CONTENTS

Editor's Desk Is Linux Productivity Magazine Back for Good? Part I: Learning Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Terminology and Theory Layers of Functionality Gotchas Overview of an ndiswrapper Wireless NIC Installation Part II: Using Wi-Fi General Installation Guidelines Wireless on My Compaq Presario V6133CL bcm4311, 64 Bit Mandriva Wireless on My Compaq Presario V6133CL Linksys WUSB54G, 32 Bit Mandriva Using WPA Part III: Editorials Thank You Villains Abound! Life After Windows: Take Your Hand Off of My Wallet, Troll! GNU/Linux, open source and free software Letters to the Editor How to Submit an Article Trademarks URLs Mentioned in this Issue

Editor's Desk

By Steve Litt

The Villains

Linux and Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is Complex

The Linux Way to Learn Wi-Fi

1. Learn basic Wi-Fi terminology and theory.
2. Set up a proof of concept system, implying you set yourself up a tiny Wi-Fi laboratory.
3. Incrementally expand on that proof of concept system.

Steve Litt is the author of Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Is Linux Productivity Magazine Back for Good?

By Steve Litt

Steve Litt is the author of Manager's Guide to Technical Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Part I: Learning Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Terminology and Theory

By Steve Litt

Term	Definition	Example sentence
NIC	Stands for Network Interface Card, also called a Network Card, an Ethernet Card. This is a circuit board attached to your computer's PCI slot or USB slot or some other slot. The NIC accommodates an Ethernet RJ45 connector such that it can be plugged into a LAN's cabling, thereby joining its computer to the LAN.	I buy cheapo 8039 based network cards for eight bucks apiece,and they work just fine in my Linux boxes.
Wireless NIC	The wireless equivalent of a NIC. This device joins the computer to the local area network not by connecting to cabling, but by receiving and transmitting modulated radio waves. Some plug into the computer's PCI slots, some the USB connectors. Some of the USB wireless NICs have a cable such that the wireless NIC can be positioned for optimal radio reception. Some laptops come with internal wireless NICs.	I use Linksys WUSB54G wireless NICs. They connect to my computer's USB port via a cable, so I can move them to get the best signal.
Wireless NIC device name	The device name, used in commands like ifup, ifdown, ifconfig, iwlist, and iwconfig, associated with the wireless NIC. Here are several examples: Name Device type ath0 Atheros type devices rausb0 Ralink based devices bcm0 Broadcom wireless NICs wlan0 Anything configured using ndiswrapper. Various device names will be used throughout this document, because at various times throughout this document I was working with either the Atheros wireless NIC built into my Acer Aspire 5100 laptop, the Broadcom bcm4311 built into my Compaq Presario V6133CL, or my Linksys WUSB54G external USB wireless NIC, which is based on the Ralink chipset.
Ad-Hoc mode	Ad-hoc mode is a wireless mode of operation where all wireless NICs communicate with all other wireless NICs within range. It's peer to peer networking, that looks like this: As you can see, Al and Bill's computers communicate directly, as do Bill's and Carl's. Al and Carl might communicate directly, or might go through Bill depending on distances. Bill and Dan communicate through Carl (assuming Bill and Dan are too far to communicate directly). To put a network card in ad-hoc mode, the following line must be added to /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-ath0: Mode=Ad-Hoc Note The exact filename and text to be inserted varies between Linux versions and between wireless NICs. Atheros type NICs are called ath0, while rt4500 devices are called rausb0, and all devices installed with ndiswrapper are called wlan0. Note that in all cases, the ending 0 might be 1 or 2 or whatever depending on how many such devices exist. Ad-Hoc mode is the easiest way to connect two computers with wireless network cards, but as the number of devices increases, you'll want to use Managed Mode.	At MacDonalds, Jeff and I wanted to transfer files between our notebooks, but there was no wireless LAN there, so we both set our wireless network cards in ad-hoc mode, and did the transfers.
