Broadcom Wireless in OpenSUSE 11.0
July 13th, 2008 by Blake
OpenSUSE 11.0 actually makes this quite simple. Just follow the steps in this order..
- Superuser yourself.
bjohnson@ThinkSUSE:~> su
- Install the b43-fwcutter package.
ThinkSUSE:~> yast -i b43-fwcutter
- Unload the loaded b43legacy module.
ThinkSUSE:-> rmmod b43legacy
- Install the bcm43xx firmware.
ThinkSUSE:-> install_bcm43xx_firmware
- Load the b43legacy module.
ThinkSUSE:-> modprobe b43legacy
- Enjoy
Update: I don’t feel as if this solution is complicated like the guys at Boycott Novell seem to think (see comment below), but if that’s the case, I’ll explain it in less steps.
- Install the b43-fwcutter package.
bjohnson@ThinkSUSE:~> sudo /sbin/yast -i b43-fwcutter
- Install the bcm43xx firmware.
bjohnson@ThinkSUSE:-> sudo /usr/sbin/install_bcm43xx_firmware
- Restart your computer and enjoy your wireless freedom.
[...] is probably the boring part which isn’t newsworthy. There were quite a few complicated solutions and some simpler bits of advice too. Here is one about repositories and the [...]
[...] claims the broadcom b43 firmware works under openSUSE-11.0 without the need for the ndiswrapper. Broadcom Wireless in OpenSUSE 11.0 | Blake Anthony Johnson Note (based on what I have read and seen reported, but not experienced myself) a firmware solution [...]
Note:
this step is necessary, not optinal. !!
ThinkSUSE:-> modprobe b43legacy
Thanks. I missed the ‘modprobe b43legacy’ on other sites. I agree with AhJay, it’s not optional.
Thanks guys. That’s good to know. I was playing around with a laptop that was not mine when I wrote this guide, so that’s probably why I never noticed that my short and sweet version did not work as well.
Hey,
great advice but if the script requires that I have a connection I don’t know how to do this. My wired internet connection hasn’t been working for a while (Primus is lousy!), so I can connect to some neighbor’s wireless in Vista. I obviously can’t use my wireless in Opensuse without downloading the firmware, so is there a way of doing this locally?
thanks,
ben
Ben, running “install_bcm43xx_firmware” is basically just a automated version of the steps on this page. http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43
Just download the files you’ll need on another computer / operating system, and you should be fine.
– Blake.
Thank you Blake.
I downloaded the b43-fwcutter-011.tar.bz2 and broadcom-wl-4.150.10.5.tar.bz2 files, extracted them, installed make, gcc, automake, autoconf from the dvd, and installed the firmware. I ran a hardware scan in Yast and the light on my wireless switch came on, however, I could not find any networks. In Windows, there are several available and I should connect to one. Maybe I need to configure something, I’m not sure.
Nevermind, a reboot did the trick
Works well in openSUSE 11.0 and 11.1! (I went back to 11.0, because 11.1 is a downgrade, sort of like XP vs Vista.)
Try disabling / reenabling networking, or even rebooting the PC if it is not working right away. With me, it took a few retries and reenabling to get it working.