# ipw2200 / WEP problem ~ SOLVED!!!!!!!!

## quickshiftin

so i read through several forums and learned a lot about wireless  :Cool: 

now i have successfully connected to a wep secured ap, but can get no interaction past that point.

here is the good news:

 * Caching service dependencies ... [ ok ]

 * Stopping eth1

 *   Bringing down eth1

 *     Shutting down eth1 ...                                                                                                                                 [ ok ]

 * Starting eth1

 *   Configuring wireless network for eth1

 *   Trying to force preferred in case they are hidden

 *     eth1 connected to "RLC-WLAN" at 00:40:96:5B:3B:52

 *     in managed mode (WEP enabled - open)

i spare the addressing output at this point to tell you that dhcp just times out eventually even though windows clients are pulling dhcp no problem.  i talked to the sys admin and he set me up with an ip, netmask, gateway, dns to hardcode, and still nothing works.  i cant even ping the gateway  :Mad: 

so anyway, i wanted to ask the best way to move forward solving this problem as my linux networking skills are still marginal  :Crying or Very sad: Last edited by quickshiftin on Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:46 pm; edited 4 times in total

----------

## vladgrigorescu

Try running: 

```
iwconfig eth1 key restricted
```

----------

## quickshiftin

from the iwconfig manpage:

The security mode may be open or restricted, and its meaning depends on the card used. With most cards, in open mode  no  authentica-

              tion is used and the card may also accept non-encrypted sessions, whereas in restricted mode only encrypted sessions are accepted and

              the card will use authentication if available

but this seems to contradict what ive read elsewhere

enc open specified open security (most secure)

# enc restricted specified restricted security (least secure)

this makes me think open is for WEP sessions, but i will try your suggestion.  i have to wait until tommorrow though, because this is at work

----------

## quickshiftin

added the folloing to /etc/conf.d/net

key_RLC_WLAN="s:xxxxxxxx enc restricted"

where i changed open to restricted.  the output from the startup script is very similar to before

 * Starting eth1

 *   Configuring wireless network for eth1

 *   Trying to force preferred in case they are hidden

 *     eth1 connected to "RLC-WLAN" at 00:40:96:5B:3B:52

 *     in managed mode (WEP enabled - restricted)

 *   Bringing up eth1

 *     dhcp

 *       Running dhcpcd ...  

like i said dhcp just times out, still  :Sad: 

is there a log for dhcpcd somewhere, that might be worth checking.  what else can i do to dig around?

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

do-

grep dhcpcd /var/log/messages

to see dhcpcd errors.

Charlie  :Wink: 

----------

## quickshiftin

thanks for the reply,

im a bit ashamed to say that i didnt search /var/log/messages more thouroughly myself  :Sad: 

i was running $tail /var/log/messages thinking the dhcpcd stuff would be towards the end after i had just ran it, but i really should have done more searching!

that said i should tell you that i wont be into work tomorrow  :Cool:   (business), but i still have some older output info we can work with, this is what im looking at

DHCP_NAK server response received

Jan  9 19:41:05 rarea51 dhcpcd[7387]: infinite IP address lease time. Exiting

Jan 10 14:22:02 rarea51 dhcpcd[20896]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

Jan 10 14:22:10 rarea51 dhcpcd[7651]: terminating on signal 15

Jan 10 14:24:27 rarea51 dhcpcd[21283]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

signal 15 looks to be the SIGTERM signal,  a 'software termination signal', from a linux programming book

i cross-referenced some of this output with some output from ipw2200

and it looks like the terminating on signal 15 may be coming directly after

Jan 11 16:39:12 rarea51 ipw2200: Firmware error detected.  Restarting.

now its hard to confirm this as im not at work and this is old output, but i checked anyway and i have the latest firmware for ipw2200, but the driver and ieee80211 need updated.  i will update these and stay on the trail as soon as i get to work on friday.

also, if i get some time i will enable wep on my home router to see if i can get things right here where i have more control.  i can probably do that tomorrow...

thanks for the help and i will keep you posted, as im dying to tackle this one  :Twisted Evil: 

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

What version of UDEV are you on? 

Are you running hotplug, coldplug, or loading the modules from the init scripts?

What kernel are you on?

Does it work without WEP?

(I'm just full of questions...)

Charlie

----------

## quickshiftin

questions are good because they make me learn  :Cool: 

lets see, i have read up on udev, excuse me for admitting that i havent done this yet and although it is on my system i know i havent be taking advantage of it.

heres what i have installed at the moment

baselayout-1.11.13-r1

udev-058

hotplug-20040923-r1

the first two need updating, but the hotplug is up to date.

although i have hotplug installed, i have never actually used it  :Sad:   as i can see its not running and i havent scheduled it to load at any runlevel; this is something i will start working with soon.

actually im wondering if its possible to have both hotplug and coldplug installed in tandem based on the reading from the documentation http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/udev-guide.xml

getting back to the task at hand, yes wireless connectivity is working via iwconfig for non-wep enabled aps.  usually to gain connectivity to a non wep ap i will do something like the following

$modprobe ipw2200

$iwlist eth1 scanning

$dhcpcd eth1

in an ideal situation this gets the job done; in the case of the wep ap at work (now that i have configured /etc/conf.d/net) i issue the following

$modprobe ipw2200

$/etc/inid.d/net.eth1 start

lastly i should mention i didnt get to tinkering w/ my ap at home yesterday (a bit to busy), but i will definately get to it this weekend and try to mimic the configuration at work as cloesly as possible.

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

o.k. You are able to activate the interface manually without WEP. That's a good sign.

You should have hotplug running in the default runlevel via-

```
rc-update -a hotplug default
```

Coldplug autoloads drivers/modules/firmware at startup (Which hotplug used to do but not anymore...)

You can use both. Just-

```

emerge -n coldplug

rc-update -a coldplug boot

```

I asked about UDEV because I've heard of problems with NEWER versions... 058 should be fine, I'm running an ipw2200 on version 070-r1 without problems. I have also found that running etc-update I have better luck replacing old UDEV files with new ones than trying to merge them together.

One last question though-

Are you using a 'text' key(uses A to Z, 0 to 9) or a 'hex' key (uses A to F, 0 to 9)?

