Documentation/networking/README.ipw2100 - kernel/common - Git at Google


 Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Driver for Linux in support of:

 Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection

 Copyright (C) 2003-2006, Intel Corporation

 README.ipw2100

 Version: git-1.1.5
 Date   : January 25, 2006

 Index
 -----------------------------------------------
 0. IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE USING THIS DRIVER
 1. Introduction
 2. Release git-1.1.5 Current Features
 3. Command Line Parameters
 4. Sysfs Helper Files
 5. Radio Kill Switch
 6. Dynamic Firmware
 7. Power Management
 8. Support
 9. License


 0.   IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE USING THIS DRIVER
 -----------------------------------------------

 Important Notice FOR ALL USERS OR DISTRIBUTORS!!!!

 Intel wireless LAN adapters are engineered, manufactured, tested, and
 quality checked to ensure that they meet all necessary local and
 governmental regulatory agency requirements for the regions that they
 are designated and/or marked to ship into. Since wireless LANs are
 generally unlicensed devices that share spectrum with radars,
 satellites, and other licensed and unlicensed devices, it is sometimes
 necessary to dynamically detect, avoid, and limit usage to avoid
 interference with these devices. In many instances Intel is required to
 provide test data to prove regional and local compliance to regional and
 governmental regulations before certification or approval to use the
 product is granted. Intel's wireless LAN's EEPROM, firmware, and
 software driver are designed to carefully control parameters that affect
 radio operation and to ensure electromagnetic compliance (EMC). These
 parameters include, without limitation, RF power, spectrum usage,
 channel scanning, and human exposure.

 For these reasons Intel cannot permit any manipulation by third parties
 of the software provided in binary format with the wireless WLAN
 adapters (e.g., the EEPROM and firmware). Furthermore, if you use any
 patches, utilities, or code with the Intel wireless LAN adapters that
 have been manipulated by an unauthorized party (i.e., patches,
 utilities, or code (including open source code modifications) which have
 not been validated by Intel), (i) you will be solely responsible for
 ensuring the regulatory compliance of the products, (ii) Intel will bear
 no liability, under any theory of liability for any issues associated
 with the modified products, including without limitation, claims under
 the warranty and/or issues arising from regulatory non-compliance, and
 (iii) Intel will not provide or be required to assist in providing
 support to any third parties for such modified products.

 Note: Many regulatory agencies consider Wireless LAN adapters to be
 modules, and accordingly, condition system-level regulatory approval
 upon receipt and review of test data documenting that the antennas and
 system configuration do not cause the EMC and radio operation to be
 non-compliant.

 The drivers available for download from SourceForge are provided as a
 part of a development project.  Conformance to local regulatory
 requirements is the responsibility of the individual developer.  As
 such, if you are interested in deploying or shipping a driver as part of
 solution intended to be used for purposes other than development, please
 obtain a tested driver from Intel Customer Support at:

 http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/sb/CS-006408.htm

 1. Introduction
 -----------------------------------------------

 This document provides a brief overview of the features supported by the
 IPW2100 driver project.  The main project website, where the latest
 development version of the driver can be found, is:

 	http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net

 There you can find the not only the latest releases, but also information about
 potential fixes and patches, as well as links to the development mailing list
 for the driver project.


 2. Release git-1.1.5 Current Supported Features
 -----------------------------------------------
 - Managed (BSS) and Ad-Hoc (IBSS)
 - WEP (shared key and open)
 - Wireless Tools support
 - 802.1x (tested with XSupplicant 1.0.1)

 Enabled (but not supported) features:
 - Monitor/RFMon mode
 - WPA/WPA2

 The distinction between officially supported and enabled is a reflection
 on the amount of validation and interoperability testing that has been
 performed on a given feature.


 3. Command Line Parameters
 -----------------------------------------------

 If the driver is built as a module, the following optional parameters are used
 by entering them on the command line with the modprobe command using this
 syntax:

 	modprobe ipw2100 [<option>=<VAL1><,VAL2>...]

 For example, to disable the radio on driver loading, enter:

 	modprobe ipw2100 disable=1

 The ipw2100 driver supports the following module parameters:

 Name		Value		Example:
 debug		0x0-0xffffffff	debug=1024
 mode		0,1,2		mode=1   /* AdHoc */
 channel		int		channel=3 /* Only valid in AdHoc or Monitor */
 associate	boolean		associate=0 /* Do NOT auto associate */
 disable		boolean		disable=1 /* Do not power the HW */


 4. Sysfs Helper Files
 ---------------------------
 -----------------------------------------------

 There are several ways to control the behavior of the driver.  Many of the
 general capabilities are exposed through the Wireless Tools (iwconfig).  There
 are a few capabilities that are exposed through entries in the Linux Sysfs.


