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| b43 [2009/08/21 16:11] – added more unsupported (mainly 802.11n) chipsets hatake_kakashi | b43 [2010/11/14 17:56] – add update-initramfs note sleek |
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| ====== b43 ====== | ====== b43 ====== |
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| b43 is the new driver for wireless cards with Broadcom chipsets. People have had limited success up to this point. For now, search the [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org|Forum]] for "b43" to get the most up-to-date information. | b43 is the new driver for wireless cards with Broadcom chipsets. It performs quite well in terms of monitoring and injection, although it has no support for the 802.11a wireless band. |
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| b43 is a [[mac80211]] driver, so it requires at least Aircrack-ng 1.0-rc1. | b43 is a [[mac80211]] driver, so it requires at least Aircrack-ng 1.0-rc1. |
| See this [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=3269.msg18263#msg18263|thread]] for more information. | |
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| ===== Is My Card Supported? ===== | ===== Is My Card Supported? ===== |
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| Most broadcom cards are supported EXCEPT the following: | A fairly up-to-date list is kept [[http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#Known_PCI_devices|here]]. At the time of writing this article, chipsets with the following PCI IDs were **unsupported** : |
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| * PCI ID 14e4:4313 | ^ PCI ID ^ Device ID ^Product Name ^ |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4315 | |14e4:4313|0x4313|4311 5 Ghz| |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4321 | |14e4:4321| | | |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4324 | |14e4:4324| | | |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4325 | |14e4:4325| | | |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4328 | |14e4:4328|0x4328|4321 Dualband| |
| * PCI ID 14e4:4329 | |14e4:4329|0x4329|4321 2.4 Ghz| |
| * PCI ID 14e4:432b | |14e4:432a|0x432a|4321 5 Ghz| |
| | |14e4:432b|0x432b|4322 Dualband| |
| | |14e4:432c|0x432c|4322 2.4 Ghz| |
| | |14e4:432d|0x432d|4322 5 Ghz| |
| | |14e4:4353|0x4353|43224 Dualband| |
| | |14e4:4357|0x4357|43225 2.4 Ghz| |
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| To determine the PCI ID of your wireless device under linux, enter: | To determine the PCI ID of your wireless device under linux, enter: |
| lspci -nn | lspci -nn |
| |
| =====Patching the kernel===== | Also, if the PCI ID of your card is **14e4:4315** (BCM4312 with a LP "Low Power" PHY, commonly found on laptops), you need to install the development version of the driver, since it is unsupported by the stable versions - you will get a "UNSUPPORTED PHY" message in dmesg if you try to use it anyway. More information is provided underway. |
| * Download the b43 injection speed and fragmentation patch [[http://www.latinsud.com/bcm/b43-injection-2.6.24.4.patch|for the 2.6.24 kernel]] or [[http://patches.aircrack-ng.org/b43-injection-2.6.25-wl.patch|for the 2.6.25 kernel]]. Kernels 2.6.27 and up need no patching beyond the basic mac80211 frag+ack patch. | |
| * Place the patch in your kernel sources or compat-wireless directory | |
| * Run 'patch -p1 -i b43-injection-<kernel version>.patch'. | |
| <sub>This patch may not apply directly and may require that you modify the files main.c and xmit.c (located in $linux/wireless/net/drivers/b43/ and $linux/wireless/net/drivers/b43legacy/) manually</sub> | |
| * Recompile your modules with 'make drivers/net/wireless/b43/b43.ko drivers/net/wireless/b43legacy/b43legacy.ko', followed by 'make modules_install'. | |
| * The module should now be ready to use for injection. | |
| * Remember to reload the kernel driver or reboot your system before trying to inject packets. | |
| |
| =====Detailed instructions for 2.6.24 kernels===== | =====Installing the drivers===== |
| |
| [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=3597.0|This posting]] provides an excellent detailed description of getting injection working under 2.6.24 kernels (Ubuntu Hardy). | 2.6.24 kernels and newer don't need any patches applied to the driver itself for monitor mode and packet injection. The only patch that is needed (for fragmentation attack support) is the standard mac80211 frag+ack patch. |
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| =====Detailed instructions for 2.6.25 kernels=== | |
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| [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=3629.0|This]] is an equivalent post for the 2.6.25 kernel (Ubuntu Hardy-specific).\\ | **Important note:** If you install or update your b43 driver via [[compat-wireless|compat-wireless]], you have to know that the b43/ssb modules are part of your distribution's initramfs image. To avoid problems with loading your new b43 driver, update your initramfs image to complete the process. To do so, simply run: |
| If you are using openSUSE or a derivative, use [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=3718.0|this guide]]. | sudo update-initramfs -u |
| |
| =====Testing the new module===== | If you have a card with the 14e4:4315 PCI ID, then you need to install the compat-wireless package, since today's stable versions of the drivers do not support this card at all. In fact, the b43 driver is constantly being improved and using the development version of it can yield very positive results for all its users. More on this particular card [[http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#fw-b43-lp|here]]. |
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| After building and installing the new module, it is best to test that injection is working correctly. Use the [[injection_test|injection test]] to confirm your card can inject. | =====Installing the firmware===== |
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| | Because of Broadcom's licensing, the firmware - which is essential for the card to run - cannot be freely distributed and is obtainable only by "extracting" their proprietary driver. In order to do this, a program called b43-fwcutter is needed. The procedure varies depending on the kernel and driver versions used, but is generally pretty simple. Keep in mind that you also need to apply different steps if you have the card with the **14e4:4315** PCI ID. A very good description containing detailed steps is [[http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#device_firmware|provided by the wireless-kernel wiki]] (scroll down to see the actual steps). |
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| ===== Usage Tips ===== | Keep in mind that your distribution might offer its own b43-fwcutter package and scripts intended to obtain and extract the firmware. It is up to you if you're going to do it manually or let your distro do the work. If you have the card with the **14e4:4315** PCI ID, you have no choice and have to do everything by yourself. |
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| FIXME These are mostly about bcm43xx, and not b43/b43legacy! | =====Testing the new module===== |
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| Forum thread: | After building and installing the new module, it is best to test that injection is working correctly. Use the [[injection_test|injection test]] to confirm your card can inject. |
| [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=2045.0|The complete how to of making bcm43xx injection work]] | |
| | |
| Forum thread: | |
| [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=2845.0|How I got the bcm43xx packet injection working in ubuntu 7.10]] | |
| | |
| This forum thread may also provide some useful information: [[http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=281|Broadcom bcm43xx Injection]] | |
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| =====Troubleshooting Tips===== | =====Troubleshooting Tips===== |
| * Error message: "ioctl(SIOCGIFINDEX) failed: No such device" | * Error message: "ioctl(SIOCGIFINDEX) failed: No such device" |
| |
| Then [[faq#why_do_i_get_ioctl_siocgifindex_failedno_such_device|See this FAQ entry]]. | Then [[faq#why_do_i_get_ioctl_siocgifindex_failedno_such_device|See this FAQ entry]] and scroll up to see the "Installing the firmware" section of this article. |
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| | ==== Ubuntu 9.10 support ==== |
| |
| | See this forum entry: http://forum.aircrack-ng.org/index.php?topic=6434.0 |