Looking at your configuration I notice your set up is for a 'text' key -

 *Quote:*   

> key_RLC_WLAN="s:xxxxxxxx enc restricted" 

 

I would try the hex key like this first-

```
[/b]key_RLC_WLAN="xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xx enc open"  
```

If you're using a hex key with the s: in front of it, that'll mess things up. Regardless, I would try to use the hex key for troubleshooting. I'd also leave [/b]enc open[b] set for now...

hope this helps,

Charlie

----------

## quickshiftin

im using a test key not hex . i have the right password and as i said before i can connect to the wep enabled ap.  are you suggesting trying the hex equivalent in place of the text may work?

i will turn on hotplug and try again, but im wondering why this would help.  doesnt it just load modules automatically?  what modules would it be loading that i dont already have loaded.  as far as i know there is just the nic driver which i load up manually.

i checked /etc/modules.d and didnt find anything else that looked relevant.  i should mention i mostly just compile package support directly into the kernel at this point because it makes my life easier until i get better with automatic module loading / unloading.

----------

## quickshiftin

ok, i have a status report.

i manually loaded ipw2200, then started hotplug, invoked the init script and dhcp still hangs

also i tried unloading ipw2200 and just ivoking the init script; strangely hotplug didnt automatically load ipw2200...  oh well i dont really care about hotplug as much as getting connected to this damn wep ap at this point.

i also checked the logs again to supplement an earlier post in this thread; once connected and dhcp starts it eventually times out; here is the log entry

Jan 13 11:14:39 rarea51 dhcpcd[13534]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

as i speculated earlier, there is nothing wrong with the ipw2200 driver

oh yeah, i also tried replacing the text string with a hex string here is the original line from /etc/conf.d/net

key_RLC_WLAN="s:xxxxxxxxxx[1] enc open"

here is the replacement

key_RLC_WLAN="xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xx [1] enc open"

although i am ommitting the actual characters i can assure you they are correct as i can connect to the ap using both strings, but after a connection the dhcp problem still exists  :Mad: 

----------

## quickshiftin

upgraded to dhcp 2.0.0 and included the debug flag, in hopes of catching something, but there really is no apparent difference.

log output is still 

Jan 13 11:51:55 rarea51 dhcpcd[17167]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

two final questions-

Are you using the IPW2200 package or the inbuilt ipw2200 module from the kernel sources? 

What kernel version are you running?

Charlie   :Wink: 

----------

## UberLord

 *quickshiftin wrote:*   

> upgraded to dhcp 2.0.0 and included the debug flag, in hopes of catching something, but there really is no apparent difference.
> 
> log output is still 
> 
> Jan 13 11:51:55 rarea51 dhcpcd[17167]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

 

Just a word of warning - dhcpcd compiled with the debug flag is great for debugging dhcp server responses (if you get one) but it does not work as a dhcp client! ie, does nothing! For it to work, don't use the debug flag - heh.

----------

## quickshiftin

 *UberLord wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Just a word of warning - dhcpcd compiled with the debug flag is great for debugging dhcp server responses (if you get one) but it does not work as a dhcp client! ie, does nothing! For it to work, don't use the debug flag - heh.

 

remerged dhcp 2.0 w/o the debug flag.  still no change in the orginal problem. thanks for the tip though

----------

## quickshiftin

i setup my home router (linksys) to mimic the setup i have at work.  heres what i did:

-created essid RLC-WLAN

-disabled broadcast of essid

at this point i can connect no problem provided that i issue the following command sequence

$modprobe ipw2200

$iwlist eth1 scanning

$iwconfig eth1 essid RLC-WLAN

$dhcpcd eth1

-enable wep 64-bit hex key using same passphrase as work ap

at this point connection to the ap is possible, but dhcp fails miserably; also i should mention that hardcoding connection parameters has no effect.  for some reason

$route add default gw 192.168.1.1

doesnt provide the ability to use the ap as a gateway, and whats worse, as mentioned in an earlier post, i cant even ping the ap!

these are the exact same symptoms im encountering with the ap at my office (which i cant modify settings for).  at least i can say with certainty the problem has nothing to do with the work ap.  it is something to do with iwconfig or dhcp in my opinion.

----------

## quickshiftin

i did some digging and found the following article

http://bughost.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=790

i am running a 2.6.13 kernel

i also found this in the forums

http://bughost.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=790

well i upgraded to 2.6.15, and added support for 80211, ipw2200 and wep all in menuconfig.  including the update to dhcp that should put me a the most recent version of everything neeeded to run dhcpcd over a wep connection...

but it still doesnt work  :Evil or Very Mad: 

i think i am suffering from some type of a compatabitily (interface problem) or there is a bug of some type.  i just wish i had some direction to solve the problem.  would a network monitoring app work out?  ethereal perhaps...

please advise.

----------

## quickshiftin

 *unclecharlie wrote:*   

> quickshiftin,
> 
> two final questions-
> 
> Are you using the IPW2200 package or the inbuilt ipw2200 module from the kernel sources? 
> ...

 

sorry i didnt respond to this question earlier   :Embarassed: 

in response, i am currently running the package but now im thinking the best course of action is an upgrade to kernel-2.6.15

well i have upgraded many things in an effort to get this fixed, now i have upgraded udev as well.  let me just give you a run down of the setup i am shooting for

kernel-2.6.15-gentoo-r1

ipw2200 (from menuconfig)

iee80211 (from menuconfig)

crypt stuff (from menuconfig)

udev-081

i gather this would be the best approach from a similiar thread i have found

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-423434-highlight-ipw2200+eth1.html

but now i have worked myself into a corner, trying to compile 2.6.15-r1 w/ ipw2200 as a module or built into the kernel produces large amounts or erroneous output, here is a smattering

drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c:9900: error: parse error before "MAC_FMT"

drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c: In function `ipw_ethtool_get_drvinfo':

drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c:9910: warning: initialization makes pointer from integer without a cast

drivers/net/wireless/ipw2200.c: In function `ipw_ethtool_get_link':

this seems like a problem after an upgrade to udev...  i know this is probably a basic question, but how do you overwrite old udev config files as opposed to merging them.  i think this issue has something to do with a merging of udev w/o overwriting.  once i can compile 2.6.15 again i will commit to the upgrade as others have ipw2200 working properly w/ this kernel.

----------

## quickshiftin

ok scratch that, i messed up the kernel by unmerging ipw2200.  i am going to reboot and move on.........

----------

## quickshiftin

ok 2.6.15-r1 is up.  everything is working great except ipw2200.  now i have a question.

if ipw2200 is compiled directly into the kernel how do i create eth1?

before (when running ipw2200 as a module)

$modprobe ipw2200

would create eth1

now that i have ipw2200 compiled as a module

/etc/init.d/net.eth1 start produces

 * Starting eth1

 *   Bringing up eth1

 *     Configuration not set for eth1 - assuming dhcp

 *     dhcp

 *       eth1 does not exist 

so how do i create eth1?

