wpa and 2.17 are a no go? problem not a 2.17 issue, sorry

Please post any bugs you have found
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laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

wpa and 2.17 are a no go? problem not a 2.17 issue, sorry

#1 Post by laptopnewbee »

having been away from puppy for a bit (caused by hardware and distraction issues) i return to find a few versions have gone by. when i ran into the hardware part of things i was using 2.13, and connecting to internet with a netgear wg511u pci card, the pci slot on my laptop went south, and i had to go to a usb wifi adapter. at that time i was connecting with wpa-psk security just fine.

now the rub:

not being as up to speed as i would like to be i didn't know how to get the linux driver for the usb adapter (not included in the network wizard) installed, and the ndiswrapper route didn't work ether under 2.13. i downloaded 2.17 full drivers and burned the disk in the hopes that using the driver i read about here, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 192#139192 would help since i couldn't figure out how to get the driver from earlier in that thread to work. this brought some measure of success in that the adapter does "see" my ap now, but can't connect due to the wpa setting (and maybe other things). the other things that i mention are that the indicator light on the stick doesn't act like it does under win98se. under se the light is on most the time, only flickering off from time to time, while under 2.17 the light only flashes on for very short and rare times.

so i ask:

is wpa and 2.17 a no go (which would be a bug), or is there something wrong with my setup (which would mean i need another part of the forum)?
so much to learn, so late a start.

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#2 Post by laptopnewbee »

after making another attempt at getting device working under 2.13 i find that while 2.14 seems to get closer to working it also does not make the wpa-psk connection. looks like i need to look someplace for the fix to this problem.
so much to learn, so late a start.

tempestuous
Posts: 5464
Joined: Fri 10 Jun 2005, 05:12
Location: Australia

#3 Post by tempestuous »

laptopnewbee,
First, dhcpcd is broken in 2.17.1. You should get the "fixed" version here -
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=21177

And you might as well get the revised Network Wizard while you're there, even though it won't affect WPA support.

BUT DON'T USE THE WIZARD (old or new) with your Realtek-based wifi device!
The Realtek driver has only just recently been made available for Puppy 2.17, so no one has had a chance to check WPA compatibility.
I just went to the Realtek wifi forum to do some investigation now
https://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=652149
and I see that the Realtek drivers are WPA compatible, but strangely, they require the "ipw" parameter with wpa_supplicant.
This is new information to me, and I can say that the Network Wizard will not accommodate this requirement. So the only option (until we modify the Wizard) is to run the wpa_supplicant commands manually.
First open /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf in geany and modify it to include your SSID and Personal Security Key.
Then run these commands

Code: Select all

modprobe r8187 ## (or r8180)
ifconfig wlan0 up
rm /var/run/wpa_supplicant/*
wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd
now open a second xterminal

Code: Select all

rm /etc/dhcpc/*.pid
dhcpcd -t 30 -h puppypc -d wlan0

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#4 Post by laptopnewbee »

First, dhcpcd is broken in 2.17.1. You should get the "fixed" version here -
i got 2.17, not 2.17.1.
Then run these commands
Code:
modprobe r8187 ## (or r8180)
ifconfig wlan0 up
rm /var/run/wpa_supplicant/*
wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd

now open a second xterminal
Code:
rm /etc/dhcpc/*.pid
dhcpcd -t 30 -h puppypc -d wlan0
where should i be when i open each of these xterms?
so much to learn, so late a start.

tempestuous
Posts: 5464
Joined: Fri 10 Jun 2005, 05:12
Location: Australia

#5 Post by tempestuous »

If you mean "where do I find the xterminal", in Puppy it's rxvt.

If you mean "what directory should I be located in", anywhere, it doesn't matter.

