Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

Bug #292450 reported by Killeroid
154
This bug affects 22 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Tim Gardner
Nominated for Karmic by amarradi
Hardy
Fix Released
High
Stefan Bader
Intrepid
Fix Released
High
Stefan Bader
Jaunty
Fix Released
High
Tim Gardner

Bug Description

SRU justification:

Impact: The current broadcom driver (wl.ko) seems to have several issues during operation. Reported have been random crashes between 5 a day to only 1 every 4 days.

Fix: The latest driver from broadcom had positive feedback on Jaunty and has been released there. This is the backport of that driver for intrepid.
The same code is intended to get ported to Hardy LRM. This would sync up the Hardy codebase with the Intrepid and Jaunty layout. So this would yield bug fixes and ease maintenance.

Changes are local to wl.ko only.

Testcase: Generic usage will sometimes cause panics.

---

The new wl driver(Broadcom STA) randomly causes my Dell Inspiron E1505 to experience kernel panics. I haven't been able to get a picture of the kernel panic though. The kernel panic happens randomly, sometimes even during bootup.

The reason why I know its from the wl driver is because, I was using the b43 driver back on hardy. When the new broadcom driver was released, I manually compiled it and installed it. The driver kept randomly causing kernel panics on my system. When I blacklisted the driver and reverted back to b43, no more kernel panics. I wiped my disk down and installed intrepid and set my system to use the new wl driver again. The kernel panics started all over again. When I changed to the b43 driver, the kernel panics disappeared.

The system can sometimes run for 4/5 days before experiencing a kernel panic and at other times, I can get about 5 kernel panics in a day. I googled around and found a few people on both the ubuntu and debian forums having the same problem with different systems and different broadcom cards but same driver.

Killeroid (killeroid)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
rRNA (jjovinr) wrote :

Same thing also happens to me in ubuntu hardy on my dell inspiron 1420 using the bcm4311 chipset. The computer just froze and the caps lock light was flashing intermittently. This problem did not start until I updated the b43 driver to the new broadcom STA driver.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

I would also like to confirm this bug.
Running Linux Mint 5 (Hardy base) with kernel 2.6.24.21. running wl driver for broadcom 4321.
We mostly get kernel panic when waking up from suspension or hibernation. It seems wl driver is trying to reconnect but fails. about 3 out of 4 times frequency of getting kernel panic this way.

I am tempted to try Intrepid 2.6.27 kernel, but that's a different bug report. Not having any luck with Intrepid live CD as yet.

Revision history for this message
tchu11 (tchu11) wrote :

I am running Intrepid Ibex and I suspect I have the same problem as well, although I have no proof as studying the system logs after the crashes did not give me any clues.

I installed the driver through GNOME Control Centre > Hardware Drivers > select 'Broadcom STA Driver' > click 'Activate' button at bottom right. I can use my home wireless without any problems (which is protected by WPA2). But when I tried to log on to my University wireless network, which uses the settings in Ubuntu similar to these here http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/its/wireless/jrswin.htm the Network Manager took a very long time to attempt to log on and then crashed (without logging on). The whole system froze with no responses from keyboard and trackpad. I tried Ctrl + Alt + F1 to F8, but no response either and had to do a hard reboot (several times).

I did not have this problem with Hardy, but maybe I was using the other B43 open source driver at that time. The crash occured everytime when I tried to log on to my University wireless (ie. consistently reproducible).

lspci told me my wireless card is Broadcom BCM4312 which comes with Dell Inspiron 1525 I bought in July 2008.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

Let me correct myself from the previous post...
I have Broadcom 4328, running wl driver under kernel 4.6.24.21-generic
attached is the screen shot, when I wake the computer up from suspension.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

sorry again. 2.6.24.21-generic

Revision history for this message
Joe Kilner (joekilner) wrote :

Just another me too with getting kernel panics since I switched drivers. For now I will swap back to the open source drivers and see if that fixes it.

Revision history for this message
cascagrossa (cascagrossa-cascao) wrote :

Do You have laptop-mode enabled? If so disable and see. I was having the issue in my HP Pavilion DV 2240br (Broadcom BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 01)). I cannot say wich setting(s) in laptop-mode tools are (or is) the culprit, but the problem stopped as soon as I disabled it, about one week ago.

Revision history for this message
Martin Schröder (martinschroeder) wrote :

I have a similar problem.
I run Ubuntu 8.04 on my HP Compaq nx6325 with kernel 2.6.24-19-generic.
When I update to a newer one (eg. 2.6.24-22-generic), install the new STA driver, restart and login, the machine connects to my WLAN (AVM FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7141) and crashes: my screen gets dark, I only see the cursor but can't move it. The keyboard shows CAPSLOCK enabled.
In other environments (other router) it worked.

Revision history for this message
tchu11 (tchu11) wrote :

I no longer have this problem after disabling the proprietary STA driver and enabling the open-source B43 driver. I have no idea why Ubuntu made the propriety STA driver available on their CD. May be it should ship the open-source driver with its CD instead to be true to the open-source spirit?

Revision history for this message
dubs (sergioduran) wrote :

I have a HP Pavilion dv6000 with a BCM4312 card, I normally use a Linksys WUSB54GC because the bcm driver (with b43-fwcutter) didn't quite work for me.

I noticed the Broadcom STA driver so I tried it, after a while, the whole computer freezes with a blinking caps lock.

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote :

Other people comfirmed same problem and verified that it was caused by the same factor(Broadcom STA wireless driver)

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
guyvdb (guyvdb-gmail) wrote :

Seeing some very ugly kernel panics on Intrepid here. Messed up my partition.
It seems to happen more often when the wireless is used more intensively.

Revision history for this message
brad (bradlambeth) wrote :

I'm getting these panics too. Here is a message that is repeated in my kern.log file hundreds of times:

TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88013386cb40

When I switch to the b43 driver this message goes away, as well as the kernel panics.

Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :

Uploaded linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24_2.6.24.15-23.55

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
assignee: nobody → timg-tpi
importance: Undecided → High
milestone: none → ubuntu-8.04.3
status: New → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :

Hardy SRU Justification

Impact: Broadcom wireless binary-blob driver crashes

Patch Description: Updated the binary blob to 5.10.27.11 from 5.10.27.9

Test case: This update is a side effect of testing performed on OEM platforms. I'm not sure of the exact failure scenarios.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

thanks for the update Tim!
Can you tell me where the new patched package is available? repository to enable?
I would love to help test the new fix.

Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

Accepted into hardy-proposed, please test and give feedback here. Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

Killeroid (killeroid)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

updated to the fixed package. so far it has been working well.
suspend/wake cycle (which induces kernel panic previously in high frequency) seems to work well.

upon waking, it does take a little bit (~30 sec or less) before network manager gets the wireless interface to resume connectivity, but it also seems to be an improvement (previously it could be much longer or not resume at all!)