Managed mode	Managed mode is not peer to peer -- it's client-server. Each wireless NIC is a client, and the server is a device called the Access Point.  Here's a diagram illustrating the structure of a managed mode network: To put a network card into managed mode, include the following in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-ath0: Mode=Managed Because managed mode is much more practical in a wider variety of situations, the rest of this document will focus exclusively on managed mode.	In my opinion, managed mode is the way to go if you have more than a few devices on the wireless network.
Access point	In a managed wireless network, the Access Point is the server part of the client server relationship. It's probably called an Access Point because it's the point of access for each wireless NIC. Here's a picture of my Linksys WRT54GL access point: Most access points also have RJ45 connections in order to hook it up to a wired network. Many access points contain other functionalities such as built in firewalls and built in cable modems or DSL modems. Most access points come with a Windows CD for "easy setup". However, many, including the Linksys WRT54GL, which is still widely available new in late 2006, also have web interfaces, so you can configure them using a computer with any reasonable excuse for a web browser. Unfortunately, the docs supplied with the WRT54GL don't mention the web interface, which by default is available at 192.168.1.1. If you're a Linux guy, be sure to get an access point with a web interface. Each access point has a unique ESSID.	In a managed mode wireless network, every device must be in range of the access point.
ESSID	Extended Service Set IDentifier.( I've also seen it called Enhanced Service Set IDentifier). This identifies a wireless network, and must be used by any device communicating over that network. It's a case sensitive string with a maximum of 32 characters. To avoid conflicts, it must be unique within radio range, meaning you really should change it from the factory default. By default, most access points broadcast the ESSID so that clients can list all wireless access points by ESSID, and the user can pick the appropriate one. Many access points can be configured NOT to broadcast the ESSID, so that nobody knows it's there without prior knowledge or sophisticated hacking tools. A client can attach to a non-broadcast ESSID by specifically naming it. Although not broadcasting the ESSID is more secure, it's security by obscurity and should not be relied upon. In fact, with good WPA encryption, the security benefit of not broadcasting the ESSID might be outweighed by the inconvenience. The terms ESSID and SSID are often used interchangeably, and in most contexts there is no practical difference.	When I configured my access point, I changed the ESSID to AdamsFamily and set it up not to broadcast the ESSID.
Cable modem	A device whose input is cable (like cable TV) and whose output is Ethernet. The proper address translation is performed.	If the cable company charges me too much for a cable modem, I'll buy one from Target.
DSL modem	A device whose input is DSL (via the phone line) and whose output is ethernet. The proper address translation is performed.	If the phone company charges me too much for a DSL modem, I'll buy one from Target.