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#6 Post by laptopnewbee »

tried what you said, and it didn't work. the first group of commands gave me this:

Code: Select all

sh-3.00# modprobe r8187 ##
sh-3.00# ifconfig wlan0 up
sh-3.00# wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /ect/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd
Initializing interface 'wlan0' conf '/ect/wpa_supplicant.conf' driver 'ipw' ctrl_interface 'N/A' bridge 'N/A'
Configuration file '/ect/wpa_supplicant.conf' ->'/ect/wpa_supplicant.conf'
Reading configuration file '/ect/wpa_supplicant.conf'
Failed to read or parse configuration '/ect/wpa_supplicant.conf'.
Failed to add interface wlan0
Cancelling scan request
Cancelling authentication timeout
sh-3.00#
did i do something wrong?
BTW that first line would not work without the "##"

what i ended up with is the connection going up and down and not able to get an IP with the commands you gave for it
so much to learn, so late a start.

Everitt
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue 19 Dec 2006, 21:59
Location: Leeds,UK or Birmingham, UK

#7 Post by Everitt »

laptopnewbee wrote:

Code: Select all

sh-3.00# wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /ect/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd
did i do something wrong?
Looks like you have a typo. It should be:

Code: Select all

sh-3.00# wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd
/etc/, not /ect/
I don't know if this is the only problem, but it would cause some kind of error I'd have though.

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#8 Post by laptopnewbee »

/etc/, not /ect/
sure would cause issues, there is no /ect directory in my puppy. :oops:

thanks for catching it. will go test it with correct line. :)
so much to learn, so late a start.

tempestuous
Posts: 5464
Joined: Fri 10 Jun 2005, 05:12
Location: Australia

#9 Post by tempestuous »

laptopnewbee, I have investigated how to modify the Network Wizard to (potentially) support WPA with Realtek wifi devices,
... but there's no point me making this change until you report your results.
Even if you are unsuccessful, I need to see error messages, particularly anything relating to "ipw".
laptopnewbee wrote:where should i be when i open each of these xterms?
Maybe you're launching a terminal from ROX? That's unnecessary. Just click on the "console" icon on the desktop.
laptopnewbee wrote:

Code: Select all

sh-3.00# modprobe r8187 ##
BTW that first line would not work without the "##"
That sounds crazy. "modprobe r8187" is definitely correct. If the command runs without showing anything, that means there were no errors and the module loaded successfully.

And you did add your SSID and Personal Security Key to /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf, right?

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#10 Post by laptopnewbee »

tempestuous wrote: laptopnewbee, I have investigated how to modify the Network Wizard to (potentially) support WPA with Realtek wifi devices,
... but there's no point me making this change until you report your results.
Even if you are unsuccessful, I need to see error messages, particularly anything relating to "ipw".
under 2.17 my lappy freezes after a short while running these lines:

Code: Select all

sh-3.00# modprobe ieee80211_crypt-rtl

sh-3.00# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_wep-rtl

sh-3.00# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_tkip-rtl

sh-3.00# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_ccmp-rtl

sh-3.00# modprobe ieee80211-rtl

sh-3.00# modprobe r8187

sh-3.00# ifconfig wlan0 up
sh-3.00# rm /var/run/wpa_supplicant/*
sh-3.00# wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd
i will attempt hand copying some of the output from that this coming weekend.

i do however have some ipw related output copied already:

Code: Select all

CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED - Disconnect event - remove keys
wpa_driver_ipw_set_key: alg=none key_idx=0 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0
wpa_driver_ipw_set_key: alg=none key_idx=1 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0
wpa_driver_ipw_set_key: alg=none key_idx=2 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0
wpa_driver_ipw_set_key: alg=none key_idx=3 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0
wpa_driver_ipw_set_key: alg=none key_idx=0 set_tx=0 seq_len=0 key_len=0
State: ASSOCIATING -> DISCONNECTED
and

Code: Select all

No keys have been configured - skip key clearing
wpa_driver_ipw_set_drop_unencrypted: enabled=1
State: SCANNING -> ASSOCIATING
also how do i determine if my PSK is properly entered in the .conf file? when i enter it as text:

Code: Select all

psk="XXXXXXXXX"
(the actual psk different of course) i get some indication that it isn't correct

Code: Select all

WPA: 4-Way Handshake failed - pre-shared key may be incorrect
however if i enter it through the wizard and save it i do get a 64 place numeric string, if i input it to a ascii to hex converter i get 9 hex type character pairs.

note: i have not tried running the code with ether the 64 place string, or the hex output yet.
so much to learn, so late a start.

tempestuous
Posts: 5464
Joined: Fri 10 Jun 2005, 05:12
Location: Australia

#11 Post by tempestuous »

Well done. It looks like wpa_supplicant is at least half-working, and the "ipw" parameter is definitely correct for the r8187 driver.
laptopnewbee wrote:how do i determine if my PSK is properly entered in the .conf file?
Sensible question. wpa_supplicant uses a separate utility, wpa_passphrase, to convert your passphrase to hex digits.
To be certain that there is no problem with this conversion, you can pre-convert the passphrase to hex key as such -

Code: Select all

wpa_passphrase <ssid> <passphrase>
and the resultant hex key entered into the configuration file instead of the passphrase ... but make sure you don't enclose the hex key in quotation marks, otherwise wpa_supplicant will assume you are using a passphrase.
On the subject of quotation marks, it's good to use these to enclose your SSID, especially if your SSID contains spaces or special characters.

Another suggestion: we have already learned that the r8187 driver fails to load some sub-modules that it requires, so I can think of some more modules which might be needed (WPA encryption-related). Do this before running the wpa_supplicant command -

Code: Select all

modprobe aes
modprobe arc4
modprobe crc32c
modprobe michael_mic
And I forgot to mention WPA2. Puppy's /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf is only suitable for WPA. If your router is set for WPA2, please use /etc/wpa_supplicant2.conf instead (its contents are slightly different). Then the command would be -

Code: Select all

wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -D ipw -c /etc/wpa_supplicant2.conf -dd

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#12 Post by laptopnewbee »

when i tried entering my psk as text i was getting the incorrect passkey message, when i used the profile configuration part of the network wizard it did in fact convert it to hex correctly. i still can't connect though.
tempestuous wrote: Another suggestion: we have already learned that the r8187 driver fails to load some sub-modules that it requires, so I can think of some more modules which might be needed (WPA encryption-related). Do this before running the wpa_supplicant command -

Code: Select all

modprobe aes 
modprobe arc4 
modprobe crc32c 
modprobe michael_mic
that may have changed the lines of feedback scrolling by (they seem to look different) and made them flow by smoother and faster, but it still goes on and on. (maybe that pink bunny has gotten in there someplace)
tempestuous wrote: And I forgot to mention WPA2. Puppy's /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf is only suitable for WPA. If your router is set for WPA2, please use /etc/wpa_supplicant2.conf instead (its contents are slightly different). Then the command would be -
checked the router and it looks like it only does wpa, and not wpa2, but thanks for offering all thoughts.

i have decided to give an open ap a try this weekend just to see if puppy will actually run this device at all. since i have access to an ap that is wide open (not even a login page), an ap with a forward to a login page, and this one at work with wpa-psk, i can test all three.

if i can get connected to an open ap but am unable to make wpa work, i may just ask the boss about changing to mac address whitelist for security.
so much to learn, so late a start.

User avatar
peterthewolf
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun 25 Dec 2005, 17:30
Location: Knaresborough UK

#13 Post by peterthewolf »

If it is any help I found that a DLINK DWL G122 C1 usb stick using WPA and using the RT73 software did not work with 2.17 but did work with 3.00Beta2 but again does not work with 3.00Beta3

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#14 Post by laptopnewbee »

ok.

having spent some weekend time working on this issue i found that my wg111v2 usb wifi adapter does not even connect to a wide open AP. i'm now thinking that there is an issue with the driver for it. i have tested it in both 2.13, and 2.17. the 2.13 is a full hdd install while the 2.17 is using pfix=ram with the cd.