I am using BCM 4328 (and therefore only have the option of wl or ndiswrapper) here.
Thanks guys!

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

Can we get this fix into intrepid / intrepid-proposed?

I reported the bug on my Intrepid at https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/304926 which is now a duplicate of this one, and I see this bug is confirmed for Intrepid here ....

Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :

Intrepid SRU Justification

Impact: Broadcom wireless binary-blob driver crashes

Patch Description: Updated the binary blob to 5.10.27.11 from 5.10.27.6

Test case: This update is a side effect of testing performed on OEM platforms. I'm not sure of the exact failure scenarios.

Uploaded linux-restricted-modules_2.6.27-11.15

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
assignee: nobody → timg-tpi
importance: Undecided → High
milestone: none → intrepid-updates
status: Confirmed → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Accepted into intrepid-proposed, please test and give feedback here. Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

Am I just being impatient or should I be able to see linux-restricted-modules_2.6.27-11.15 in intrepid-proposed now?

Having enabled -proposed, latest version I can see is linux-restricted-modules_2.6.27-10.14 ....
(although I have linux-image_2.6.27-11.21 already ...)

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote :

@dg Hold on for a couple of hours. A tar.gz and dsc file for the update is already in the repos. A deb would be generated very soon and then you can update to it.

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

Hmmm ... it's been nearly 24 hours and I still don't see the new .deb!
In fact if I enable -proposed and try to upgrade, I get this:

The following packages have been kept back:
   linux-restricted-modules-generic (2.6.27.9.13 => 2.6.27.11.14)

.... which is due to the package "linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic" not being available....

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

OK it's appeared, installed and running 2.6.27.11.14.
All good so far.

Revision history for this message
Jeremy Wilkins (wjeremy) wrote :

Since the update in Intrepid to 2.6.27-11 the Realtek 8180 wireless drivers fail to work if the backports modules are installed, but I haven't been able to find a related bug report. Removing the backports modules and rebooting seems to fix it since it is running on the kernel stock drivers. The strange part is that the modules give no error and load just fine, the wmaster0 interface is created, but the wlan0 interface isn't created. Should I open a new kernel report?

Revision history for this message
Ken Savich (ksavich) wrote :

Still happening here. I'm running linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic

Running a Dell D630. The entire system locks up while caps an num flash. I don't know if this is related, but I've had several instances of intrepid popping up a dialog with nonsense on it, at which point I force it to reboot and the root partition is horked. A very long fsck has brought it back from the dead a few times for me.

Lets just say that this release has been extremely unstable for me.

I've reverted back to the slow b43 driver --

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

Also still happening here.
Had the same caps-lock flashing system freeze-up while using wireless, albeit after some days using it without problem.

I don't get any dialogs popping up, nor do I have any debug lines in the system logs either. I also don't need to do any fsck after rebooting (luckily).

But it would be nice to have a stable 802.11 driver.

[ Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller (rev 01) ]

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

Just for the sake of adding information:
this upgrade in Hardy seems to have fixed the problem for me (BCM 4328). I have not had any kernel panic since. So perhaps dg's report is more specific to Intrepid?

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux-restricted-modules - 2.6.28-4.3

---------------
linux-restricted-modules (2.6.28-4.3) jaunty; urgency=low

  [Tim Gardner]

  * Update Broadcom wl to 5.10.27.11 from 5.10.27.6
    - LP: #292450
  * Bumped ABI

 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:33:42 -0700

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
brad (bradlambeth) wrote :

Updated to the new wl driver, still have the same issue. I get the message:

TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88013386cb40

several hundred times, then a kernel panic with the blinking caps lock. Switching back to b43-fwcutter for now.

Revision history for this message
James Schriver (dashua) wrote :

The kernel panics have been mitigated as far as I can see. I've been using linux-restricted-modules 2.6.27-11.15, including the latest Broadcom blob wl 5.10.27.11, from intrepid-proposed since 12/19. The sporadic flashing caps and number lock flashes (kernel panics) are gone. I'll continue to monitor. Dell XPS m1530 Broadcom 4328.

Revision history for this message
Yi Yang (yy) wrote :
Download full text (5.6 KiB)

I'm using intrepid linux-restricted-modules 2.6.27-9.13 , and the problem exists. How can I find any newer kernel ? I've enabled proposed in sypantic but there's no newer packages.

#uname -a
Linux yy-dell13 2.6.27-9-generic #1 SMP Thu Nov 20 22:15:32 UTC 2008 x86_64 GNU/Linux

#lspci -v

0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g (rev 01)
 Subsystem: Dell Device 000b
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
 Memory at f6cfc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
 Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3
 Capabilities: [58] Vendor Specific Information <?>
 Capabilities: [e8] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
 Capabilities: [d0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
 Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting <?>
 Capabilities: [13c] Virtual Channel <?>
 Capabilities: [160] Device Serial Number 23-00-36-ff-ff-4e-e8-24
 Capabilities: [16c] Power Budgeting <?>
 Kernel driver in use: wl
 Kernel modules: wl

#vim /var/log/syslog
...
Jan 1 13:47:00 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5735.958538] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:01 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5736.982643] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:07 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5743.843370] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:08 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5744.693429] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:09 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5745.891532] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:10 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5746.813197] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:11 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5747.691855] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:12 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5748.861909] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:18 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5754.185980] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:47:19 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5755.209796] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:21 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5817.469368] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:22 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5818.390932] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:24 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5820.438923] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:31 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5827.114938] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:35 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5831.293369] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:36 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5832.254028] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:37 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5833.444058] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:38 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5834.365378] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:39 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5835.389507] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=ffff88007e985300
Jan 1 13:48:41 yy-dell13 kernel: [ 5837.437381] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 pr...

Read more...

Revision history for this message
James Schriver (dashua) wrote :

New Broadcom STA Driver blob uploaded on 12/31/08. Not sure of the change log.

http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php

Revision history for this message
Yi Yang (yy) wrote :

Oh, it's the best new year gift! I've installed it and for the last 15 mins, the problem was gone! Wonderful.

Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :

Further stability updates: linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24_2.6.24.16-23.56

Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :

Further stability updates: linux-restricted-modules_2.6.27-11.16

Revision history for this message
Chris McCauley (chris-avondalepark) wrote :

I've been seeing this with a Dell Vostro 1710. The random kernel panics have stopped but the wireless connection is unstable. Fingers crossed for this latest update.

Revision history for this message
Michael Rooney (mrooney) wrote :

Thanks Tim! If I am currently using ndiswrapper, what step[s] do I need to take before re-enabling the restricted driver to ensure no clashing?

