[Solved] iwlwifi - Kernel 5.15x - Min21

[Froepsi]

Guys,

Went up to Mint 21 from 20.3, ending up without wifi.

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root@el33t:~# inxi -EMN
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP EliteBook 850 G5 v: N/A
    serial: 5CG8362N9B
  Mobo: HP model: 83B2 v: KBC Version 04.53.00 serial: PGWHT00WBBA09V
    UEFI: HP v: Q78 Ver. 01.03.00 date: 07/18/2018
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-LM driver: e1000e
  Device-2: Intel Wireless 8265 / 8275 driver: iwlwifi
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 state: up address: 3C:6A:A7:AF:52:ED bt-v: 2.1

For kernel 5.15. 41 & 43 not being compiled with config_wireless_ext, eventually blocking certain tools.

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[   68.209591] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: mac start retry 1
[   68.445560] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: mac start retry 2
[  135.283017] cfg80211: wext will not work because kernel was compiled with[b] CONFIG_WIRELESS_EXT=n. Tools using wext interface, like iwconfig will not work.[/b]
[  171.554137] Loading modules backported from iwlwifi
[  171.554139] iwlwifi-stack-public:master:9858:4c7cba27
[  171.573997] cfg80211: Loading compiled-in X.509 certificates for regulatory database
[  171.574248] cfg80211: Loaded X.509 cert 'sforshee: 00b28ddf47aef9cea7'
[  171.584840] Intel(R) Wireless WiFi driver for Linux
[  171.589597] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: loaded firmware version 36.ca7b901d.0 8265-36.ucode op_mode iwlmvm
[  171.637189] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Detected Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless AC 8265, REV=0x230
[  171.637319] thermal thermal_zone8: failed to read out thermal zone (-61)
[  171.702675] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: base HW address: 3c:6a:a7:af:52:e9, OTP minor version: 0x0
[  171.780914] ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-mvm-rs'
[  171.793653] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0 wlp1s0: renamed from wlan0
[  172.117868] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: mac start retry 0
[  172.367672] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: mac start retry 1

Had to get back to the previous kernel 5.40-121 to get my previous config running.
Besides installing the source code and recompiling myself... any other suggestion or correction to the kernel?

[mint_-_user]

Same problem:

inxi -EMN

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Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP EliteBook 845 G7 Notebook PC v: N/A
    serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: HP model: 8760 v: KBC Version 07.38.00 serial: <superuser required>
    UEFI: HP v: S77 Ver. 01.08.20 date: 03/15/2022
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 driver: iwlwifi
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter type: USB
    driver: r8152
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel type: USB driver: btusb
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 state: up address: 3C:9C:0F:52:5C:2E bt-v: 3.0

[JeremyB]

Why are you using the iwlwifi backports?

[mint_-_user]

Why are you using the iwlwifi backports?

Thanks for the hint, Jeremy. Removing "backport-iwlwifi-dkms" has solved the issue!
In Mint 20 i had several problems with the intel wifi adapter.

[karlchen]

<mod> jasonoz's post can be found in a dedicated thread here: viewtopic.php?f=52&t=379453. </mod>

[Froepsi]

Okay. This was kinda "weird".
Had to understand what happened and which module was loaded...
So... what happened was...

I had installed linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-46-generic.
Which kindof makes sense when you want iwlwifi, doesn't it?

When Jeremy asked why I use the backports, I was like, I'm not.
# dpkg -l | grep iwl
did not return the the backport-iwlwifi-dkms. Only the generic additional iwlwifi kernel-modules which I supposedly needed.

# Modinfo iwlwifi
and
# modinfo compat
strangely kept mentioning something about backports... but why?! What was I supposed to use?


Soooo:
# apt show linux-modules-iwlwifi-generic

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Package: linux-modules-iwlwifi-generic
Version: 5.15.0.46.46
Priority: optional
Section: kernel
Source: linux-meta
Origin: Ubuntu
Maintainer: Ubuntu Kernel Team <kernel-team@lists.ubuntu.com>
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Installed-Size: 20,5 kB
Provides: [b]backport-iwlwifi-dkms[/b] (= 9858-0ubuntu3), iwlwifi-modules (= 9858-0ubuntu3), iwlwifi-prebuilt-kernel (= 9858-0ubuntu3)
Depends: linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-46-generic
Download-Size: 2.500 B
APT-Sources: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates/main amd64 Packages
Description: Extra drivers for iwlwifi for the generic flavour
 Install extra signed iwlwifi modules compatible with the generic flavour.

Eeeerhmm.. Wait... The generic iwlwifi-packages are offering the -for me- unfunctional (is that even a word?) backported modules?!
So... I removed those to prevent boottime-loading of the wrong iwlwifi-module. And tadaaaaa...

That's what I have now:

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lsmod | grep iwl
iwlmvm                569344  0
mac80211             1249280  1 iwlmvm
iwlwifi               450560  1 iwlmvm
cfg80211              974848  3 iwlmvm,iwlwifi,mac80211

If you see a compat-module using iwlwifi, it's very likely the backported module.

To be noted, there is an iwlwifi-module in the "normal" kernel package

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$ modinfo iwlwifi
filename:       /lib/modules/5.15.0-46-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/iwlwifi.ko
license:        GPL
author:         Intel Corporation <linuxwifi@intel.com>
description:    Intel(R) Wireless WiFi driver for Linux

Thank you all for your thoughts.
Best Regards,

/F

[jmg1982]

So, how exactly did you remove the unnecessary and problematic embedded iwlwifi backports module, and which module was left as the correct working one(s)? Please spell out cli exactly for linuxmint noobs.

[Froepsi]

In my case...

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froot:/var/log$ lsmod | grep iwl
iwlmvm                569344  0
mac80211             1253376  1 iwlmvm
iwlwifi               450560  1 iwlmvm
cfg80211              974848  3 iwlmvm,iwlwifi,mac80211

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froot:/var/log$ lsmod | grep compat

# No compat-module doing anything

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froott:/var/log$ uname -a
Linux el33t 5.15.0-47-generic #51-Ubuntu SMP Thu Aug 11 07:51:15 UTC 2022 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

# Kernel-subversion 47

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froot:/var/log$ dpkg -l | grep iwl
ii  linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-41-generic    5.15.0-41.44                               amd64        Linux kernel iwlwifi modules for version 5.15.0-41
rc  linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-43-generic    5.15.0-43.46                               amd64        Linux kernel iwlwifi modules for version 5.15.0-43
rc  linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-46-generic    5.15.0-46.49                               amd64        Linux kernel iwlwifi modules for version 5.15.0-46

# No "deb-package installed specifically for iwl", linux-module-iwlwifi for kernel subversion 47

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froot:/var/log$ modinfo iwlwifi
filename:       /lib/modules/5.15.0-47-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/iwlwifi.ko
license:        GPL
author:         Intel Corporation <linuxwifi@intel.com>
description:    Intel(R) Wireless WiFi driver for Linux

If you have one like these " linux-modules-iwlwifi-5.15.0-41-generic", and it does create issues...
You can remove it with:

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$ apt remove linux-modules-iwlwifi

Or, if you don't want to remove it because you may have no internet anymore afterwards to reinstall it...
Then you may try to blacklist or prevent the loading of the kernel-module at boottime... should google that one...