patch -p1 < compat-wireless-20100626-ptar.patch
Check for rejects: find . -name "*.rej". Usually, the patch applies cleanly against net/mac80211/tx.c and include/net/cfg80211.h.
For a Linux user in 2010 attempting to use a popular USB Wi-Fi dongle (like the generic "Alfa" adapters popular with penetration testers), the stock drivers were often non-functional. compatwireless20100626ptar patched
If you downloaded the official compat-wireless-2010-06-26.tar.bz2 from the kernel archives, your Wi-Fi light might blink, but it wouldn't connect. If you downloaded the compat-wireless-2010-06-26-ptar version, often hosted on mediafire, rapidshare, or community wikis, the device would finally spring to life. patch -p1 < compat-wireless-20100626-ptar
It served as a testament to the power of open source: rather than waiting months for a kernel update, the community took the code, applied the necessary "duct tape" patches for their specific hardware, and redistributed a working solution. Check for rejects: find
make defconfig-wifi
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
sudo depmod -a
sudo update-initramfs -u
After rebooting, verify PTAR support:
iw dev wlan0 get ptar
Should return PTAR active: on.