Revision history for this message
torquill (spammo-hung) wrote :

I'm using linux-restricted-modules_2.6.27-11.16, but still getting random panics (lockup with Caps-Lock flashing, nothing in the logs). I've tried enabling the b43 driver -- despite having loaded the firmware, unloading wl, and following every howto I can find, the b43 module does nothing except load obediently. No wlan0 installed, no wireless ability in network-manager, no errors. I'm running this machine on the wl driver and waiting for the next panic.

chip: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 02)

I guess I'll give ndiswrapper a try, but that's always a longshot in my experience.

Revision history for this message
torquill (spammo-hung) wrote :

I just spotted the fix in jaunty -- I'll see whether I can grab the new restricted-modules from that version and give it a try.

Revision history for this message
Michael Rooney (mrooney) wrote : Re: [Bug 292450] Re: Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

I still can't figure out how to properly disable ndiswrapper and try this
driver instead; can anyone give me any tips? I've removed ndiswrapper from
/etc/modprobe.d and from /etc/modules, but when I try to re-enable broadcom
sta, jockey just seems to ignore it and won't activate it. I would really
like to be able to access WPA networks and so would greatly appreciate any
help!

Revision history for this message
mocho (mochoandre) wrote :

I have an hp laptop with broadcom 4321 a/b/g/n mini-pcie module and wl driver.
when i first turn the computer wireless works great but after some time i start to get this message and wireless becomes very unresponsive (very high latency) or non responsive at all .

#dmesg

[ 3697.456749] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3700.983579] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3701.102287] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3702.167430] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3703.322491] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540

I also noticed that this driver also displays some strange results concerning tx power, much higher than it should (can this be why i've read that ubuntu kills broadcom wireless cards ?)

#sudo iwlist txpower

eth1 2 available transmit-powers :
   0 dBm (1 mW)
   25 dBm (255 mW)
          Current Tx-Power:32 dBm (1496 mW)

also i can not set this driver to activate the European extra channels 12 & 13 with adding

options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom=EU

to /etc/modprobe.d/options

even though this activates a/n features in wireless it looks like a very chity driver from broadcom guys. didnt try other drivers for this wireless card

this is very annoyng

if i use an external usb wireless pen with zydas chip, wireless works great but sometimes crashes X when it is activating

thank you

Revision history for this message
mocho (mochoandre) wrote :

the

[ 3697.456749] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3700.983579] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3701.102287] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3702.167430] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540
[ 3703.322491] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=2 frame keyidx=1 priv=f4606540

it seems like a tkip bug or conflict with the wl driver.

I've changed from wpa2 tkip to wpa2 aes (linksys with dd-wrt) and messages have disapeared and wireless works flawlessly

but ither bugs remain

Revision history for this message
brad (bradlambeth) wrote :

I'd like to echo the previous comment. The driver works until I try to connect to my schools wireless, which uses WPA2 TTLS with secondary PAP security. It kernel panics within seconds of trying to connect.

Is there a Broadcom bug site we could be submitting this information to? I know for a fact this issue still exists in Jaunty and Intrepid.

Revision history for this message
Yi Yang (yy) wrote :

I found out it's something to do with the router setting of "renew group key", when it was set to 1 hr, for example, after the router renews the group key, the wl driver becomes very unstable, or NM seems to be connected but actually not.

My workaround is just change the renewal interval to 10hr, which solves the problem in most cases.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux-restricted-modules - 2.6.27-11.16

---------------
linux-restricted-modules (2.6.27-11.16) intrepid-proposed; urgency=low

  [Tim Gardner]

  * Update wl to 5_10_27_12
    This update from Broadcom has a new binary blob, better locking and
    protection against the interrupt handler, and sets the VLAN mode to
    off by default. They have also abstracted the ioctl code for kernels newer
    then 2.6.26.
    - LP: #292450

 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:32:48 -0700

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Norbert Schultz (zaiib) wrote :

The wl driver (linux restricted 2.6.27-11.16) is still crashing the whole system when connecting to our university (WPA2 / EAP-TTLS, PAP).

Revision history for this message
Ken Savich (ksavich) wrote :

same here - still crashing on ubuntu 8.10 with a dell d630. I've been using the b43 driver for months, without a single crash. As soon as I try the wl, either directly from broadcom or via the restricted update, boom - crash. This looks to be especially true when you throw a lot of data at it - for instance - copying several streams from an nfs share.

this thing is still broken - broken to the point where it'll hose your box.

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote : Re: [Bug 292450] Re: Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

Broadcom released a new update to the module. Hopefully, someone will
upgrade linux-restricted-modules to that. And hopefully, this new release
will fix your problem.

On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 10:05 AM, shivaneck <email address hidden> wrote:

> same here - still crashing on ubuntu 8.10 with a dell d630. I've been
> using the b43 driver for months, without a single crash. As soon as I
> .try the wl, either directly from broadcom or via the restricted update,
> boom - crash. This looks to be especially true when you throw a lot of
> data at it - for instance - copying several streams from an nfs share.
>
> this thing is still broken - broken to the point where it'll hose your
> box.
>
> --
> Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/292450
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

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Afraid of Their People.

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you fight.

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unlike your Christ. -- Mahatma Gandhi

Revision history for this message
Gilles Schintgen (shigi) wrote :

I can confirm this bug on a Lenovo Ideapad S10e (which has a BCM4312 802.11b/g [14e4:4315] built in). When the wl module is loaded the system randomly locks up: no mouse input, no keyboard input, even sysrq is ignored, it's completely dead.

I'm using a fresh install of the netbook remix (the 1.0.1-img file based on hardy). The system is up-to-date. As far as I am concerned, this bug is definitely *NOT* fixed in hardy (except if the netbook-remix.archive.canonical repositories were all outdated compared to the normal hardy repos).

Revision history for this message
alecwh (alecwh) wrote :

I'm getting the same error messages on a Del D630. I've read through the comments, and it looks like a fix has been released in the Intrepid repositories. How do I get that updated package on my computer?

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

I just finally upgraded to Intrepid from Hardy, and the wl driver is causing kernel panic again upon wake up from suspension.
Running 2.6.27-12-generic x86_64 kernel, with linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-12.17

booting into 2.6.27.11 with restricted-modules-2.6.27-11.16 does not resolve the problem either.

thanks

Revision history for this message
Gilles Schintgen (shigi) wrote :

I've just realized that I'm in fact not using the normal 386 build, but the special lpia-architecture used in the netbook remix. So now I'm wondering if I should file a separate bug report for the netbook remix or if somebody could mark the netbook-remix as being also affected by this issue. (I installed my system by booting from a USB key loaded with the current Canonical-provided UNR-image: http://oem-images.canonical.com/unr/unr-1.0.1.img)

Is it normal that the Broadcom module (/lib/modules/2.6.24-19-lpia/volatile/wl.ko)
doesn't belong to any package (as per dpkg -S)?

