Ubuntu
gnome-nettool package

Update to 2.6.32-32 seemed to break wireless adapter module

Asked by Kent McNaughton

This weekend I installed a Nexxt Ion300 wireless adapter for a friend and got it working after downloading compiling and configuring the R3562 driver from ralinktech.com. (As recommended by an entry in Launchpad). After today's 2.6.32-32 update, it broke.

My only add to the Ralink instructions was to add the command:
/sbin/insmod /usr/local/src/DPO_RT3562_3592_3062_LinuxSTA_V2.4.1.1_20101217/os/linux/rt3562sta.ko to /etc/rc.local in order to get the module to come up on boot. Which worked fine after each of several tests.

The chipset was Ralink Rt2860. The Ubuntu rev was 2.6.3-31-generic. Upon finishing and verifying the install, updating Ubuntu to 2.6.32-32-generic (via Update Manager) and rebooting, the adapter stopped working. Wouldn't load the module. Nor could I successfully get the insmod instruction (above) to load it as root.

Two items in the Makefile (LINUX_SRC and LINUX_SRC_MODULE) included /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/... Clearly, `uname -r` changed with the 2.6.32-32 upgrade. Could this have been the culprit? (make was only run the one time, under 2.6.32.31).

dmesg gave a long list of complaints, all starting with "RT3265STA:" then "(system call?) version not compatible" (paraphrasing, sorry). Prior to the update everything was working. Could the update have broken the module load? How would I fix it to also make it "update-proof"?

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Mark Rijckenberg
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Best Mark Rijckenberg (markrijckenberg) said : 		#1

This is not a bug. It's normal Linux behavior when using a manually compiled driver module.

Every time you update the Linux kernel, you also need to manually RECOMPILE the driver module to make the module compatible with the newer kernel version.

So you need to do the

sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

dance again while using kernel 2.6.32-32-generic

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Kent McNaughton (kent-panamanow) said : 		#2

Thanks Mark Rijckenberg, that solved my question.

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james brown (jamesbrown412) said : 		#3

It seems like the update to 2.6.32-32 has caused some compatibility issues with the wireless adapter's driver. The error message from dmesg suggests that the version is not compatible. You could try reinstalling the driver and modifying the Makefile to ensure that it is compatible with future updates. Alternatively, you could look for a newer version of the driver that is compatible with the latest kernel update. Also check : https://latesttechtrends.com/what-causes-garage-door-springs-to-break/