Adding Wireless To Fedora Server 43

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1

I want to install Fedora Server 43 on a machine that only has wifi connectivity. The network-installer was able to connect to my access point to perform the install but the resulting system has no wireless tools installed and the adapter does not show up when looking with the “ip” command.

Based on searching these forums, I believe I need to add the wireless tools and linux-firmware to achieve what I want. Is there a way to add these while the installer is still connected to wifi? Or even to download the needed packages on another computer and then added them via a USB stick?

Thank you in advance.

2

Welcome to Fedora @mashed-carrots.

Try to use a smartphone with USB tethering. This gives you access to network over your mobile connection.

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3

You could use a usb etherner adapter to give you wired ethernet until you have all the software installed and configured. Make sure the usb adapter is supported by linux.

4

When you are installing, what components / desktop do you select?
You can find them in Software Selection.

You should toggle the network and wifi options and anything else you need to ‘on’

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5

I used the network-install disk and selected server. I didn’t see any wireless options. I know the needed items can be added if the installed server is connected to the Internet via ethernet.

I am trying to find a way to install wireless without ethernet - either at install time (when still booted and connect to wifi via the network-install CD) or with finding out which rpm files I need and putting them on a USB stick with another computer (aka sneakernet).

6

In the right-hand column of the “Software Selection” screen in the netinstaller, checking the box for the “Common NetworkManager Submodules” option should give you wifi support.

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There was no options for “Common NetworkManager Submodules” when “Fedora Server Edition” but the option was there for “Fedora Custom Operating System”. So I went with that, selected the NetworkManager modules, and ran the install.

After installation I did have the NetworkManager programs but still no access to wifi. Looking at the dmesg, the system was unable to find the needed firmware for my Intel wireless chipset.

8

Aha, perhaps you also need the Hardware Support group. There’s a couple of ‘iwl’ (Intel Wireless) related packages in there.

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The hardware support group isn’t available when Fedora Custom Operating System is selected. It is available when Server is selected but then NetworkManager isn’t available.

I might dig into the bootable installer since it does have the firmware on it. I just need to figure out where it is located in the installer and where to copy it on the installed system.

Thanks for you help.

10

I think this approach above is more complicated.

If you have network while installing, it will recognize the hardware. You just should try to do it with your smartphone, connecting over USB , especially if it is a Hardware you have access to. If you switch on USB tethering from a smartphone, it will recognize a network over USB. And the system will download the necessary Firmware.