i do wish i knew what it was that had it half working the 1 time that it did seem to be up. the light was flashing, and monitoring it with rutilt showed it getting a signal from the router and then losing it over and over again. currently i have not even been able to get rutilt to load because it seems to need an active wifi device to be willing to load.

i have downloaded a driver file for the rtl8187 from the realtek website, but i don't know how to set up puppy to compile it. i know there should be a devx_213 file needed, but don't know what directory to put it in.

i also spent time trying the device on another distro which claimed that it works "out of the box" in the hopes that i could find something to help. it didn't work any better, and without using their more complicated commands on the command line (which had me more lost than using the puppy command line) i had no hope of changing things there. i really need to put in time learning the command line for linux.
so much to learn, so late a start.

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#15 Post by laptopnewbee »

thanks to the help from mainly tempestuous, i am sending this post through my wg111v2 wifi device while puppy is booted! :D

two things were changed along the way. sadly one of the paramiters that has been changed is the most important. i'm using a non-encrypted hotspot to connect. the other thing that was changed is that i'm running 3.00 retro.

here is how i got the device to work:

using the puppy package manager i installed rtl8187-k2.6.18.1.pet, then i opened rxvt where i input all the following code:

Code: Select all

# modprobe ieee80211_crypt-rtl 

# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_wep-rtl 

# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_tkip-rtl 

# modprobe ieee80211_crypt_ccmp-rtl 

# modprobe ieee80211-rtl 

# modprobe r8187

# ifconfig wlan0 up 

# modprobe aes 

# modprobe arc4 

# modprobe crc32c 

# modprobe michael_mic
then i just opened the network wizard (i had rutilt up to watch the effects of what i did on it's graphic interface) and a few clicks had me connected.

now i admit that i tried some shortcuts first, but this is what worked.

i don't see any reason why this should miss working with other versions of puppy and the wg111v2 device (now that i know that all those lines seem to be required) as long as the driver is compiled for the kernel. i do have both packages, and will test with 2.17 and 3.00 (the not retro version), but as there is some issue with the newer kernel and redirecting login pages that will have to wait till i visit a different hotspot.

again thanks for the help!

along the way the network wizard informed me that something could not do wpa encryption, but i believe it was talking about the driver because the hardware does wpa under 98se.
so much to learn, so late a start.

tempestuous
Posts: 5464
Joined: Fri 10 Jun 2005, 05:12
Location: Australia

#16 Post by tempestuous »

laptopnewbee wrote:the other thing that was changed is that i'm running 3.00 retro
...
using the puppy package manager i installed rtl8187-k2.6.18.1.pet
Yes, Puppy 3.00-retro has the old 2.6.18.1 kernel used in Puppy 2.12-2.16.
laptopnewbee wrote:i don't see any reason why this should miss working with other versions of puppy and the wg111v2 device
It's due to different versions of the Realtek wifi driver. The driver you are using successfully is the proprietary version, compiled from source code from here
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/

Unfortunately, development of this driver has stalled, and it will not compile under modern kernels.
So more current Realtek source code is needed from here -
http://rtl-wifi.sourceforge.net/wiki/Main_Page
and this driver has mixed results.

I just contributed 2 variations of this driver for Puppy 3.00 here -
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 470#144470
there is the rev62 version, which is the most recent which will compile under Puppy 3.00's 2.6.21.7 kernel,
and the older rev52 which is claimed to be stable.
laptopnewbee wrote:there is some issue with the newer kernel and redirecting login pages
Forum member DonT reports that the "browser redirect to login page" problem is solved by using the old dhcpcd-1.3.22
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 430#144430
I understand that Puppy 3.00 (final) has this version of dhcpcd, but if not, you can get it from here -
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 656#143656

Vettephil
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon 15 Oct 2007, 17:49

Netgear WG111v2 and Puppy 3.00

#17 Post by Vettephil »

Disclaimer: I'm a newer than new Linux user, so please forgive my complete lack of understanding. If you have suggestions, I'll need very basic steps to follow to produce any results.