----------

## quickshiftin

i recompiled as a module after i found some erroneous output in dmesg.  now i have 2.6.15-r1 and 

ieee80211-1.1.9 } compiled as package

ipw2200-1.0.10 } compiled as package

here is the problem i now face

ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.10

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

ipw2200: ipw-2.4-boot.fw load failed: Reason -2

ipw2200: Unable to load firmware: -2

ipw2200: failed to register network device

ACPI: PCI interrupt for device 0000:02:02.0 disabled

ipw2200: probe of 0000:02:02.0 failed with error -5

as you can see this appears to be acpi related and at this point i have no clue what to do.  i checked my old kernel config and the acpi stuff all seems to be the same between the new and old kernel.  what to do now???

----------

## quickshiftin

im back.  i am somewhat ashamed to say that the last several posts were resolved with a simple

etc-update

 :Confused: 

now i can say for sure that i am back to square one on this post, but to my credit i have the latest version of everything. here is the official list at this point

kernel-2.6.15-gentoo

ieee80211-1.1.9

ipw2200-1.0.10

dhcpcd-2.0.0

wireless-tools-28_pre13

baselayout-1.12.0_pre14-r2 (not latest version)

udev-081

to re-iterate the problem i can connect to a wep enabled ap no problem, but when running dhcp i get the following in /var/log/messages

Jan 19 16:20:18 rarea51 dhcpcd[17566]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

i really think there is a bug and will file a report, unless someone has a suggestion

----------

## vedas

im currently experiencing the same issue....

ipw2200-1.0.10

ipw2200-firmware-2.4

ieee80211-1.1.9

Symtoms:  Able to get association with my schools WEP access points but not able to get an IP address.  New Gentoo install, have used ipw2200 for a year on this machine previously...

Will post if I find resolution  :Sad: 

EDIT: was also using ipw2200-1.0.10 before I reinstalled (due to hdd failure) to overcome 1.0.8 issues and it worked great.

----------

## vedas

just connected to a unencrypted wireless network just fine....

interesting kernel messages.. (via dmesg):

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'

ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.9

ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>

ipw2200: no version for "ieee80211_wx_get_encodeext" found: kernel tainted.

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.10

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

still searching...

----------

## quickshiftin

 *vedas wrote:*   

> just connected to a unencrypted wireless network just fine....
> 
> interesting kernel messages.. (via dmesg):
> 
> ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'
> ...

 

i have seen this too, but dont know what it means  :Confused:   is this outputting when you are connecting to the WEP ap or the unencrpyted ap or both? 

currently i have a bug report on this issue.  im not for certain but i think the problem is an ipw2200 issue.  i havent yet (kinda busy) but i will probably post a bug report on the project homepage at source forge.

----------

## quickshiftin

PS

here is the gentoo bug report

and i have changed the title of this thread to more accurately reflect the problem as it becomes more clear what the actual problem is (nothing to do w/ dhcp)

----------

## vedas

yeah those previous dmesg reports where for when I got connectivity on a unencrypted AP.

----------

## quickshiftin

this output is when i connect to a WEP enabled ap... you can see why it looks strange right; i mean i think there should be some algorithm registered when connecting via WEP

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'

ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.8

ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.10

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

also i wonder if wpa_supplicant supports WEP connections as well as WAP; if it does i could try connecting to the ap with that and then confirm the ipw2200 driver is fine.  then it would be clear either ieee80211 or wireless-tools needs checking.

----------

## vedas

wpa_supplicant does support WEP and uencrypted connections also.  Im going to try that now.

----------

## vedas

very strange... this is results with wpa_supplicant.  Wierd thing is, even when its scanning i see no activity on my wireless card (ie: through light on laptop) It looks like its not even trying to use WEP and instead WPA.... grrr 

copy of wpa_supplicant.conf

```
sylpheed init.d # cat /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

# global options

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant

# what group can access.

ctrl_interface_group=0

eapol_version=1

fast_reauth=1

#opensc_engine_path=/usr/lib/opensc/engine_opensc.so

#pkcs11_engine_path=/usr/lib/opensc/engine_pkcs11.so

#pkcs11_module_path=/usr/lib/pkcs11/opensc-pkcs11.so

network={

        ssid="dpuwireless"

        key_mgmt=NONE

        wep_key0=59E0608BCD0AED78A48DD50E8A

}

```

RESULTS.....

