Re: [gentoo] NetworkManager and conf.d files

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Wed, 2006-12-06 at 08:26 +0100, Frederic Detienne wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have been running NetworkManager and wpa_supplicant quite successfully
> for a while now. I am experiencing fine tuning issues which I think are
> relevant to this mailing list.
> 
> I have the gentopia overlay installed and run NM 0.6.4-r1:
> 
> * net-misc/networkmanager
>      Available versions:  [M]0.6.4_pre20061028 [M]0.6.4_pre20061028-r1
> [M]0.6.4[1]  [M]0.6.4-r1[1]
>      Installed:           0.6.4-r1
>      Homepage:            http://people.redhat.com/dcbw/NetworkManager/
>      Description:         Network configuration and management in an
> easy way. Desktop env independent
> 
> 
> There are actually two issues linked to the configuration
> of /etc/conf.d/net or /etc/conf.d/wireless. My understanding is that
> since NetworkManager and dhcdbd will take care of the wireless part of
> the configuration (association and authentication), /etc/conf.d/wireless
> is mostly useless and can be disabled through a setting in conf.d/net:
> 
> modules=( "!iwconfig" "!wpa_supplicant" )
> 
> 
> Problem 1 -- Bringing the wireless interface fully up (ipw2200)
> ---------
> 
> if, for some reason, the wireless interface is shut down then brought
> back up, the interface radio is not brought up (radio off,
> Tx-Power=off). The only way I found to bring the radio back up is to
> issue a manual command:
> 
> iwconfig eth1 txpower auto
> 
> Notice that when the computer reboots, the interface radio is up.
> 
> Also notice that as long as the radio is off, no scanning is possible
> (iwlist eth1 scan returns nothing).
> 
> I found a conf.d/net related parameter that should help:
> 
> iwconfig_eth1="txpower auto"
> 
> but this command never seems executed while bringing eth1 up through
> "/etc/init.d/net.eth1 start" or while starting NetworkManager.
> 
> Odd. This may be a pure gentoo issue but since NetworkManager has such
> strong interactions with the net config, I thought I'd mention it here.

Smells like a driver issue?  What kernel version, what version of the
ipw2200 driver, and what version of the ieee80211 stack?  I've got an
ipw2200 on my Thinkpad and I have _never_ had to do anything with
txpower.  I'm using 2.6.18.

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.1.2kmprq
ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.13

> I also believe this issue accounts for a number of scanning related
> issues I have seen while googling for my problems.

I also haven't had problems scanning... can you provide a few more
details?

Dan

> Problem 2 -- null vs. dhcp
> ---------
> 
> I would like NetworkManager to acquire an IP address for my wireless
> interface through DHCP. OTOH, I would like Gentoo net scripts to NOT do
> that at all since the gentoo scripts have no idea how to associate to
> the AP's I use (in particular, there is not machine authentication, just
> WPA user authentication on my APs).
> 
> If I set up
> 
> config_eth1=( "dhcp" )
> 
> then gentoo tries to get a DHCP address at boot and I get:
> 
>  * Starting eth1
>  *   Bringing up eth1
>  *     dhcp
>  *       Running dhcpcd ...
> Error, timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response         [ !! ]
> 
> Besides, dhcpcd sometimes keep running and hijacks DHCP responses that
> should normally go to dhcbdb/dhclient (i.e. two dhcp client running at
> the same time for the same interface).
> 
> Now if I set up
> 
> config_eth1=( "null" )
> 
> I do not get any annoying boot messages nor long delays and dhcpcd is
> never launched... but NetworkManager does not launch dhclient after
> wpa_supplicant either. And though the interface is properly associated,
> I obviously do not get an IP address.
> 
> Now my question: what should I use for a proper configuration ?
> 
> I understand NM 0.7 may bring the ability to control interfaces
> directly... in that case, it should support
> 
> 1- specific interface parameters to be set (here, bringing the radio up)
> 2- configuration override (here, system-wide net config saying "null"
> but still have NM start dhclient)
> 
> but there may already be a way to do this cleanly today. Can anyone help
> me ?
> 
> thanks and regards,
> 
> 	frederic detienne
> 
> P.S. and otherwise, NM is really a _great_ application. I frequently
> switch wireless networks and fiddling with conf.d/wireless or
> wpa_supplicant configs was NOT fun at all.
> 
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