Why isn't wireless setup GUI still not working? [Solved]

[onederer]

After all those past and versions coming out, why isn't the wireless setup GUI still not working? I come back periodically to try Sabayon (I like Sabayon) again, but always end up being let-down when I try to install the GUI wireless setup application. Thus far, Sabayon Linux is still user hostile, and has been for past versions. It does work fine with the CAT-5 cable, but this is not practical for mobile laptop machines. Is Sabayon Linux only really meant to be used on desktop machines?

If you'd like a fine example of an extremely easy GUI setup for wireless networking, please examine PCLinuxOS. Perhaps you could borrow that application for Sabayon? All I had to do was to give that wireless application the data it needed such as SSID, ESSID, WEP security key, gateway IP address, and broadcast IP address. Then I clicked on the

START

button, and that's all it took! No messing around with helper applications such as ndisdriver, and no keyboard drudge work. That was all done in the background by the machine. And it simply worked! The OS determined which network card I had in the machine (ATHEROS(ath0, or ath5k)), and fetched the driver for it and got it to automatically work every-time that the machine is started. Why can't a fine distro like Sabayon do the same thing?

Anyway, I have an ATHEROS 5007 network card in this laptop machine, and I would love to be able to use it with Sabayon, by using a working wireless setup GUI. With the GUI application, it only takes 5 minutes to setup wireless. What I don't know and would need help on is why, since I entered everything in the wireless setup application that it needed, isn't it working as it should? What's missing? After all, in "dmesg" and "lspci", the system recognises that the ATHEROS card is present. It is also seen in "lsmod", but not picked up.

By the way, I'm now trying the "live" 64-bit latest version of Sabayon. With PCLinuxOS, I was able to get wireless running in the "live" mode, as well as with the "installed" mode. This also applied to printing applications.
Is the "fix" already scheduled to make Sabayon Linux "laptop friendly"? I don't want to install an OS that will plague me with ongoing frustrating problems. I always try them in "live" mode first, before deciding to install them.

[joeoden]

Works OK for me on 2 different Notebooks with SL5.2 KDE and Gnome Live DVD(s)
This is what I do
Gnome Live DVD
HP CQ61 Notebook with AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter
click on Networkmanager Applet
click on the connection I want
Wireless Network Authentication Required window appears
type in password
click on connect
Create Default Keyring window appears
I type in anything I want or just leave blank and click create
I'm connected

Gnome Live DVD
HP C700 Notebook with Broadcom Wireless BCM4311 802.11b/g
click on Networkmanager Applet
click on the connection I want
Wireless Network Authentication Required window appears
type in password
(with this computer I have to press the fn and scroll keys for some reason the number pad keys are active)
click on connect
Create Default Keyring window appears
I type in anything I want or just leave blank and click create
I'm connected

KDE Live DVD
HP CQ61 Notebook with AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter
click on KNetworkManager
click on WLAN Interface Create network connection...
The Select Wireless Network window appears
click on the connection I want
click on connect
click in the box Connect automatically
type in password
KDE Wallet Service window appears
just click next
just click finish
The Secrets for "connection name" - KNetworkManager window appears
again type in password
click OK
Still not connected so I
click on KNetworkManager
click on the connection I want
The Secrets for "connection name" - KNetworkManager window appears (password still is there)
click OK
click on KNetworkManager
click on Manage connections
The Configure - KDE Control Module
Click on the Wireless tab (if not open already)
double click your connection
Click on the Wireless Sercurity tab
again type in password
click OK
click OK
click on Kickoff Application Launcher
move mouse to Leave
click on Logout

System logs out then automatically logs back in and I'm connected

KDE Live DVD
HP C700 Notebook with Broadcom Wireless BCM4311 802.11b/g
click on KNetworkManager
click on WLAN Interface Create network connection...
The Select Wireless Network window appears
click on the connection I want
click on connect
click in the box Connect automatically
type in password
KDE Wallet Service window appears
just click next
just click finish
The Secrets for "connection name" - KNetworkManager window appears
again type in password
click OK
I'm connected

Hope it helps
Joe

[onederer]

All these steps that you've mentioned, I'm very familiar with them. I know how to fill in the blanks. I've done that many times with many different distros. However, considering that I'm using a live DVD, I can't reboot without losing everything that's been done. And it won't start automatically (as opposed to the CAT-5 cable which starts right away). It just can't seem to be able to handle an Atheros 5007 network board. It is not coming up! I don't know if that would be different with Gnome, but my wife is about to cut off my neck, since I've already spent too much time trying to get this application going. I'm not into using the text keyboard to get this going. At my age, I no longer have the patience. The only thing that I can say, is that every-time that a new Sabayon version comes out, I've tried it on the machines here, and every-time, wireless has been a failure. I did compare the application with what's in PCLinuxOS. That's because in that OS, it works every time, with only one entry in all the required blocks. And it's worked in all the machines here (desktop and laptops). I sure was hoping that Sabayon could have done the same.
But my time has run out. In-as-much as I like Sabayon, I'll have to wait for the next distro release to see if things have improved and changed.

Thank you for for your assistance. I appreciate it.

Cheers!

[onederer]

Boy, some miracles do happen some of the time. As soon as I finished my last post, figuring that I've nothing to lose, I logged out. The system automatically restarted again. And lo and behold! Wicd was sitting in the bottom tool bar. I had downloaded it, but it was nowhere to be seen, and I didn't seem to be able to get it started when I clicked on it. Logging out seemed to do the trick. With WICD, the effort was nothing. It simply worked! And now, wireless is running! So as far as the KDE wireless application, I don't have a high opinion of it. But it sure took a lot of wrangling to get this thing going. And going it went by sheer coincidence. Had I not "Logged Out", this would never have happened. You're the one who gave me the idea of logging out. And thanks for that!

Cheers!

[Fitzcarraldo]

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