[XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)

Ricardo,

Try using the iwl3945 driver instead. See http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Ubuntu_7.10/Issues/ipw3945_Wireless_Network_Module_Issues for instructions.

Thanks for the response, but the iwl3945 driver has the same problem, .i.e. don't work without 'noapic'. The noapic param is needed for ipw3945 and iwl3945.

Ricardo,

I just loaded Gutsy on a XPS M1530 with BIOS A05 (which is the latest, so not sure why you report A06), I did not pass any kernel parameters and wireless is working fine with ipw3945. Something else must be at work on your system. Check all the BIOS settings and make sure everything checks out.

I have the privilege of briefly having 2 XPS M1530s; the older one (delivered Jan '08) also has the A06 bios and never had this problem, whereas the newer one (delivered Feb '08) with bios version A07 also has the problem described above. Dell's website only offers A05, but I guess they are shipping newer ones. Neither laptops have wireless problems under Vista, I should add.

I've tried with both an installed Ubuntu (kernel 2.6.22-14-generic) as with a booted Ubuntu CD 7.10 on both laptops; i.e. it is improbable that it's related to a kernel option since I used the same unmodified system image, or boot CD for both.

I will attempt to find out if there are any hardware differences or BIOS settings which are different.

It doesn't work for me either. I am running a Dell XPS M1530 with BIOS revision A07 shipped 15/02/2007 . I have tried both ipw3945 and iwl3945 !!

The noapic option helps; but I think this bug doesn't deserve the "invalid" status - it's clearly an issue for some XPS1530's.

Unfortunately, I have to send the A06-bios laptop back tomorrow, but I was not able to discern any differences in the BIOS with the A07-bios as far as settings are concerned, or anything else for that matter. Either the A06 BIOS XPS1530 doesn't have the problem and Dell have reproduced it in A07, or something else is the cause. There are a few hardware differences between the laptops which have the same basic config, but they seem unrelated: LCD panel, HDD, DVD+RW.

It seems people have been having the same problem with the A06 BIOS, although I never had it with that BIOS version, so it appears unrelated to BIOS version.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=692831

The driver iwl3945 doesn't change anything with regards to this bug, the noapic "helps" but it is no guarantee that the issue won't occur (I just had to reboot 3 times and turn the wireless off & on the BIOS just to get it working again in Ubuntu).

Here is some 'dmesg' output from both drivers:

iwl3945:
[ 296.452000] iwl3945: HARDWARE GONE?? INTA == 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000ffffffff
[ 297.868000] ACPI: PCI interrupt for device 0000:0b:00.0 disabled
[ 309.008000] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.1.0
[ 309.008000] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2007 Intel Corporation
[ 309.008000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:0b:00.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7
[ 309.008000] PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:0b:00.0 to 64
[ 309.008000] iwl3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
[ 309.016000] iwl3945: MAC is in deep sleep!
[ 309.068000] iwl3945: Unable to int nic
[ 310.112000] iwl3945: HARDWARE GONE?? INTA == 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000ffffffff

ipw3945:
[ 399.660000] ipw3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945 Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.2mp.ubuntu1
[ 399.660000] ipw3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
[ 399.664000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:0b:00.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7
[ 399.664000] PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:0b:00.0 to 64
[ 399.668000] ipw3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
[ 401.248000] ipw3945: MAC is in deep sleep!
[ 405.224000] ipw3945: Unable to int nic

And when it IS working:
[ 0.000000] Linux version 2.6.22-14-generic (buildd@terranova) (gcc version 4.1.3 20070929 (prerelease) (Ubuntu 4.1.2-16ubuntu2)) #1 SMP Tue Feb 12 07:42:25 UTC 2008 (Ubuntu 2.6.22-14.52-generic)
...
[ 0.000000] ACPI: Skipping IOAPIC probe due to 'noapic' option.
...
[ 27.740000] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.1.0
[ 27.740000] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2007 Intel Corporation
[ 27.740000] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:0b:00.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7
[ 27.740000] PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:0b:00.0 to 64
[ 27.740000] iwl3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
[ 27.856000] Adding 2096440k swap on /dev/sda7. Priority:-1 extents:1 across:2096440k
[ 27.884000] iwl3945: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 27.884000] wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'

Oddly, now wireless is working but the Wifi LED is not on (but maybe that's not relaterd).

XPS M1530
BIOS A07
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG

I tried even with Ubuntu Hardy, alpha-4 (Live-CD) , which uses the latest version of kernel and the iwl3945 as the default driver, though the wireless card could not be detected ..

