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

[Andrew <andrew2006 flight us>]

>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.

I certainly did not intentionally disable _ALL_ wifi devices; only the onboard one is disabled.

So, why does wpa_supplicant see my external wifi device (wlanX), and use and connect with it happily, inspite of this killswitch?

Does anyone know where in the NM code is the querying of the status at issue? I would like to play with the code.

(perhaps in src/nm-hal-manager.c ? There seems to be a kswitch_err method)

TIA
andrew

>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
>> >
>