Difference between revisions of "Problem with error 01C9 - More than one Ethernet devices"

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(A way around these limitations)
(Manual method: Ath_info from a LiveCD)
 
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==Problem Description==
 
==Problem Description==
Certain ThinkPads show a warning message during [[POST]] when a WLAN card with an Atheros chipset is present in the MiniPCI slot:
+
Certain ThinkPads show a warning message during [[POST]] when a WLAN card with an Atheros chipset is present in the MiniPCI or PCMCIA slot:
  
 
   WARNING
 
   WARNING
Line 11: Line 11:
  
 
== Affected Models ==
 
== Affected Models ==
* ThinkPad {{A31}}
+
* ThinkPad {{A31}}, {{A31p}}
* ThinkPad {{A31p}}
+
* ThinkPad {{T23}}, {{T30}}
* ThinkPad {{T23}}
+
* ThinkPad {{R32}}, {{R40}}
* ThinkPad {{T30}}
+
* ThinkPad {{X22}}, {{X23}}, {{X24}}, {{X30}}
* ThinkPad {{R32}}
 
* ThinkPad {{R40}}
 
* ThinkPad {{X22}}
 
* ThinkPad {{X23}}
 
* ThinkPad {{X24}}
 
* ThinkPad {{X30}}
 
  
 
'''Not affected are'''
 
'''Not affected are'''
Line 27: Line 21:
  
 
== Solution ==
 
== Solution ==
The solution is to modify the Atheros EEPROM so that the card correctly identifies itself as an "other" instead of an "ethernet" network adapter. A Linux Live CD to do both this and remove the 1802 error message is now available. [http://www.student.ru.nl/p.brederveld/monkeytongue/ibm_wifi.zip] (~ 4 MB).
+
The solution is to modify the Atheros EEPROM so that the card correctly identifies itself as an "other" instead of an "ethernet" network adapter. A Linux Live CD that automates this and can also remove the 1802 error message is now available.
  
{{WARN|This software was designed FOR ATHEROS CARDS ONLY. Even though most users confirm it working fine, it can potentially harm your computer. The authors are in no way to be held liable for damage caused by this program. There is no warranty given, either express or implied for any fitness for any kind of purpose. YOU AGREE TO USE THIS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.}}
+
{{WARN|This software was designed FOR ATHEROS CARDS ONLY. Even though most users confirm it working fine, it can potentially harm your computer. The authors are in no way to be held liable for damage caused by this program. There is no warranty given, either express or implied for any fitness for any kind of purpose. YOU AGREE TO USE THIS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please also be aware that ath_info is still under development, so be just as cautious with the manual solutions suggested below.}}
  
'''Functionality.''' This patch changes the PCI Class ID from 0x0200 to 0x0280, which corresponds "network device: other". It manipulates neither the PCI vendor ID nor the device ID. Therefore, functionality of drivers and operating systems will not be affected. Uninstalling drivers is not necessary before using this patch.
+
NOTICE: The Live CD Version 2 is released now. Download it via ''Bittorrent'' [http://neutrino.project-insanity.org/files/ibm_wifi_v2.iso.torrent here.] (~ 4 MB).
 +
Download links appear to break regularly but will be fixed whenever necessity arises.
 +
 
 +
'''Functionality.''' The 01C9-patch changes the PCI Class ID from 0x0200 to 0x0280, which corresponds "network device: other". It manipulates the Atheros card, not the computer/BIOS/CMOS. It changes neither the PCI vendor ID nor the device ID. Therefore, functionality of drivers and operating systems will not be affected. Uninstalling drivers is not necessary before using this patch. The Live CD auto-detects whether an Atheros adapter is installed and will only then proceed. NOTE: Read the [[Problem_with_unauthorized_MiniPCI_network_card]] article on functionality of the 1802 patch.
  
 
'''Usage.'''
 
'''Usage.'''
# Burn the .ISO file to a CD/DVD. Make sure to open the image instead of burning it as a regular file on the disc.
+
# Burn the .ISO file to a CD/DVD. Make sure not to burn it as a file within a filesystem, but as an image.
 