Make sure the hardware switch on the side of the laptop is turned on. This switch can control the WLAN card, the Bluetooth card (if present) and other devices, all configurable from the BIOS.

I also got the XPS M1530 (BIOS A07) using Kubuntu Hardy, beta release, and my hardware switch is turned on. Sometimes my wireless works, sometimes it doesnt.
Adding "noapic" to boot parameters fixes the issue.

Today i upgrade to bios version A08 and it seems to work well know without the "noapic" boot parameter

Ignacio,

I also did an upgrade to A08, though still with ipw3945 driver, it requires "noapic" parameter. with iwl3945 it works, but only with an open network. It doesn't work with WEP / WPA .

What driver you are using ipw3945 or iwl3945? and is your network WEP/WAP protected ?

iwl3945 with a WPA2

Ignacio

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 2:36 AM, irson <email address hidden> wrote:

> Ignacio,
>
> I also did an upgrade to A08, though still with ipw3945 driver, it
> requires "noapic" parameter. with iwl3945 it works, but only with an
> open network. It doesn't work with WEP / WPA .
>
> What driver you are using ipw3945 or iwl3945? and is your network
> WEP/WAP protected ?
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

im testing now with WEP and it works too

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 9:01 AM, Ignacio Galmarino <email address hidden>
wrote:

> iwl3945 with a WPA2
>
> Ignacio
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 2:36 AM, irson <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> > Ignacio,
> >
> > I also did an upgrade to A08, though still with ipw3945 driver, it
> > requires "noapic" parameter. with iwl3945 it works, but only with an
> > open network. It doesn't work with WEP / WPA .
> >
> > What driver you are using ipw3945 or iwl3945? and is your network
> > WEP/WAP protected ?
> >
> > --
> > [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> > https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> > You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> > of the bug.
> >
>
>

it starts to fail again without any reason ... so bios A08 is not fix at all
...

I just updated my bios (A07) to the A08 version, and it seems to work, hope it will remain functional!

I had the same problem(bios A07).
NOAPIC seems to have solved my problem.
I also tried to update the bios to A08, but that wasnt a goog ide for me, both my mouse(touchpad) and keybord began to act weird.
So i downgraded to A07 and now everything seems to work fine

Same here! The A08 made my touchpad en keyboard go nuts! But now I downgraded it to A07 and used the noapic kernel parameter with the 8.04 version of Ubuntu, now it seems to work fine!

hi,

i have the same bug. I can't understand why sometimes the wlan works and sometimes not (without the parameter "noapic").

The state was fixed, but thats not right. it still exists

I use ubuntu 8.04 with newest updates and have the same error. I don't use noapic as boot parameter. My bios-version is A08.

dmesg | grep -i 3945
[ 27.084597] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.0
[ 27.084600] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2007 Intel Corporation
[ 27.084727] iwl3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
[ 29.547160] iwl3945: MAC is in deep sleep!
[ 29.547182] iwl3945: Unable to int nic

 lspci -v |grep Wireless
0b:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (rev 02)

On the XPS M1530, don't use BIOS A08 with Hardy, as it causes other issues with the touchpad. With BIOS A07 + Hardy + latest OS updates + no extra kernel parameters, I have no issues:

[ 23.325355] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.0
[ 23.325359] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2007 Intel Corporation
[ 23.325551] iwl3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
[ 25.344133] iwl3945: Tunable channels: 11 802.11bg, 13 802.11a channels
[ 25.357364] wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'

Jose De la Rosa schrieb:
> On the XPS M1530, don't use BIOS A08 with Hardy, as it causes other
> issues with the touchpad. With BIOS A07 + Hardy + latest OS updates + no
> extra kernel parameters, I have no issues:
>
> [ 23.325355] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.0
> [ 23.325359] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2007 Intel Corporation
> [ 23.325551] iwl3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
> [ 25.344133] iwl3945: Tunable channels: 11 802.11bg, 13 802.11a channels
> [ 25.357364] wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
>
>
i updated the Bios just some hours ago and i still had and have the
problem(with A07 and A08 Bios).

@Jose de la Rosa: today a guy from dell changed the mainboard and the
WLAN-Card to be sure that it isn't a hardware-error. But i still have
the error i described. What else can i do? Do you need more information?

Problem still exists, even with the noapic kernel parameter, I hope it gets fixed soon with an update of the iwl3945 driver! Any of you got it fixed yet?

