Wireless setup FreeBSD-6.1 and fwe0

Lane lane at joeandlane.com
Fri Oct 20 23:50:37 UTC 2006 

Hi!

I'm running FreeBSD 6.1 on a Dell Inspiron 6400 which is configured to dual 
boot into Windows XP-Pro.

I just got this laptop today, but I've been using Freebsd since 3.4, or 
earlier.

When I boot into Windows I am able to access my Linksys wireless router.  
There is another secured wireless network nearby, and that may make a 
difference if you read between the lines at:  
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/network-wireless.html

My problem is that I can't get the wireless network to function in Freebsd.  

Here's ifconfig -a

bfe0: flags=8843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
        options=8<VLAN_MTU>
        inet6 fe80::215:c5ff:feb8:39e%bfe0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x1
        inet 172.16.1.42 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 172.16.1.255
        ether 00:15:c5:b8:03:9e
        media: Ethernet autoselect (100baseTX <full-duplex>)
        status: active
fwe0: flags=108902<BROADCAST,PROMISC,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,NEEDSGIANT> mtu 1500
        options=8<VLAN_MTU>
        inet6 fe80::304f:c0ff:fe9c:7541%fwe0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x2
        inet 0.0.0.0 netmask 0xff0000000 broadcast 255.255.255.255
        ether 32:4f:c0:9c:75:41
        ch 1 dma -1
lo0: flags=8049<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 16384
        inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128
        inet6 fe80::1%lo0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x3
        inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000

I've googled a similar issue here:
http://groups.google.com/group/lucky.freebsd.questions/browse_frm/thread/d68ec8e94a4d45f9/c513bc5b1afe7517?lnk=st&q=fwe0+needsgiant&rnum=3#c513bc5b1afe7517
But didn't get a resolution.  The google post refers to ugen and to ural, but 
that looks more like an argument between different posters, rather than an 
answer to the original question.

I have NOT modified /boot/loader.conf, but I have tried the instructions in 
the handbook using kldload .. to no avail

dmesg has a peculiar entry:

fwe0: if_start running deferred for Giant

the rest of it follows.  The clue, I think, is that in ifconfig fwe0 
NEEDSGIANT and in dmesg, if_start is deferred for Giant.

Who is this giant?  How do I slay him?

Based upon the google post, I am suspicious that fwe0 may not, in fact, be the 
actual interface.  But again, that post is suspect.  So I'm not sure where to 
go next (thank the devil for questions at freebsd.org)!

Thanks,

lane

Copyright (c) 1992-2006 The FreeBSD Project.
Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
        The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
FreeBSD 6.1-SCANDB-2006-09-20 #0: Thu Sep 21 07:30:59 UTC 2006
    root at bsd.localnet.local:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/SMP
Timecounter "i8254" frequency 1193182 Hz quality 0
CPU: Genuine Intel(R) CPU           T2300  @ 1.66GHz (1662.51-MHz 686-class 
CPU)
  Origin = "GenuineIntel"  Id = 0x6e8  Stepping = 8
  