Okay, on to the situation: Trying to get the Netgear WG111v2 Wireless USB adapter to work with Puppy 3.00 Live-CD (data stored locally). I'm connecting to my home Netgear Wireless router, so can make changes to its config if needed.

I followed the instructions above after adding the modules from here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 470#144470

I was able to load the USB and have it recognized by the Network wizard.

I was able to scan for my network and have the wizard find it.

As soon as I tried to acquire and IP address via DHCP, it seemed like the whole OS locked up and I was forced to hard re-boot. On my laptop, the Caps lock and Scroll Lock keys were flashing and the Xorg interface was completely locked.

My hardware: Dell Latitude D610, Pentium M, 1Gig RAM, 40Gig HDD. This is a work-issued laptop, so I cannot make any perm. changes, and it did not come with the internal wireless card from Dell.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

-PHIL
Greener than green, but already loving Puppy!

laptopnewbee
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun 20 Aug 2006, 03:43

#18 Post by laptopnewbee »

Vettephil wrote: Disclaimer: I'm a newer than new Linux user, so please forgive my complete lack of understanding.
being new to something is a natural part of life, no need to apologize.
Vettephil wrote: Trying to get the Netgear WG111v2 Wireless USB adapter to work with Puppy 3.00 Live-CD (data stored locally).
would that be 3.00 final, if so then you have the correct driver, but you are working with the version that is giving me trouble too.
Vettephil wrote: As soon as I tried to acquire and IP address via DHCP, it seemed like the whole OS locked up and I was forced to hard re-boot. On my laptop, the Caps lock and Scroll Lock keys were flashing and the Xorg interface was completely locked.
i found the same problems since i last posted, i just had to get away for a while so i was unable to add more since.
Vettephil wrote: My hardware: Dell Latitude D610, Pentium M, 1Gig RAM, 40Gig HDD. This is a work-issued laptop, so I cannot make any perm. changes, and it did not come with the internal wireless card from Dell.
huge machine next to mine(433 mhz, 192 mb). this makes it clear that i'm not likely to be trying to push mine too hard. now, i have a question, does it have a pc (otherwise known as pcmcia) slot? if so try a wifi card, maybe one with the athros chipset (like the netgear wg511u [known by me to work]) that should work for you, and if your usb is 1.1 the pc wifi card will be much faster.

now if there is no pc slot then you may want to use the retro version of 3.00, and download the .pet compiled for it as in one of the links above.
so much to learn, so late a start.

Vettephil
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon 15 Oct 2007, 17:49

#19 Post by Vettephil »

laptopnewbee wrote: now, i have a question, does it have a pc (otherwise known as pcmcia) slot? if so try a wifi card, maybe one with the athros chipset (like the netgear wg511u [known by me to work]) that should work for you, and if your usb is 1.1 the pc wifi card will be much faster.

now if there is no pc slot then you may want to use the retro version of 3.00, and download the .pet compiled for it as in one of the links above.
Thanks for the info and kind words! I am in the market for a PCMCIA card and will give that a shot once I've bought one. I will also try the 3.00 retro version and see how that goes in the meantime.

I'll report back my finding when available.

Cheers!

-PHIL

Vettephil
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon 15 Oct 2007, 17:49

#20 Post by Vettephil »

Vettephil wrote:I'll report back my finding when available.
Success! Here's what I did:

1) Booted Puppy 3.00 Retro Live CD.
2) Downloaded RTL modules for Retro from here: http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi/drivers- ... 2-to-2.14/
3) Ran modprobe commands as stated in readme file
4) Ran network wizard to configure and connect to unencrypted wireless network.

I also successfully completed steps 2-4 after downgrading my HDD install of Puppy to 3.00 Retro as well.

Next challenges will be WPA security and PCMCIA card once purchase.

Thanks Laptopnewbee!

-PHIL

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