[/code]

```

sylpheed init.d # wpa_supplicant -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -Dwext -dd

Initializing interface 'eth1' conf '/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf' driver 'wext' ctrl_interface 'N/A'

Configuration file '/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf' -> '/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf'

Reading configuration file '/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf'

ctrl_interface='/var/run/wpa_supplicant'

ctrl_interface_group=0

eapol_version=1

fast_reauth=1

Line: 15 - start of a new network block

ssid - hexdump_ascii(len=11):

     64 70 75 77 69 72 65 6c 65 73 73                  dpuwireless

key_mgmt: 0x4

wep_key0 - hexdump(len=13): [REMOVED]

Priority group 0

   id=0 ssid='dpuwireless'

Initializing interface (2) 'eth1'

EAPOL: SUPP_PAE entering state DISCONNECTED

EAPOL: KEY_RX entering state NO_KEY_RECEIVE

EAPOL: SUPP_BE entering state INITIALIZE

EAP: EAP entering state DISABLED

EAPOL: External notification - portEnabled=0

EAPOL: External notification - portValid=0

SIOCGIWRANGE: WE(compiled)=19 WE(source)=16 enc_capa=0x0

  capabilities: key_mgmt 0x0 enc 0x3

Own MAC address: 00:0e:35:68:ab:bb

wpa_driver_wext_set_wpa

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=0 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=1 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=2 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=3 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_countermeasures

wpa_driver_wext_set_drop_unencrypted

Setting scan request: 0 sec 100000 usec

Added interface eth1

Wireless event: cmd=0x8b06 len=8

RTM_NEWLINK, IFLA_IFNAME: Interface 'eth1' added

RTM_NEWLINK, IFLA_IFNAME: Interface 'eth1' added

State: DISCONNECTED -> SCANNING

Starting AP scan (broadcast SSID)

Wireless event: cmd=0x8b15 len=20

Wireless event: new AP: 00:00:00:00:00:00

Added BSSID 00:00:00:00:00:00 into blacklist

State: SCANNING -> DISCONNECTED

EAPOL: External notification - portEnabled=0

EAPOL: External notification - portValid=0

CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED - Disconnect event - remove keys

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=0 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=1 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=2 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=3 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_key: alg=0 key_idx=0 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0

Scan timeout - try to get results

Received 1832 bytes of scan results (10 BSSes)

Scan results: 10

Selecting BSS from priority group 0

0: 00:14:1c:15:b2:30 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

1: 00:12:17:9f:5f:7a ssid='TTI' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

2: 00:0f:3d:ac:40:b5 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

3: 00:11:20:a1:07:60 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

4: 00:0f:34:c6:ce:d0 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

5: 00:0f:34:c6:d0:40 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

6: 00:07:50:ca:5b:2f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

7: 00:0a:f4:e2:47:e1 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

8: 00:0d:65:72:c9:9f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

9: 00:0d:65:72:c9:a2 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

No APs found - clear blacklist and try again

Removed BSSID 00:00:00:00:00:00 from blacklist (clear)

Selecting BSS from priority group 0

0: 00:14:1c:15:b2:30 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

1: 00:12:17:9f:5f:7a ssid='TTI' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

2: 00:0f:3d:ac:40:b5 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

3: 00:11:20:a1:07:60 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

4: 00:0f:34:c6:ce:d0 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

5: 00:0f:34:c6:d0:40 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

6: 00:07:50:ca:5b:2f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

7: 00:0a:f4:e2:47:e1 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

8: 00:0d:65:72:c9:9f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

9: 00:0d:65:72:c9:a2 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

No suitable AP found.

Setting scan request: 5 sec 0 usec

State: DISCONNECTED -> SCANNING

Starting AP scan (broadcast SSID)

Scan timeout - try to get results

Received 1471 bytes of scan results (8 BSSes)

Scan results: 8

Selecting BSS from priority group 0

0: 00:14:1c:15:b2:30 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

1: 00:0f:3d:ac:40:b5 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x11

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

2: 00:11:20:a1:07:60 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

3: 00:0f:34:c6:ce:d0 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

4: 00:0f:34:c6:d0:40 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

5: 00:07:50:ca:5b:2f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

6: 00:0a:f4:e2:47:e1 ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

7: 00:0d:65:72:c9:9f ssid='<hidden>' wpa_ie_len=0 rsn_ie_len=0 caps=0x1

   skip - no WPA/RSN IE

No suitable AP found.

Setting scan request: 5 sec 0 usec

^XCTRL-EVENT-TERMINATING - signal 2 received

Removing interface eth1

State: SCANNING -> DISCONNECTED

No keys have been configured - skip key clearing

EAPOL: External notification - portEnabled=0

EAPOL: External notification - portValid=0

wpa_driver_wext_set_wpa

wpa_driver_wext_set_drop_unencrypted

wpa_driver_wext_set_countermeasures

No keys have been configured - skip key clearing

Cancelling scan request

```

----------

## I love++ gentoo

Quickshiftin, I know of your general disregard of slashdot, but I think this thread might at least further educate you: http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/06/01/23/214258.shtml.  ipw2200 pops up a few times in there.  You could even throw a post up there yourself claiming the experience of still more seasoned Linux vets.

----------

## annunaki2k2

Hi All,

Thought I'd also contribute to this post at last.

I've been having problems for a while now whilst trying to use WEP enabled access points. The main difference is I'm using ndiswrapper (with a broadcom driver) not an ipw2* chipset. I had everything working with ndiswrapper, wpa_supplicant & kernel 2.6.12 a few months back; but that was the last time everything worked properly...

Currently I have the following setup:-

```
net-wireless/ndiswrapper-1.8

net-wireless/wpa_supplicant-0.5.0-r1

sys-apps/baselayout-1.12.0_pre15

sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-2.6.15
```

This is currently working well for unencrypted and WPA protected wireless networks, but I still can't use WEP; it associates to the access point fine, but I can't DHCP with it, or ping anything after a manual IP setup; just like others have described.

Has anyone got any advice on what should and shouldn't be in the kernel regards to wireless since the introduction of the 'Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack' option? If anyone needs logs or configs for comparison then let me know and I'll post em. 

Anyone else had a similar issue with an ndiswrapper config?

I'm begining to think (after reading around) that its a bit more of a generic issue rather than something I did to break my system. 

Thanks

Russell

----------

## quickshiftin

i personally havent used ndis_wrapper  :Confused: 

i am planning on trying wep access w/ knoppix.  downloading the dvd now and its taking forever!

anyway i wanted to mention that the bug has been escalated

maybe we will have a resolution coming soon...

----------

## quickshiftin

i have just attempted to connect to a WEP ap using Knoppix 4.0.2

i didnt take a close look at the package versions, but it was definaltely running kernel 2.6.15

just like on gentoo i can connect to the WEP ap, but then when i try to pull network parameters via dhcp it fails...

i think i will definately look around on the intel driver page and possibly file a bug report there today

----------

## annunaki2k2

hmm, interesting experiment that quickshiftin.

If I get an hour to myself maybe i'll give that a try.

----------

## quickshiftin

this is shaping up to be a driver problem.

i have obtained another network card and will be able to verify this asap!

----------

## Ainvar

I am having this issue also.

I am running a gentoo kernel 2.6.15

ipw2200 were emerged 

ieee80211 were emerged

I can connect to the AP and my AP sees me as connected but I can not obtain a dhcp address. If I try to use a static my laptop just sits there playing with itself.

I had no issues when running ubuntu breezy with default setting, but I did use the gnome network-admin and saved it my settings in the profiles.xml. I tried to use the iwconfig and would experience the same issue on ubuntu.

Maybe my problem is a static buildup between the chair and the keyboard. This makes me one sad panda, everything is running perfectly except for wireless  :Sad: 

Ohh yeah I am connecting via 128bit WEP key to a Cisco Aironet 350 series AP

----------

## Longfield

I have nearly the same issue here but with ipw2100 !

You can check my post in that topic : https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-427867.html

And as I've watched over the forums, there are many posts with that same kind of problem ! This makes me think that maybe there could be something wrong with wpa_supplicant because realy many people have that kind of problems !