 ----- Driver Level ------
 For the driver level files, look in /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/

   debug_level

 	This controls the same global as the 'debug' module parameter.  For
         information on the various debugging levels available, run the 'dvals'
 	script found in the driver source directory.

 	NOTE:  'debug_level' is only enabled if CONFIG_IPW2100_DEBUG is turn
 	       on.

 ----- Device Level ------
 For the device level files look in

 	/sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/{PCI-ID}/

 For example:
 	/sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/0000:02:01.0

 For the device level files, see /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100:

   rf_kill
 	read -
 	0 = RF kill not enabled (radio on)
 	1 = SW based RF kill active (radio off)
 	2 = HW based RF kill active (radio off)
 	3 = Both HW and SW RF kill active (radio off)
 	write -
 	0 = If SW based RF kill active, turn the radio back on
 	1 = If radio is on, activate SW based RF kill

 	NOTE: If you enable the SW based RF kill and then toggle the HW
   	based RF kill from ON -> OFF -> ON, the radio will NOT come back on


 5. Radio Kill Switch
 -----------------------------------------------
 Most laptops provide the ability for the user to physically disable the radio.
 Some vendors have implemented this as a physical switch that requires no
 software to turn the radio off and on.  On other laptops, however, the switch
 is controlled through a button being pressed and a software driver then making
 calls to turn the radio off and on.  This is referred to as a "software based
 RF kill switch"

 See the Sysfs helper file 'rf_kill' for determining the state of the RF switch
 on your system.


 6. Dynamic Firmware
 -----------------------------------------------
 As the firmware is licensed under a restricted use license, it can not be
 included within the kernel sources.  To enable the IPW2100 you will need a
 firmware image to load into the wireless NIC's processors.

 You can obtain these images from <http://ipw2100.sf.net/firmware.php>.

 See INSTALL for instructions on installing the firmware.


 7. Power Management
 -----------------------------------------------
 The IPW2100 supports the configuration of the Power Save Protocol
 through a private wireless extension interface.  The IPW2100 supports
 the following different modes:

 	off	No power management.  Radio is always on.
 	on	Automatic power management
 	1-5	Different levels of power management.  The higher the
 		number the greater the power savings, but with an impact to
 		packet latencies.

 Power management works by powering down the radio after a certain
 interval of time has passed where no packets are passed through the
 radio.  Once powered down, the radio remains in that state for a given
 period of time.  For higher power savings, the interval between last
 packet processed to sleep is shorter and the sleep period is longer.

 When the radio is asleep, the access point sending data to the station
 must buffer packets at the AP until the station wakes up and requests
 any buffered packets.  If you have an AP that does not correctly support
 the PSP protocol you may experience packet loss or very poor performance
 while power management is enabled.  If this is the case, you will need
 to try and find a firmware update for your AP, or disable power
 management (via `iwconfig eth1 power off`)

 To configure the power level on the IPW2100 you use a combination of
 iwconfig and iwpriv.  iwconfig is used to turn power management on, off,
 and set it to auto.

 	iwconfig eth1 power off    Disables radio power down
 	iwconfig eth1 power on     Enables radio power management to
 				   last set level (defaults to AUTO)
 	iwpriv eth1 set_power 0    Sets power level to AUTO and enables
 				   power management if not previously
 				   enabled.
 	iwpriv eth1 set_power 1-5  Set the power level as specified,
 				   enabling power management if not
 				   previously enabled.

 You can view the current power level setting via:

 	iwpriv eth1 get_power

 It will return the current period or timeout that is configured as a string
 in the form of xxxx/yyyy (z) where xxxx is the timeout interval (amount of
 time after packet processing), yyyy is the period to sleep (amount of time to
 wait before powering the radio and querying the access point for buffered
 packets), and z is the 'power level'.  If power management is turned off the
 xxxx/yyyy will be replaced with 'off' -- the level reported will be the active
 level if `iwconfig eth1 power on` is invoked.


 8. Support
 -----------------------------------------------

 For general development information and support,
 go to:

     http://ipw2100.sf.net/

 The ipw2100 1.1.0 driver and firmware can be downloaded from:

     http://support.intel.com

 For installation support on the ipw2100 1.1.0 driver on Linux kernels
 2.6.8 or greater, email support is available from:

     http://supportmail.intel.com

 9. License
 -----------------------------------------------

   Copyright(c) 2003 - 2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
   under the terms of the GNU General Public License (version 2) as
   published by the Free Software Foundation.

   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
   ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
   FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for
   more details.

   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
   this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
   Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307, USA.

   The full GNU General Public License is included in this distribution in the
   file called LICENSE.

