Ubuntu
gnome-nettool package

beginner struggling with very very basic networking features

Asked by Steve

I just installed ubuntu for the first time this morning (the latest version, 11.04). I feel like I'm going crazy, I can't make any sense of the help files. All I want to do is see a list of available wireless networks.

It says -- https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/net-wireless-connect.html -- click on the "network menu in the top panel". What is that? I can't find the answer anywhere...no hyperlink, no picture, no description, no label for how to find the "network menu". Is the "network menu" the icon near the top right with an up and down arrow? (I'm plugged into the ethernet at the moment while I try to figure out the wireless.) I don't think so...when I click the two-arrows icon, it doesn't say "Here is a list of wireless networks", nor does it say "Cannot find any wireless networks". So I infer that the two-arrows icon is not the "network menu". Also, the "network menu" is supposed to have an option to "Connect to Hidden Wireless Network" (https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/net-wireless-hidden.html), but the two-arrows icon does not.

Now I'm thinking: Does ubuntu even know that I have a wireless card? Maybe it's hiding all the wireless options because it thinks I don't have wireless in the first place. But I have no idea how to check this theory. Unlike in Windows, where there's a "Network connections" menu that lists out very clearly: You have an ethernet card, the ethernet card is not connected; you have a wireless card, the wireless card is connected to network LINKSYS12345; you have a blah blah.)

I know that some of the help files I am looking at are actually (mistakenly) describing "gnome-shell specific features" instead of the desktop I'm actually using -- https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-docs/+bug/773427 -- I don't know if my "network menu" mystery is part of that.

I'll be happy if someone answers my question, but I'll be much more happy if someone improves the help files (or the desktop). For one thing, I suggest that whenever the help file says "click the whatever menu" or "click the whatever icon", there should be a hyperlink to a page about the menu or icon, at least with a picture of where the menu is, and maybe how to get the menu if you don't see it.

This is a very frustrating first linux experience. :(

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Revision history for this message
Federico Tello Gentile (federicotg) said : 		#1

The network menu is next to the clock and the volume. You should see the wired connection and the wireless. It is possible that you need to install a driver to get wireless to work. It depends on the specific wireless chip you have in your PC.

Open a terminal and run this command

lshw -C network

Copy here what the output is.

Revision history for this message
Sam_ (and-sam) said : 		#2

> Is the "network menu" the icon near the top right with an up and down arrow?

Yep.
http://i.imgur.com/fdiDF.png

Left click shows something like this, where one can add, edit connections.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkManager0.7?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=rightclick-preferences.png

> Unlike in Windows

Ubuntu and other *nix systems are open source, as for no cost means user gets involved and in control, with power comes (self)responsibility. That said, it doesn't help debugging issues by comparing different behaviour.

btw. to open a terminal: ctrl+alt+t
Terminal (CLI=Command-Line-Interface) looks like this. It's handy to get infos faster than telling the user click here, go there, click there...
You can highlight the output and paste it with middle mouse click in answers comment box.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GnomeTerminal

FAQs about the Unity universe.
http://askubuntu.com/questions/tagged/unity?sort=faq
http://castrojo.tumblr.com/post/4795149014/the-power-users-guide-to-unity
http://askubuntu.com/questions/10228/whats-the-right-terminology-for-unitys-ui-elements

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Sam_ (and-sam) said : 		#3

Reference network and wireless.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkManager0.7
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs

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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#4

New to Ubuntu:
- read the Ubuntu Manual, it's very informative: http://ubuntu-manual.org/
Click on the "download Button" to download the latest PDF version.

The Ubuntu 11.04 Unity interface
http://theravingrick.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-effort-at-writing-help-for-unity.html
The Unity interface: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/natty/#what

- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows
- The Ubuntu pocket guide: http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/
- The online help https://help.ubuntu.com/10.10/index.html

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Steve (steve46223) said : 		#5

OK I got wireless to work:

First I did the lshw command as Federico suggested. It listed my wireless as "UNCLAIMED":

  *-network UNCLAIMED
       description: Network controller
       product: BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN
       vendor: Broadcom Corporation
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:0c:00.0
       version: 01
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
       configuration: latency=0
       resources: memory:dfdfc000-dfdfffff

Based on this, I did some google-searching, and then did the following: I disabled the Broadcom STA Wireless Driver (which evidently wasn't working for me) (Control Center -> Additional Drivers), then installed firmware-b43-installer (in Software Center), then restarted the computer. Then all the wireless networks showed up. Hooray!

Anyway, I still suggest that the help-files should have a little page dedicated to the Network Menu. It doesn't need to be much: "To get the network menu, click the icon near the top right...the icon may be [picture 1] which means not connected to any network, or it may be [picture 2] which means connected to wireless, or blah blah.... If you don't see any mention of wireless networks, then you don't have a wireless card, or else there may be a problem with the card or its drivers. For more information on the menu options, see these pages... and also check out https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkManager0.7 "

I know it's annoying to edit help files but I'm suggesting it anyway. Maybe someday I can do it myself, but not yet!

By the way, all these tutorials and links are very nice and helpful, thanks everyone! I'm glad I don't need to rely just on those (imperfect) help files. Thanks everyone for your time :-)

Revision history for this message
Mark Rijckenberg (markrijckenberg) said : 		#6

I suggest reading this as well:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ExternalGuides