----------

## quickshiftin

have you tried wireless-tools with ipw2100 in order to connect to WEP enabled access points?

it sounds like that is working for you based on your post.  if that is the case, then i would have to agree, it sounds like there is an issue with wpa_supplicant in concert with ipw2100.

as far as ipw2200 i think there is some buggy code preventing WEP to work properly.  i have the bug report filed with intel, but it may be a while before a change.

in the meantime i must tell the community that i am writing this post with my wireless WEP connectivity in Windows!  i hate to do it, but i really have no alternative.  i tried using another card (cisco airo350) but it seems like support for that card is not up to par either (and im not going to buy anything for a laptop from work)!

well i dont care so much, i still have gentoo on this sweet dual boot machine and i can run windows while the drivers get patched.  anyway i can still connect to my servers with putty.  i think if you look at some of the people whove been really successful in deploying and supporting linux server envrionments dont (in many cases) run it as a desktop as well.  the issues im having with my desktop are bogging down my progess with the server stuff that i need to learn if i want to make some $$ with this technology.

i know there are other alternatives for robust desktop functionality in linux as well.  remember im running a stage1 so often i have to remind myself this system has been built from the ground up.  that has its weaknesses as it is obvious.

anyway what was this thread about...?

----------

## Longfield

 *quickshiftin wrote:*   

> have you tried wireless-tools with ipw2100 in order to connect to WEP enabled access points?
> 
> it sounds like that is working for you based on your post.  if that is the case, then i would have to agree, it sounds like there is an issue with wpa_supplicant in concert with ipw2100.
> 
> 

 

That's what really annoys me the most : it works with wireless-tools !

```
entrino ~ # /etc/init.d/net.eth1 start

 * Starting eth1

 *   Starting wpa_supplicant on eth1 ...                                  [ ok ]

 *   Starting wpa_cli on eth1 ...                                         [ ok ]

 *     Failed to configure eth1 in the background                         [ !! ]

centrino ~ # ifconfig

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:C0:9F:35:BF:D9

          inet addr:192.168.1.116  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

          UP BROADCAST NOTRAILERS RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:114 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:128 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

          RX bytes:14598 (14.2 Kb)  TX bytes:22404 (21.8 Kb)

          Interrupt:11

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback

          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0

          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1

          RX packets:2844 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:2844 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0

          RX bytes:130406 (127.3 Kb)  TX bytes:130406 (127.3 Kb)

centrino ~ # iwconfig

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

eth1      IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"linksys"  Nickname:"ipw2100"

          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: 00:0F:66:D3:31:F7

          Bit Rate=1 Mb/s   Tx-Power:off

          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

          Encryption key:off

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality=54/100  Signal level=-84 dBm

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:18

centrino ~ # dhcpcd eth1

centrino ~ # iwconfig eth1 essid underground

centrino ~ # iwconfig eth1 key 61726D616E64002C203230372C

centrino ~ # iwconfig

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

eth1      IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"underground"  Nickname:"ipw2100"

          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.437 GHz  Access Point: 00:80:C8:38:42:E7

          Bit Rate=11 Mb/s   Tx-Power:off

          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

          Encryption key:6172-6D61-6E64-002C-2032-3037-2C   Security mode:open

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality=99/100  Signal level=-39 dBm

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:2  Invalid misc:1   Missed beacon:2

centrino ~ # dhcpcd eth1

centrino ~ # ifconfig

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:C0:9F:35:BF:D9

          inet addr:192.168.1.116  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

          UP BROADCAST NOTRAILERS RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:121 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:131 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

          RX bytes:15582 (15.2 Kb)  TX bytes:22608 (22.0 Kb)

          Interrupt:11

eth1      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:0C:F1:04:D3:8D

          inet addr:192.168.1.137  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

          UP BROADCAST NOTRAILERS RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:2 errors:7 dropped:6 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:4 errors:0 dropped:4 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

          RX bytes:405 (405.0 b)  TX bytes:1806 (1.7 Kb)

          Interrupt:10 Base address:0x8000 Memory:d0214000-d0214fff

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback

          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0

          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1

          RX packets:2845 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:2845 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0

          RX bytes:130435 (127.3 Kb)  TX bytes:130435 (127.3 Kb) 

```

What the hell am I doing wrong with wpa_supplicant ?

----------

## unclecharlie

Hey guys,

I'm not so sure this is a driver issue. I'm running ipw2200 on WEP with no problems. I do have more than the NULL algorithm in my logs...

```

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'WEP'

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'CCMP'

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'TKIP'

```

Which makes me think there's a dependency problem here...

Some things to double check-

1. kernel config ieee80211: Under Networking make sure that you've enabled the generic IEEE 80211 networking stack AND the WEP , CCMP, and TKIP options below it. These may be built directly into the kernel. Don't build them as modules. (just in case those modules not loading is the problem...)

2. kernel config ipw2200 (or ipw2100): Make sure to build this as a module. DO NOT build into the kernel or /dev/ethx will not be created...

3. kernel config crypto: Under cryptographic options make sure to enable at the very least the SHA1, MD5, DES, and AES algorithms. (especially SHA1 and AES). WEP support for ieee80211 uses this...

If you've done all this and you still don't see-

```

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'WEP'

```

in /var/log/messages then please post your results on this thread.

Hope this helps,

Charlie  :Wink: 

----------

## tboloo

 *unclecharlie wrote:*   

> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm not so sure this is a driver issue. I'm running ipw2200 on WEP with no problems. I do have more than the NULL algorithm in my logs...
> 
> ```
> ...

 

I've got this working, ipw2200 also (no errors in dmesg), but still no luck in connecting to AP.

Maybe you could post your configs to compare ?

I would be grateful.

Best regards.

----------

## unclecharlie

tboloo,

My config is fairly simple. I'm using the stock /etc/init.d/net.lo script linked to /etc/init.d/net.eth1 and my /etc/init.d/wireless looks like-

```

# /etc/conf.d/wireless:

adhoc_essid_eth1="Gentoo"

channel_Gentoo="9"

key_MYNETWORK="1d40-5335-a6b9-fa29-7c24-275a-80"

config_Gentoo=( "192.168.10.10/24 broadcast 192.168.10.255" )

preferred_aps_eth1=( "MYNETWORK" "default" "linksys" "ACTIONTEC" )

#associate_order_eth1="any"

associate_order_eth1="preferredonly"

```

The 'adhoc_essid_eth1', and 'config_Gentoo' lines set the interface in ad-hoc mode if there's not an AP handy and the last two lines I switch back and forth using "any" if I'm connecting to a public network not in my list (i.e. a public hotspot, and "preferredonly" the rest of the time. My preferred_aps_eth1 list contains the ESSIDs that I connect to most often.

I'm not using wpa_supplicant because I haven't needed to (yet). When I restart my interface Interface it does seem to find and connect to secured and unsecured networks equally well.

I've even got xbindkeys connecting the hardware switch to a script that starts/stops the interface based on the radio/module state. So when I turn the radio off, eth1 goes away, and when I turn it on it brings eth1 back up.

