Ubuntu
linux-backports-modules-2.6.32 package

iwl3945 LED defaults to blinking on traffic

Bug #605982 reported by Jesse Weaver
32
This bug affects 6 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux-backports-modules-2.6.32 (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

The parameter led_mode on the iwlcore module defaults to 0 (blink on traffic). Having two blue, constantly blinking LEDS (this HP laptop duplicates the wireless LED) is unfathomably annoying.

I fixed it by installing an /etc/modprobe.d/wlan.conf with these contents:

# 1 means do not blink
options iwlcore led_mode=1

This disables all blinking, including when associating. (It would be nice to keep the associating-blink, but I have no idea if this is possible.)

I think this file should be shipped by default (possibly under a different name), especially as the Intel wireless chipsets are most common on laptops, where a blinking LED in the peripheral vision is rarely a good thing.

In summary:
1) Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
2) linux-backports-modules-wireless-2.6.32-23-generic, 2.6.32-23.16
3) I expected the wireless LED on my Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG, with the iwl3945/iwlcore driver, to default to not blinking.
4) It defaulted to blinking, possibly giving me a good start on a fatal aneurysm.

Revision history for this message
Jesse Weaver (pianohacker) wrote :

A quick look-through of the module source shows that the LED can only be set to "blink all the time" or "off when wireless disabled, on when enabled". The /sys/class/leds interface might have allowed more sophisticated behavior, but it seems to have disappeared in this version of iwl3945.

(By the way, thanks greatly for linux-backports-modules! It seems to have fixed the random disconnects issue I was having.)

Revision history for this message
Gurmeet (gurmeet1109) wrote :

[Quote]
      I fixed it by installing an /etc/modprobe.d/wlan.conf with these contents:
          # 1 means do not blink
          options iwlcore led_mode=1
[/Quote]

Ok, for those guys who might be wondering how to "install" or those who do not have wlan.conf in the specified place.
For me, the wlan.conf was not there. I created and put the line there, but modprobe won't detect it.
Specially people with iwlagn driver on the 4965AGN card.

Step 1 : # cd /etc/modprobe.d
Step 2 : locate whatever wireless related file you have. Mine was intel-5300-iwlagn-disable11n.conf.
                  # ls
Step 3 : Edit the file using gedit, nano or vi whatever you are comfortable with.
                   # sudo gedit intel-5300-iwlagn-disable11n.conf
Step 4 : Put the line [options iwlcore led_mode=1] and save the file. Exit gedit.
Step 5 : Re-initiate the driver.
                  # sudo modprobe -r iwlagn (To temp unload it)
                  # sudo modprobe iwlagn (To load it back)
Step 6: Enjoy your troublefree Ubuntu. Report back if nessecary.

Gurmeet

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.32 (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
mikewhatever (mikewhatever) wrote :

The suggested above workaround don't work on Lucid with Intel's iwl3945, however, the following does:

echo none > /sys/class/leds/iwl-phy0\:\:assoc/trigger

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