Same problem here (wireless randomly works/broken at boot, "...unable to init nic"): m1530, intel3945, latest Hardy, A08, and iwl3945.

Maybe this was just chance, but I initially loaded FC8 on this machine, and the wireless worked fine every time. Could some one else try this with the FC8 live CD and see if this is real or just me? If its real we could take a diff of the driver sources and see if this might be a driver problem or not.

Does anyone experiencing this issue on Linux also have issues under Vista? Under Vista it's usually impossible to getting the wireless network back up and running after standby or hibernation and when running on the battery, and which I can't seem to resolve using different Intel drivers or tweaking various driver, quickset, or power settings.

I do realise this isn't a forum but maybe there is a connection with the "deep sleep" messages I have also been seeing in Linux on this laptop, on which never appeared on a previous - identical - laptop. If there is a connection, it could be a hardware issue that Dell is sweeping under a rug... and not an Ubuntu bug at all... In fact the same issue on battery appears also on Ubuntu, even with the noapic parameter.
Running BIOS version A08 now, which improved touchpad craziness after sleep, but didn't improve the wireless issues at all.

> Maybe this was just chance, but I initially loaded FC8 on this machine,
> and the wireless worked fine every time. Could some one else try this
> with the FC8 live CD and see if this is real or just me? If its real we
> could take a diff of the driver sources and see if this might be a
> driver problem or not.
>

No wireless on my box with FC8 live CD.

I am running, XPS M1530, BIOS A08 and Ubuntu 7.10

I have the same problem with XPSM1530. Sometimes it works sometimes no, random behaviour.
When the radio is switched off, I modify the /etc/network/interfaces and I add this entry:

auto eth1

After the reboot it comes back to work. But I am not sure if this solve the problem, it's just a trick I use, maybe it's wrong, maybe not, I am a ubuntu beginner.

Problem disappeared after upgrading to ubuntu 8.04 and installing ubuntu-backport-modules-2.6.24-16. NO "noapic" parameter any more.

Then I have my wireless working perfectly on this box:

Dell XPS M1530
BIOS A08
Wireless card ABG3945 with driver iwl3945
Ubuntu 8.04

Maybe it worked for me to, but with the touchpad not compatible with BIOS A08 i have to downgrade back to A07 and go back to the noapic

/rikard

I got A07 and installed ubuntu-backport-modules-2.6.24-16-generic. I did several reboots and wireless seems to work now. Thanks for the hint, irson. No need to downgrade, janrikard.

Janrikard,

Not related to this thread though just a hint .. the magic for the touchpad for functioning well with the BIOS A08 is the kernerl parameter i8042.nomux=1

i install ubuntu-backport-modules-2.6.24-16 on Ubuntu 8.04. In the begining it seem to work but some reboot later it start to fail agan. I have to uninstall ubuntu-backport-modules-2.6.24-16 and use "noapic" again.

I installed ubuntu-backport-modules-2.6.24-16 and upgraded the BIOS to A08.
It looks like nm-applet findes the network-card but its not possible to connect to any network, with noapic it works fine, even the wifi-led lights up.
this is what i find in the syslog
Apr 27 08:21:13 rikard-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Updating allowed wireless network lists.
Apr 27 08:21:13 rikard-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Updating VPN Connections...
Apr 27 08:21:22 rikard-laptop NetworkManager: <WARN> nm_device_802_11_wireless_scan(): (wlan0): could not trigger wireless scan: Network is down

/rikard

I think I found a solution to the problem. I am currently running 64-bit Hardy, on BIOS A07, and the wireless card was found during all of the previous 10 or so boots that I tried after the fix. So here it is:

Before the fix, I installed the backports iwl3945 driver to fix my wireless indicator, i'm not sure if this impacts the fix or not, so i'll describe the procedure anyway.

System->Administration->Software Sources
Go to the Updates tab, and mark Unsupported Updates (hardy-backports). Reload.
then:

sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic

and reboot the computer.

And this is the actual fix:

sudo modprobe -r iwl3945 #to unload the driver

Then make a file called iwl3945 in /etc/modprobe.d/

In that file enter the following entries:

alias wlan0 iwl3945
options iwl3945 disable_hw_scan=1

now to test:

sudo modprobe iwl3945 #reload the driver
sudo ifconfig wlan0 up #start wlan0

Wireless should be running now. Reboot the computer several times and see if it works for you.

That didnt help me.
The driver seems to load, but it doesnt connect to any network, but as fast as i remove the file and adds noapic it work again.