# If you want to remove the 01C9 error only, skip to step 8.
 
# If you want to remove the 01C9 error only, skip to step 8.
# To remove the 1802 error, make sure you do not have the Atheros card installed in the MiniPCI slot.
+
# To remove the 1802 error, make sure you do not have the Atheros card plugged into the slot.
 
# Boot from the disc.
 
# Boot from the disc.
 
# Choose to remove the 1802 error.
 
# Choose to remove the 1802 error.
 
# Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del.
 
# Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del.
# (Physically) install the Atheros card now.
+
# Plug in the Atheros card now.
 
# Boot from the disc (again).
 
# Boot from the disc (again).
 
# Choose not to apply the no-1802.
 
# Choose not to apply the no-1802.
# Select your Atheros card from the list. A WRONG SELECTION MAY CAUSE DAMAGE!
+
# Choose to apply the 01C9 patch.
 
# Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del. Upon 'cold' reboot, the 01C9 should be gone.
 
# Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del. Upon 'cold' reboot, the 01C9 should be gone.
  
 
== Limitations ==
 
== Limitations ==
The patch does not seem to work with chipsets above AR5004x due to some kind of EEPROM write protection. This protection is either hardcoded into the EEPROM, thus making it impossible to be changed by software. Or the write-enable channel of the EEPROM has been disactivated. Slight chance might be to program one of the chipsets' "General Purpose Input/Output" components to activate it. Yet this would require a GPIO's output to be connected to the write-enable channel of the EEPROM (depends on the circuit board layout).
+
Many newer Atheros adapters (chipsets equal to and newer than AR5004x) incorporate an EEPROM write protection by default. The Live CD may or may not be able to automatically patch these devices.
 
 
'''Affected cards'''
 
* Gigabyte GN-WIAG02 MiniPCI card (AR5005GS chipset) (01C9 can only be bypassed by pressing <Esc>).
 
* Senao NMP-8602 MiniPCI card (AR5006X chipset) (01C9 can only be bypassed by pressing <Esc>).
 
* SparkLAN WMIA-166AG MiniPCI card (AR5006XS chipset (01C9 can only be bypassed by pressing <Esc>).
 
 
 
=== A way around these limitations ===
 
It may be possible to get around these limitations by using the ath_info tool (part of the [http://www.madwifi.org] driver for Linux). This tool contains code to temporarily enable EEPROM write access. Read the manual page for the tool to find out how to change the pci_class for your card. You need to find the address at which your card can be accessed. Using ath_info -v -w <0xcard_base_address> pci_class 0x0280 seems to do the trick even though ath_info still returns 0x0002 as pci_class (it seems to ignore the high byte, and reverse endian-ness on display).
 
  
COMMENT: ath_info currently doesn't display the old value of pci_class. The 0x0002 you refer to is the offset in the eeprom, where pci_class is stored. After writing you may dump the complete eeprom with "-d" and find the new pci class at (16 bit) offset 2 for verification.
+
=== Possible solutions ===
 +
Should the automated solution fail, you can try to manually set a GPIO (general purpose input/output) bit to enable write access. Depending on your adapter, this might activate the EEPROM write-enable channel. After the Live CD finishes, it will drop to a Linux shell prompt. Try typing the following:
 +
lspci -vd 168c: |sed -n 's/.*Memory at \([^ ]*\).*/0x\1/p'
 +
This will present you with the EEPROM base address. This you can use to switch the GPIO:
 +
/root/ath_info -g 4:0 -w <base_address>
 +
In this example, you are setting GPIO 4 to low. Restart the patch script to see whether this enabled patching.
 +
/root/patch.sh
 +
After writing you may dump the complete eeprom with "-d" and find the new pci class at (16 bit) offset 2 for verification.
  
