Atheros network card problem

[throttlemeister]

I have been searching for weeks, and came up dry. Also at Insanelymac they don't seem to know or not interested, as I can't even get responses to my queries. Hopefully here some may know what is going on and how to fix it.

I have an Apple branded Atheros AR5418 mini-PCIe card in my laptop. See lspci output.

07:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Atheros Communications Inc. AR5418 802.11abgn Wireless PCI Express Adapter [168c:0024] (rev 01)
Subsystem: Askey Computer Corp. Unknown device [144f:7125]
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr+ Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 19
Region 0: Memory at <unassigned> (64-bit, non-prefetchable)
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2- AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit- Queue=0/0 Enable-
Address: fee00000 Data: 4097
Capabilities: [60] Express (v1) Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <512ns, L1 <64us
ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset-
DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr+ FatalErr- UnsuppReq+ AuxPwr- TransPend-
LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM unknown, Latency L0 <512ns, L1 <64us
ClockPM- Suprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
LnkCtl: ASPM L1 Enabled; RCB 128 bytes Disabled- Retrain- CommClk+
ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
LnkSta: Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
Capabilities: [90] MSI-X: Enable- Mask- TabSize=1
Vector table: BAR=0 offset=00000000
PBA: BAR=0 offset=00000000
Capabilities: [100] #168c
Capabilities: [002] #24

When I boot, I get a message that the driver could not be loaded:

start [/SourceCache/AirPortDriverAtheros5424/AirPortDriverAtheros5424-315.44/src/driver/AtherosController.cpp:516] loaded unsuccessfully

Now, when I try to load the driver manually, everything seems to work, but it doesn't:

hackint0sh:PlugIns root# kextload -vt AirPortAtheros.kext/
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/Apple02Audio.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleDallasDriver.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleFCU.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleI2SModemFamily.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleLM87.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleOnboardAudio.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/AppleVSP.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/CM4040.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/CRYPTOCardPCCard.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOI2CDeviceFCU.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/SCR24X_Apple_Driver.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleRS574Serial.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleSCCSerial.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleVerizonSupport.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleVerizonSupportKicker.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/InternalUSBModem.kext is not valid
kextload: kext /System/Library/Extensions/IOSerialFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/MotorolaSM56K.kext is not valid
kextload: resolving dependencies for kernel extensions with validation and authentication failures
kextload: extension AirPortAtheros.kext/ appears to be loadable
kextload: loading extension AirPortAtheros.kext/
kextload: AirPortAtheros.kext/ loaded successfully
kextload: sending personalities to kernel:
kextload: from extension /System/Library/Extensions/IONetworkingFamily.kext:
kextload: IONetworkStack
kextload: Kernel Debugging Driver
kextload: from extension /System/Library/Extensions/IOPCIFamily.kext:
kextload: IOPCI2PCIBridge-Name
kextload: IOPCI2PCIBridge-i386
kextload: IOPCI2PCIBridge-PCI
kextload: from extension /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortAtheros.kext:
kextload: Atheros Wireless LAN PCI
kextload: sending 6 personalities to the kernel
kextload: matching started for AirPortAtheros.kext/

When I boot in single user mode using -s, and I try to load the kext manually, all looks the same as above, except the final message is the error I also see in the dmesg log. So this seem to be caused when the personalities are send to the kernel.

This WiFi card is an Apple card and should work OOB. This is really frustrating me as I know this should work. I have tried different versions of the IONetworkingFamily.kext, IO80211Family.kext, IOPCIFamily.kext and nothing seems to work. I am at a complete loss here.

My laptop is an Acer 7730G, C2D 2GHz, 4GB mem, nVidia 9300M GS and two 250GB harddisks. Everything works great, except my WiFi (well, and the ethernet, but that chip (BCM5764) is not supported so I don't count it)

I am running iATKOS v5i, OSX 10.5.5 with Voodoo/XNU kernel 9.5.0 release 1.0.

If someone can help me get this thing working, I would really appreciate it!

[throttlemeister]

Anyone? Am I this stupid, or is it just me again with an impossible problem?

Either would be a reasonable assumption, really. ;)

[ergosteur]

Hi, also coming from InsanelyMac here, have the same problem.

I bought an Apple AirPort card, it's an AR5BXB6 or AR5006EXS or AR5424, whichever you want to call it. What is strange is that the card works fine in my AppleTV, and in my Acer Aspire 5570Z. However, I just cannot get it working in my Dell Inspiron 640m/e1405. It works perfectly in Windows and Linux, but OSX gives that AtherosController.cpp error.

[groman]

I had similar problem with DELL truemobile 1450 WiFi card, finally I discovered that it works perfectly after changing IOPCIFamily.kext. I used kext that comes with SD card drivers. Maybe it help someone