   License Contact Information:
   James P. Ketrenos <[email protected]>
   Intel Corporation, 5200 N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97124-6497

	Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Driver for Linux in support of:

	Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection

	Copyright (C) 2003-2006, Intel Corporation

	README.ipw2100

	Version: git-1.1.5
	Date : January 25, 2006

	Index
	-----------------------------------------------
	0. IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE USING THIS DRIVER
	1. Introduction
	2. Release git-1.1.5 Current Features
	3. Command Line Parameters
	4. Sysfs Helper Files
	5. Radio Kill Switch
	6. Dynamic Firmware
	7. Power Management
	8. Support
	9. License


	0. IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE USING THIS DRIVER
	-----------------------------------------------

	Important Notice FOR ALL USERS OR DISTRIBUTORS!!!!

	Intel wireless LAN adapters are engineered, manufactured, tested, and
	quality checked to ensure that they meet all necessary local and
	governmental regulatory agency requirements for the regions that they
	are designated and/or marked to ship into. Since wireless LANs are
	generally unlicensed devices that share spectrum with radars,
	satellites, and other licensed and unlicensed devices, it is sometimes
	necessary to dynamically detect, avoid, and limit usage to avoid
	interference with these devices. In many instances Intel is required to
	provide test data to prove regional and local compliance to regional and
	governmental regulations before certification or approval to use the
	product is granted. Intel's wireless LAN's EEPROM, firmware, and
	software driver are designed to carefully control parameters that affect
	radio operation and to ensure electromagnetic compliance (EMC). These
	parameters include, without limitation, RF power, spectrum usage,
	channel scanning, and human exposure.

	For these reasons Intel cannot permit any manipulation by third parties
	of the software provided in binary format with the wireless WLAN
	adapters (e.g., the EEPROM and firmware). Furthermore, if you use any
	patches, utilities, or code with the Intel wireless LAN adapters that
	have been manipulated by an unauthorized party (i.e., patches,
	utilities, or code (including open source code modifications) which have
	not been validated by Intel), (i) you will be solely responsible for
	ensuring the regulatory compliance of the products, (ii) Intel will bear
	no liability, under any theory of liability for any issues associated
	with the modified products, including without limitation, claims under
	the warranty and/or issues arising from regulatory non-compliance, and
	(iii) Intel will not provide or be required to assist in providing
	support to any third parties for such modified products.

	Note: Many regulatory agencies consider Wireless LAN adapters to be
	modules, and accordingly, condition system-level regulatory approval
	upon receipt and review of test data documenting that the antennas and
	system configuration do not cause the EMC and radio operation to be
	non-compliant.

	The drivers available for download from SourceForge are provided as a
	part of a development project. Conformance to local regulatory
	requirements is the responsibility of the individual developer. As
	such, if you are interested in deploying or shipping a driver as part of
	solution intended to be used for purposes other than development, please
	obtain a tested driver from Intel Customer Support at:

	http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/sb/CS-006408.htm

	1. Introduction
	-----------------------------------------------

	This document provides a brief overview of the features supported by the
	IPW2100 driver project. The main project website, where the latest
	development version of the driver can be found, is:

	http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net

	There you can find the not only the latest releases, but also information about
	potential fixes and patches, as well as links to the development mailing list
	for the driver project.


	2. Release git-1.1.5 Current Supported Features
	-----------------------------------------------
	- Managed (BSS) and Ad-Hoc (IBSS)
	- WEP (shared key and open)
	- Wireless Tools support
	- 802.1x (tested with XSupplicant 1.0.1)

	Enabled (but not supported) features:
	- Monitor/RFMon mode
	- WPA/WPA2

	The distinction between officially supported and enabled is a reflection
	on the amount of validation and interoperability testing that has been
	performed on a given feature.


	3. Command Line Parameters
	-----------------------------------------------

	If the driver is built as a module, the following optional parameters are used
	by entering them on the command line with the modprobe command using this
	syntax:

	modprobe ipw2100 [<option>=<VAL1><,VAL2>...]

	For example, to disable the radio on driver loading, enter:

	modprobe ipw2100 disable=1

	The ipw2100 driver supports the following module parameters:

	Name Value Example:
	debug 0x0-0xffffffff debug=1024
	mode 0,1,2 mode=1 /* AdHoc */
	channel int channel=3 /* Only valid in AdHoc or Monitor */
	associate boolean associate=0 /* Do NOT auto associate */
	disable boolean disable=1 /* Do not power the HW */


	4. Sysfs Helper Files
	---------------------------
	-----------------------------------------------

	There are several ways to control the behavior of the driver. Many of the
	general capabilities are exposed through the Wireless Tools (iwconfig). There
	are a few capabilities that are exposed through entries in the Linux Sysfs.