This is whats in the syslog, over and over again

May 5 20:45:08 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.408005] iwl3945: Microcode SW error detected. Restarting 0x82000008.
May 5 20:45:08 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.408022] iwl3945: Error Reply type 0x00000005 cmd REPLY_TX (0x1C) seq 0x0000 ser 0x0000004B
May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.409188] iwl3945: Error setting new configuration (-5).
May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.410728] iwl3945: Can't stop Rx DMA.
May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.580810] Registered led device: iwl-phy0:RX
May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.580834] Registered led device: iwl-phy0:TX

Same here, didnt help ...

Ignacio

On Mon, May 5, 2008 at 12:52 PM, janrikard <email address hidden> wrote:

> That didnt help me.
> The driver seems to load, but it doesnt connect to any network, but as
> fast as i remove the file and adds noapic it work again.
>
> This is whats in the syslog, over and over again
>
> May 5 20:45:08 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.408005] iwl3945: Microcode SW
> error detected. Restarting 0x82000008.
> May 5 20:45:08 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.408022] iwl3945: Error Reply
> type 0x00000005 cmd REPLY_TX (0x1C) seq 0x0000 ser 0x0000004B
> May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 124.409188] iwl3945: Error
> setting new configuration (-5).
> May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.410728] iwl3945: Can't stop
> Rx DMA.
> May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.580810] Registered led
> device: iwl-phy0:RX
> May 5 20:45:09 rikard-laptop kernel: [ 125.580834] Registered led
> device: iwl-phy0:TX
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

This method has stopped working for me :(
Back to the noapic solution, which makes my laptop a bit slower...
This seems like a progressive bug: everytime I apply a fix to it, it works very well for a while, then stops working again

Hi,

I'm using bios A07 on my Dell xps m1530. I get the same problem when I don't use noapic. So I turned on noapic and seems to work well.

But, this morning when I booted up (with the noapic option) I had no wireless (empty list of wireless access points). When I restarted the laptop, I got wireless again. I've searched into my syslog and I found these error messages:

May 25 11:25:57 tuxedo kernel: [ 44.948830] iwl3945: MAC is in deep sleep!
May 25 11:25:57 tuxedo kernel: [ 44.949246] iwl3945: Unable to int nic
May 25 11:25:57 tuxedo kernel: [ 44.949722] ACPI: PCI interrupt for device 0000:0b:00.0 disabled

It looks like there is still going something wrong with noapic in some rare cases.

I have A08 on my xps m1530 Hardy with noapic, this work fine for lond time but two days ago a have the problem again. sometime work sometime no.

When i deactivate Wi-Fi Catcher button provided by Dell wireless network on my Dell XPS M1530 (Intel 3945) seems to work like a charm. Even with no 'noapic' kernel boot option. Go to BIOS (F2 when Dell splash screen at boot) on 'wireless' menu choose 'Wi-Fi Catcher' and switch it to 'OFF'. Please tell me if that worked for you too.

PS: Dell BIOS version A08

I tested the Wifi with disabled Wi-Fi Catcher and Bios A07 and that didn't work. I still have the Problem.
I also get the Problem when i use 'noapic', so i need good luck when i start my computer and want to use wlan. bad situation!

Anyone knows why the issue act randomly?

Don-t know why it runs randomly: probably a bug in the iwl3945 driver
My configuration is ok (20 reboot) with the following option:
 - BIOS AO8
 - Wifi-catcher enabled and no change in the wifi bios options
 - noapic enabled in the grub file (/boot/grub/menu.lst
 - no ndiswrapper
 - linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic installed through apt

hope it will help

I solve this problem installing ubuntu Hardy 8.04

I solve this problem when i install ubuntu Hardy 8.04

i forgot to say that my OS is Ubuntu 8.04 LTS so my full config is:
 - BIOS AO8
 - Wifi-catcher enabled and no change in the wifi bios options
 - noapic enabled in the grub file (/boot/grub/menu.lst
 - no ndiswrapper
 - Ubuntu 8.0.4 LTS with linux-backports-modules-hardy-generic installed through apt

Wireless was not OK for me out of the box: The point is that is bugged randomly, so be carefull to test it many times before asserting it is OK....

For me, the noapic option works in Hardy Heron 64bit; However, I would prefer not to use it because with it Ubuntu sees only 1 of my cores.