Term	Definition	Example Sentence
Computer	For the purposes of this discussion, hardware., the hunk of metal and semiconductors inside the computer's case.	I bought a computer with an Athlon XP 2600, 2GB of RAM, and a 400 GB hard disk. Now I have to load Linux on it.
Operating system	The software (computer program) that allows the computer to receive keyboard and mouse input from the user, send video and audio information to the user (monitor and speakers), operate a high level network, facilitate communications between parts of the computer such as disks, memory and the CPU, and run computer programs. Examples of operating systems include Linux, BSD, Mac OS-10, Unix, Windows. Old but historically important operating systems include VMS, RT-11, RSDOS, MS-DOS, and CPM.	My favorite operating system is Linux.
Driver	A small piece of software to link a piece of hardware to the operating system. The following diagram illustrates a driver for a wireless NIC: The preceding diagram illustrates that because the driver interfaces between the piece of hardware (let's call it a device) and the operating system, each combination of device and operating system requires its own driver. Therefore, you cannot use the Windows driver for a wireless NIC if you run Linux, unless you use a clever piece of software called ndiswrapper (more on that later). Likewise, you cannot use a driver meant for a different device (unless the different device has the same chipset and other similarities, making it effectively the same design). Because the driver interfaces to the device, the driver must have intimate knowledge of the device, or at least a substantial and complete API (Application Programming Interface) to the device. When the hardware manufacturer refuses to release a substantial and complete API of the device, it's very difficult for programmers to create a driver for the mysterious device. This is why it takes so long for new devices to acquire Linux drivers, and why those Linux drivers often implement only a small subset of the device's capabilities. The Linux programmers must guess, reverse engineer, and test, over and over. Windows drivers appear as soon as the device hits the shelves, because the manufacturer, whose programmers have full knowledge of the device's hardware and API, have a (relatively) easy time coding it, without the necessity of reverse engineering. What this means is that drivers for many wireless NICs are either buggy, incomplete, or nonexistent. Luckily, some very clever programmers made the ndiswrapper software, which interfaces a Windows driver to the Linux operating system, providing a workaround until the appearance of a high quality Linux native driver.	I've had trouble finding and configuring a driver for my wireless NIC.
NDIS	Network Driver Interface Specification. This is a simplification, perhaps an oversimplification, but NDIS is the Microsoft Windows interface between Windows and the wireless NIC's Windows driver. It's a specification to which most wireless NIC hardware conforms, because it's how Windows does things. See the following diagram: Once again, NDIS is an interface between Windows and an NDIS compliant Windows driver for an NDIS compliant wireless NIC. Although NDIS is used mostly in Windows, it is a known specification, which means anyone can implement it, at least to a degree. That's how ndiswrapper was created...	Windows computers interface with wireless network cards via NDIS.
ndiswrapper	This software is an adapter -- the software equivalent of a PS/2 to Serial adapter or a USB to PS/2 keyboard adapter. It enables the Linux operating system to talk with an NDIS compliant Windows driver. Since NDIS is how Windows does wireless, that means most commodity wireless NICs. The following is an oversimplified diagram of how ndiswrapper works: The preceding is all you really need to know, but for the curious amongst you, my research indicates that ndiswrapper combines the NDIS API, a Windows Kernel API, and a Linux module to interface the Windows Kernel API with Linux: In the preceding, the thick rounded rectangle is ndiswrapper. ndiswrapper isn't perfect. It doesn't reveal/interface to many cards' individual properties or configuration. It doesn't support permiscuous mode, nor the modes Master, Repeater, or Monitor. It supports only modes Ad-Hoc and Managed. Not all settings on all cards will work. Some devices require the extraction of device firmware from the Windows drivers, presenting an extra step and extra software to procure. If there's an excellent native Linux driver for your wireless NIC, that's preferable. If not, ndiswrapper lets you do most of what you need wireless for. ALWAYS back up your wireless NIC's Windows driver CD to a directory where that directory itself will be backed up, so if years from now you need to reinstall the Windows driver with ndiswrapper, you can find it. In my opinion, while learning and experimenting with wireless LAN, in other words, while you're a newbie, it's probably best to use ndiswrapper unless your distribution detects your wireless NIC and automatically installs the native driver. Once you're an expert, you can install the Linux native driver. If one doesn't exist, it probably will in a year. Ndiswrapper is more than a concept, it's an actual Linux command once its package is loaded. Here are some examples, all best done as root: #### Install Windows driver file mywirelessNIC.inf in your Linux system ndiswrapper -i mywirelessNIC.inf #### List installed Windows drivers ndiswrapper -l #### Interactively load ndiswrapper modprobe ndiswrapper #### Set ndiswrapper to load on boot (careful, changes config files like modprobe.conf!) ndiswrapper -m CAUTION: If your distribution has a native driver that doesn't work well, ndiswrapper is your escape route. HOWEVER, in order to deploy an ndiswrapper implementation, you need to completely prevent the native driver from loading. This is typically done by putting this string, assuming the driver to be blocked is the rt2570 driver: blacklist rt2570 That string goes into the tree searched for drivers to load. In Mandriva Linux it's often put in a file called /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist. Your Linux friends might advise you not to use ndiswrapper. There's a lot of Linux chauvinism invested in the use of Linux native drivers. But my experience tells me that ndiswrapper works and it doesn't take a guru to install.	Not finding a decent native Linux driver for my wireless NIC, I used ndiswrapper plus the Windows driver off the wireless NIC's installation CD.