Are there any updated packages for lpia that I have overlooked?

What would be needed to compile a newer version of the module myself? (I'm relatively new to Ubuntu, but occasionally applied patches & compiled the kernel on my Gentoo boxes.)

I'm sorry if some of this shouldn't belong here, I'm slightly confused by the hundreds of intertwined projects and the various package and distribution versions.

Anyway, thanks a lot for taking care of this issue!

Revision history for this message
Gilles Schintgen (shigi) wrote :

I've solved this issue on my Ideapad by using the -lpiacompat kernel instead of the default -lpia.
I tried this after playing around with the "normal" 386 build of intrepid which didn't lock up either.

Revision history for this message
Anand Gupta (anandiwp) wrote :

I have been using the proprietary driver with intrepid. However been experiencing very high latency in my local lan itself (200+ms)

This is a mac book pro.

 lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 PCI Express Root Port (rev 03)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 03)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 03)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 5 (rev 03)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 6 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev f3)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801HEM (ICH8M) LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) IDE Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA IDE Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation GeForce 8600M GT (rev a1)
0b:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4328 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 05)
0c:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. Marvell Yukon 88E8058 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 13)
0d:03.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB82AA2 IEEE-1394b Link Layer Controller (rev 02)

Any ideas on how this can be resolved ?

Revision history for this message
Anand Gupta (anandiwp) wrote :

Here are few entries from dmesg

[29430.961579] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29454.958839] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29456.314212] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29460.959714] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29520.960360] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29580.965773] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29581.329714] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29611.328809] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29640.961459] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29670.961684] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29700.961886] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29704.961403] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29710.544588] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29712.186056] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29730.962920] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29760.963057] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29772.192011] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29790.964497] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29820.963640] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29831.391347] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00
[29850.964004] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=eb34fc00

Revision history for this message
Jérémy Subtil (bigmadwolf) wrote :

My HP Pavilion dv4-1115ef still freezes while I'm connecting to the WPA network (EAP-TTLS, PAP) of my university on Intrepid with linux-restricted-modules 2.6.27-11.16, on Jaunty, and unfortunately even with the latest Broadcom drivers I compiled myself (v5.10.79.10).

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: Fix Released → Confirmed
status: Fix Released → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
J Canfield (jcanfield-creativeboulder) wrote :

Temporary Fix until bug is resolved.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/+source/linux-restricted-modules/+bug/292450/comments/44

Just switched over to WPA2 AES and I have not had a problem with my lagging wireless or any dmsg's.

Pete Graner (pgraner)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
assignee: nobody → timg-tpi
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Have this problem with a DELL 1535. Panics/freezes with original Intrepid driver and Broadcom STA driver. Ubuntu installed today (2009-03-22), then all updates applied.

Enabled Intrepid proposed and Intrepid backports, rebooted. Panic/freeze persists with STA driver. Will attempt with base Ubuntu driver and report back.

Note: Workaround cited above does not work, I am running WPA2 with AES on my White Russian 0.9 WRT54GL.

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Re previous comment: No luck. Base driver results in panic as well.

$ uname -a
Linux imbolc 2.6.27-14-generic #1 SMP Fri Mar 13 18:00:20 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

Will attach various lspci results (sudo lspci, sudo lspci -n, etc.)

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Installed Jaunty. With all updates applied as of 2003-09-23, problem persists. Kernel panics when connecting to WAP using WPA2 and AES.

Possible light at end of tunnel: Intrepid panic freezes were total or near total - mouse would move, could move from vt to vt using ctrl-alt-fX, but system did not respond in any other way. With Jaunty, could go to vt, login (system accepted userid and password) but never reach shell (since no new processes could start).

The attached /var/log/messages covers all of my comments on this bug.

Revision history for this message
Urschl (bigurschl) wrote :

Broadcom released a PATCH for the WPA Enterprise hangs:

http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

I confirm that many caps-lock-flashing freezes still occur with driver version 5.10.27.12 which is present in linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic v2.6.27-11.16 and using AES/CCMP encryption on the wireless LAN.

Following Urschl's update above, I went to http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php to get the latest driver version 5.10.79.10 and also the "Patch for WPA-Enterprise hang". My concern with the patch is that it only addresses WPA Enterprise issues .... but I am using WPA2 Personal right now ..... Maybe it will still help?

Anyway, I've installed the patched driver v.5.10.79.10 and no lockups so far (in the last 5 minutes :)

I've included a short generic HOWTO for those interested in doing the same. It covers creating local source directory, getting the latest driver and patch (for 64-bit Linux), patching the code, building and installing the driver, and manually refreshing the currently loaded driver. Hope it helps someone.

Latest Broadcom wl HOWTO:

cd; mkdir wl_src
SRC=$HOME/wl_src
cd $SRC
wget http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5_10_79_10.tar.gz
tar zxvf hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5_10_79_10.tar.gz
wget http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/wl_iw.patch
cd src/wl/sys
patch < ../../../wl_iw.patch
cd $SRC
VER=`uname -r`
make -C /lib/modules/$VER/build M=`pwd`
WLPATH=`find /lib/modules/$VER -name wl.ko`
sudo mv wl.ko $WLPATH
sudo modprobe -r wl
sudo modprobe wl

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

REGRESSION: The Broadcom patch stabilizes my internal WIFI but causes a freeze with an external WiFi NIC.

DETAILS
----------

This morning I re-installed Intrepid on my DELL 1535 and applied all updates - system is now Intrepid up-to-date as of 2009-03-23.

I followed dg's procedure (s/64/32/ in the wget and tar). Good news: Attempt to connect my WAP did NOT crash. Bad news: Could not connect to my WAP (but at least no crash).

Really bad news: System froze as soon as I plugged in my external WiFi device. The external device is a "RetailPlus+" USB adapter.

Caveat: patch rejected the hunk at line 22, but I ignored that since it is the line that covers the CVS check-in header.

Suggestions for next steps welcome.

Revision history for this message
Tim Gardner (timg-tpi) wrote :
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
milestone: none → ubuntu-9.04
status: Confirmed → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

More details and uh, possible user error.

When I reinstalled this morning, I forgot to enable the restricted driver. Having followed dg's procedure, I expect I installed it anyway (with the patch), but I thought it worth mentioning. At any rate, after the failure/regression, I attempted to use the "normal" restricted driver via System, Administration, Hardware drivers. That seemed to work, but it does mean I am no longer sure which driver I am using.

One thing that is interesting: Yesterday, with a clean install brought up to date and Intrepid backports and proposed enabled and installed, I could turn off the internal Broadcom with the DELL WiFi switch, insert the RetailPlus USB adapter, and get WiFi that way.

