CentOS and wireless, oh my

[mark]

Johan Booysen wrote:
> What chipset does you wireless card have?
<snip>
It's got an Atheros set. The original install *seems* to have put in the ath5k 
driver... but no ath5k_pci.

Anyway, here's the deal:
   1) configure /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=root

network={
         ssid="linksys_SES_56398"
         key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
         psk="<your passphrase"
}

Then, configure /etc/sysconfig/wpa_supplicant:
# Use the flag "-i" before each of your interfaces, like so:
#  INTERFACES="-i eth1 -i wlan0"
INTERFACES="-i wlan0"

# Use the flag "-D" before each driver, like so:
#  DRIVERS="-D wext"
# DRIVERS="-D madwifi"
DRIVERS="-D wext"

# Other arguments
#   -u   Enable the D-Bus interface (required for use with NetworkManager)
#   -f   Log to /var/log/wpa_supplicant.log
OTHER_ARGS="-u -f /var/log/wpa_supplicant.log"

Notice that in spite of it being atheros, I used the default wext driver (I 
never got the madwiki installed, anyway).

Then configure /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-wlan0
# Atheros Communications Inc. AR2413 802.11bg NIC
DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes
HWADDR=<MAC address>
TYPE=Ethernet
USERCTL=no
IPV6INIT=no
PEERDNS=yes
# SECURITYMODE=restricted
ESSID=<router's SSID>

Note that it gagged as long as I had SECURITYMODE set, which is why it's 
commented out.

Make sure NetworkManager's not running.

*Now*, start the daemon
wpa_supplicant -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf -Bw

I think I need to modify /etc/init.d/wpa_supplicant, to add -w, so that it 
waits for you to bring up wireless with ifup wlan0

Do iwlist wlan0 scan. Among the info it tells you is what version of WPA, and 
the encryption type. Then I ran wpa_gui, and set the encryption (and I have yet 
to find out where *that* is written to), but the default is CCIT, I think, and 
if, as my network is, TKIP, you need to change that.

And make sure that you've typed the passphrase correctly... <g>

And *finally*, I restarted wlan... and it got an IP.

	mark
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