iwlist wlan0 scanning

iwconfig wlan0 scanning
wlan0     Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 00:0D:3A:23:A7:56
                    ESSID:"MSHOME"
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11b
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-85 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
          Cell 02 - Address: 00:0F:F7:C3:8B:B2
                    ESSID:"Wayport_Access"
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-33 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
                    Encryption key:off
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                              11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                              48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
          Cell 03 - Address: 00:0F:F7:C3:8B:B3
                    ESSID:"attwifi"
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-36 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
                    Encryption key:off
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                              11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                              48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
          Cell 04 - Address: 00:0F:F7:C3:8B:B1
                    ESSID:""
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-33 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
                    Encryption key:off
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                              11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                              48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
          Cell 05 - Address: 00:0F:F7:C3:8B:B0
                    ESSID:""
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-33 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
                    Encryption key:off
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                              11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                              48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
      

iwconfig wlan0 essid any
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

iwconfig wlan0 essid <access point's essid>
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

#!/bin/bash
iwconfig wlan0 key [1] D843288FE2
iwconfig wlan0 key [2] 322489A333
iwconfig wlan0 key [3] F09ABA996D
iwconfig wlan0 key [4] DDF0382EDA
iwconfig wlan0 key [1]

# Set key 1
# Set key 2
# Set key 3
# Set key 4
# Make key 1 active

network={
        ssid="earthquake"
        proto=WPA
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        pairwise=TKIP
        group=TKIP WEP104 WEP40
	psk=345abcfed22225daee008843fabf4f42345abcfed22225daee008843fabf4f42
	priority=2
}

wpa_supplicant -B -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf \
-Dndiswrapper -P/tmp/ndispid.txt -d -t -K

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Layers of Functionality

By Steve Litt 

1. Driver installation
2. Association
3. Networking

iwlist wlan0 scanning

ping troubleshooters.com

iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid any
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

[slitt@mylap 200612]$ /sbin/iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:""  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.417 GHz  Access Point: 00:00:00:00:00:00   
          Bit Rate:54 Mb/s   Tx-Power:20 dBm   Sensitivity=-121 dBm  
          RTS thr:2347 B   Fragment thr:2346 B   
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:  0/100  Signal level:-91 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

[slitt@mylap 200612]$

[slitt@mylap 200612]$ /sbin/iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:"HPPL03"  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.417 GHz  Access Point: 00:20:A6:5B:5E:74   
          Bit Rate:54 Mb/s   Tx-Power:20 dBm   Sensitivity=-121 dBm  
          RTS thr:2347 B   Fragment thr:2346 B   
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:100/100  Signal level:-49 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

[slitt@mylap 200612]$

Steve Litt is the author of the Universal Troubleshooting Process Courseware. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Gotchas

By Steve Litt

Allocate Plenty of Time

Use Windows First

Find a Known Good Wireless Computer or Access Point

Consider Using Wireless Detection Tools

Linksys WTR54G Personal Router

Don't Put the Wireless NIC Too Close to the Access Point

Put Your Antennas Up

Use an Experimental Computer

Back Up Your Old Network Setup

Distros Do Wireless Completely Differently

At First, Use Your Distro's Wireless Setup Tools

1. They provide a time saving quickstart.
2. They automatically install the needed drivers, with at least some autodetection.
3. You can learn from and reverse engineer the statements they put in your network scripts and other files.

Later, Do Not Use Your Distro's Wireless Setup Tools

Use ifup and ifdown

ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

ifdown eth0
ifup eth0

Watch Out For State Dragaround

• The access point
• Daemons
• ifplugd
• wlandetect -d
• zcip
• dhclient
• Files
• ifcfg-wlan0 (or ifcfg-ath0 or ifcfg-rausb0 or whatever)
• /etc/sysconfig/networkscripts/wireless.d/*
• /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

Prefer Runtime Scripts to ifcfg Files

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes

Name the device
Get IP, gateway and DNS dynamically
Bring up on boot

#!/bin/bash
iwconfig wlan0 key [1] D843288FE2
iwconfig wlan0 key [2] 322489A333
iwconfig wlan0 key [3] F09ABA996D
iwconfig wlan0 key [4] DDF0382EDA
iwconfig wlan0 key [1]

# Set key 1
# Set key 2
# Set key 3
# Set key 4
# Make key 1 active

Be Careful With Security

Install the wpa_supplicant Package

Read the Wireless Tools Documentation

/usr/share/doc/wireless-tools-28

Don't Underestimate ndiswrapper

• It usually works
• It often works better
• It's installable in a predictable manner