Now, with a clean up to date Intrepid, no backports or proposed, WiFi is disabled unless the DELL switch is on. Refer to the attached screen shot ("shot").

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

One more data point: Now as soon as I plug in the RetailPlus, the system freezes. So no WiFi for me at all on this machine now.

Will attempt later to go back to stock then restricted drivers.

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

@Peter:

Here's a quick hack way to make sure which version of "wl" you are running right now:

# strings `modinfo wl | grep filename | awk {'print $2'}` | grep Broadcom

For me, this returns:
%s: Broadcom BCM%04x 802.11 Wireless Controller 5.10.79.10

hth

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Thanks, dg, that did the trick - as far as I can tell, I am back to the original proprietary driver:

%s: Broadcom BCM%04x 802.11 Wireless Controller 5.10.27.12

Still not sure what step to take next - by the time I had the RetailPlus working yesterday, I'd installed all Intrepid backports and proposed in an effort to address the Broadcom bug. At this point, I'm torn being staying wired and stable and enabling backports and proposed to see what effect, if any, they have on being able to use the RetailPlus.

Then again, with Tim's comment of two hours ago re Jaunty updates, perhaps I'll upgrade again and see if that works.

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Tested today with up-to-date Jaunty. For what it's worth, I do not see Tim's patch; dg's strings trick gives me

    $ strings `modinfo wl | grep filename | awk {'print $2'}` | grep Broadcom
    %s: Broadcom BCM%04x 802.11 Wireless Controller 5.10.27.11

That's the bad news. The good news is that nothing else is broken. Here's the complete test....

Fresh Intrepid install from recently downloaded production CD; brought up-to-date with update-manager; no backports, no proposed.

Made sure Broadcom driver deactivated.

Upgrade to Jaunty (update-manager -d), bring up to date, cleaned out all leftovers with Synaptic and with cruft remover.

Insert RetailPlus+ (ZyDAS WLA-54L) - connects to WAP2 AES WAP OK - network OK

Remove RetailPlus+ - OK

Turn on DELL wireless switch - turns on Bluetooth only

Turn off DELL wireless switch - OK

Activate Broadcom STA - OK

Insert RetailPlus+ - connects to WAP2 AES WAP OK - network OK

Remove RetailPlus+ - OK

Turn on DELL wireless switch - internal Broadcom and Bluetooth activated OK

Connect to unprotected network via internal Broadcom - OK

Connect to WAP2 AES WAP via internal Broadcom - system FREEZE just after connection established

BRS, turn off DELL wireless switch, reboot, use RetailPlus+, all OK.

So the problem is still there for me - but I don't see Tim's patch anywhere - and nothing else is broken.

As soon as I see Tim's patch I'll test again and report back. Any hints as to how to pick it up?

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux-restricted-modules - 2.6.28-11.14

---------------
linux-restricted-modules (2.6.28-11.14) jaunty; urgency=low

  [Tim Gardner]

  * Update Broadcom to 5.10.79.10
    - LP: #292450

 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:36:18 -0600

Changed in linux-restricted-modules:
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote :

While we're waiting either for the bug-fix to appear in Intrepid (or until we all upgrade to Jaunty) this is an updated quick hacky mini-HOWTO that will result in a persistent updated fixed wl driver installation (my previous mini-HOWTO only was good until next reboot):

N.B. for amd64 (change the wget and tar accordingly for i386)

cd; mkdir wl_src
SRC=$HOME/wl_src
cd $SRC
wget http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5_10_79_10.tar.gz
tar zxvf hybrid-portsrc-x86_64-v5_10_79_10.tar.gz
wget http://www.broadcom.com/docs/linux_sta/wl_iw.patch
cd src/wl/sys
patch < ../../../wl_iw.patch
cd $SRC
VER=`uname -r`
make -C /lib/modules/$VER/build M=`pwd`
cd /lib/linux-restricted-modules/$VER/wl
tar cvf ~/wlObj_bak.tar * # backup existing mod objects in case something goes wrong
for i in *; do sudo cp `find $SRC -name $i` . ; done
sudo cp $SRC/lib/wlc_hybrid.o_shipped wlc_hybrid.o_shipped_x86_64

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

I'm setting this back to confirmed for Jaunty because it does NOT work on my DELL 1535. I've just now the updated driver (took a long time to get to the repos) and the machine hangs once connected. The best I can say is that while the machine used to hang immediately upon connecting to the secure WAP, it now survived to load this page (I was hoping to report that it worked). Using dg's trick to prove the right one is installed,

$ strings `modinfo wl | grep filename | awk {'print $2'}` | grep Broadcom
%s: Broadcom BCM%04x 802.11 Wireless Controller 5.10.79.10

I can include a screen shot showing that it is active, if you like! FWIW, I will include /var/log/messages covering the failure and reboot (reboot at 15:23).

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
status: Fix Released → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Just for fun, I disabled the proprietary fglrx driver, disconnected all external USB devices, set the BIOS so that the internal Bluetooth and cell were disabled, and changed the DELL switch to activate WiFi only (instead of all enabled devices), and unplugged the Ethernet cable. Rebooted, turned on WiFi, no love, still got froze.

However, I did get some trace info in messages this time; it's not much, but it is better than previous panics. See the attached messagesWithTrace.

Revision history for this message
Brett Campbell (invsblduck) wrote :

@Peter:
I also have a Dell 1535 that has been affected by this bug, but last night I built the patched driver from broadcom website (as dg explains above), and everything is 100% good now. I can suspend/resume over and over, multiple times, and NetworkManager keeps on associatin' :). I haven't experienced any freezes yet.

I added wl to the list of DISABLED_MODULES in /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common, tossed my new wl.ko in /lib/modules/`uname -r`/ somewhere, ran depmod -a, rebooted, and everything was dandy.

thor:~$ uname -a
Linux thor 2.6.24-23-generic #1 SMP Mon Jan 26 00:13:11 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

thor:~$ cat /etc/issue
Ubuntu 8.04.2 \n \l

HTH,
-duck

Revision history for this message
Pete Graner (pgraner) wrote :

Jaunty was updated with the latest Broadcom driver, we would ask people test there.

Intrepid will get the updated driver soon.

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

information in the bug report shows that users are experiencing this with the most recent version of lrm.

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
status: Fix Released → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

There has been another update to linux-restricted-modules today which may fix this bug. Changelog is:

linux-restricted-modules (2.6.28-11.15) jaunty; urgency=low

  [Tim Gardner]

  * wl: applied web site patch to 5.10.79.10
    - LP: #292450

Please test and let us know whether this does indeed address the problem for you.

Steve Langasek (vorlon)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
status: Confirmed → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Brad Peters (thefubar) wrote :

I just wanted to comment and let you all know that the new version is performing great on my Inspiron 1720. No lockups, crashes or kernel panics, and in fact it's performing better than the old B43 driver (I get 100% connect to my AP vs. 91%).

Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Jaunty):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Urschl (bigurschl) wrote :

I wanted to confirm that the new fix is working for my uni wlan which is wpa2 pap ttls! Great! thx!

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

I am updating this report from my DELL 1535 running the latest patched driver.

Thanks for the great work folks (esp. TimG).

pww

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

And to close the circle, this update is being made using the Zydas external WiFi NIC - so the regression I noted in comment #68 appears patched as well.

Great work, all!

Revision history for this message
Ken Savich (ksavich) wrote :

How do we get this fix working in Intrepid?

Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Hardy):
assignee: timg-tpi → stefan-bader-canonical
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Intrepid):
assignee: timg-tpi → stefan-bader-canonical
Stefan Bader (smb)
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Hardy):
status: Fix Committed → In Progress
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Intrepid):
status: Confirmed → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Test LRM packages for Intrepid (Hardy will follow later) can be found at:
http://people.ubuntu.com/~smb/bug292450/

Please verify whether they work and report back here. Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

New packages for Hardy at the place above, too.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-14-generic_2.6.27-14.19b292450v1_amd64.deb does not work...
I got some error message in dmesg and wl driver failed to load all together...
sorry I didn't get a chance to copy down the specific error message.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Sorry, somehow the binary was wrong. The message was about some symbols from that not being found. i replaced the Intrepid package with a v2. This one loads here, but I don't have hw to test more.

Revision history for this message
jarviw (jarviw) wrote :

Stefan,
The updated package works, but does not fix the bug... resume from suspension still causes kernel panic on my Intrepid 64.

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

This morning I tried looking for a binary suitable for a DELL Mini Netbook but nothing seemed appropriate.

$ uname -r
2.6.24-19-lpia

Help? Thanks!

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

@jarviw, I think this would be a different bug. The description here (as far as I can see) was about random crashes while using the wireless. So for problems after suspend, could you please open a new bug report? Did you see improvements during operations?

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Uploaded linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24_2.6.24.17-24.1

description: updated
Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Hardy):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Applied to LRM repo

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Intrepid):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

Please test:

 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24 (2.6.24.17-24.1) hardy-proposed; urgency=low
 .
   * Updated broadcom wl driver to 5_10_79_10
     This has been tested to fix issues with random crashed and at least one
     buffer overrun with 32 byte SSIDs.
     - LP: #292450
   * Added build-orig-source target to automatically create orig.tar.gz

tags: added: verification-needed
removed: verification-done
Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

Is bug# 300784 a duplicate of this bug? Should status against the Dell Mini Project be opened here and bug# 300784 duped to this one? I'm pretty sure they are the same problem (same symptoms on my Mini and Studio 1535; this fix fixed the Studio) so we just need to get it into LPIA generally and Dell Mini specifically.

Revision history for this message
Peter Whittaker (pwwnow) wrote :

I just updated my Dell MINI - wireless works against my WPA2 network.

Thanks, devs, great work.

Martin Pitt (pitti)
tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
James Schriver (dashua) wrote :

New version released 5.10.91.9 GOLD.

http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php

ISSUES FIXED IN THIS RELEASE
----------------------------
#72138 - SLED11 / Ubuntu 8.04: 43224 fails to associate after 6 hours

KNOWN ISSUES AND LIMITATIONS
----------------------------
#72238 - 20% lower throughput on channels 149, 153, 157, and 161
#72324 - Ubuntu 8.04: cannot ping when Linux STA is IBSS creator with WEP enabled
#72216 - Ubuntu 8.04: standby/resume with WPA2 and wpa_supplicant causes a continuous assoc/disassoc loop
         (issue with wpa_supplicant, restarting wpa_supplicant fixes the issue)

Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

Accepted linux-restricted-modules into intrepid-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Steve Beattie (sbeattie) wrote :

Per bug 372425, linux-restricted-modules-2.6.24 was accepted into hardy-proposed. Please test and give feedback in bug 372425. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux-restricted-modules - 2.6.27-14.20

---------------
linux-restricted-modules (2.6.27-14.20) intrepid-proposed; urgency=low

  [ Tim Gardner ]

  * Update Broadcom to 5.10.79.10
    - LP: #292450
  * wl: applied web site patch to 5.10.79.10
    - LP: #292450
  * Update Broadcom wl to 5.10.91.9
    - LP: #372425

 -- Stefan Bader <email address hidden> Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:57:01 +0200

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Intrepid):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
fejes (anthony-fejes) wrote :

I hope this is the right place to put this error report.

I am seeing highly similar behaviour in Karmic Koala: (from dmesg)

[ 3950.330817] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3951.348500] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3952.378822] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3953.402793] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3954.427080] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3955.450826] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
[ 3998.663788] TKIP: RX tkey->key_idx=1 frame keyidx=2 priv=ffff88006c409f00
... ad nauseum.

This comes from: (from lspci)

05:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 01)

Additionally, I have long "pauses" in connectivity that last 1+ minute at a time, and cause large lags in web browsing, chat, etc.

Cheers

Revision history for this message
Mikael Wiesel (mikwie) wrote :

I see exactly the same behavior as described by fejes, in comment #105, on my Jaunty and Intrepid installations - both with the 5.10.91.9 version Broadcom driver.
(BTW, as far as I can tell, it seems to be worse than it was with the previous version.)

Broadcom hasn't responded to bug reports, the b43 driver unfortunately yet doesn't support BCM4312 (PCI-ID 14e4:4315) - and I'm would rather not having to install ndiswrapper once again.

Wish I could switch to another WLAN mini-PCI card, but HP's BIOS "whitelisting" makes that virtually impossible.
Three cheers for closed source and proprietary software...

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

The update of the driver has been released in Hardy with LRM-2.6.24.18-24.1 but attributed to LP bug #372425

Changed in linux-restricted-modules (Ubuntu Hardy):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Comment #107 describes a different problem. Please open a new bug for this.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Sorry, in the previous comment I wanted to write comment #105. Actually, this came up on IRC today, there might be a debugging option set in the wl driver for karmic, which is responsible for the many messages. But that should go into another bug to keep it separate.

Revision history for this message
JeSTeR7 (cblocker) wrote :

This seems to be happening in Karmic beta. I don't know if I'm supposed to create a new bug for it, but the description is exactly like the one listed here.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote : Re: [Bug 292450] Re: Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

JeSTeR7 wrote:
> This seems to be happening in Karmic beta. I don't know if I'm supposed
> to create a new bug for it, but the description is exactly like the one
> listed here.
>
It would be better to open a new bug. Especially if you do not get kernel panics.

