Alan Cox replied as follows:
On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:27:44 -0800
"Suresh Govindachar" wrote:
>
> In my attempts at replacing Windows on my Dell M6400 laptop
> with [Fedora was missing in OP]-14-x86_64-Live-Desktop.iso,
> I have gotten as far as being able to create a live usb
> stick. My next step is to get on the internet via the Dell
> Wireless 1510 Wireless-N WLAN Mini-Card and my "WPA"
> network.
>
> Broadcom offers sources and a library at:
>
http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/hybrid-portsrc_x86_64-v5_100_82_38...
> (via
http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php ).
>
> I did make on a machine with Linux 2.6.28-18-generic
> #60-Ubuntu SMP Fri Mar 12 04:26:47 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux:
>
> ~/tmp/broadcom$ make
> KBUILD_NOPEDANTIC=1 make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=`pwd`
> make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.28-18-generic'
> LD /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/built-in.o
> CC [M] /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/src/shared/linux_osl.o
> CC [M] /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.o
> CC [M] /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/src/wl/sys/wl_iw.o
> LD [M] /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/wl.o
> Building modules, stage 2.
> MODPOST 1 modules
> WARNING: modpost: missing MODULE_LICENSE() in /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/wl.o
> see include/linux/module.h for more information
> CC /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/wl.mod.o
> LD [M] /h/sgovinda/tmp/broadcom/wl.ko
> make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.28-18-generic'
> ~/tmp/broadcom$
>
> The action for "make install" is:
>
> install -D -m 755 wl.ko /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/wl.ko
>
> which, I _guess_, is just copying wl.ko and doing
> a "chmod 755 /<path>/wl.ko".
>
> Key requirement: The wireless card works with Win XP and I
> do _not_ want any firmware changes to
> happen to it!
>
> Questions:
>
> 1) Will copying wl.ko to the corresponding directory on
> the [Fedora 14] Live USB be OK (since the build
> happened on Ubuntu 2.6.28-18-generic rather than
> on Fedora-14)?
>
> 2) If copying is OK and if copying and use with or without
> rebooting will _not_ make any changes to the wireless
> card's firmware, what do I do next to get on the WPA
> network and then to the internet?
My Dell Mini 10 works with 2.6.37 kernels quite happily - just
need to use fwcutter.
Found info on fwcutter at
http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43
I think fwcutter is, essentially, a linux tool that extracts
firmware from Windows driver.
But why such an indirect approach when Broadcom supports Linux
on:
http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php (such
support has existed since October 2008.)
"lspci -nn" shows BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n 14e4:4326 (rev01).
So, as per the FAQ
http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Documentation/FAQ#Q:_Is_my_XXX_model_de...
I googled "14e4 4326"
site:cateee.net/lkddb/ and got no hit.
The firmware on all the broadcom cards I have seen is loaded
each time you boot (each OS loading whatever it comes with).
Thanks for the info.
For the Ubuntu questions you'd need to ask an Ubuntu list.
Sorry if the original post was not clear, but my questions
are about wireless access from Live USB of _Fedora_14_.
--Suresh