User Tools

Site Tools


zd1211rw

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revisionPrevious revision
Next revision
Previous revision
zd1211rw [2011/06/26 15:45] – firmware note for gentoo wicherzd1211rw [2018/03/11 19:04] (current) – Removed unusable instructions mister_x
Line 1: Line 1:
 +====== DEPRECATED ======
 +
 +**IMPORTANT NOTE**: This page is deprecated, updated documentation can be found [[install_drivers|here]]
  
 ====== zd1211rw ====== ====== zd1211rw ======
Line 9: Line 12:
 The zd1211rw was included in mainline kernel 2.6.18 as a softmac driver, known to be notoriously unstable and heavily crippled in terms aircrack-ng support. Things turned for the better when the zd1211rw was ported as mac80211 driver since kernel 2.6.25, a move which led the zd1211rw to gain excellent support for injection and monitoring.  The zd1211rw was included in mainline kernel 2.6.18 as a softmac driver, known to be notoriously unstable and heavily crippled in terms aircrack-ng support. Things turned for the better when the zd1211rw was ported as mac80211 driver since kernel 2.6.25, a move which led the zd1211rw to gain excellent support for injection and monitoring. 
  
-===== Patching: Kernel 2.26.24+ =====+The only unsupported function is the fragmentation "-5" attackA bug in the firmware prevents that. The frag attack is not mandatory for the zd1211rw driver to inject or capture packets, it's only one of the many attacks designed to penetrate WEP encryption.
  
-To enable injection, we'll have to patch the driver first. The easiest and most convenient way is to take the [[compat-wireless|compat-wireless]] route+Overall, its a great all-purpose chip to have for wireless auditing and general connectivity. 
 + 
 +====== Patching ====== 
 +To enable injection, we'll have to patch the driver first. 
 + 
 +==== Modern kernels ==== 
 +For modern kernels, good results can be obtained even when sticking closely to stock kernels. 
 + 
 + 
 +=== Kernel 2.6.34 - 2.6.38 === 
 + 
 +**1.** cd into your kernel sources 
 + 
 +**2.** Apply the patch: 
 +  wget -O - 'http://patches.aircrack-ng.org/zd1211rw-inject+dbi-fix-2.6.26.patch' | patch -p1 
 + 
 +**3.** Recompile and reload the driver as usual. Refer to your distro's kernel compilation documentation if necessary. 
 + 
 +==== Legacy kernels ==== 
 +On old kernels, you need to use the compat-wireless approach. 
 +The most frequent road block you'll stumble upon is compilation errors with compat-wireless. They're not necessarily **//your//** fault. Every now and then compat-wireless tar balls are released with compilation errors which are subsequently fixed. If this happens to you, simply download and install a version from the previous day or two. 
 + 
 +=== Kernel 2.26.24+ ===
  
 **1.** Go to http://wireless.kernel.org/download/compat-wireless-2.6/, download the latest version of compat-wireless and untar the package: **tar xfj compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2** **1.** Go to http://wireless.kernel.org/download/compat-wireless-2.6/, download the latest version of compat-wireless and untar the package: **tar xfj compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2**
Line 49: Line 74:
  
  
-===== Kernels 2.6.23 and lower =====+=== Kernels 2.6.23 and lower ===
  
 As mentioned above, kernels prior to 2.6.25 (2.6.2**4** with compat-wireless) are shipped with the softmac version of the driver which in its best day supports only half the functions, half the time. In other words, if you're stuck on an ancient kernel, you're pretty much out of luck. Your best bet is to either install a supported kernel, or utilize one of the many Live CDs with pre-configured settings for aircrack-ng. As mentioned above, kernels prior to 2.6.25 (2.6.2**4** with compat-wireless) are shipped with the softmac version of the driver which in its best day supports only half the functions, half the time. In other words, if you're stuck on an ancient kernel, you're pretty much out of luck. Your best bet is to either install a supported kernel, or utilize one of the many Live CDs with pre-configured settings for aircrack-ng.
Line 55: Line 80:
 And if you're absolutely bent on installing the softmac driver on an old kernel, you can try [[http://www.zlaten.biz/tmp/zd1211rw-compat.tar.gz|this]] source code. Be warned, you'll be disappointed with the outcome. And if you're absolutely bent on installing the softmac driver on an old kernel, you can try [[http://www.zlaten.biz/tmp/zd1211rw-compat.tar.gz|this]] source code. Be warned, you'll be disappointed with the outcome.
  
-===== Troubleshooting =====+==== Troubleshooting ====
  
-The most frequent road block you'll stumble upon is compilation errors with compat-wireless. They're not necessarily **//your//** fault. Every now and then compat-wireless tar balls are released with compilation errors which are subsequently fixed. If this happens to you, simply download and install a version from the previous day or two. +=== Couldn't load firmware. Error number -2 ===
- +
- +
-===== Couldn't load firmware. Error number -2 =====+
  
 If dmesg has an error similar to the following: If dmesg has an error similar to the following:
Line 76: Line 98:
    - RPM for you distribution.  For example under fedora it is similar to  "zd1211-firmware-x.x-x.fcx". On Gentoo, you can emerge net-wireless/zd1211-firmware .    - RPM for you distribution.  For example under fedora it is similar to  "zd1211-firmware-x.x-x.fcx". On Gentoo, you can emerge net-wireless/zd1211-firmware .
  
-===== Why do I get ioctl(SIOCGIFINDEX) failed ? =====+=== Why do I get ioctl(SIOCGIFINDEX) failed ? ===
  
 If you get error messages similar to: If you get error messages similar to:
Line 84: Line 106:
  
 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]].
- 
-===== Fragmentation attack ===== 
- 
-The only unsupported function is the fragmentation "-5" attack. A bug in the firmware prevents that. Despite of this fact, we patch the mac80211 with the fragmentation patch to enable higher injection speed. The frag attack is not mandatory for the zd1211rw driver to inject or capture packets, its only one of the many attacks designed to penetrate WEP encryption. 
- 
-Overall, its a great all-purpose chip to have for wireless auditing and general connectivity. 
  
 ===== Feedback ===== ===== Feedback =====
zd1211rw.txt · Last modified: 2018/03/11 19:04 by mister_x