ndiswrapper(8)

NAME

ndiswrapper - Linux kernel module and user space tool to

load and run Windows XP drivers for wireless cards

SYNOPSIS

ndiswrapper

DESCRIPTION

ndiswrapper is two parts: user space tool that is used to

install Windows XP drivers and kernel module to load the Windows

XP drivers. Both are called ndiswrapper.

ndiswrapper - tool
The user space tool (/usr/sbin/ndiswrapper) is used when

ever a new Windows XP driver is to be installed. This program

takes the following options:

OPTIONS

-i <inf file>

installs new Windows XP driver, where <inf file> is

full path to INF file for that driver.

-l lists the currently installed drivers.

-e <driver>

removes an installed Windows XP driver named <driv

er>.

-m writes an alias for wlan0 (default wireless device)

into module configuration file so that ndiswrapper kernel module

is loaded automatically when this interface is used.

ndiswrapper - kernel module
The kernel module loads the installed Windows drivers and

executes them so that the wireless cards can be used in Linux.

The module takes the following options:

OPTIONS

if_name=<basename>

The default basename for the interface is wlan%d,

so that the wireless cards will be configured as wlan0, wlan1,

... (%d is replaced with lowest available number). You may use

any other basename or fixed name, such as eth%d, ndis2 etc.

proc_uid=<uid>

The module creates files in /proc/net/ndiswrapper

that provide some useful information. These files are created so

that they can be read only by root by default. If some other user

needs to access these files without having to login as root, then

replace <uid> with the user ID of that user.

proc_gid=<gid>

The module creates files in /proc/net/ndiswrapper

that provide some useful information. These files are created so

that they can be read only by people in root group by default. If

users from other groups need to access these files, then replace

<gid> with the group ID of those users.

ndiswrapper kernel module uses loadndisdriver user

space tool to load all the Windows drivers. This tool is not to

be used under normal circumstances. Only when ndiswrapper module

is already loaded and a new Windows XP driver is instaleld (by

ndiswrapper user space tool) and you want the kernel module to

load that driver without having to unload the module that you

need to use it.

AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Giridhar Pemmasani <ndis

wrapper-general@lists.sourceforge.net>, for the Debian project

(but may be used by others).

June 25, 2004

NDISWRAPPER(8)