# iwconfig question

## runt

Ok, I have an iBook Graphite 466 with an Airport card.  Have the drivers loaded and everything.  Emerged wireless-tools, but everytime I try to connect to the WiFi network at my college I get an error.  I think the problem is the password we have to use 

```
<username/password>
```

 my username being mcsh0001 and my password is a 6 digit password (not going to give it to you).  I have tried 

```
iwconfig eth1 essid "HuskyNet Wireless" key s:"<mcsh0001/password>"
```

 and it will not work.  Does anyone have any clue what I'm doing wrong?

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## runt

Anyone?  I would really like to use Linux for WiFi instead of Mac OS X.

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## ShadyMilkman

I have never heard of username/password authentication over wifi, only password verification for WEP. And at that, I have only done it via wlanctl-ng. Maybe you should look into that. I've seen it used something like this:

```

> wlanctl-ng wlan0  lnxreq_ifstate ifstate=enable

> wlanctl-ng wlan0 dot11req_mibset mibattribute=dot11WEPDefaultKeyID=0

> wlanctl-ng wlan0 dot11req_mibset mibattribute=dot11ExcludeUnencrypted=true

> wlanctl-ng wlan0 dot11req_mibset mibattribute=dot11PrivacyInvoked=true

> wlanctl-ng wlan0 dot11req_mibset mibattribute=dot11WEPDefaultKey0=XXXXXXXXX

```

Try looking into that.

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## runt

 *ShadyMilkman wrote:*   

> I have never heard of username/password authentication over wifi, only password verification for WEP. And at that, I have only done it via wlanctl-ng. Maybe you should look into that. I've seen it used something like this:
> 
> ```
> 
> > wlanctl-ng wlan0  lnxreq_ifstate ifstate=enable
> ...

 

The <username/password> part is actually the password.  Just our usename for or email account on campus and our password for our email account made into one phrase.

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## Seppel

It would be nice, if you had provided the error messages (if any). Anyway I got a Netgear MA 101 successfully running with the ATMEL Driver. I dont know which driver you use, but note that if you're using the linux-wlan-ng driver, you can't use the iwtools - you have to edit some config files. And also note that you maybe have to specify the channel your network uses when running iwconfig. 

Additionally I never heart of Login/Password authentication - only via WEP keys.

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## xpunkrockryanx

it sounds like your schools wlan is wanting you to establish a vpn connection to their server in order to have network access. try configuring the wlan without any wep key, and contact the computer department to get the vpn protocol and server ip address to connect to. then you can get a vpn client. hope this helps...

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## runt

Actually, I don't think we do a VPN connection.  The SSID of the network is "HuskyNet Wireless" and the password (no wep key, just a password) is in the form of "<username/password>".  They do use Cisco WAPs though, so it may be doing VPN of some sort we just aren't told about it.

And I can't ask anyone on campus for help since Linux is not a "supported" OS.  They support Windows 95 and above and Mac OS 8.x and above.

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## xpunkrockryanx

ask them some non os-specific questions like, is there some sort of authentication going on? what protocol does the authentication use? is it a tunneling protocol?

also, i was under the impression that SSID's were not allowed to have any spaces in them. it may be that there is some other SSID, and that the "HuskyNet Wireless" is just a descriptor field. you might check on a windows client to see what SSID is found.

is there no documentation on the school website as to how the network is set up, what protocols and specifications are in use? i'd look for some.

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## runt

 *xpunkrockryanx wrote:*   

> ask them some non os-specific questions like, is there some sort of authentication going on? what protocol does the authentication use? is it a tunneling protocol?
> 
> also, i was under the impression that SSID's were not allowed to have any spaces in them. it may be that there is some other SSID, and that the "HuskyNet Wireless" is just a descriptor field. you might check on a windows client to see what SSID is found.
> 
> is there no documentation on the school website as to how the network is set up, what protocols and specifications are in use? i'd look for some.

 

There is no documentation whatsoever.  They don't want us to know in the off chance we would get around some of the shit they have on the network (packet shaper comes to mind).  Also, I don't have a Windows Client To check the SSID on, I have Mac OS X on my iBook so I could use that if someone knows how to.

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## runt

I will get the exact error message for you when I am actually in the library on campus and at a computer I can post from while trying to debug the wireless on my iBook.  I think its due to the space in the network name though.  So I am going to attempt to use "HuskyNet%20Wireless" and see if it will work.

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