No progress at all? Thankfully I have a wireless adapter so I can still surf (wireless). I haven't made any thorough tests myself but has anyone tested if it does matter how long the computer have been shutted of or if you run it on battery power or not? Perhaps disabling power saving for wireless (and saving settings permanently) and doing a reboot will solve it?

Has anyone tried using ndiswrapper? I just tried several drivers with it, they don't even work.

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

I tried the 2.6.27-kernel but it didn't help me (I didn't make a
thorough test just some minor). Anyway, now my function keys on my
Laptop doesn't work, my knowledge here is a little limited but do you
have any ide how I change it back? I have tried the normal Keyboard
layout settings in Ubuntu but they didn't help (from the looks of it).

Best regards
/tomplast

2008/8/29 Leann Ogasawara <email address hidden>:
> The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the
> upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would
> appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel.
> There are one of two ways you should be able to test:
>
> 1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-
> image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and
> test.
>
> --or--
>
> 2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer
> 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4.
> Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced.
> You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.
>
> Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the
> bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please
> open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the
> 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please
> specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26
> kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.
>
> ** Tags added: cft-2.6.27
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

Hmm, I restarted and all keyboard function keys are now working :). So
forget what I say :)

2008/8/30 Tomas Gustavsson <email address hidden>:
> I tried the 2.6.27-kernel but it didn't help me (I didn't make a
> thorough test just some minor). Anyway, now my function keys on my
> Laptop doesn't work, my knowledge here is a little limited but do you
> have any ide how I change it back? I have tried the normal Keyboard
> layout settings in Ubuntu but they didn't help (from the looks of it).
>
> Best regards
> /tomplast
>
> 2008/8/29 Leann Ogasawara <email address hidden>:
>> The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the
>> upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would
>> appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel.
>> There are one of two ways you should be able to test:
>>
>> 1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-
>> image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and
>> test.
>>
>> --or--
>>
>> 2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer
>> 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4.
>> Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced.
>> You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.
>>
>> Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the
>> bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please
>> open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the
>> 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please
>> specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26
>> kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.
>>
>> ** Tags added: cft-2.6.27
>>
>> --
>> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
>> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
>> of the bug.
>>
>

I use now the 2.6.24-19-generic
The Wifi problem is still here.
But, i faced a strange phenomena:
IF i set up the following kernel option i8042.nomux=1 THEN Wireless is not up
IF i remove the i8042.nomux=1, wireless seems to be OK

The problem is that i need this option for my touchpad that has strange movements without the nomux option

Well, I have been using kernel 2.6.27-rc5 for the past several days on 64-bit Ubuntu Hardy, and so far wireless has been working splendidly without any "noapic"s. *knocks on wood*

Thanks for all the testing everyone. It seems we have some conflicting results which is never good. Ricardo, since you are the original bug reporter can you comment if this is resolved for you with the newer 2.6.27 Intrepid kernel? Alpha5 should come out tomorrow so you can wait and test via a LiveCD if you like.

Tomas, would you be able to attach your dmesg output from when you booted with the 2.6.27 kernel. Thanks.

Unfortunately, I don't own any Dell XPS M1530 since several months ago, so I can't test it with the newer kernel. I changed the Dell with an LG E500, and its wireless works perfectly.

Sorry.

I will make another attempt, but first it would be great if you could
give me url of where I can find the 2.6.27 kernel for Hardy. I found
it before but I don't know if was from the right place. So if you give
the url I'll give you some result ;).

Best regards
/tomplast

2008/9/4 Leann Ogasawara <email address hidden>:
> Thanks for all the testing everyone. It seems we have some conflicting
> results which is never good. Ricardo, since you are the original bug
> reporter can you comment if this is resolved for you with the newer
> 2.6.27 Intrepid kernel? Alpha5 should come out tomorrow so you can wait
> and test via a LiveCD if you like.
>
> Tomas, would you be able to attach your dmesg output from when you
> booted with the 2.6.27 kernel. Thanks.
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

I believe you have to download the 2.6.26 source code, then patch it to 2.6.27 from kernel.org

Use KernelCheck, it will make your life easier.

http://kcheck.sourceforge.net/
Run it as root/sudo, expand "More Information", "Latest Kernel Prepatch" should be some sort of 2.6.27.
Expand "New Kernel Patch Options" and select "Development Prepatch". Now click "Program" in the menu bar and select "build new kernel". It will automatically download necessary source code for you, run xconfig, and compile it.
During the xconfig stage, be very carefull to select the correct configuration, as I saw that the automatic configuration was not correct for me. The most important thing is that for iwl3945 to work, mac80211 needs to be enabled (dont remember where that option is, somewhere under networking). Save the configuration, close the window, and then go take a coffee break while the kernel compiles. After you install it, you will probably have to reinstall graphics card drivers.

kcheck was working just fine but sadly I have to say that the results
were not good :(.

