[xubuntu-users] configuring a wifi manually 9.04

[David Duckslammer]

I am running jaunty from a supposedly persistent thumbdrive install,
as specified here:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-xubuntu-904-persistent-install-windows/#more-1564
- is anyone familiar with this?  It's not persistent, files are not
saved on reboot.

It also comes without the gui applet for network configuration, so I
am having to configure my wifi by hand.  Since wifi is the only way I
can connect to the net, I am not able to apt-get the applet.  It has
to be done manually from the command, and it has to be done each time
the system is rebooted.

The wifi adapter is an atheros AR5007.

Using various resources and man pages, what I figured out to do is this:

(1) edit /etc/network.interfaces to be as follows:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
  wireless-essid mynetwork
  pre-up wpa-supplicant -B -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

(2) create /etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf as follows

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=root
network={
  ssid="mynetwork"
  key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
  psk="mypassword"
}

(3) then I run /etc/init.d/networking restart

(actually I run wpa_supplicant in debug and this is what it says on the screen:

wmaster0: unknown hardware address type 801
wmaster0: unknown hardware address type 801
Listening on LPF/wlan0/mac-address
Sending on LPF/wlan0/mac-address
Sending on Socket/fallback
wpa_supplicant v0.6.6
 (copyright stuff)
wmaster0: unknown hardware address type 801
wmaster0: unknown hardware address type 801
Listening on LPF/wlan0/mac-address
Sending on LPF/wlan0/mac-address
Sending on Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval (some number)

this last line repeats indefinately with a different interval each time

when I run wpa_cli it says it can't connect to wpa_supplicant - and
when I look, there is no file /var/run/wpa-supplicant

Am I leaving something out?  iwconfig apparently shows sane values for the card.

What other info can I provide?  (hopefully not too much as I have to
write it all down on notebook paper).

The card does work.  I am using it under windoze to be able to send
this message.

I am not explicitly specifying the -D madwifi option to wpa_supplicant
- should I be?

David Duckslammer
in Oklahoma City