Re: [edlug] Ubuntu 9.04 Wireless/WPA

[Leo Butler <l.butler@xxx.xxx.xxx>]

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009, Mark Dickie wrote:

< 
< Never done it myself but this links appears to have the information you seek.
< 
< http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/WPA_Supplicant
 
Hi,
Let me caution you against using these instructions, because you do not
want to manually start and stop wpa_supplicant. This should be part of
bringing up or taking down a wireless interface and can be handled
through ifup/ifdown with the appropriate instructions.
It took me sometime to figure this out, because of tutorials like the
one above.

Here is what I have in the necessary config files:

/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
------------------------
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=0
eapol_version=1
ap_scan=1
fast_reauth=1


# WPA-PSK
network={
        ssid="xxx"
        proto=WPA
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        pairwise=TKIP
        psk="***"
        priority=1
        id_str="something memorable"
}


/etc/network/interfaces
-----------------------
allow-hotplug ath0
iface ath0 inet dhcp
        wpa-driver wext
        wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
        wireless-mode managed
        wireless-essid xxx
        pre-up /sbin/wpa_supplicant -i ath0 -D wext -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -P /var/run/wpa_supplicant.ath0.pid -B -d
        post-down /sbin/wpa_action ath0 stop


A few notes:
-my wireless devices all use the Atheros chipset, but the new 'wext'
driver handles this (madwifi no longer does)
-with this configuration, wireless is automatically brought up
on boot and resuming from hibernation 
-wireless can be taken down/brought up manually via
ifdown ath0/ifup ath0.
-network-manager is disabled

Leo

-- 
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Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

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