I loaded mac80211 and iwl3945 and I couldn't even get my system to
recognize the wireless-thingy, before in the standard kernel for
Ubuntu 8.04.1 the system did recognize the wireless-thingy. The
output from dmesg:

[ 184.025780] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network
Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26k
[ 184.025787] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2008 Intel Corporation
[ 184.025848] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 184.025870] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 184.025892] iwl3945: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 184.031465] iwl3945: Error: saturation power is -1, less than
minimum expected 40
[ 184.031472] iwl3945: Invalid power index
[ 184.031476] iwl3945: initializing regulatory failed: -5
[ 184.042932] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 184.043663] iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed with error -5

Perhaps there were some step that I missed?

Best regards
/Tomas "tomplast" Gustavsson

2008/9/4 Andrey Khanov <email address hidden>:
> I believe you have to download the 2.6.26 source code, then patch it to
> 2.6.27 from kernel.org
>
> Use KernelCheck, it will make your life easier.
>
> http://kcheck.sourceforge.net/
> Run it as root/sudo, expand "More Information", "Latest Kernel Prepatch" should be some sort of 2.6.27.
> Expand "New Kernel Patch Options" and select "Development Prepatch". Now click "Program" in the menu bar and select "build new kernel". It will automatically download necessary source code for you, run xconfig, and compile it.
> During the xconfig stage, be very carefull to select the correct configuration, as I saw that the automatic configuration was not correct for me. The most important thing is that for iwl3945 to work, mac80211 needs to be enabled (dont remember where that option is, somewhere under networking). Save the configuration, close the window, and then go take a coffee break while the kernel compiles. After you install it, you will probably have to reinstall graphics card drivers.
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

Hi Guys,

Wow, you shouldn't need to do any sort of patching/building of custom kernels to test. The easiest way to test will be to burn a LiveCD of the latest alpha image which uses this newer 2.6.27 kernel. http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/alpha5 . Alpha6 will come out likely today/tomorrow if you'd like to wait and test the most recent, just watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha6 to hit.

I did that as well (why I didn't report it I don't know) but it wasn't
even detected as remembered it. I didn't do any thorough test or
anything like that so perhaps a few reboots would solve it. By
unloading and loading the iwl3945 module I get the following message
in Intrepid:

[10865.482145] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network
Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26ks
[10865.482158] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2008 Intel Corporation
[10865.482245] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[10865.482270] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[10865.482301] iwl3945: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[10865.488018] iwl3945: Error: saturation power is -1, less than
minimum expected 40
[10865.488024] iwl3945: Invalid power index
[10865.488029] iwl3945: initializing regulatory failed: -5
[10865.498274] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[10865.499581] iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed with error -5

If my memory isn't failing on me then that's more or less identical to
the messages I got in Hardy.

Best regards

/Tomas "tomplast" Gustavsson

Btw, I'm currently running Ubuntu "Intrepid Ibex" 8.10 right now, no
wireless is detected there for me.
2008/9/18 Leann Ogasawara <email address hidden>:
> Hi Guys,
>
> Wow, you shouldn't need to do any sort of patching/building of custom
> kernels to test. The easiest way to test will be to burn a LiveCD of
> the latest alpha image which uses this newer 2.6.27 kernel.
> http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/intrepid/alpha5 . Alpha6 will come out
> likely today/tomorrow if you'd like to wait and test the most recent,
> just watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha6 to hit.
>
> --
> [XPS M1530] Wireless don't work (need to use 'noapic' kernel boot param)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/190664
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

Ubuntu 8.10 beta LiveCD Desktop, 64-bit on XPS M1530
bug still exists:

iwl3945: Error: saturation power is -1, less than minimum expected 40
iwl3945: Invalid power index
iwl3945: initializing regulatory failed: -5
iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed with error -5

For those of you who have Intrepid installed, it would be great if you could try installing the linux-backports-modules package. It most recently pulled in an updated version of the compat-wireless stack:

https://edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-backports-modules-2.6.27

linux-backports-modules-2.6.27 (2.6.27-7.3) intrepid; urgency=low

  [Tim Gardner]

  * Added iwlwifi firmware
  * Added the upstream compat-wireless-2.6 tree.
  * Updated compat-wireless to wireless-testing tag master-2008-10-14
  * Set CONFIG_WIRELESS_OLD_REGULATORY=y by default.

