Re: [gentoo-user] NetworkManager and/or WICD

[Albert Hopkins]

On Wed, 2009-11-04 at 15:08 -0500, Mike Edenfield wrote:
> On 11/3/2009 11:16 PM, Iain Buchanan wrote:
> > On Tue, 2009-11-03 at 21:52 -0500, Mike Edenfield wrote:
>
> >>    When I attempt to use either of those
> >> utilities to get onto my wireless network, the NIC refuses to stay
> >> connected to the base station for more than a few seconds at a time.
> >> Instead, it continually disassociates and deauthenticates, only for
> >> nm/wicd to hop right back on.  However, if I manually configure
> >> wpa_supplicant for a given SSID and start it via the init script
> >> directly, I don't have any such problems.
> >
> > Have you stopped your net.wlan0 script?  Also remove it from the default
> > runlevel, and set "rc_hotplug="!net.wlan0 !net.eth0" in /etc/rc.conf (if
> > you're using openrc).
>
> I hadn't done that initially, but I did this time, and still get the
> same issue.  I'm having trouble determining if the problem is
> NetworkManager telling the NIC to disassociate, or the NIC telling
> NetworkManager to disassociate.
>
> As long as NetworkManager is running, my dmesg output shows this
> happening about once every 15 seconds or so (I don't know what any of
> those status codes mean, or they may help troubleshoot the problem :) )
>
> wlan0: authenticate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: authenticated
> wlan0: associate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec (capab=0x411 status=12 aid=1)
> wlan0: AP denied association (code=12)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ok, this sounds like the access point (AP) rejected you (for whatever
reason)

> wlan0: associate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec (capab=0x411 status=12 aid=1)
> wlan0: AP denied association (code=12)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
same

> wlan0: associate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec (capab=0x411 status=12 aid=1)
> wlan0: AP denied association (code=12)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> wlan0: association with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec timed out
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This looks like it tried to associate with the AP, maybe even
successfully, but there was a time-out.

I'm guessing that the key/password/whatever that you are sending through
NM isn't correct or the correct type anyway.

> wlan0: authenticate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: authenticated
> wlan0: associate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec (capab=0x411 status=0 aid=1)
> wlan0: associated
> wlan0: disassociated (Reason: 14)
> wlan0: deauthenticated (Reason: 6)



>
> The syslog output from NetworkManager shows basically the same cycle:
>
> Nov 04 14:12:11 [NetworkManager] <info>  Activation (wlan0) successful,
> device activated._
> Nov 04 14:12:11 [NetworkManager] <info>  Activation (wlan0) Stage 5 of 5
> (IP Configure Commit) complete._
> Nov 04 14:12:38 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  completed -> disconnected_
> Nov 04 14:12:38 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  disconnected -> scanning_
> Nov 04 14:12:38 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  scanning -> disconnected_
> Nov 04 14:12:40 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  disconnected -> associating_
> Nov 04 14:12:41 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  associating -> disconnected_
> Nov 04 14:12:50 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  disconnected -> scanning_
> Nov 04 14:12:52 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  scanning -> associating_
> Nov 04 14:12:52 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): supplicant connection
> state:  associating -> disconnected_
> Nov 04 14:12:53 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): device state change: 8
> -> 3 (reason 11)_
> Nov 04 14:12:53 [NetworkManager] <info>  (wlan0): deactivating device
> (reason: 11)._
>
This doesn't really say anything other than it's trying to associate but
got disconnected.  Actually the dmesg is being more descriptive.


> As soon as I stop NetworkManager and start net.wlan0, it jumps onto the
> AP and stays there for good:
>
> wlan0: authenticate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: authenticated
> wlan0: associate with AP 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec
> wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1e:58:04:1e:ec (capab=0x411 status=0 aid=2)
> wlan0: associated
>
> >> Additionally, I can't get either applet to actually save settings (like
> >> known networks, passwords, etc.) which means that I'm continually
> >> interrupted by a prompt for the wireless password.
> >
> > Do you have seahorse (gnome)?  Depending on how it's setup, you should
> > only have to provide the master password once for nm to access all your
> > keys.
>
> I do have seahorse, and when I first boot up it asks me for the default
> keyring password and connects to the AP automatically.  Every time after
> that, when the connection bounces, syslog shows:
>
> Nov 04 14:13:21 [NetworkManager] <info>  Activation (wlan0/wireless):
> connection 'Auto Informagration' has security, and secrets exist.  No
> new secrets needed._
>
> but NetworkManager presents the WPA pass phrase dialog anyway.

Ok, now I understand what's going on.  NM is re-asks for the passphrase
when the one it is using isn't working.  

It's sounding to me *not* like you are connecting and getting
disconnected, but that you are not connecting at all, and, likely do to
some kind of passphrase/key negotiation.