Revision history for this message
jomtois (jomtois) wrote :

I found this bug after I posted for Karmic here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/wpasupplicant/+bug/453647

Seems to be exactly the same.

Revision history for this message
amarradi (forum-marcusradisch) wrote :

Hello,

i've an HP Compaq with the Broadcom Wireless-Network-Card.

Broadcom Corporation BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller (rev ff)

I used the kernel 2.6.31-18-generic under ubuntu 9.10

If i try to install the STA driver like this tutorial http://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/WLAN/Broadcom_bcm43xx

my ubuntu freezes :-) Something is wrong, because under the other kernel like 2.6.31.14 an 17 its the same problem. No wireless runs. The last crash was at Th. 28.02.10 11:24 (if you want watch the logfile?field.comment=Hello,

i've an HP Compaq with the Broadcom Wireless-Network-Card.

Broadcom Corporation BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller (rev ff)

I used the kernel 2.6.31-18-generic under ubuntu 9.10

If i try to install the STA driver like this tutorial http://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/WLAN/Broadcom_bcm43xx

my ubuntu freezes :-) Something is wrong, because under the other kernel like 2.6.31.14 an 17 its the same problem. No wireless runs. The last crash was at Th. 28.02.10 11:24 (if you want watch the logfile) The ubuntu said. Look at the jockey.log for details. I don't know were i have to look.

Revision history for this message
Jens Janssen (jayjay) wrote :

I'm the one who mostly wrote this tutorial ;-) but don't blame me. The Broadcom wl / STA driver is closed source so there is not much you can do about it. So blame Broadcom :-)

Normally Ubuntu uses most recent STA driver version. You can check that with
"strings `modinfo wl | grep filename | awk '{print $2}'` | grep Broadcom".

What happens if you execute "sudo iwconfig eth2 power off" ?

You can put the latter in /etc/rc.local before "exit 0" (run "gksudo gedit /etc/rc.local") to make it automatically available every startup.

Gruesse

Revision history for this message
amarradi (forum-marcusradisch) wrote :

That not your mistake, i buyed a cheap notebook. And thats the Punishment.
I don't blame you. sorry if it sounds so

Thats the output for the string
bash: strings /lib/modules/2.6.31-18-generic/updates/dkms/wl.ko | grep Broadcom: No such file or directory

The second command bring this result

Error for wireless request "Set Power Management" (8B2C) :
    SET failed on device eth2 ; No such device.

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote : Re: [Bug 292450] Re: Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

I looked at the tutorial page and I saw no mention of how to install the
broadcom sta driver. I'm not a german speaker so I just might have missed
it. In any case, the broadcom sta driver bundled in the ubuntu repositories
should work perfectly. The package you need to install for ubuntu 9.10 is
bcmwl-kernel-source <http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/bcmwl-kernel-source>.
Its the source package containing the broadcom sta driver. When installed,
dkms will configure it and voila, after a reboot, wireless works.

Good luck

On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 12:04 PM, Jens Janssen <email address hidden> wrote:

> I'm the one who mostly wrote this tutorial ;-) but don't blame me. The
> Broadcom wl / STA driver is closed source so there is not much you can
> do about it. So blame Broadcom :-)
>
> Normally Ubuntu uses most recent STA driver version. You can check that
> with
> "strings `modinfo wl | grep filename | awk '{print $2}'` | grep Broadcom".
>
> What happens if you execute "sudo iwconfig eth2 power off" ?
>
> You can put the latter in /etc/rc.local before "exit 0" (run "gksudo
> gedit /etc/rc.local") to make it automatically available every startup.
>
> Gruesse
>
> --
> Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/292450
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

--
I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. -- Macbeth

What man is a man who does not make the world a better place? -- Balian of
Ibelin (Kingdom of Heaven[2006])

I put no stock in Religion. By the word of religion, I've seen the lunacy of
fanatics of every denomination be called the "Will of God". By what you
decide to do every day, you will be a good man or not. -- Hospitaller
(Kingdom of Heaven[2006])

People Shouldn't Be Afraid of Their Government, Governments' Should Be
Afraid of Their People.

To all the hackers around the world -- put on your Batman masks when you
fight. -- Anonymous

Revision history for this message
Jens Janssen (jayjay) wrote :

First: "sudo iwconfig" gives you the right device name. So replace "eth2" with correct device name.

Second: Where is your kernel module wl.ko?

@killeroid:
Jockey is your partner installing closed source drivers.
System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers.... then select the driver.
Sure you can also manual install bcmwl-kernel-source.

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote :

@Jens Jockey is kinda buggy. On three different laptops with the same B4311 card, joeky would recognize the card and offer me the option of install the broadcom sta but the installation never went well. It would tell me that the sta driver was installed and then when i'd restart, id find that the driver wasnt installed. it became too much of a hassle so I've just resorted to the easier task of just installing the driver package.

Revision history for this message
Jens Janssen (jayjay) wrote :

@Killeroid: Is there any bug report due to this problem? Never had this problem with jockey.

Revision history for this message
Killeroid (killeroid) wrote :

@Jens I am ashamed to say I never filed any bug reports. I recall someone mentioning a similar sounding bug report on irc however. ill look for it and post a link if i can find it.

Revision history for this message
amarradi (forum-marcusradisch) wrote :

@Jens
where i fount the module wl.ko? How can i install/remove it.

If i use Hardware Driver to install the STA Driver the system hangs.

I had also an ubuntuusers-Forum-Entry http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/w-lan-taste-aktivieren

Whats wrong with it?

Revision history for this message
mcdjork (mcdjork) wrote :

If I'm not mistaken, this is an issue with the Broadcom STA driver, specific to 64 bit operating systems. I have experienced identical, random kernel attacks in Ubuntu 9.04, 9.10 and 10.4 Alpha2 as well as in Fedora 12 and openSuse 11.2. If I use the b43 fwcutter extractor, the panics do not occur. The drawback I have seen with the b43 tool however, is that it doesn't support as many wireless encryption types--for example, I cannot connect to a PEAP network at my office.

It may be a completely different issue, but wireless in my Windows 7 64 bit OS even becomes unresponsive, requiring a complete reboot.

Since the Broadcom STA driver is not open source, I don't believe there is anything the Ubuntu team can do about this problem. I encourage people to submit this issue to the Broadcom team by emailing <email address hidden>. I'd like to see this issue resolved!

Revision history for this message
Caleb K (ckemere) wrote :

I'm running 9.10 (Karmic 32-bit, kernel 2.6.31-20-generic-pae). My experience of this problem is that removing and reloading the STA module (wl) reliable yields kernel panics within 10 s - 5 minutes. This appears only to happen if the driver has been used (i.e., I've connected to a network) prior to removing the module. Both the 5.10.91.9 version of the module (from jockey) and the 5.60.xxx module available on the broadcom website have this problem. It's quite annoying because of another bug, where if I suspend at home, I can't resume and then connect to another network somewhere else without reloading the module / rebooting.

