Re: [patch] _always_ need AP_SCAN 1 for madwifi

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Tue, 2006-02-07 at 16:29 -0500, Robert Love wrote:
> I need the attached patch -- unequivically using "AP_SCAN 1" -- for
> non-broadcast networks to work with madwifi.
> 
> What was the rationale behind using "AP_SCAN 2" for non-broadcast?  Are
> there some devices with problems?

wpa_supplicant config file says in the comments two reasons for ap_scan
2:

ap_scan -> 
# 2: like 0, but associate with APs using security policy and SSID (but not
#    BSSID); this can be used, e.g., with ndiswrapper and NDIS drivers to
#    enable operation with hidden SSIDs and optimized roaming; in this mode,
#    the network blocks in the configuration file are tried one by one until
#    the driver reports successful association; each network block should have
#    explicit security policy (i.e., only one option in the lists) for
#    key_mgmt, pairwise, group, proto variables

--- well, since scanning doesn't pick up non-essid-broadcasting
networks, what's the point of waiting for wpa_supplicant to ever scan
for the network?  wpa_supplicant isn't going to pick up the network, and
we're certainly not telling wpa_supplicant to associate with a
particular BSSID, which is all that a scan would tell wpa_supplicant.
So I really don't see what having ap_scan == 1 here buys us, besides a
much longer association time waiting for wpa_supplicant to uselessly
scan.

mode ->
# 1 = IBSS (ad-hoc, peer-to-peer)
# Note: IBSS can only be used with key_mgmt NONE (plaintext and static WEP)
# and key_mgmt=WPA-NONE (fixed group key TKIP/CCMP). In addition, ap_scan has
# to be set to 2 for IBSS. WPA-None requires following network block options:
# proto=WPA, key_mgmt=WPA-NONE, pairwise=NONE, group=TKIP (or CCMP, but not
# both), and psk must also be set.

dan