question about closed networks

[Michael Blakeley <mike+gnome blakeley com>]

I apologize if this is a FAQ, but I haven't been able to find much
information about how NetworkManager works with closed networks (ie,
wifi networks which do not broadcast their essid). My office runs one of
these, but I use lots of open networks, too.

I have two questions:

* My nm-applet doesn't seem to use the hex key, or try to unlock my
gnome-keyring, on the first connection attempt to a closed network (see
below). Is this intended behavior? Is it a known problem?

* How can I streamline access to a closed network? I don't want to
supply the wep key every time: if I have to do that, I might as well go
back to waproamd and bash aliases. I'd like "myclosedwifi" to appear as
an option in nm-applet, whether it appears in the scan or not: it'd be
up to me to know if it's really available or not. Possibly there should
be a visual indicator of "known closed networks", or a separate sublist
from the "visible wireless networks" list.

If I'm doing everything correctly, but NetworkManager doesn't presently
have any benefits for closed WEP networks, is this something that's
contemplated for future releases?

Here's my config:

$ uname -a
Linux myhostname 2.6.12-9-686 #1 Mon Oct 10 13:25:32 BST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux
$ apt-show-versions network-manager
network-manager/unknown uptodate 0.4.1+cvs20050817-0ubuntu4

Note that I'm running KDE rather than Gnome. However, I used a technique
from http://bugzilla.ubuntu.com/show_bug.cgi?id=17463 to ensure that
gnome-keyring-daemon is available, and that the correct variables are in
my environment.

$ pidof gnome-keyring-daemon
9857
$ set | grep GNOME
GNOME_KEYRING_PID=9857
GNOME_KEYRING_SOCKET=/tmp/keyring-crajyG/socket

I can run gnome-keyring-manager from my KDE session, and it behaves
normally, and seems to have stored the closed network's WEP key correctly.

Note also that I'm using ndiswrapper (ndiswrapper-utils 1.1-4ubuntu2,
module from the ubuntu kernel package).

$ apt-show-versions linux-image-2.6.12-9-686
linux-image-2.6.12-9-686/unknown uptodate 2.6.12-9.23
$ apt-show-versions ndiswrapper-utils
ndiswrapper-utils/unknown uptodate 1.1-4ubuntu2

Here's what I did to test my closed network, from a cold boot:

$ uname -a
Linux myhostname 2.6.12-9-686 #1 Mon Oct 10 13:25:32 BST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux
$ apt-show-versions network-manager
network-manager/unknown uptodate 0.4.1+cvs20050817-0ubuntu4
$ sudo kill `pidof NetworkManager` `pidof NetworkManagerDispatcher`
`pidof named`; ps waux | grep Netw
$ sudo /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon

$ sudo /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon
NetworkManager: <information>   starting...
NetworkManager: <information>   eth0: Driver support level for 'tg3' is
fully-supported
NetworkManager: <information>   nm_device_new(): waiting for device's
worker thread to start
NetworkManager: <information>   nm_device_new(): device's worker thread
started, continuing.
NetworkManager: <information>   Now managing wired device 'eth0'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Deactivating device eth0.

[ started nm-applet]

NetworkManager: <information>   wlan0: Driver support level for
'ndiswrapper' is fully-supported
NetworkManager: <information>   nm_device_new(): waiting for device's
worker thread to start
NetworkManager: <information>   nm_device_new(): device's worker thread
started, continuing.
NetworkManager: <information>   Now managing wireless device 'wlan0'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Deactivating device wlan0.
NetworkManager: <information>   named started with pid 10453
NetworkManager: <information>   Updating allowed wireless network lists.

[ asked to connect to "other wireless network": essid "myclosedwifi",
also supplied hex wep key ]

NetworkManager: <information>   FORCE: device
'/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/wlan0', network 'myclosedwifi'
NetworkManager: <information>   Deactivating device wlan0.
NetworkManager: <debug info>    [1129310300.925168]  (): Forcing AP
'myclosedwifi'
NetworkManager: <information>   Activated the DHCP daemon /sbin/dhcdbd
with PID 10884.
NetworkManager: <information>   Device wlan0 activation scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) complete.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) starting...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless) Stage 1
(Device Configure) will connect to access point 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless): access
point 'myclosedwifi' is encrypted, but NO valid key exists.  New key needed.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) New wireless user key
requested for network 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) complete.

[ long wait: nm-applet reports "waiting for network key for the wireless
network "myclosedwifi" ]
[ after about 5 minutes, I give up and try again: same essid and wep key ]

NetworkManager: <information>   FORCE: device
'/org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/wlan0', network 'myclosedwifi'
NetworkManager: <information>   Deactivating device wlan0.
NetworkManager: <debug info>    [1129310460.336627]  (): Activation
(wlan0/wireless): cancelling...
NetworkManager: <debug info>    [1129310460.336832]  (): Activation
(wlan0/wireless): cancelled.
NetworkManager: <information>   failed to bring up device wlan0
NetworkManager: <debug info>    [1129310462.355621]  (): Forcing AP
'myclosedwifi'
NetworkManager: <information>   Device wlan0 activation scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) complete.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) starting...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless) Stage 1
(Device Configure) will connect to access point 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless): access
point 'myclosedwifi' is encrypted, but NO valid key exists.  New key needed.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) New wireless user key
requested for network 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) complete.

[ at this point, I'm finally asked to unlock my gnome-keyring: I do so ]

NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) New wireless user key
for network 'myclosedwifi' received.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 1 (Device
Prepare) complete.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) starting...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless) Stage 1
(Device Configure) will connect to access point 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless): access
point 'myclosedwifi' is encrypted, and a key exists.  No new key needed.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless): using essid
'myclosedwifi', with Open System authentication.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0/wireless) Stage 2
(Device Configure) successful.  Connected to access point 'myclosedwifi'.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 3 (IP Configure
Start) scheduled.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 2 (Device
Configure) complete.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 3 (IP Configure
Start) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Beginning DHCP
transaction.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 3 (IP Configure
Start) complete.
NetworkManager: <information>   DHCP daemon state now 12 for interface wlan0
NetworkManager: <information>   DHCP daemon state now 1 for interface wlan0
NetworkManager: <information>   DHCP daemon state now 2 for interface wlan0
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 4 (IP Configure
Get) scheduled...
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 4 (IP Configure
Get) started...
NetworkManager: <information>   Retrieved the following IP4
configuration from the DHCP daemon:

[ local IP details omitted ]

NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) successful, device
activated.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Finish handler scheduled.
NetworkManager: <information>   Activation (wlan0) Stage 5 (IP Configure
Commit) complete.
NetworkManager: <debug info>    [1129310479.529453]  ():
NetworkManagerInfo triggered update of wireless network 'myclosedwifi'

Everything seems fine from there. But as described above, this isn't
very useful, because I have to try to connect twice, and I have to enter
the key each time.

thanks,
-- Mike