[ltp] Cisco firmware again

[Karl Klashinsky]

I don't speak for Cisco.  I don't work in the wireless group.  What
follows comes from my own experience/frustration dealing with mpi350 on
my laptop.  Disclaim.  Deny.  Etc.

      * To update firmware under Linux, you can use ACU.  There may be a
        way to do it from the command line, too, dunno.
      * I seem to recall reading _somewhere_ that Fabrice didn't
        recommend using his driver to update the firmware, but instead,
        manually load the Cisco driver in order to do firmware updates.
      * Yes, you can toggle a setting in windows version of ACU, and it
        will not auto-update firmware.
      * Again, faint memory, but I recall reading somewhere that you
        probably don't want to be reloading the firmware frequently. 
        Basically, not designed/spec'd to handle rewrites... at some
        point, you'll start to find that the "new" firmware won't
        "take".   

On Fri, 2004-01-30 at 13:34, Dimitris Kogias wrote:
> Hi Joel,
> 
> Cisco's Linux driver - mpi350 - does allow you to
> update the firmware.  I haven't run ACU under Linux
> for ages so I don't remember whether it's a
> command-line utility or you have to do it through ACU.
> 
> The Windows driver will auto-update to the newest
> firmware when it initializes.  There is actually an
> option in the Windows ACU that toggles this feature.
> 
> Given the above, you might be able to let the Windows
> driver do its auto-update and, under Linux, run a
> command-line utility before bringing up the interface
> that loads the older, Linux-friendly firmware before
> loading the driver.
> 
> All of the above assume you're using Cisco's Linux
> driver, mpi350.  I haven't used that for a while, I'm
> now using Fabrice Bellet's airo_mpi which, at least on
> my X31, works flawlessly with the 5b.00.08 firmware on
> the card.  Much better choice IMO, no need for the
> cruddy ACU, works with the standard wireless-tools. 
> If you haven't already, perhaps you should try using
> that driver instead.  It may simply work with the
> latest firmware and all will be good.  Fabrice's
> driver can be found at
> http://bellet.info/~bellet/laptop/.
> 
> One caveat, do NOT try updating the firmware under
> Linux using airo_mpi.  Use the Cisco driver instead.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Dimitris.
> --- Joel Ebel <jbebel@ncsu.edu> wrote:
> > I've got a problem with my Cisco wireless card.  It
> > works ok in Linux 
> > using firmware 5.00.03, and it works great in
> > Windows XP using newer 
> > firmwares, but as many of you know, the newer
> > firmwares don't work with 
> > Linux.  My problem is that the older firmwares
> > aren't working well in 
> > Windows.  I've even tried installing older drivers
> > to match the 5.00.03 
> > firmware in Windows, but still, every few hours, my
> > wireless will stop 
> > working, and if I don't shutdown on my own very
> > quickly, I will actually 
> > get a blue screen.  I realize this is an issue with
> > Windows, and a 
> > Windows driver, and this is a Linux list, but only
> > Linux users would 
> > respect the need to use the older firmwares.  Anyone
> > else would just say 
> > "Upgrade your firmware."  And don't tell me to stop
> > using Windows.  I'd 
> > like to.  I respect Linux just as much as the rest
> > of you, but I still 
> > have reasons I must use Windows on occasion.
> > 
> > My question is just if anyone else has experience
> > this, and what you did 
> > about it?  Have other people not had problems using
> > 5.00.03 in Windows 
> > XP?  It seems like a pretty serious problem, so I'm
> > surprised Cisco 
> > would have a released firmware that does this.  I
> > guess I just wish 
> > Cisco would provide more details so we could have
> > good linux drivers 
> > that work with the newer firmwares.
> > 
> > Joel
> > -- 
> > The linux-thinkpad mailing list home page is at:
> >
> http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-thinkpad
-- 
klash        |       |      If you are not part of the solution,
            .|.     .|.     you are part of the process.
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