	----- Driver Level ------
	For the driver level files, look in /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/

	debug_level

	This controls the same global as the 'debug' module parameter. For
	information on the various debugging levels available, run the 'dvals'
	script found in the driver source directory.

	NOTE: 'debug_level' is only enabled if CONFIG_IPW2100_DEBUG is turn
	on.

	----- Device Level ------
	For the device level files look in

	/sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/{PCI-ID}/

	For example:
	/sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100/0000:02:01.0

	For the device level files, see /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2100:

	rf_kill
	read -
	0 = RF kill not enabled (radio on)
	1 = SW based RF kill active (radio off)
	2 = HW based RF kill active (radio off)
	3 = Both HW and SW RF kill active (radio off)
	write -
	0 = If SW based RF kill active, turn the radio back on
	1 = If radio is on, activate SW based RF kill

	NOTE: If you enable the SW based RF kill and then toggle the HW
	based RF kill from ON -> OFF -> ON, the radio will NOT come back on


	5. Radio Kill Switch
	-----------------------------------------------
	Most laptops provide the ability for the user to physically disable the radio.
	Some vendors have implemented this as a physical switch that requires no
	software to turn the radio off and on. On other laptops, however, the switch
	is controlled through a button being pressed and a software driver then making
	calls to turn the radio off and on. This is referred to as a "software based
	RF kill switch"

	See the Sysfs helper file 'rf_kill' for determining the state of the RF switch
	on your system.


	6. Dynamic Firmware
	-----------------------------------------------
	As the firmware is licensed under a restricted use license, it can not be
	included within the kernel sources. To enable the IPW2100 you will need a
	firmware image to load into the wireless NIC's processors.

	You can obtain these images from <http://ipw2100.sf.net/firmware.php>.

	See INSTALL for instructions on installing the firmware.


	7. Power Management
	-----------------------------------------------
	The IPW2100 supports the configuration of the Power Save Protocol
	through a private wireless extension interface. The IPW2100 supports
	the following different modes:

	off No power management. Radio is always on.
	on Automatic power management
	1-5 Different levels of power management. The higher the
	number the greater the power savings, but with an impact to
	packet latencies.

	Power management works by powering down the radio after a certain
	interval of time has passed where no packets are passed through the
	radio. Once powered down, the radio remains in that state for a given
	period of time. For higher power savings, the interval between last
	packet processed to sleep is shorter and the sleep period is longer.

	When the radio is asleep, the access point sending data to the station
	must buffer packets at the AP until the station wakes up and requests
	any buffered packets. If you have an AP that does not correctly support
	the PSP protocol you may experience packet loss or very poor performance
	while power management is enabled. If this is the case, you will need
	to try and find a firmware update for your AP, or disable power
	management (via `iwconfig eth1 power off`)

	To configure the power level on the IPW2100 you use a combination of
	iwconfig and iwpriv. iwconfig is used to turn power management on, off,
	and set it to auto.

	iwconfig eth1 power off Disables radio power down
	iwconfig eth1 power on Enables radio power management to
	last set level (defaults to AUTO)
	iwpriv eth1 set_power 0 Sets power level to AUTO and enables
	power management if not previously
	enabled.
	iwpriv eth1 set_power 1-5 Set the power level as specified,
	enabling power management if not
	previously enabled.

	You can view the current power level setting via:

	iwpriv eth1 get_power

	It will return the current period or timeout that is configured as a string
	in the form of xxxx/yyyy (z) where xxxx is the timeout interval (amount of
	time after packet processing), yyyy is the period to sleep (amount of time to
	wait before powering the radio and querying the access point for buffered
	packets), and z is the 'power level'. If power management is turned off the
	xxxx/yyyy will be replaced with 'off' -- the level reported will be the active
	level if `iwconfig eth1 power on` is invoked.


	8. Support
	-----------------------------------------------

	For general development information and support,
	go to:

	http://ipw2100.sf.net/

	The ipw2100 1.1.0 driver and firmware can be downloaded from:

	http://support.intel.com

	For installation support on the ipw2100 1.1.0 driver on Linux kernels
	2.6.8 or greater, email support is available from:

	http://supportmail.intel.com

	9. License
	-----------------------------------------------

	Copyright(c) 2003 - 2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

	This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
	under the terms of the GNU General Public License (version 2) as
	published by the Free Software Foundation.

	This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
	ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
	FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for
	more details.

	You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
	this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
	Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.

	The full GNU General Public License is included in this distribution in the
	file called LICENSE.

	License Contact Information:
	James P. Ketrenos <[email protected]>
	Intel Corporation, 5200 N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97124-6497