I tried the official Kernel from ftp.kernel.org (2.6.27.3) and with this kernel, the problem still exists. I opened a bug-report at bugzilla.kernel.org : http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11818

The bugtracker for this bug from intel can be found here:

http://www.intellinuxwireless.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=1651

Hi All,

I have the same problem with the wireless only working on some boots. I get the "power saturation level -1, less than expected" enrty in the dmesg log when it doesn't work. Does anyone know what exactly this means with regards to the wireless controller? Could this problem be caused by other modules that needs to be loaded before the wireless module is loaded i.e. sometimes the other modules are loaded correctly before the wireless module gets loaded and sometimes not. I had CONCURRENCY=shell in my /etc/init.d/rc but changed it back to none. Maybe something to this effect is the problem? I will test this over the next few days but don't want to reboot now because I just had to reboot my computer ~10 times to make it work. My root filesystem has been scanned 3 times the last 4 days because of this. Thats 120 boots in 4 days. This REALLY sucks.

The patch mentioned in the upstream bug report [1] is currently available in linux-backports-modules-jaunty. Please install, test, and let us know your results. Thanks.

[1] ogasawara@yoji:~/wireless-testing$ git log -p 49f606bca67f854ec87ae417cbc49fb3fc600ad0

commit 49f606bca67f854ec87ae417cbc49fb3fc600ad0

Author: Zhu, Yi <email address hidden>

Date: Fri Dec 5 07:58:39 2008 -0800

    iwlwifi: fix "MAC in deep sleep" error

Still doesnt work for me. Restarted about a dozen times (hibernating/restarting doesnt matter) and WLAN only got enabled some times. No difference.

Installed linux-backports-modules-jaunty of course, forgot to add this.

I was experiencing the issue with my 3945 card only enabling correctly on random, infrequent boots/restarts. Installing backports has appeared to fix this issue for me.

I have found, however, that booting with a device plugged in to the right USB port on the 1530 causes the issues to resurface until said device is removed.

Hi All,

I downloaded the Jaunty release image yesterday and played with the live cd today. The first boot gave me the "MAC in deep sleep" entry in dmesg and the second boot gave the "power saturation level -1, less than expected" entry in output from dmesg.

Hi All,

I have the same problem and I coexist with it the last two years. The bug seems to be random for me, and it goes away after one or two reboots. Commonly, the log message is "Mac in deep sleep" and "power saturation level...", but this time I get other diferent from the previous. I hope this helps.

[ 10.473780] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26ks
[ 10.473783] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2009 Intel Corporation
[ 10.560722] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A -> Link[LNKB] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7
[ 10.577390] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!. CSR_GP_CNTRL = 0xFFFFFFFF
[ 10.577404] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 10.577415] iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed with error -5

I'm using Ubuntu 9.04, with the kernel 2.6.28-16-generic and the linux-backports-modules on my Dell XPS M1530.

That's all. Sorry for my bad english. Greetings.

I downloaded and installed Ubuntu Karmic and I still have problems to use my wireles. I'm using the kernel 2.6.31-14-generic in my Dell XPS M1530, BIOS A12. Here, a part of dmesg log:

[ ....]
[ 18.525461] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!. CSR_GP_CNTRL = 0xFFFFFFFF
[ 18.543593] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Error: saturation power is -1, less than minimum expected 40
[ 18.543597] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Invalid power index
[ 18.543600] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: initializing driver failed
[ 18.543630] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 18.543643] iwl3945: probe of 0000:0b:00.0 failed with error -5

But now it becomes worst, when I use the 'noapic' kernel parameter the wifi card works for a few minutes and then it's like to turn off and disconect from my home wifi. I try to use the kernel-backports-modules and the result is the same. Here, the second dmesg log file:

[ 1173.195325] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: No space for Tx
[ 1173.195330] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Error sending REPLY_TX_PWR_TABLE_CMD: enqueue_hcmd failed: -28
[ 1180.821054] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: No space for Tx
[ 1180.821061] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Error sending REPLY_RXON: enqueue_hcmd failed: -28
[ 1180.821064] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Error setting new configuration (-28).
[ 1180.821069] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: No space for Tx
[ 1180.821072] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Error sending REPLY_LEDS_CMD: enqueue_hcmd failed: -28
[ 1180.833675] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!. CSR_GP_CNTRL = 0xFFFFFFFF
[ 1180.852881] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!. CSR_GP_CNTRL = 0xFFFFFFFF
[ 1183.353248] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!. CSR_GP_CNTRL = 0xFFFFFFFF
[ 1183.370648] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: BSM uCode verification failed at addr 0x00003800+0 (of 900), is 0xffffffff, s/b 0xf802020
[ 1185.368148] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Wait for START_ALIVE timeout after 2000ms.

