[TAG] LG 127 Wifi

[jeff@jeffroot.us]

Ben;

  > "Okopnik", please. :)

  Sorry; I'm usually pretty careful with names -- I guess my finger
  drifted over one key.

  So this is exactly the sort of info I'm looking for: where do I look
  to see what's going on?  I just checked /var/log/daemon.log and
  found a set of "No DHCPOFFERS recieved".

  So, I guess the way to approach this is to walk up the stack.  Let's
  go through what works, which should limit the parameters we need to
  vary.

  First, the hardware.  I'm using a Microsoft MN-520 pcmcia card on a
  Dell C600, running Debian Sarge with the 2.4.27 kernel.  (I tried
  switching to the 2.6 kernel but that's still an ongoing debug for
  me.)  I chose the MN-520 based on the hardware compatibility
  matrix.

  I ended up using the HostAP driver; mostly because the 2.4
  orinoco_cs driver didin't support wireless extentions, and because I
  like keeping a plain Sarge install if at all possible.  Recompiling
  a Debian kernel with patches is pretty straightforward, but I prefer
  apt-get to make.

  I know the driver is working, because I get reasonable output from
  iwconfig and ifconfig.  I can set my work config and all is well.
  I've used this setup with other closed Wifi networks as well.  As
  long as I can set the ESSID and WEP key, I don't seem to have
  problems.  (And I was using the "netscheme" system for setting up
  multiple configs, but killed that to eliminate one layer.)

  I stripped my /etc/network/interfaces pretty much down to your
  minimum version:

    iface wlan0 inet dhcp
	wireless-mode managed

  From here, I can run Kismet and see the "OldTownWifi" network, but
  I'm not that sure I understand what Kismet is telling me.  Some
  networks list an "IP range", but most don't.

  So, I run "iwconfig wlan0 essid OldTownWifi", and I now have wlan0
  in both iwconfig and ifconfig.  But, understandably, the ifconfig
  stanza is not showing an IP address for the interface.

  I made a few stabs at dhclient, and see nothing but the
  aforementioned "No DHCPOFFERS" messages.

  Not having a working net connection meant that I could not google
  for more help; so I went back home to my PPP link.

  I _did_ see the 'pump' references and installed it, but since there
  are no (intentionally) open AP's within range I could not test it.

  The best I could do was to use my Netgear MR814v2 router as a dummy
  network.  I hooked it into my Dell's ethernet port and set it as an
  open AP.  Setting the 'interfaces' stanza to:

   iface wlan0 inet dhcp
	wireless-essid any
	wireless-mode managed

  seems to work magic.  Now when I push the card into its slot, the
  frelling thing just pops up with an IP and essid set!

  > I never have to set the ESSID

  Really?  I assumed the essid was necessary before you could talk to
  the AP; does pump configure this for you?  And since Kismet is
  showing me several apparently open AP's; how would you know which
  one you're on?  (I seem to recall something about ghost AP's at
  coffee shops being a security risk; is this what happens?  You
  connect to something without knowing what you're really connecting
  to?)

  I saw the essid set with my dummy configuration, but I tried not to
  draw too many conclusions from that setup.  BTW, both pump and
  dchpclient3 seem to work fine for this lashup.

  So, where next?  I figure on trying again with pump installed and
  using the above config.  But what to check?  tail -f
  /var/log/daemon.log?  Anything else worth monitoring while I
  experiment?

  (I'm not sure I'll get back downtown until Monday.  This debug may
  proceed in burst mode.  Unless it just works with pump...)

  Thanks to all the Gang.

  Jeff Root
  jeff at jeffroot.us

  ps -- I'm really trying to get this working in time for the World
  Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim; if it's still not working,
  and if Denis and/or Heather is going to be there, perhaps they'd
  find a half-hour to look my problem over in person?