I have noticed that dhcpcd takes longer the first time it get an address from an AP. If it times out you can add-

```

dhcpcd_YOURESSID="-t <NUMBER>"

```

to your /etc/conf.d/wireless, where <NUMBER> is the time to wait for a lease...

Hope this helps,

Charlie  :Wink: 

----------

## tboloo

Hmmm. Still no luck ...

What's more when I try to execute 

```
 iwconfig eth1 power on 
```

I got error

```

Error for wireless request "Set Power Management" (8B2C) :

    SET failed on device eth1 ; Input/output error.

```

and in dmesg I can find

```

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.0.10

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

ipw2200: Radio Frequency Kill Switch is On:

ipw2200: Failed to send WEP_KEY: Command timed out.

ipw2200: Failed to send POWER_MODE: Command timed out.

```

I'm very ashamed ...

It's Murphy's law - each device works better when it's pluggged in.

In my case it means that I should press the small button in front of my laptop...

But I still can't connect to my AP :sadLast edited by tboloo on Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:14 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## unclecharlie

tboloo, 

Sounds like your hardware radio switch. (The wireless button on the laptop itself.) It turns the radio on/off.

do- iwconfig | grep eth1

If you see 'radio off' in the output, then hit the hardware switch and try again...

Charlie

----------

## tboloo

Thanks to your help I finally got this thing working ... but not fully.

To start my wifi connection i had to execute following commands

```

iwconfig eth1 mode ad-hoc

iwconfig eth1 ap xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

iwconfig eth1 enc 'my_hex_key'

dhcpcd eth1

```

And my wifi is working (ie. I can ping gentoo.org or any website) BUT when I try to emerge anything all gentoo servers are translated as 1.0.0.0 and therefore not connected. Same thing is with lynx (I'm currently working in console mode) -all addresses are translated as 1.0.0.0.

If anyone can halp me I'd be very grateful.

              EDIT :

Silly me , dhcpcd overrides /etc/resolv.conf by default. I should really RTFM ...

----------

## ribx

my ipw2200 is working for about 1.5 years now. at the moment i am using the 2.6.15 kernel modules (which is version 1.0. :Cool: . i noticed some speed problems, which was in combination with this error in dmesg:

```
ipw2200: Firmware error detected. restarting..
```

the workaround for this was to insert this:

```
option ipw2200 hwcrypto=0
```

into /etc/modules.d/ipw2200. maybe this helps you, too. (dont forget the to run modules-update after that)

and, the real reason for me to post a reply:

did you know of the "debug" parameter of the ipw driver?:

```
modprobe ipw2200 debug=$((255+0x1000))
```

i think i had this stuff, from /usr/share/doc/ipw2200*/ but i'm not sure, as i unemerged ipw2200.

from /usr/src/linux/Documentation/networking/README.ip2200:

 *Quote:*   

>  debug
> 
>         If using a debug build, this is used to control the amount of debug
> 
>         info is logged.  See the 'dvals' and 'load' script for more info on
> ...

 

----------

## ElGuido

I think this from http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net is relevant, still at work so can't test:

 *Quote:*   

>  Feb 21 2006  Changes in 1.0.13
> 
>     * Fix DHCP broken problem caused by is_multicast_ether_addr doesn't include broadcast ether address (thanks to Olivier Hochreu) 
> 
> 

 

K Rgds,

G

----------

## Sean Russell

 *ElGuido wrote:*   

> I think this from http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net is relevant, still at work so can't test:
> 
>  *Quote:*    Feb 21 2006  Changes in 1.0.13
> 
>     * Fix DHCP broken problem caused by is_multicast_ether_addr doesn't include broadcast ether address (thanks to Olivier Hochreu) 
> ...

 

Sweet.  That did it for me.

--- SER

----------

## quickshiftin

 *unclecharlie wrote:*   

> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm not so sure this is a driver issue. I'm running ipw2200 on WEP with no problems. I do have more than the NULL algorithm in my logs...
> 
> ```
> ...

 

first let me say ive been eagarly awaiting the release of the patch for ipw2200 to fix the wep issue.  i saw on the sourceforge bugzilla that a patch had been released and straight away have gone added everyting to the kernel as recommended (above) but there is still a problem on my system!

first off these additional things are not registering, i see only 'NULL'

here is a shot of dmesg to give you an idea

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'

ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.12

ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, git-1.0.8

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ACPI: PCI interrupt for device 0000:02:02.0 disabled

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, git-1.0.8

ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

PCI: Enabling bus mastering for device 0000:02:02.0

ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

e100: eth0: e100_watchdog: link up, 100Mbps, full-duplex

e100: eth0: e100_watchdog: link up, 100Mbps, full-duplex

does anyone have a clue what the unknown notification is about?  i have only tried this out on the ap at work.  i will try it at home tonight if i get the chance.  also i might try upgrading to the latest release of the 2.6.15 kernel.  does anyone know if r5 has a newer version of ipw2200 than r1 (what im using)?  oh, and before you ask, yes i have tried using the packages from portage, both  ipw2200-1.1.0  and ipw2200-1.0.13 to no avail

also here is a shot from /var/log/messages it has some more informative info

Feb 28 03:47:39 localhost ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, git-1.0.8

Feb 28 03:47:39 localhost ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2005 Intel Corporation

Feb 28 03:47:39 localhost ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11

Feb 28 03:47:39 localhost PCI: Enabling bus mastering for device 0000:02:02.0

Feb 28 03:47:39 localhost ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection

Feb 28 03:47:40 localhost rc-scripts: Trying to force preferred in case they are hidden

Feb 28 03:47:47 localhost rc-scripts: WARNING:  "net.eth1" has already been started.

Feb 28 03:47:51 localhost dhcpcd[12553]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

Feb 28 03:49:02 localhost ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

Feb 28 03:50:02 localhost dhcpcd[12594]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

this ipw2200 problem is going to be the death of me  :Evil or Very Mad: 

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

Are you using hwcrypto=0 in your /etc/modules.d/ipw2200 file?

Charlie

----------

## quickshiftin

i wasnt, but at your recommendation placed it in the file and there was no error as was a minute ago, however i still cannot get networking parameters:

Feb 28 04:14:11 localhost dhcpcd[10397]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

do you know how to check the version of a package that has been compiled into the kernel?  i think i may be using an old version of ipw2200 in the r1 version of 2.6.15

i will DEFINATELY try r5 tonight, but i cant waste any more time at work today

thanks for the help and ill let you know how things work out

EDIT:

i take that back, the problem persists

Feb 28 04:17:03 localhost ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

Feb 28 04:18:07 localhost ipw2200: Unknown notification: subtype=40,flags=0xa0,size=40

Feb 28 04:19:03 localhost dhcpcd[10420]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

ill try the upgrade.  im betting on it working  :Cool: 

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

I recently switched from the in-kernel driver (v1.0.8 ) to the newest gentoo ~x86 package. I posted about it here- topic 434402. Anyway, I did it because on the ipw2200 sourceforge page 1.1.0 is listed as stable while the others are not. Also, the latest bug fixes did show a dhcp fix. 