I think i will try to use ndisswrapper. Greetings.

Another with the same problem on Ubuntu 9.10 (and bios A12).
Sometimes work, sometimes don't.

With the 'no apic' option, i don't see difference.

Sometimes i have to start windows vista to make the card work.
(Then If i reboot and go to Ubuntu, wifi works normally (after reboot)).

Cesar, ndisswrapper worked on your XPS?

Greetings.
Sorry by my english.

Hi!

I've just tried using ndiswrapper a little bit. The wifi card works but I have problems to connect to my wireless net using WPA2. Maybe I was using the wrong Win32 drivers, I just tried with one version, the latest for Win2k.
So, I've decided return to iwl driver with 'noapic' kernel parameter and coexist with this issue, waiting with hope a fix release.

Greetings.

I have this same bug on Ubuntu Karmic (BIOS A12), with the lastest updates. What is odd, is that my home WiFi (Verizon, WPA2) works 95% of the time with the "noapic" option, but the WiFi at my school (also Verizon, WPA2) consistently disconnects around 5 minutes after booting, if it connects at all. Last time I tried using the kernal-backports, WiFi did not work at all. The Windows 7 RTM install works perfectly on both networks.
If there is anything I could try or give more information on, I'd be glad to, as this bug is really annoying.

Ubuntu 9.10. Installed broadcom driver. Also tried ndiswrapper.

dhclient eth2 doesn't ever connect.

Full updates, noapic option, my card works short time. after that it dies.

Uff, back 2 windows :\

Hi All, I found a solution for Ubuntu 9.10: do a fresh install of Ubuntu 9.04, then upgrade to 9.10 via the Update Manager's "Upgrade" button. Then wifi is happy.

So, yeah, I also have a Dell m1530 with the Dell wireless hardware and experienced the same issue (no wifi light, no recognition of wifi hardware) after a fresh install of Ubuntu 9.10 (Farking Koala). Even adding the 'noapic' boot time kernal parameter did not help.

The Dell wifi hardware works fine in Ubuntu 9.04 (Jiggly Jackelope). If you *upgrade* to 9.10 instead of fresh install, the wireless functionality remains.

My guess is this somehow has something to do w/ the bootloader setup? (Koala uses grub2 and it's all moved around???).

Anyway, hope this helps those of you tempted to give up on Ubuntu over this. After many turbulent years of linux use, I've finally made made the switch to linux as my primary personal OS thanks to the leaps and bounds in usability Ubuntu has made.

Cheers!

Actually, ignore the bit about bootloader/grub2... who knows why it doesn't work with a fresh install of 9.10. :P At least I got the wifi working and didn't have to go shopping for another distro/version.

@Khyron,
thanks for the solution. actually, i had same issues with wi-fi connectivity with Ubuntu 9.10 installed in Dell xps 1530 using Wubi installer. It didnt recognize the driver.
I removed 9.10 and installed Ubuntu 9.4 and It worked.
After a fresh install of 9.4 it displayed an icon to activate broadcom driver. On clicking it pops up a window to activate it.

With a with restart wi-fi is up and running!!!!!

Changing status to WontFix in Dell project, as enablement is only being done for specific hardware for the current Ubuntu release ( 9.10 ).

I have a Dell xps 1530, Kubuntu 10.04 freshly installed and updated, and after a while it started to give again this problem.
On the boot, before the splash logo, I get 20-30 seconds of repeated messages like:

iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!
iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!
iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!
iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!
iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: MAC is in deep sleep!

and so on......then it sometimes freeze and I have to manually shutdown, or sometimes it boots well. The card then it works randomly, sometimes yes, sometimes no.
I'm not the only one with this problem, it seems by reading the forums.

Ubuntu 10.04, i have again the same problem.

On openSuse 11.2 the card works perfectly.

It is not just for version 9.xx or older.... :(

Greetings.

The bug task for the somerville project has been removed by an automated script. This bug has been cloned on that project and is available here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1305746