Know Your ifcfg Config Lines

192.168.100.44          10.4.8.200
255.255.255.0          255.0.0.0
--------------         -----------
192.168.100.0           10.0.0.0

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Overview of an ndiswrapper Wireless NIC Installation

1. Obtain necessary software
1. Windows driver
2. cabextract
3. dhcp-client
4. wireless-tools
5. wpa_supplicant
6. ndiswrapper
7. Firmware extractor (like bcm43xx-fwcutter) if firmware extraction is needed
2. Install the driver
1. su -
2. cd <directory with drivers>
3. Extract drivers from .exe collection if necessary
4. Extract firmware to /lib/firmware/ if necessary (for instance, Broadcom 43xx)
5. ndiswrapper -i drivername.inf
6. ndiswrapper -l
7. ndiswrapper -m
8. depmod -a
9. tail -fn0 /var/log/messages (in another terminal)
10. modprobe ndiswrapper
3. Test the driver
1. Verify existence of simple wlan0 config file
• DEVICE=wlan0
• BOOTPROTO=dhcp
• ONBOOT=yes
2. Create the wlan0 config file if necessary
3. iwlist wlan0 scanning
4. Connect (associate) to an access point
• No encryption
1. iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
2. iwconfig wlan0 essid any
3. ifdown wlan0
4. ifup wlan0
5. Wait up to a minute
6. ifconfig wlan0
1. Look for IP address, which indicates association and DHCP success
• WEP
1. Create a connection script
2. Run the connection script
• WPA/WPA2
5. Verify IP, netmask, gateway and DNS
1. ping troubleshooters.com
2. Troubleshoot as necessary
6. Troubleshoot

Obtain necessary software

bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware mydevice.sys

Install the driver

su -

cd <directory with drivers>

cabextract mydriver.exe

bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware mydriver.sys

ndiswrapper -i drivername.inf

ndiswrapper -l

ndiswrapper -m

alias wlan0 ndiswrapper

depmod -a

tail -fn0 /var/log/messages

modprobe ndiswrapper

Test the driver

iwlist wlan0 scanning

Connect (associate) to an access point

ping troubleshooters.com

iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid any
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

ifconfig wlan0

iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid <essid of access point as listed by iwlist>
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0

Verify IP, netmask, gateway and DNS

ping troubleshooters.com

ifconfig wlan0

ping 192.168.1.255

ping -b 192.168.1.255

BOOTPROTO=static
IPADDR=192.168.1.15
GATEWAY=192.168.1.200

Troubleshoot

Log Files are Your Friend

Pay Attention to Your Layers of Functionality

Strongarm IP Addresses

Find a Tiebreaker

• "Personal Router" such as the Linksys WTR54G gives total info on all nearby access points
• "Hotspot Finder" tells whether there is a nearby access point, and how strong
• Windows computer or the client computer casts a tie breaking vote.
• Take it to the library, where they have what you can assume is a known good access point.

Have Some Pre Resolved IP Addresses

Don't Hesitate to Reboot

Back Out Ndiswrapper

• Erase any firmware, for this device, that you placed in /lib/firmware
• delmod ndiswrapper
• lsmod | grep ndis
• To make sure it's really gone
• depmod -a
• Put your modules in proper state
• rm /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper
• vim /etc/modprobe.conf /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper
• Remove any line associating wlan0 with ndiswrapper
• ndiswrapper -l
• Get the name of the Windows driver
• ndiswrapper -e <windows driver name>
• ndiswrapper -l
• Verify the windows driver is gone

Search the Net

Thoroughly Understand ifconfig, iwconfig and iwlist

By Steve Litt Steve Litt is the author of many books. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Part II: Using Wi-Fi

General Installation Guidelines

By Steve Litt

Safety First!

