# [bug] Intel 4965: Not using wpa_supplicant as configured

## Joseph K.

Edit: Discovered that this is due to bug #321663.

My new laptop has the Intel 4965:

```
0c:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 4965 AG or AGN [Kedron] Network Connection (rev 61)

```

The driver is configured as a module and compatibility with wireless extensions is disabled:

```
CONFIG_CFG80211=y

CONFIG_CFG80211_DEFAULT_PS=y

# CONFIG_CFG80211_WEXT is not set

# CONFIG_LIB80211 is not set

CONFIG_MAC80211=y

CONFIG_MAC80211_HAS_RC=y

CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_MINSTREL=y

CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_MINSTREL_HT=y

CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_MINSTREL=y

CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT="minstrel_ht"

CONFIG_MAC80211_LEDS=y

CONFIG_IWLWIFI=m

CONFIG_IWLAGN=m

CONFIG_IWL4965=y

```

The interface appears as wlan0:

```
wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1d:e0:49:87:f1  

          inet addr:192.168.0.107  Bcast:192.168.0.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

          inet6 addr: fe80::21d:e0ff:fe49:87f1/64 Scope:Link

          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1

          RX packets:926 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

          TX packets:999 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 

          RX bytes:370281 (361.6 KiB)  TX bytes:127649 (124.6 KiB)

```

And of course wireless extensions are not found:

```
wlan0     no wireless extensions.
```

Now the problem is that even though my /etc/conf.d/net file is like this:

```
modules=( "wpa_supplicant" )

config_wlan0=( "dhcp" )

wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dnl80211"
```

the net.wlan0 script does not load wpa_supplicant:

```
karaganda init.d # /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 start

 * Starting wlan0

 *   Bringing up wlan0

 *     dhcp

 *       Running dhcpcd ...

dhcpcd[19619]: version 5.2.10 starting

dhcpcd[19619]: wlan0: waiting for carrier
```

Yet it connects fine if I run wpa_supplicant and dhcpcd manually.  I'm puzzled!  Why is it not starting wpa_supplicant?  I feel like I have missed something stupid, but I have checked and rechecked.  Help, please.  Thanks.Last edited by Joseph K. on Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## The Doctor

I noticed that you did not post you wpa_supplicant.conf.

Did you possibly forget to write one? everything else looks very similar to working laptop config.

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## Joseph K.

Right, yeah, wpa_supplicant.conf is there and works fine, because if I run wpa_supplicant manually from the command line it automatically connects to my home network like usual.

So out of curiosity, I tried enabling the wireless-extensions compatibility in the kernel and that makes the init script work: it loads wpa_supplicant automatically.  So my question is: can I make it work without enabling WEXT compatibility?  Or does that require baselayout-2?

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## toralf

 *Joseph K. wrote:*   

> The driver is configured as a module and compatibility with wireless extensions is disabled:

  Why ?

At my ThinkPad with current kernel and userspace tools I still need that. One reason is that hald needs it, and hald its needed by user space apps (like iwlist from net-wireless/wireless-tools-29 and others) to enable the wireless network card at my Thinkpad T400 with Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 5100 )

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## Joseph K.

Why?  Because I would rather not enable any extra features or code that I don't have to.  I would rather help test and build the modern tools than rely on backward compatibility with the old ones.

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