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  • From: "David Brown" <dmlb2000 AT gmail.com>
  • To: sm-discuss AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [SM-Discuss] wireless-bash scripts
  • Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 18:32:32 -0700

Good stuff thanks!

fyi I've found wpa_supplicant is a very good wifi roaming program. It's
intended purpose is as the suplicant end of various WPA implementations,
but it also supports run-of-the-mill WEP, and unencrypted connections.

yeah I've tried wpa but the documentation doesn't get installed and
some of the options are obsolete (WIP file in devel wpa_supplicant).
I wanted something that always worked and could easily use other tools
(wireless-tools net-tools etc). Also most other wireless connection
managers connect to any old open network if it can't find what's
specified in a config file, which is not what I wanted. Also
wpa_supplicant has it's own drivers for specific cards, which I don't
understand why that's needed, wireless-tools and net-tools should be
all that's needed, but maybe that's just me.

The configuration syntax is easy as can be. Each network block has
an ESSID, and several optional configuration options that change how the
card works. So:

network={
ssid='screwOff'
scan_ssid=1
proto=WPA
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
pairwise=TKIP
psk='notmyrealpassword'
}

is my office definition. With more than one network, the wpa_supplicant
daemon just scans around for an essid that matches one of the configured
netblocks, re-configures the card on the fly, and you're all set. So in
practice, I sleep my laptop at home, go to the office, wake it up, and
wpa_supplicant recognizes that the home network is gone, and the work
network is there, and reconfigures everything.

so does wpa_supplicant run some sort of daemon? I don't see an
initscript for the spell at all...

- David Brown




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