bwi0 on Powerbook G4 crashes

[tsarpal]

Hi all, this is my first post here, so I please bare with me as I am learning the etiquette.

I recently installed OpenBSD 5.2 macppc on an Apple Powerbook G4. I can provide more info if needed but as a starting point, the bwi driver never worked for me and crashes every time I try to configure the card, continued blue lines.

It seems fine in the dmesg and I can actually "see" the interface as bwi0 with ifconfig but when I try to configure it, it just crashes and only way out is a power cycle.

I think other people had the same problem too but cannot seem to find a clear answer if it is a hardware or software issue, however I did run the hardware diagnostics that come with the Apple CD (OK) and the card seems to work fine under Mac OS X so I am guessing there's someting wrong with the firmware for the card.

I also tried other versions of the bwi firmware from firmware.openbsd.org but to no avail.

I would appreciate any pointers on this.

[ocicat]

Originally Posted by tsarpal

I recently installed OpenBSD 5.2 macppc on an Apple Powerbook G4. I can provide more info if needed but as a starting point, the bwi driver never worked for me and crashes every time I try to configure the card, continued blue lines.

Welcome!

This is a small site, & unfortunately most here don't have experience with OpenBSD on the macppc architecture. Nevertheless, it appears you have dug into the problem enough to surmise that if the same hardware works with OS X, then it is most likely a firmware or driver issue on OpenBSD's side.

You really need to be talking to the project developers about this issue. Although a few OpenBSD developers read this site on occasion, the regulars here are not officially associated with the project, as this site exists independently of the OpenBSD project. Your best bet for resolution is to communicate directly with the developers themselves.

OpenBSD 5.2 was tagged in CVS August 2012, & there has been a number of months of development since. The first question any project developer is going to ask is whether you find resolution by running a recent snapshot of -current. If you are not familiar with OpenBSD's flavors, study Section 5.1 of the FAQ.

With respect to contacting the project developers, you can either post to the project mailing lists, or send a formal report. In my opinion, the best option you have is to file a bug report. Information on submitting can be found below:

http://www.openbsd.org/report.html

OpenBSD"s beta development is quickly ending for OpenBSD 5.3. I have no knowledge of whether your problem will be resolved in 5.3 as I have no official ties to the OpenBSD project. Again, the first step you should try is to install -current, & test there.

[tsarpal]

Hi and thanks for the extensive reply, it really is what I was looking for! I will go ahead with what you suggested and will repost if I find a solution.

Best regards!

[thomasw_]

Hi, I run my bwi0 on both mac and compaq presario laptops without a problem, but not before I ran the fw_update.... I assume, of course, this hasn't worked for you, as you've tried other firmware versions? Also, have you tried running the fw_update while connected to the internet through your hard-line ethernet modem? fw_update accesses fw drivers for you only if you are online. It sounds as though the fw has worked insofar as running 'ifconfig bwi0' shows it as up and running or at least recognizes it ?? am I reading you correctly? If so, what does your $ifconfig bwi0 say before/after it 'crashes'? Can you run it with the 'dhclient bwi0' before it crashes?