Please exercise judgment with respect to the above suggested ath_info usage. It's still under development, and is not yet a part of the official madwifi release at the time of this writing. When in doubt read the source.
+
=== Manual method: Ath_info from a LiveCD ===
 +
The Linux Live CD depends on ath_info, a tool derived from the [http://madwifi-project.org/ Madwifi] Atheros driver project. You can also install ath_info yourself and manually replicate the steps laid out above. If you cannot use ath_info from your current operating system (say if you use [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD]), you can use [http://grml.org/ grml] to perform this "operation". The grml Live CD contains a C compiler, the Subversion client and loads the Madwifi drivers on boot. So all you need to do is to fetch the source and build ath_info:
 +
svn co http://madwifi-project.org/svn/ath_info/trunk ath_info
 +
cd ath_info
 +
make
 +
Again, you need to find the address at which your card can be accessed (see above). Once you know it. instead of using the script, run
 +
ath_info -v -w <base_address> pci_class 0x0280
 +
Read this manual page [http://madwifi-project.org/wiki/UserDocs/AthInfo] for further details.
  
'''Cards for which the ath_info tool can be used to change the pci_class'''
+
== Successful applications ==
 +
Please add PCI IDs to this list. In Linux, type (case sensitive!):
 +
lspci |grep Ath && lspci -n |grep 168c
 
* Askey Computer Corp AR2413A (802.11b/g) FCC ID:PPD-AR5BMB5 IC:4104A-AR5BMB5 (AR5005GS chipset)
 
* Askey Computer Corp AR2413A (802.11b/g) FCC ID:PPD-AR5BMB5 IC:4104A-AR5BMB5 (AR5005GS chipset)
 
* SMC2835W, FCC ID: HED2835WACC (Cardbus card)
 
* SMC2835W, FCC ID: HED2835WACC (Cardbus card)
 +
* Gigabyte GN-WI01HT (802.11abg), AR5006SX-based
 +
* Generic unbranded AR5006X (802.11abg, 108Mbps super a/g+) , PCI ID: 168c:001b (rev 01), Subsystem: 10cf:1329
 +
* Compex Wireless 802.11 b/g  MiniPCI Adapter, Rev A1 [WLM54G]
 +
* Atheros Communications Inc. AR5212/AR5213 Multiprotocol MAC/baseband processor [168c:0013] (rev 01)
 +
* Atheros Communications Inc. AR2413 802.11bg NIC (rev 01)
 +
* IBM 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapter (168c:1014 rev 01) (AR5001X+ chipset)

Latest revision as of 23:50, 14 November 2012

Problem Description

Certain ThinkPads show a warning message during POST when a WLAN card with an Atheros chipset is present in the MiniPCI or PCMCIA slot:

  WARNING
  01C9: More than one Ethernet devices are found. Remove one of them.
  Press <Esc> to continue.

Also, boot-up during POST may be taking longer than expected.

At POST, the BIOS conducts a scan for ethernet devices. It does this by reading the "PCI Class Codes" of every connected device. If more than one ethernet device is found, it produces the 01C9 error message. Unlike other wireless cards, which identify themselves as "other" network adapters, Atheros classify themselves as "ethernet". This collides with the internal ethernet controller (also a PCI device) and causes the 01C9 to appear. BIOS processing of the situation and generating the error message noticeably slow down boot-up time, at least in some models.

Affected Models

Not affected are

  • ThinkPad T4x series
  • ThinkPad X4x series

Solution

The solution is to modify the Atheros EEPROM so that the card correctly identifies itself as an "other" instead of an "ethernet" network adapter. A Linux Live CD that automates this and can also remove the 1802 error message is now available.

ATTENTION!
This software was designed FOR ATHEROS CARDS ONLY. Even though most users confirm it working fine, it can potentially harm your computer. The authors are in no way to be held liable for damage caused by this program. There is no warranty given, either express or implied for any fitness for any kind of purpose. YOU AGREE TO USE THIS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please also be aware that ath_info is still under development, so be just as cautious with the manual solutions suggested below.
NOTICE: The Live CD Version 2 is released now. Download it via Bittorrent here. (~ 4 MB).
Download links appear to break regularly but will be fixed whenever necessity arises.

