[9fans] USB wireless devices

[9fans] USB wireless devices

[Rob Ristroph]

I was in the store looking to see if I could find a wireless ethernet
card I was sure would work on Plan 9.  I saw various USB devices,
which have a radio with a USB connection.  I was hoping that these
might be easier to get working, similar to how modems with a serial
port connection don't requre special drivers.

However, a bit research into the linux drivers for the same device
makes it seem that this is not the case.  They all have special
drivers in addition to the regular USB driver.

Has any one attempted to get a device like this working with Plan 9 ?

--Rob

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[Sape Mullender]

> Has any one attempted to get a device like this working with Plan 9 ?

Not as far as I know.

Our USB drivers run in user space, so, in order to get a user-space
ethernet device to work, you'd need a mechanism to deliver
packets to/rfo ertheriq and etheroq.  Such a mechanism isn't there
and adding one isn't trivial if you expect the user-space ether device
ever to be killed or to crash.

	Sape

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[Charles Forsyth]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 682 bytes --]

actually, it's not too hard to have an ether*.c that opens a USB
device configured by user space and interacts with it.  the Inferno
driver that does just that is simpler than some of the other drivers
in some ways.  there's a fair amount of flexibility using
Etherif->ctl.  the harder part is dealing with the wretch on the other
end of the USB (eg, configuring it).  fortunately, that can be in user
space, which is good because it's a fair amount of code, and that's in
Limbo not C.

i don't see why an etheruser.c should be that tricky, but then again, i
haven't thought about it much, although i did consider it once as potentially
useful for several applications.

[-- Attachment #2: Type: message/rfc822, Size: 2322 bytes --]

From: Sape Mullender <sape@plan9.bell-labs.com>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 12:22:59 -0400
Message-ID: <511a97f8a9aec3236517cd0a0e1e7e9f@plan9.bell-labs.com>

> Has any one attempted to get a device like this working with Plan 9 ?

Not as far as I know.

Our USB drivers run in user space, so, in order to get a user-space
ethernet device to work, you'd need a mechanism to deliver
packets to/rfo ertheriq and etheroq.  Such a mechanism isn't there
and adding one isn't trivial if you expect the user-space ether device
ever to be killed or to crash.

	Sape

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[Rasputin]

* Rob Ristroph <rgr@sdf.lonestar.org> [0809 05:09]:
>
> I was in the store looking to see if I could find a wireless ethernet
> card I was sure would work on Plan 9.  I saw various USB devices,
> which have a radio with a USB connection.  I was hoping that these
> might be easier to get working, similar to how modems with a serial
> port connection don't requre special drivers.

Do you mean USB radios? If so I think you're barking up the wrong tree,
these won't act as 802.11 devices.
Apologies if that's not what you meant.

--
Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner.
Conscience makes egotists of us all.
		-- Oscar Wilde
Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[C H Forsyth]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 36 bytes --]

i don't think it is what he meant.

[-- Attachment #2: Type: message/rfc822, Size: 2898 bytes --]

From: Rasputin <rasputin@idoru.mine.nu>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 11:38:01 +0100
Message-ID: <20030826103801.GA26602@littlebird.tenfour>

* Rob Ristroph <rgr@sdf.lonestar.org> [0809 05:09]:
>
> I was in the store looking to see if I could find a wireless ethernet
> card I was sure would work on Plan 9.  I saw various USB devices,
> which have a radio with a USB connection.  I was hoping that these
> might be easier to get working, similar to how modems with a serial
> port connection don't requre special drivers.

Do you mean USB radios? If so I think you're barking up the wrong tree,
these won't act as 802.11 devices.
Apologies if that's not what you meant.

--
Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner.
Conscience makes egotists of us all.
		-- Oscar Wilde
Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[Rob Ristroph]

>>>>> "rasputin" == rasputin  <rasputin@idoru.mine.nu> writes:
rasputin>
rasputin> * Rob Ristroph <rgr@sdf.lonestar.org> [0809 05:09]:
>>
>> I was in the store looking to see if I could find a wireless
>> ethernet card I was sure would work on Plan 9.  I saw various USB
>> devices, which have a radio with a USB connection.  I was hoping
>> that these might be easier to get working, similar to how modems
>> with a serial port connection don't requre special drivers.
rasputin>
rasputin> Do you mean USB radios? If so I think you're barking up the
rasputin> wrong tree, these won't act as 802.11 devices.
rasputin> Apologies if that's not what you meant.

Well, I suppose an 802.11b USB device is technically a USB radio,
however I am not referring to the FM/AM receiver that is controllable
by a USB, I want to be able to send data as well.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=175

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=25

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201523&pcount=&Product_Id=122761

 From reading on the linux drivers to these devices they appear
complecated.  The driver might need to send firmware to the radio at
the other end.  I'm going to instead focus on finding PCI Prism-based
cards.

--Rob

Re: [9fans] USB wireless devices

[boyd, rounin]

> Well, I suppose an 802.11b USB device is technically a USB radio ...

yup.  and they're trying to make _absolutely everything_ have a
USB interface.  i've even seen BlueTooth USB dongle things.

truly frightening.