripts:
>>
>> # Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller
>> DEVICE=eth1
>> ONBOOT=no
>> BOOTPROTO=dhcp
>> HWADDR=00:11:24:90:c3:d8
>> NETMASK=
>> DHCP_HOSTNAME=arakus
>> IPADDR=
>> DOMAIN=
>> TYPE=Wireless
>> ESSID=off/any
>> CHANNEL=1
>> MODE=Managed
>> RATE=Auto
>> USERCTL=yes
>> IPV6INIT=yes
>> PEERDNS=yes
>>
>> After reboot, it is then possible to do the standard manual  
>> invocation of eth1
>> via the terminal.
>>
>> The sequence anywhere else entails looking/scanning for signals and  
>> using the
>> essid which are available and/or to those essid's key i've been  
>> given to use
>> (in the event of an encrpted network:
>>
>> 1. #ifconfig eth1 up
>> 2. #iwconfig eth1
>> 3. #iwlist eth1 scanning
>> 4. #iwconfig eth1 channel 6 txpower on rate auto essid ????????????
>> 5. #dhclient eth1
>>
>> Explanation:  ? represent #'s and letters identifying a router or  
>> password.
>> In the event a router's signal has a name line 4 should be:
>>
>> #iwconfig eth1 channel 6 txpower on rate auto essid 'xxxxxxxxx'
>> key ?????????????????
>>
>> where x are the char forming the name and the key is the password  
>> sequence to
>> that protected router.
>>
>> Of course if you decide to use wpa-supplicant -- a good idea as it  
>> is better
>> security, then the sequence of initiating connection between airport  
>> extreme
>> and the router will be different.
>>
>> All the best...
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 6 Aug 2008 09:26:53 -0500
>> Barry Hembree <gbhembree at comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I recently installed ydl 6.0 on my g4 powerbook. I am having a hard
>>> time getting the wireless interface to work. I followed the
>>> instructions in the various threads but still no luck. Here are the
>>> step I took:
>>>
>>> 1) bownloaded and compiled the fwcutter program (I have the wired
>>> ethernet connection working)
>>> 2) downloaded  wl-4.80.53.0 and extracted into /lib/firmware (I don't
>>> have Mac OS X on my computer anymore)
>>> 3) Tried various combination of editing configuration files by hand
>>> and using the network-config app.
>>>
>>> I  do get an error message when I try to activate the device as  
>>> follows:
>>>
>>> Error wireless request "Set Mode (8B06)"
>>>
>>> any help at this point would be gratly appreciated. I have spent far
>>> too many hours on this.
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>> Barry
>>>       
>> =====
>> "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often
>> think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms  
>> of
>> music. ... I get most joy in life out of music."
>>
>> "What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester
>> Viereck," for the October 26, 1929 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
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>>     
>
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