Enable Atheros Ethernet NIC – Ubuntu Netbook edition

Mon, Aug 30, 2010

After installing Ubuntu (in my case, Netbook edition) on my Acer Aspire One 721, my wired Ethernet connection was not detected.

To resolve, I reinstalled the Atheros drivers for my NIC.  If you aren’t sure what type of wired NIC you have, run Terminal and type:

lshw –class network

Once you’ve determined the model of your card, download the installation package from:

http://partner.atheros.com/Download.aspx?id=125

Navigate to the directory the package was placed in, then run these commands in Terminal:

tar –xzvfAR81Family-Linux-v1.0.1.0.tar.gz
sudo su
make install
modprobe atl1e
exit

Your connection/NIC should then be detected automatically.

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