Functionality. The 01C9-patch changes the PCI Class ID from 0x0200 to 0x0280, which corresponds "network device: other". It manipulates the Atheros card, not the computer/BIOS/CMOS. It changes neither the PCI vendor ID nor the device ID. Therefore, functionality of drivers and operating systems will not be affected. Uninstalling drivers is not necessary before using this patch. The Live CD auto-detects whether an Atheros adapter is installed and will only then proceed. NOTE: Read the Problem_with_unauthorized_MiniPCI_network_card article on functionality of the 1802 patch.

Usage.

  1. Burn the .ISO file to a CD/DVD. Make sure not to burn it as a file within a filesystem, but as an image.
  2. If you want to remove the 01C9 error only, skip to step 8.
  3. To remove the 1802 error, make sure you do not have the Atheros card plugged into the slot.
  4. Boot from the disc.
  5. Choose to remove the 1802 error.
  6. Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del.
  7. Plug in the Atheros card now.
  8. Boot from the disc (again).
  9. Choose not to apply the no-1802.
  10. Choose to apply the 01C9 patch.
  11. Shut down after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del. Upon 'cold' reboot, the 01C9 should be gone.

Limitations

Many newer Atheros adapters (chipsets equal to and newer than AR5004x) incorporate an EEPROM write protection by default. The Live CD may or may not be able to automatically patch these devices.

Possible solutions

Should the automated solution fail, you can try to manually set a GPIO (general purpose input/output) bit to enable write access. Depending on your adapter, this might activate the EEPROM write-enable channel. After the Live CD finishes, it will drop to a Linux shell prompt. Try typing the following:

lspci -vd 168c: |sed -n 's/.*Memory at \([^ ]*\).*/0x\1/p'

This will present you with the EEPROM base address. This you can use to switch the GPIO:

/root/ath_info -g 4:0 -w <base_address>

In this example, you are setting GPIO 4 to low. Restart the patch script to see whether this enabled patching.

/root/patch.sh

After writing you may dump the complete eeprom with "-d" and find the new pci class at (16 bit) offset 2 for verification.

Manual method: Ath_info from a LiveCD

The Linux Live CD depends on ath_info, a tool derived from the Madwifi Atheros driver project. You can also install ath_info yourself and manually replicate the steps laid out above. If you cannot use ath_info from your current operating system (say if you use FreeBSD), you can use grml to perform this "operation". The grml Live CD contains a C compiler, the Subversion client and loads the Madwifi drivers on boot. So all you need to do is to fetch the source and build ath_info:

svn co http://madwifi-project.org/svn/ath_info/trunk ath_info
cd ath_info
make

Again, you need to find the address at which your card can be accessed (see above). Once you know it. instead of using the script, run

ath_info -v -w <base_address> pci_class 0x0280

Read this manual page [1] for further details.

Successful applications

Please add PCI IDs to this list. In Linux, type (case sensitive!):

lspci |grep Ath && lspci -n |grep 168c
  • Askey Computer Corp AR2413A (802.11b/g) FCC ID:PPD-AR5BMB5 IC:4104A-AR5BMB5 (AR5005GS chipset)
  • SMC2835W, FCC ID: HED2835WACC (Cardbus card)
  • Gigabyte GN-WI01HT (802.11abg), AR5006SX-based
  • Generic unbranded AR5006X (802.11abg, 108Mbps super a/g+) , PCI ID: 168c:001b (rev 01), Subsystem: 10cf:1329
  • Compex Wireless 802.11 b/g MiniPCI Adapter, Rev A1 [WLM54G]
  • Atheros Communications Inc. AR5212/AR5213 Multiprotocol MAC/baseband processor [168c:0013] (rev 01)
  • Atheros Communications Inc. AR2413 802.11bg NIC (rev 01)
  • IBM 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapter (168c:1014 rev 01) (AR5001X+ chipset)