Re: [gentoo-user] Wireless Configuration...

[BRM]

----- Original Message -----

> From: Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com>
> To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
> Cc:
> Sent: Friday, September 2, 2011 11:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Wireless Configuration...
>
> On Friday 02 Sep 2011 14:38:56 BRM wrote:
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>
>>  > From: Canek Peláez Valdés <caneko@×××××.com>
>>  >
>>  > On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 11:52 PM, BRM <bm_witness@×××××.com>
> wrote:
>>  >>  I still haven't decided what to get for my system to replace
> the NIC
>>  >
>>  > with, but the card I have should be working with my existing 802.11g
>>  > network already; however, it doesn't - I have had to connect my
> laptop
>>  > via Ethernet cable to my wireless bridge to get network access.
>>  >
>>  >>  /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 starts, but goes immediately inactive. From
> what
>>  >>  I
>>  >
>>  > can find on-line, this seems to have been something common after
> moving
>>  > to Base Layout 2/OpenRC; however, I couldn't find anything that
>>  > specified what the actual solution was - I think most ended up doing a
>>  > complete reinstall of their wicd/wpa-supplicant software - either way
>>  > details were lacking.  I've successfully had wpa-supplicant
> working in
>>  > the past, and as a result of all of this I've tried to get it up
> through
>>  > the other method too (iwconfig?), but no success. (I think I have
>>  > managed to get it to scan some, but not sufficiently and certainly no
>>  > connections.)
>>  >
>>  > Did you followed the instructions at
>>  >
>>  > http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/openrc-migration.xml
>>  >
>>  > specifically the network section?
>>
>>  Yes, I believe so. It's been a while since I made the migration, but
> the
>>  wireless configuration seems to have broken about the same time.
>>
>>  The wired configuration works just fine, and the guide mentions nothing
>>  about Wireless changes - e.g. WPA Supplicant - and that's where the
>>  problem is.
>>
>>  >>  Anyone see this issue and know what the solution is? I'd like
> to at
>>  >
>>  > least get my 802.11g access back - the current setup is a bit of a
> pain
>>  > and very limiting.
>>  >
>>  > Since you use a laptop, I will assume you have either KDE, GNOME or
>>  > Xfce. If that's the case, why don't you try NetworkManager or
> connman,
>>  > and use the GUI thingy to do the work for you? I haven't manually
>>  > configured a wireless network in years, and I have been the last three
>>  > months traveling with my laptop literally all over the world,
>>  > connecting to all kinds of access points.
>>  > NetworkMnager just works, but I also hear great comments about
> connman.
>>
>>  I'm using KDE, yes. I've tried the tools but it doesn't seem to
> ever scan
>>  for a wireless network on its own, and the scans I have been able to force
>>  don't result in a connection - they don't even find the network
> I'm trying
>>  to attach it to.  Prior to the change, I could get WPA Supplicant to
>>  connect to my wireless, though I did have to have it specifically
>>  configured to do so. It wouldn't typically work using the tools for the
>>  one wireless network, while I could get it to for others (hotels, other
>>  places, etc.).
>>
>>  I have added another network that is configured a little differently that I
>>  would prefer to connect to (over the old one), but at the moment I'll
> take
>>  either. (The new 802.11g network uses WPA2; the old one uses WEP+Shared.)
>
> Assuming that you have built in your kernel or loaded the driver module for
> your NIC and any firmware blobs have also been loaded, please show:

Yes. As I noted, it's worked before. The driver loads it find the firmware, etc.
Configuration information is below.
 
> /etc/conf.d/net

# This is a network block that connects to any unsecured access point.
# We give it a low priority so any defined blocks are preferred.
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=wheel
#ctrl_interface_group=wheel
ap_scan=1
fast_reauth=1
# This blank configuration will automatically use DHCP for any net.*
# scripts in /etc/init.d.  To create a more complete configuration,
# please review /etc/conf.d/net.example and save your configuration
# in /etc/conf.d/net (this file :]!).

# Standard Network:
config_eth0=( "dhcp" )

dns_domain_lo="coal"
# Wireless Network:
# TBD
#config_wlan0 ( "wpa_supplicant" )
#

# Enable this to use WPA supplicant; however, need to change the configuration of the Wireless first.
modules=( "!plug" "!iwconfig" "wpa_supplicant" )
#modules=( "!plug" "wpa_supplicant" )
#modules=("iwconfig")
#wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dwext"
#wpa_timeout_wlan0=15

#modules=("iwconfig")
#iwconfig_wlan0="mode managed"
#wpa_timeout_wlan0=15
 
> and 
>
> grep ^[^#] /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=wheel
ap_scan=1
fast_reauth=1
country=US

# Home Network
#network={
#       ssid="MY-NETWORK"
#       key_mgmt=IEEE8021X
#       eap=TLS
#       wep_key0=DEADBEAF0123456789ABCDEF000
#       priority=1
#       auth_alg=SHARED
#}
#
#network={
#       key_mgmt=NONE
#       priority=-9999999
#}

The network information is commented out as I was trying to get it to work with the normal user-space tools (e.g. Network Manager); however, it is no longer working in that configuration either. It doesn't seem to ever get to doing the SCAN portion of trying to find networks.

I can see wlan0 in wpa_gui, but I can't get it to scan at all. And I'd much rather use Network Manager if I could over wpa_gui; but it doesn't even see wlan0 (it happily finds eth0, my wired NIC.)

Ben