linux-wlan-ng fails compilation

The prism2 modules are included in the Ubuntu kernel. If you want to compile yourself, make sure you use the source from the Ubuntu kernel, or try the newest 0.2.8 from upstream or Debian. You fail to say where you got your source from. I think the linux-wlan-ng-source package is not supported in Ubuntu.

I built the new 0.2.8+dfsg1-ubuntu1 on Feisty and tried to run "module-asssistant build linux-wlan-ng". It also fails here:
/usr/src/modules/linux-wlan-ng/src/prism2/driver/hfa384x.c:3215: error:
                 │ expected ‘;’, ‘,’ or ‘)’ before ‘PT_REGS’

Will be interesting to see if it builds for gutsy (linux-source 2.6.22), but I haven't tried it yet.

It builds on Gutsy with a few patches.

Thanks for the diff - it worked well.

Only it didn't build the _cs module and I have my card on pcmcia :|

hostap doesn't build, either...

Saviq, you can try to build it manually, so that you can answer yes/no to which modules to build.

Been there, done that.... to no luck I'm afraid...

Saviq, if you have a pcmcia card, you're probably better off using another driver than linux-wlan-ng. And hostap modules should come with the kernel or ubuntu-modules packages.

Well I've switchet to Intel's PRO/Wireless on miniPCI which works out of the box, so I can't check no more...

I made a new debdiff with fixes for a few other things as well:

  * ubuntu-sk_buff-mac.dpatch: fix compiling of -source package
    on 2.6.22 (LP: #114793)
  * debian/control.firmware: drop recommends on -modules package
    (LP: #115580)
  * debian/linux-wlan-ng.modprobe: enable extensions for
    network-manager operation (LP: #115594)
  * debian/linux-wlan-ng.install: remove slash before etc/wlan

Cleaned up a little more:

   * ubuntu-sk_buff-mac.dpatch: fix compiling of -source package
     on 2.6.22 (LP: #114793)
   * debian/control.firmware: drop recommends on -modules package
     (LP: #115580)
   * debian/linux-wlan-ng.modprobe: enable extensions for
     network-manager operation (LP: #115594)
   * debian/linux-wlan-ng.install: remove slash before etc/wlan
   * wlan-udev.sh: drop unnecessary call to dbus-send

Kyle: can you take a look at this: or do you know somebody who'd better look at this?

AFAIK, benc knows the kernel modules and pitti knows the userland (and actually has a prism2_usb card himself).

Debian now has a new package with svn1832 from upstream, where the compilation issue is solved (basically they applied the patch from comment #3 that I sent them). None of the other things in my debdiff has been changed.

But at this point I would prefer to have this debdiff uploaded rather than merging everything by hand with Debian again. I'll work on getting more of the Ubuntu stuff pushed into Debian and upstream, and then later do a new merge, but this can take some time (post-Gutsy I think).

I couldn't resist, and merged the new version anyway (thanks Dad):

   * Merge from Debian unstable. Remaining Ubuntu changes:
     - Ubuntu maintainer fields in control.*
     - debian/control updates concerning modules in Ubuntu kernels.
     - etc/Makefile: no hotplug agent
     - enable CONF_etc_Makefile.dpatch for udev rules
     - enable CONF_etc_linux-wlan-ng_rules.dpatch
     - CONF_etc_Makefile.dpatch: move udev rules to before ifupdown
     - CONF_etc_linux-wlan-ng_rules.dpatch: use DRIVERS in udev rules
     - debian/patches/ubuntu-wlan-udev-sh.dpatch and udev rules for
       network-manager compatibility
     - debian/linux-wlan-ng-pre-up: p80211 module probing only if needed
     - etc/rc.wlan: say p80211.ko instead of p80211.o
   * debian/control.firmware: drop recommends on -modules package
     (LP: #115580)
   * debian/linux-wlan-ng.modprobe: enable writeable extensions for
     network-manager operation (LP: #115594)
   * debian/linux-wlan-ng.install: remove slash before etc/wlan

I had a good exchange with the Debian maintainers and most Ubuntu changes got into the new Debian linux-wlan-ng 0.2.8+svn1832+dfsg-2. I therefore did a new merge, and here is the new Ubuntu delta, smaller than ever.

Can we please get this in now, before freezing time?

