Re: wpa_supplicant cli works, but NM insists "wireless is disabled"

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Tue, 2008-09-30 at 12:22 -0400, Andrew wrote:
> >On Tue, 2008-09-30 at 06:30 -0400, Andrew wrote:
> >> >On Mon, 2008-09-29 at 18:44 -0400, Andrew wrote:
> >> >> >>On Sun, 2008-09-28 at 19:21 -0400, Andrew wrote:
> >> >> >>> Hello, 
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> I have appealed to the Fedora Forum, but no one seems to have a clue 
> >
> >> >> >there.
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> Here is the thread:
> >> >> >>> http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=199562
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> (A quick synopsis of the thread:
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> I've activated/deactivated everything i could think of, related to 
> >> >> >>NetworkManager; yet, everything wireless is grayed out in the applet.
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> But wpa_supplicant (cli) works! 
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> Additional info (beyond above thread):
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> I compiled the latest NetworkManager svn; still same grayed out 
> >> >behavior.
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> )
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> I tried looking in the source and tracing the calls to and from  
> >> >> >>nm_client_wireless_get_enabled (if that's even a function) but, 
> >ignorant 
> >> >of 
> >> >> >C, 
> >> >> >>didn't get far.
> >> >> >>> 
> >> >> >>> Please help!
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>Does NM think wireless is disabled because a HAL killswitch is 
> >reporting
> >> >> >
> >> >> >Don't know enough about HAL to answer the above.  (Where would i look?)
> >> >> >
> >> >> >>that it's off?  Could you post some logs from /var/log/messages from
> >> >> >>when NM starts up?  
> >> >> >
> >> >> >please see attachment.  (i've X'ed out some addresses (xxxx:xxxx:....)
> >> >> 
> >> >> 
> >> >> ooops.  The list strips attachment.  Here is a web link to the same 
> >> >/var/log/messages chunk:
> >> >> 
> >> >>      http://www.flight.us/bugs/var_messages_nm_chunk.txt
> >> >
> >> >What's the output of:
> >> >
> >> >dellWirelessCtl
> >> 
> >> Here it is: http://www.flight.us/bugs/dellWirelessCtl.txt
> >> 
> >> OK, it appears that the "problem"(?) /does/ originate in the BIOS (I did 
> >present this hypothesis at the Fedora forum, but no one took that path, which 
> >now seems correct)
> >
> >Yeah, if dellWirelessCtl says the WLAN is disabled, then that's what the
> >BIOS thinks.  The best thing I think you could do is file a bug against
> >'libsmbios' package in Fedora bugzilla and the Dell guys will try to
> >help you debug.
> 
> Yes, of course, my **internal** wifi card /is/ disabled in the BIOS!
> (You may not have read my FedoraForum thread)
> 
> dellWirelessCtl is reporting correctly regarding the internal card (only).
> 
> But why should this concern the external, removable cards??

Because you've flipped the "kill my wireless" button.  If you didn't
want to kill your wireless, don't flip the button.  It's a decision to
treat any killswitch as killing all wireless devices of the same class.
I don't believe it's useful to have individual killswitches apply to
individual devices of the same class.

Dan

> Why should NetworkManager get info from the BIOS regarding the *internal* device, and, based on that, disable Wifi globally, for ALL the cards, including the removable ones, which are configured and working perfectly (with wpa_supplicant)
> 
> (the goal here is to use my external, removable Atheros card, and keep the built-in card disabled in the BIOS)
> 
> This looks like an algorithmic oversight in the NM's code. Also, I would think, an easy fix (if only i knew C!)
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> andrew
> 
> 
> >Dan
> >
> >> For a quick & dirty fix: any way to force the disabled/enabled switch in the 
> >NM source?  Again, i tried to find this in the source and failed.  Where is 
> >it?
> >> 
> >> I wonder if this can be considered a bug or glitch -- my situation 
> >apparently presents a need for NM to be more user-configurable here.
> >> 
> >> Thanks.
> >> 
> >> >HAL found a killswitch and NM is honoring the setting of that killswitch
> >> >apparently.
> >> >
> >> >Dan
> >> >
> >> >> 
> >> >> 
> >> >> >NM keeps saying "wlan1: link is not ready"
> >> >> >
> >> >> >Yet, I can do "iwconfig" and "iwlist" with NO problem whatsoever, with 
> >good 
> >> >
> >> >> >results.  Plus, as i said earlier (this seems VERY significant), i can 
> >> >connect 
> >> >> >with wpa_supplicant no prob (all the while NM is saying "wireless is 
> >> >> >disabled"!)
> >> >> >
> >> >> >>It could also be that you've disabled the device in
> >> >> >>system-config-network, in which case the menu will say the device is
> >> >> >>"unmanaged".
> >> >> >
> >> >> >I have played with system-config-network every which way, before. 
> >"wlan1" 
> >> >(and 
> >> >> >"wlan0") are both assigned to NM, ("Controlled by NM" is checked). 
> >(wlan0 
> >> >> >versus wlan1 is created depending on which atheros card i insert -- i 
> >have 
> >> >two 
> >> >> >at my disposal)
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>dan
> >