Revision history for this message
Manjul Apratim (manzdagratiano) wrote :

I can confirm this - when waking up from suspension, say at the office, the wireless still attempts to connect to the home network, which is not present at the office, and reloading the wl module causes kernel panic, forcing me to reboot. I am running 9.10 Karmic on a Dell Vostro V13.

Revision history for this message
Brian A Roberts (brianaroberts-live) wrote :

I am using the wl driver with Ubuntu 10.04 and I can confirm the random crashes and that they are related to the wireless card. With the wireless card on, I get 2-5 crashes per day. When i turn it off and run off of the wired NIC. I have never had a crash. I can reproduce the crash fairly quickly when running on the wireless card and bringing up a virtual box machine. VirtualBox runs flawless on the wired NIC.

Revision history for this message
mcdjork (mcdjork) wrote :

I have completely resolved (or worked around) this problem on my computer. I was having major problems with freezing and kernel panics. I was also losing my connection and not able to connect to certain wireless networks because of their encryption type. I tried switching between STA and bwfcutter multiple times.

This might be a little too dramatic of a solution for some, but I was able to completely resolve the problem by simply replacing the wireless card in my laptop.The Intel 3945ABG works natively with Linux, and you can find it for about $10 online.

With it, there is no need to install third party drivers! Ubuntu works on the first boot, no problems. It has saved me so many headaches with Fedora, openSuse, Mandriva, Arch, Gentoo, etc etc. Since switching, I haven't had a single kernel panic, and it's been several months.

I know this isn't a solution to the problem--I just thought I'd throw the option out there to those who are interested.

This is the model I got:
3945ABG Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Express
http://www.ayagroup.com/product.php?productid=17632&cat=0&page=1

Revision history for this message
mikewhatever (mikewhatever) wrote :

This bug is still present in Lucid Lynx. Unfortunately, I can neither get a new one nor replace the card old easily. Something like Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG costs about 65$ here, and I'll have to take the netbook apart to replace the card.

Revision history for this message
Emilio Merino (emerino55) wrote :

broadcom STA syas is cuurently OK but it dont works, please help me. I have a mini Dell Intell Atom N series, 12 inches.
thanks a lot

Revision history for this message
dg (dan-g) wrote : Re: [Bug 292450] Re: Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics

Emilio, it is probably better to look in Ubuntu Forums than add comments to
this bug.

Also, you need to give more detail than just "it doesn't work."

How do you know it doesn't work? What is the specific action you are trying
now that fails?
The more specific you can be, the better the help will be.

On 19 July 2012 16:20, Emilio Merino <email address hidden> wrote:

> broadcom STA syas is cuurently OK but it dont works, please help me. I
> have a mini Dell Intell Atom N series, 12 inches.
> thanks a lot
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (304926).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/292450
>
> Title:
> Broadcom STA/wl driver causes random kernel panics
>
> Status in “linux-restricted-modules” package in Ubuntu:
> Fix Released
> Status in “linux-restricted-modules” source package in Hardy:
> Fix Released
> Status in “linux-restricted-modules” source package in Intrepid:
> Fix Released
> Status in “linux-restricted-modules” source package in Jaunty:
> Fix Released
>
> Bug description:
> SRU justification:
>
> Impact: The current broadcom driver (wl.ko) seems to have several
> issues during operation. Reported have been random crashes between 5 a
> day to only 1 every 4 days.
>
> Fix: The latest driver from broadcom had positive feedback on Jaunty and
> has been released there. This is the backport of that driver for intrepid.
> The same code is intended to get ported to Hardy LRM. This would sync up
> the Hardy codebase with the Intrepid and Jaunty layout. So this would yield
> bug fixes and ease maintenance.
>
> Changes are local to wl.ko only.
>
> Testcase: Generic usage will sometimes cause panics.
>
> ---
>
> The new wl driver(Broadcom STA) randomly causes my Dell Inspiron E1505
> to experience kernel panics. I haven't been able to get a picture of
> the kernel panic though. The kernel panic happens randomly, sometimes
> even during bootup.
>
> The reason why I know its from the wl driver is because, I was using
> the b43 driver back on hardy. When the new broadcom driver was
> released, I manually compiled it and installed it. The driver kept
> randomly causing kernel panics on my system. When I blacklisted the
> driver and reverted back to b43, no more kernel panics. I wiped my
> disk down and installed intrepid and set my system to use the new wl
> driver again. The kernel panics started all over again. When I changed
> to the b43 driver, the kernel panics disappeared.
>
> The system can sometimes run for 4/5 days before experiencing a kernel
> panic and at other times, I can get about 5 kernel panics in a day. I
> googled around and found a few people on both the ubuntu and debian
> forums having the same problem with different systems and different
> broadcom cards but same driver.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-restricted-modules/+bug/292450/+subscriptions
>

Revision history for this message
Michele Giacomoli (michele-giacomoli) wrote :

While starting from Ubuntu 11.10 to 12.10 wl drivers worked like a charm on my broadcom 4313, it seems that the drivers in ubuntu 13.04 started giving this problem to me. The version I'm using is a fresh install of ubuntu 13.04 amd64 plus all the updates as of today and the home folder restored from an ubuntu 12.10 backup, but I don't think it could make the difference as the freeze happens also when logged as a "clean" user.
I'm pretty sure this problem is cause of broadcom drivers (or broadcom related network stuff) because as soon as I blacklisted wl, mac80211 and cfg80211 modules and plugged in an usb ralink wifi card it stopped to freeze.
Can someone confirm this?

Revision history for this message
Kimr1508 (kimr1508) wrote :

Yes. I also experience kernel panics.

The issue started after upgrading Xubuntu from 12.10 to 13.04.

But it only happens with kernel 3.8. If I boot 13.04 with kernel 3.5 the issue does not occur.

tags: added: raring
Revision history for this message
Michele Giacomoli (michele-giacomoli) wrote :

Does anybody know how to reopen this bug?

Revision history for this message
Kimr1508 (kimr1508) wrote :

I just want to an some extra comments to my #131 comment.

On my machine with broadcom 4312 wifi the kernel panic can be reproduced quite easily, if I start Transmission and add a couple of torrents. After 2 - 15 minutes the panic normally happens.

If I do ordinary web browsing with Firefox, I do not experience any problems, so maybe the issue is related to network load.

With kernel 3.5 there are no issues at all.

Revision history for this message
Michele Giacomoli (michele-giacomoli) wrote :

As this bug has been marked as fixed and I cannot reopen it, I opened another similar to this.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/bcmwl/+bug/1134389
For all those still affected by this bug they can subscribe also to that and maybe some developer will pay more attention to us

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