New firmware: Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG (iwi)

techie · #1 May 8th, 2009, 20:08

Hi there,

in March 2009 Intel released a new firmware version 3.1 for the WLAN device iwi, aka Intel Pro/Wireless IPW 2200BG. The old fw v3.0 should be replaced by v3.1. So you can get rid of the evil iwi0:scan stuck or iwi0: firmware stuck in state 4, resetting messages which are coming along with a broken network connection. Here is a little how-to for FreeBSD 7.2 to update 3.0 -> 3.1 (I assume you already have installed a iwi firmware plus driver. For a new installation of iwi device see "man iwi".):

1. Backup old fw v3.0 in /usr/src/sys/contrib/dev/iwi to $RUBBISH

2. Fetch fw. 3.1 from http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php?fid=8 or here http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php click "firmware v3.1"

3. Store new fw to /usr/src/sys/contrib/dev/iwi (and extract from archive file).

4. Convert binary files with uuencode to ASCII:

Code:

uuencode -o ipw2200-bss.fw.uu ipw2200-bss.fw ipw2200-bss.fw
uuencode -o ipw2200-ibss.fw.uu ipw2200-ibss.fw ipw2200-ibss.fw
uuencode -o ipw2200-sniffer.fw.uu ipw2200-sniffer.fw ipw2200-sniffer.fw

5. Edit *uu files and add beginning at line one this:

Code:

/*
 * INTEL license terms ... (copy text from license file)
 * ... 
*/
#define IWI_FW_VERSION 3.1

Be carefully! The *uu files will be converted into loadable kernel modules. Failures in editing could result in a non-bootable system.

6.

Code:

cd /usr/src/sys/modules/iwifw
make
make install

8. Reboot and feel lucky.

I've been testing the fw this week on 7.2 and last week on 6.4. No single one scan stuck! Anybody who can confirm this?

I assume with the new fw one or more of the following bugs will be fixed:

http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread...&highlight=iwi
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/124767
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/131153
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/123559
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/122597

P.S.

FBSD 7.2: FreeBSD team already is informed about this. If there are some people who confirm positive tests to the team, then fw v3.1 will be merged into 7.2-STABLE and 7.3.

FBSD 6.4: Info mail has been send to port maintainer of net/iwi-firmware-kmod. Let's wait some days, maybe the maintainer will update the port. The procedure to update iwi on 6.4 is different to this one on 7.2.

adamk · #2 May 8th, 2009, 21:28

Hey, one of those is my bug. I might have to give it a shot this weekend.

Adam

adamk · #3 May 11th, 2009, 12:32

Unfortunately, updating the firmware did not resolve my bug:

http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=kern/131153

On the plus side, though, it doesn't seem to have negatively impacted any of the access points which already worked for me.

Adam

ljboiler · #4 June 11th, 2009, 14:18

Been running this for the last 12 hours in a place where a "stuck in state 4" to my own wireless router was a regular thing unless I was sitting in just the right spot in the room, facing just the right way with the laptop, especially since they've been installing city-wide wireless service. I haven't seen that error once with the new firmware...

wexi · #5 May 17th, 2010, 19:52

Hi,

Using FreeBSD 7.3-stable with Intel's 3.1 firmware (taken from the 8-stable branch) I am still having random "iwi0 firmware stuck in state 4" problems which I can only resolve by rebooting. Anyone got a clue? Security used is WPA with a shared key.

Thanks, Enoch.

jrm · #6 March 13th, 2012, 15:50

I don't recall having problems in 7.x, but in 8.x I also see the firmware errors every few hours. If I try to do a # /etc/rc.d netif restart the system reboots.

# pciconf -lv

Code:

...
iwi0@pci0:2:2:0:        class=0x028000 card=0x27018086 chip=0x42208086 rev=0x05 hdr=0x00
    vendor     = 'Intel Corporation'
    device     = 'driverIntel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (MPCI3B)'
    class      = network

# cat /boot/loader.conf

Code:

...
legal.intel_iwi.license_ack=1
if_iwi_load="YES"

# cat /etc/rc.conf | grep wlan

Code:

wlans_iwi0="wlan0"
ifconfig_wlan0="WPA DHCP"

# cat /etc/wap_supplicant.conf

Code:

network={
        ssid="myssid"
        psk="mypsk"
}

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