Asus USB-BT211 / Atheros AR3011 firmware loading?

[Ben Scott]

Hi all,

  Recently bought an Asus USB-BT211, which is a Bluetooth radio with a
USB connector.  Intent is to give my dusty old desktop this fancy
newfangled Bluetooth stuff.  I'm running Debian 6.0.5 "squeeze",
current on updates.  Kernel package is linux-image-2.6.32-5-686
version 2.6.32-45 (basically, 2.6.32 with distro patches).  Bluez
package version 4.66-3.

  Plug in the new gizmo, and dmesg reports something like:

	usb 5-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 4
	usb 5-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0cf3, idProduct=3000
	usb 5-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
	usb 5-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice

so the system is seeing *something*.  But hciconfig shows nothing, so
the system isn't seeing a Bluetooth interface in particular.

  lsusb shows a likely cause:

	Bus 005 Device 004: ID 0cf3:3000 Atheros Communications, Inc. AR3011
Bluetooth (no firmware)

  No firmware.  Okay, valid complaint.  Hunt around, and I find a
package "firmware-atheros", version 0.28+squeeze1, which I apt-get
install.  Now I have a file:

	/lib/firmware/ath3k-1.fw

How do I get that firmware file into the USB gizmo?  I've tried
unplugging/replugging, unloading/reloading various kernel modules,
with no luck.

  This page

	http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/ath3k

makes me wonder if maybe this kernel is just too old.  But why would
there be a firmware package for something that doesn't even work?
Well, okay, because Debian is goofy like that, I suppose.  But I
figured I'd ask in case there's someone who knows something I don't.

  I'd prefer not to have to build a new kernel from source.  (Though
I'd even more prefer not to have to switch to unstable/sid.)

-- Ben