I don't know why this was assigned to the Kernel Team, at least for what the upload of the debdiff goes. The most important part of the debdiff fixes user-land issues. However, it also fixes module compilation for those who want to use the -source package and module-assistant. Maybe I was wrong about attaching the patch here, instead of to one of the other bug reports it also fixes.

BTW, why anyone would need to use module-assistant? Because the modules shipped with l-u-m are broken (bug 121959).

I assigned it, so that somebody of the Kernel Team would review the patch.

Anything new here? There has been a patch here for more than two months... If we can not merge at this point, should I break out individual patches to get the bugs fixed?

We shouldn't include the modules. Just modify the build so it doesn't generate them.

The build doesn't generate any modules, no problem. Only in the case an insisting user installs the linux-wlan-ng-source package and runs module-assistant, the compilation is an issue.

I was encouraged to put all the patches together "to reduce archive churn", so this debdiff fixes at least three bugs. I was unfortunate to add the debdiff to this bug, which is not the most important of them. But it doesn't hurt to get this one fixed as well.

Please look at the changelog and debdiff and not only at the title of this bug.

This new version also fixes bug #128002:

  * Merge from Debian unstable, remaining changes:
    - Ubuntu maintainer fields in control.*
    - debian/control updates concerning modules in Ubuntu kernels
    - etc/Makefile: no hotplug agent in Ubuntu
    - etc/rc.wlan: say p80211.ko instead of p80211.o
  * debian/control.firmware: drop recommends on -modules package
    in Ubuntu (LP: #115580)
  * wlan-udev.sh: remove dbus-send call
  * debian/rules: rename local TMPDIR variable which clashes with the
    environment variable of the same name (LP: #128002)
  * Ubuntu bugs resolved in new Debian version:
    - debian/linux-wlan-ng.modprobe: enable writeable extensions for
      network-manager operation (LP: #115594)

(debdiff is against Debian version 0.2.8+svn1832+dfsg-2)

For UVF exception:
The new package from Debian has no new features, mainly things from Ubuntu has been merged in and several long-standing smaller bugs have been fixed. It will also make network-manager work with these cards, which I think is important and in line with Gutsy's release goals.

The upstream changes in the new version are mainly support for the 2.6.22 kernel.

Finally, this new Ubuntu version will close all open linux-wlan-ng bugs, and bring us up to date with Debian and upstream, so we'll have less "luggage" to carry in Ubuntu.

Changes relative to the current version in Ubuntu:
 linux-wlan-ng (0.2.8+svn1832+dfsg-2) unstable; urgency=low

   * Removed spurious slash in .install file (Closes: #435008)
   * Fixed prism2_* loading in case p80211 is already loaded (Closes: #429624)
   * Moved linu-wlan-ng.modules to linux-wlan-ng.modprobe so that it actually
     does something. Added option wlan_wext_write=1 for 80211 so the wireless
     extensions are turned on by default. Restored dh_installmodules.
   * Integrated ubuntu changes to /etc/wlan/wlan-udev.sh that are friendly to
     NetworkManager. This should also close 429624 since now the firmware is
     loaded at the right time and the nic should be in an usable state just
     after plugging it (Closes: #429624)
   * Removed spurious patches
   * Removed from postinst the removal of /dev/nul that used to be created in
     version << 0.1.14-13 that is so obsolete that not even oldstable has it.
     This also avoids a bogus lintian error

 -- Enrico Tassi <email address hidden> Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:10:13 +0200
linux-wlan-ng (0.2.8+svn1832+dfsg-1) unstable; urgency=low

   * Updated to svn revision 1832 that adds support for kernel 2.6.22
     (Closes: 434703)

 -- Enrico Tassi <email address hidden> Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:57:15 +0100

This looks good to me. If you tested it, I'm fine with uploading this to gutsy.

I cannot test it myself, I do not have my Netgear USB stick any more (it broke over a year ago).

I have certainly tested it, I am depending on it for my laptop :)

Great! Approved then. So http://launchpadlibrarian.net/9081831/linux-wlan-ng_0.2.8%2Bsvn1832%2Bdfsg-2ubuntu1.debdiff2 is the valid debdiff that I can use for sponsoring?

Yes, it applies on top of http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/l/linux-wlan-ng/linux-wlan-ng_0.2.8+svn1832+dfsg-2.dsc

Grabbing for sponsoring.

Uploaded. Thanks a lot!