FSF Certifies Atheros-Based ThinkPenguin 802.11 N USB Adapter
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I just opened the link on ThinkPenguin's website:
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-usb-adapter-gnu-linux-tpe-n150usb
There seems to be a typo. Trisquel 6.5 is supported but I have no idea when it will be released :) I'm guessing the card should work out of the box on Parabola also so perhaps it should be listed under supported distro (the current kernel provided there is at least 3.8.8-1-LIBRE).
Also, which version of Linux Libre fully supports this USB card? (It would be useful to add this information to the site also).
It's supported in Ubuntu 12.04 which is the release Toutatis is derived from. Seems reasonable to assume the page should say Trisquel 6.0.
'Big Up' to Chris and s/his team for going for RYF. I'm very happy to see that they've contained the certification cost within what would be UK quality equipment price.
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The reason for listing 6.5 is that I have a 'pre' release of 6.5. It's such an early version that not even Rubén, Jason, or any other people critical to the development of Trisquel have it yet. So I can say 6.5 works, but Trisquel 6 does not.
On 2013-05-02 03:22, name at domain wrote:
> The reason for listing 6.5 is that I have a 'pre' release of 6.5. It's
> such an early version that not even Rubén, Jason, or any other people
> critical to the development of Trisquel have it yet. So I can say 6.5
> works, but Trisquel 6 does not.
I believe it would be more useful to know which kernel version this will
or does work with out of the box. I am not sure I have seen that
information around yet.
F.
--
Fabián Rodríguez
http://fsf.magicfab.ca
The ath9k_htc driver has been included in the mainline Linux kernel
since version 2.6.35 so having a new enough kernel really isn't the issue.
The real issue is finding a kernel that hasn't blacklisted loading the
firmware, since it used to be proprietary. Which will do that? Well,
none of mine do. Also, none of the Trisquel ones will either -- once
they're updated. The other issue is getting the firmware into your
machine, in /lib/firmware. The actual kernel version's not so important.
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:) my joke about having a non-existent 'pre' release aside. The reason is simply that Trisquel 6 does not include a kernel which will load the free firmware. The firmware is not included either. No update appears to be on the agenda that would push out the firmware or a fixed kernel.
All kernels which load non-free firmware and Debian's kernels (I believe) should load the free firmware for the adapter too. The linux-libre kernels have blacklisted the loading the firmware and thus require updating.
If you add jxself's repository and install the firmware linked to from the product page (now updated) you should be able to get it to work on Trisqul 6.
Otherwise you will need to wait for Trisquel 6.5 (it appears) as Ruben's got to apply a patch and that patch might be considered a significant update. The plan of action is to release such updates (ie 6.5, 7, 7.5, etc) at scheduled intervals every six months. At that point you'll get more than just security updates. You will get other updates like new versions of the linux-libre kernel.
In theory it is possible for the adapter to get supported sooner although I haven't had word with Ruben about it and jxself (Jason) who is involved in it hasn't got the permissions to push out an update like this (I thought that had changed, but I guess not, at least to this extent).
I've been away from the forums for a little bit, but does this mean that both the drivers and firmware have been updated in the Trisquel repos to contain the free bits?
Here's the run down - Yes, this device can be used in freedom but it's not supported out of the box right now. I think this is why the ThinkPenguin website talks of the next Trisquel version.
Two things are needed to make this device work:
#1 - Support in the kernel
#2 - The firmware
Loading of these firmware files was previously blacklisted because they were proprietary. I've provided patches to quidam to remove this but, AFAIK, they have not been applied yet. However, my kernel at http://jxself.org/linux-libre/ does have the needed changes so you could use that as a stopgap measure until the Trisquel kernel has been updated.
#2 is more difficult. Properly packaging the firwmare and including it in the Trisquel repositories will not be an easy task so for now your best bet is to compile the firmware yourself and drop it into /lib/firmware. My kernel (and eventually the Trisquel kernel) will load the firmware automatically if it finds it there.
The firmware lives here - https://github.com/qca/open-ath9k-htc-firmware
But you need to get an older version. Click on the Commits tab, find the last commit from March 31 2013 and click on the Browse Code link on the far right.
If you'll notice, the next commit on April 1 changed the firmware version to 1.4 and the current kernel is unhappy about that - At least for now - that will change. So make sure to get the proper version, lest you go through all of this and find it doesn't work.
Anyway, after you've clicked on the Browse Code link I mentioned you can download the source code as a .zip file. Unzip it, open a terminal, and run these commands in there:
make toolchain
./build
Once it's done you'll find the htc_7010.fw and htc_9271.fw files sitting there. Assuming that you're running a kernel that hasn't blacklisted loading these files (like mine, and eventually Trisquel's), just drop them into /lib/firmware.
Hope this helps.
Some pre-compiled firmware to use: http://jxself.org/ath9k-htc/
Just drop the the .fw files into /lib/firmware.
You still need a kernel that has support for loading these. See http://jxself.org/linux-libre/ if you need to install one has such support.
Until this is resolved, anyone that have an AR7010/AR9271 based device can download and install the driver I created a while ago, specifically for Trisquel.
The driver currently supports all Trisquel releases that has the required ath9k_htc kernel module built-in (4.5 and up), both 32/64-bit, PAE/Non-PAE kernels, and also the backported 3.5 kernel in Toutatis.
The download link is available on my profile page, under the Recommended FLOSS wireless card/dongle section. The reason why I does not post the direct link here is simply because the download location is a matter of change and I want to avoid dead/broken links.
I just sent them an email thanking them for making my life easy and not making me have to jump through hoops to get my hardware working, although that was in reference to the Atheros wireless NIC I put in my netbook. I also referenced this article in the email.
Please, anyone who benefits from this move, email them to let them know we won't forget:
name at domain
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