(one that may be directly applicable to your problem  :Wink:  )

So I'd definitely build a kernel without ipw2200 and work from the latest ~x86 gentoo packages for ipw2200 and ieee80211. I can say that even after one day I've noticed the difference. The 1.1.0 driver is far stabler. I was used to having to restart the driver a couple of times before I could get an IP address (but only with some access points, but always with those access points.) Now I can connect to those same access points first try without having to fiddle with it. I know I've gone back and forth about this now.  But I think I'll be using the ebuilds to ipw2200 for a while now. It's more of a pain to maintain, but being stuck with the in-kernel driver isn't acceptable unless the driver is stable. Waiting for a better driver (that already exists) to be mainstreamed kinda sucks...

Charlie

p.s. interesting also that the 1.1.0 driver now has hwcrypto=0 set as the default. Previously the default was hwcrypto=1

----------

## quickshiftin

charlie,

like i said earlier this morning the first thing i did was try the packages in portage.  that is the latest versions:

ipw2200-1.1.0

ieee80211-1.1.12

and it wasnt working.  thats why i took your advice from an earlier post and went with the in-menuconfig version.  i have already tried both (if you read through my former posts on this thread) and nothing has worked for me.  the reason i decided to give the in-menuconfig version another shot is because i think before (weeks ago when i was posting on this thread a lot) i overlooked some of the sub-components of the ieee80211 stack, namely

tkip

ccmp

now im not positive on this, but its been awhile so i thought it worth the attempt.  so that didnt work, and then i realized that the in-menuconfig version is old (as i alluded to this morning).  so i thought today that the one thing i still have not tried is the newest version of ipw2200 and ieee80211 while having all the proper components of the ieee80211 stack either running as modules or compiled into the kernel.

now i have emerged the latest versions again

ipw2200-1.1.0

ieee80211-1.1.12

and i have the iee80211 stack running as modules, in fact i placed the modules in /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6.  here is relavant lsmod after a fresh boot

localhost nathan # lsmod

Module                  Size  Used by

ieee80211_crypt_tkip     8704  0

ieee80211_crypt_ccmp     5696  0

ieee80211_crypt_wep     3712  0

ieee80211_crypt         4864  3 ieee80211_crypt_tkip,ieee80211_crypt_ccmp,ieee80211_crypt_wep

here are the commands i issue that i think should get me connected and pull network parameters from the ap

```

$modprobe ipw2200

$/etc/init.d/net.eth1 start
```

here is the output 

* Starting eth1

 *   Configuring wireless network for eth1

 *   Trying to force preferred in case they are hidden

 *     eth1 connected to "RLC-WLAN" at 00:40:96:5B:3B:52

 *     in managed mode (WEP enabled - open)

 *   Bringing up eth1

 *     dhcp

 *       Running dhcpcd ...                                                                                                                                   [ !! ]

and here is /var/log/messages afterward

Feb 28 10:14:58 localhost rc-scripts: Trying to force preferred in case they are hidden

Feb 28 10:15:08 localhost dhcpcd[6677]: timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response

in case you didnt read my earlier posts, i had established a connection, pulling network parameters was the issue; that is where i stand still.  here is output from 

$iwconfig eth1

eth1      IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"RLC-WLAN"  Nickname:"RLC-WLAN"

          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: 00:40:96:5B:3B:52

          Bit Rate=11 Mb/s   Tx-Power=20 dBm

          Retry limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

          Encryption key:004A-77CB-B3   Security mode:open

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality=65/100  Signal level=-60 dBm  Noise level=-84 dBm

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:340  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:13604   Missed beacon:0

i know the ipw2200 team at intel has released a patch since my initial problem, as ive kept a close eye on bugzilla.  i think the problem must be my fault now, but i dont know what it could be.  i might try playing around with the debugging info for ipw2200 if i get some time.

please let me know if you can think of anything

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

I'm not trying to drive you insane. I've done a 180 myself on the in-kernel vs. portage ipw2200/ieee80211 packages. This is because of the issues I described in my previous post. (DCHP timeouts and random firmware errors...) I will say that the new driver (1.1.0) does not seem to suffer these issues. I haven't had the firmware error detected, restarting error since the upgrade, and dhcpcd grabs an address much faster. 

From looking at your last post I do think you are having a WEP problem and not a dhcp problem.

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> $iwconfig eth1
> 
> eth1 IEEE 802.11b ESSID:"RLC-WLAN" Nickname:"RLC-WLAN"
> ...

 

Noting the Rx invalid crypt:340 and Tx Invalid misc:13604 above. I would definitely try a different way of specifying the key in /etc/conf.d/wireless. i.e.-

```

key_ESSID="open 1111-2222-3333-4444-5555-6666-77"

key_ESSID="1111-2222-3333-4444-5555-6666-77 enc open"

key_ESSID="1111-2222-3333-4444-5555-6666-77"

```

All of the above are equivalent. But sometimes one will work fine and another will not.

Also, in the course of messing with this whole thing I have learned a few things. Namely the gentoo packages require running a kernel without ieee80211 enabled. When switching from the in-kernel drivers to the packages there's a trick to getting it going. Basically I've done the following-

1. reconfigure the kernel without generic ieee80211/ipw2200 enabled.

2. Move the directory /lib/modules/2.6.15-gentoo-r1 to /lib/modules/2.6.15-gentoo-r1.old

3. Rebuild the kernel and modules and install both via-

```

/usr/src/linux# make bzImage

/usr/src/linux# make modules

/usr/src/linux# make modules_install

/usr/src/linux# mount /dev/hda2

/usr/src/linux# mv /boot/vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz.old

/usr/src/linux# cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz

```

(note- /dev/hda2 is my boot partition. Also, I have both vmlinuz and vmlinuz.old in my grub.conf so I can boot to the old kernel in a pinch.)