Features=0xbfe9fbff<FPU,VME,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,PAE,MCE,CX8,APIC,SEP,MTRR,PGE,MCA,CMOV,PAT,CLFLUSH,DTS,ACPI,MMX,FXSR,SSE,SSE2,SS,HTT,TM,PBE>
  Features2=0xc189<SSE3,MON,EST,TM2,<b14>,<b15>>
  AMD Features=0x100000<NX>
  Cores per package: 2
real memory  = 1064120320 (1014 MB)
avail memory = 1032196096 (984 MB)
ACPI APIC Table: <DELL   M07    >
FreeBSD/SMP: Multiprocessor System Detected: 2 CPUs
 cpu0 (BSP): APIC ID:  0
 cpu1 (AP): APIC ID:  1
ioapic0: Changing APIC ID to 2
ioapic0 <Version 2.0> irqs 0-23 on motherboard
kbd1 at kbdmux0
acpi0: <DELL M07    > on motherboard
Timecounter "ACPI-fast" frequency 3579545 Hz quality 1000
acpi_timer0: <24-bit timer at 3.579545MHz> port 0x1008-0x100b on acpi0
cpu0: <ACPI CPU> on acpi0
acpi_throttle0: <ACPI CPU Throttling> on cpu0
cpu1: <ACPI CPU> on acpi0
acpi_throttle1: <ACPI CPU Throttling> on cpu1
acpi_throttle1: failed to attach P_CNT
device_attach: acpi_throttle1 attach returned 6
acpi_acad0: <AC Adapter> on acpi0
battery0: <ACPI Control Method Battery> on acpi0
acpi_lid0: <Control Method Lid Switch> on acpi0
acpi_button0: <Power Button> on acpi0
acpi_button1: <Sleep Button> on acpi0
pcib0: <ACPI Host-PCI bridge> port 0xcf8-0xcff on acpi0
pci0: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib0
pci0: <display, VGA> at device 2.0 (no driver attached)
pci0: <display> at device 2.1 (no driver attached)
pci0: <multimedia> at device 27.0 (no driver attached)
pcib1: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 28.0 on pci0
pci11: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib1
pci11: <network> at device 0.0 (no driver attached)
pcib2: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 28.3 on pci0
pci12: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib2
uhci0: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> port 0xbf80-0xbf9f irq 20 at device 
29.0 on pci0
uhci0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
usb0: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> on uhci0
usb0: USB revision 1.0
uhub0: Intel UHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub0: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
uhci1: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> port 0xbf60-0xbf7f irq 21 at device 
29.1 on pci0
uhci1: [GIANT-LOCKED]
usb1: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> on uhci1
usb1: USB revision 1.0
uhub1: Intel UHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub1: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
uhci2: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> port 0xbf40-0xbf5f irq 22 at device 
29.2 on pci0
uhci2: [GIANT-LOCKED]
usb2: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> on uhci2
usb2: USB revision 1.0
uhub2: Intel UHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub2: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
uhci3: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> port 0xbf20-0xbf3f irq 23 at device 
29.3 on pci0
uhci3: [GIANT-LOCKED]
usb3: <UHCI (generic) USB controller> on uhci3
usb3: USB revision 1.0
uhub3: Intel UHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 1.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub3: 2 ports with 2 removable, self powered
ehci0: <Intel 82801GB/R (ICH7) USB 2.0 controller> mem 0xffa80000-0xffa803ff 
irq 20 at device 29.7 on pci0
ehci0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
usb4: EHCI version 1.0
usb4: companion controllers, 2 ports each: usb0 usb1 usb2 usb3
usb4: <Intel 82801GB/R (ICH7) USB 2.0 controller> on ehci0
usb4: USB revision 2.0
uhub4: Intel EHCI root hub, class 9/0, rev 2.00/1.00, addr 1
uhub4: 8 ports with 8 removable, self powered
pcib3: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 30.0 on pci0
pci3: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib3
bfe0: <Broadcom BCM4401-B0 Fast Ethernet> mem 0xdf9fe000-0xdf9fffff irq 17 at 
device 0.0 on pci3
miibus0: <MII bus> on bfe0
bmtphy0: <BCM4401 10/100baseTX PHY> on miibus0
bmtphy0:  10baseT, 10baseT-FDX, 100baseTX, 100baseTX-FDX, auto
bfe0: Ethernet address: 00:15:c5:b8:03:9e
fwohci0: <1394 Open Host Controller Interface> mem 0xdf9fd800-0xdf9fdfff irq 
19 at device 1.0 on pci3
fwohci0: OHCI version 1.10 (ROM=0)
fwohci0: No. of Isochronous channels is 4.
fwohci0: EUI64 32:4f:c0:00:27:9c:75:41
fwohci0: Phy 1394a available S400, 1 ports.
fwohci0: Link S400, max_rec 2048 bytes.
firewire0: <IEEE1394(FireWire) bus> on fwohci0
fwe0: <Ethernet over FireWire> on firewire0
if_fwe0: Fake Ethernet address: 32:4f:c0:9c:75:41
fwe0: Ethernet address: 32:4f:c0:9c:75:41
fwe0: if_start running deferred for Giant
sbp0: <SBP-2/SCSI over FireWire> on firewire0
fwohci0: Initiate bus reset
fwohci0: node_id=0xc800ffc0, gen=1, CYCLEMASTER mode
firewire0: 1 nodes, maxhop <= 0, cable IRM = 0 (me)
firewire0: bus manager 0 (me)
pci3: <base peripheral> at device 1.1 (no driver attached)
pci3: <base peripheral> at device 1.2 (no driver attached)
pci3: <base peripheral> at device 1.3 (no driver attached)
pci3: <base peripheral> at device 1.4 (no driver attached)
isab0: <PCI-ISA bridge> at device 31.0 on pci0
isa0: <ISA bus> on isab0
atapci0: <GENERIC ATA controller> port 
0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6,0x170-0x177,0x376,0xbfa0-0xbfaf irq 17 at device 31.2 on 
pci0
ata0: <ATA channel 0> on atapci0
ata1: <ATA channel 1> on atapci0
pci0: <serial bus, SMBus> at device 31.3 (no driver attached)
acpi_tz0: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
atkbdc0: <Keyboard controller (i8042)> port 0x60,0x64,0x62,0x66 irq 1 on acpi0
atkbd0: <AT Keyboard> irq 1 on atkbdc0
kbd0 at atkbd0
atkbd0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
psm0: <PS/2 Mouse> irq 12 on atkbdc0
psm0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
psm0: model Generic PS/2 mouse, device ID 0
pmtimer0 on isa0
orm0: <ISA Option ROMs> at iomem 0xc0000-0xce7ff,0xce800-0xcffff on isa0
ppc0: parallel port not found.
sc0: <System console> at flags 0x100 on isa0
sc0: VGA <16 virtual consoles, flags=0x300>
sio0: configured irq 4 not in bitmap of probed irqs 0
sio0: port may not be enabled
sio0 at port 0x3f8-0x3ff irq 4 flags 0x10 on isa0
sio0: type 8250 or not responding
sio1: configured irq 3 not in bitmap of probed irqs 0
sio1: port may not be enabled
vga0: <Generic ISA VGA> at port 0x3c0-0x3df iomem 0xa0000-0xbffff on isa0
Timecounters tick every 1.000 msec
ad0: 74881MB <SAMSUNG HM080II YE100-15> at ata0-master UDMA33
acd0: DVDR <TSSTcorp DVD+/-RW TS-L632D/DE03> at ata1-master UDMA33
SMP: AP CPU #1 Launched!
Trying to mount root from ufs:/dev/ad0s1a

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