4. Do emerge ipw2200. It fails with the message to run the remove-old script.

5. Run the remove-old script as portage directs.

6. Again do emerge ipw2200. It should succeed this time.

7. Reboot to the new kernel and start the interface.

Here's what my /etc/conf.d/wireless file looks like if that helps-

```

#/etc/conf.d/wireless

key_HOME="0d40-5535-0a3b-7c28-a200-5d3c-ae"

preferred_aps_eth1=( "HOME" "linksys" "coffee" "default" "ACTIONTEC" )

associate_order_eth1="preferredonly"

```

I hope this helps some. I'm sorry if I'm repeating any of this from previous posts...

Charlie

----------

## quickshiftin

charlie, you are the man; thanks for helping out so much.  well nothing seems to work, but here is the thing EVERYONE else can connect to wep aps except me so i know the problem is on my end (plus the driver has been patched like a skillion times since i started this thread).

now i think i am getting to the bottom of this problem:

i dont think the passphrase i have is normal for lack of a better term.  the passphrase (again for lack of the correct term) is '5544332211'  if you count that is 10 digits.  supposedly we are using 64-bit encryption here but something doesnt add up, based on this chart from some forum

64bit = 5 characters

128bit = 13 characters

152bit = 16 characters

256bit = 29 characters

i have used a couple of passphrase to hex converters, but none of them have worked, most likely because this is a 10 digit string not one of the {5, 13, 16, 29}  that would make a correct hex length; also i read the algorithms vary from vendor to vendor.  the network guy at the office just used a simple hex conversion utility to convert the number (from decimal) to hex where the result is

4A77CBB3

that would work assuming the number could be interperated as decimal and not ascii, right?

i threw 2 0's in front of it for my /etc/conf.d/wireless configuration; and i have tried all the combinations of the string / enc / open as you suggested.  you are right about the iwconfig output.  this from $man iwconfig

 *Quote:*   

> Rx invalid crypt
> 
>               Number of packets that the hardware was unable to decrypt. This can be used to detect invalid encryption settings.
> 
> 

 

so i think the issue is what kind of phrase is this after all?  a passphrase, a 64 bit key, or some strange thing altogether.  what i plan to try is configuring my home router with a hex key instead of a passphrase.  if i can connect to that i will know the issue is with the router configuration here at the office.

let me know what you think if you get the chance (p.s. i will check the details of the connection parameters when using windows.  maybe that will help as well)

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

If you're 'network guy' cannot provide you with the HEX version of the WEP key, then he's not worth his salary. I personally haven't had much luck with the passphrase keys unless I'm connecting a linux box to another linux box in ad-hoc mode. There is too much variation in how passphrases are converted to WEP keys from vendor to vendor... On most embedded wireless APs, the access point will show you the HEX key that was generated from the passphrase. How this is done is different from AP to AP. But it's generally pretty simple. IF you know what kind of access point you're using I could probably tell you how to tell your network guy how to get you the hex key.   :Wink: 

Another option- From a windows XP box that is successfully connected to the AP run the program wzcook. To recover the WEP key from windows. (wzcook is part of the aircrack package.) After I post this I'm gonna reboot into windows and try this to see how it works. I'll post back with results/directions in a bit...

hope this helps,

Charlie

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

By jove I think I've got it! 

The wzcook program successfully dumps all of the WEP keys on my XP box in HEX format.

Here's what to do-

1. Download aircrack onto your linux box from here-http://freshmeat.net/projects/aircrack/

2. untar it and copy the entire win32 directory onto floppy/CD/flashdrive.

3. Take that floppy/CD/flashdrive to a WinXP box that is connected to your AP. In the win32 directory run wzcook. It should open a window and show you the SSID/WEP keys set up on that box. Also it writes the keys found to c:\wepkeys.txt. Either write down the WEP key or copy the wepkeys.txt file to your floppy/flashdrive and take that back to the linux box and set it up in /etc/conf.d/wireless.

The above is probably the quickest way to get the HEX wep key by yourself. (without having to rely on your network admin...)

hope this helps,

Charlie

p.s.- If this works, smack your 'network guy' (or better still offer to SELL him the hex key so he's got it for the next person who need it)   :Laughing: 

----------

## quickshiftin

The problem is solved.

Charlie, I used the program you recommended and to my confusion i found the hex string to be 

55443322110000000000000000000000000

(note arbitrary number of 0's here)

i booted back into linux and reverted to this sequence of characters.  in summary here is my /etc/conf.d/wireless

```
key_RLC_WLAN="5544-3322-11 enc open"

preferred_aps=("RLC-WLAN")

associate_order="forcepreferred"

config_RLC_WLAN=("dhcp -oS")
```

i want to state that although it is vague at this point, there was a driver issue when i first posted this thread, because this is the configuration i was using to start out with.  i moved to hex representations (which i thought were the correct ones) when this wasnt working.

i also realize this solution could have been solved more quickly if i had revealed our networks key earlier.  it is unclear to me which revision of the ipw2200 driver fixed the bug, and i may test older versions as an fyi for other users in the future.

all that said i would like to thank everyone in the community for helping me solve this problem.  that includes all posters on this thread and both the gentoo and intel debugging groups as well; and especially Charlie.

this is the longest running problem i have ever had with linux and now it is solved!  the original post date of this thread was January 10; and here we are March 16 over 2 months later.

you may have seen my presence on the forums weaken, becuase i was using windows to get by, but that is the power of a dual boot system.  now i have upgraded to 1.5 gb of ram on this system and since i have vmware 5 running a native installation of windows it is lightning fast.

the wireless card was the last critical piece of hardware i needed to get functioning 100% and now that it is done i will never have to boot windows again!

----------

## unclecharlie

quickshiftin,

Glad it finally works!

But part of me is bummed. I was hoping I'd get enough posts off this thread to be a GURU.   :Laughing: 

Charlie

----------

## marcme

Great work!

I also had this problem. If I put the WEP as string into /etc/conf.d/net , it was impossible to get an ip address via dhcp or to connect via static ip.

With WEP as HEX it works fine!   :Razz: 

Thanks a lot!!!

----------

## m.vandenheuvel

I use wpa_supplicant with ipw2100 drivers, with the same problem. I fixed it with removing ivman from rc-update. I think ivman tries to load the firmware and asks for an IP while booting the net.ethX service. With kde-3.5 automounting still works ok, so it seems that the problem is fixed here...

----------

## m.vandenheuvel

Correction: It now works more often to get an IP, but not always!

----------

## quickshiftin

charlie:

this is funny; i was excited about the number of posts on this thread as well.

m.vandenheuvel

i have an apple laptop now; but once i got things going on the ibm i still noticed sparatic operation as well.  my resolution:

blame intel  :Laughing: 

----------