Preventing Data Loss

#### KILL ALL EMAIL SERVERS
/etc/init.d/fetchmail   stop
/etc/init.d/mailman   stop
/etc/init.d/postfix   stop

#### KILL ALL FILE SERVERS
/etc/init.d/nfs   stop
/etc/init.d/nfslock   stop
/etc/init.d/netfs   stop
/etc/init.d/smb   stop
/etc/init.d/winbind   stop

#### KILL WEB AND DATA SERVERS
/etc/init.d/httpd   stop
/etc/init.d/mysqld   stop
/etc/init.d/postgres   stop

#### KILL REMOTE ACCESS
/etc/init.d/vncserver   stop

#### KILL TELNET SERVERS

#### KILL MISC SERVERS
/etc/init.d/cups   stop

ps ax | grep fetchmail  | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep mailman    | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep postfix    | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep nfs        | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep nfslock    | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep netfs      | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep smb        | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep winbind    | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep httpd      | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep mysqld     | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep postgres   | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep vncserver  | cut -b -76
ps ax | grep cups       | cut -b -76
echo THATS ALL FOLKS
sleep 20 

#### SLITT: STOP SERVERS FOR SECURITY
/root/stopem.sh
/root/showem.sh

Preventing a Big Hassle

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Wireless on My Compaq Presario V6133CL bcm4311, 64 Bit Mandriva

By Steve Litt

Gotchas

Unstable Video

Need for bcm43xx-fwcutter

Drivers are Hard to Find

Match Those Bits

Tips

Check Those Logs

tail -n0 -f /var/log/messages

tail -n200 /var/log/messages | less

Preliminaries

Make Sure Your Network Is Valid

Install Needed Packages

The Procedure

cd

mkdir driver

cd driver

cabextract /whatever/sp33008.exe

bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware bcmwl5.sys

rm /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper

vim /etc/modprobe.conf

rmmod ndiswrapper

lsmod | grep ndis

ndiswrapper -l

ndiswrapper -e bcmwl5

ndiswrapper -l

ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf

ndiswrapper -l

ndiswrapper -m

depmod -a

tail -n0 -f /var/log messages

modprobe ndiswrapper

lsmod | grep ndis

iwlist wlan0 scanning

Finishing the Job With Scripts

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes

The Script to Connect to a Wep Encrypted Access Point

#!/bin/bash
iwconfig wlan0 key [1] <hex key 1>
iwconfig wlan0 key [2] <hex key 2>
iwconfig wlan0 key [3] <hex key 3>
iwconfig wlan0 key [4] <hex key 4>
iwconfig wlan0 key [1]
iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid <essid of your access point>

dhclient wlan0

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=static
ONBOOT=yes
IPADDR=192.168.100.2
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
BROADCAST=192.168.100.255
GATEWAY=192.168.100.96

The Script to Connect to an Unencrypted Access Point

#!/bin/bash
iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid any

#!/bin/bash
iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid $1

associate.sh <essid of desired access point>

dhclient wlan0

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=static
ONBOOT=yes
IPADDR=192.168.100.2
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
BROADCAST=192.168.100.255
GATEWAY=192.168.100.96

If Intermittent or Wierd, Check Firmware!

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Wireless on My Compaq Presario V6133CL Linksys WUSB54G, 32 Bit Mandriva

By Steve Litt

ndiswrapper -i rt2500usb.inf
ndiswrapper -l
ndiswrapper -m
depmod -a
tail -fn0 /var/log/messages
modprobe ndiswrapper
iwlist wlan0 scanning
iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed
iwconfig wlan0 essid any
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0
ping troubleshooters.com

blacklist rt2570

Steve Litt has been writing Troubleshooting Professional Magazine for ten years. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Native Linux Linksys WUSB54Gv4 (Ralink rt2570) on 32 Bit Mandriva Desktop

By Steve Litt

1. Command line only
2. Partial distro tool use

Command line only

1. In one terminal, tail -fn0 /var/log/messages
2. Plug in the WUSB54G version 4 wireless NIC
3. Note the "tweaked" driver name referenced in /var/log/messages
4. Find the "true" driver name with lsmod | grep usbcore
   
5. Create a simple /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-rausb0
6. echo alias rausb0 rtusb >> /etc/modprobe.conf
7. Reboot the computer
8. Try iwlist rausb0 scanning
1. If necessary, try one or more ifdown rausb0 and ifup rausb0
9. Back up /etc/modprobe.conf
10. Associate by whatever means appropriate

In one terminal, tail -fn0 /var/log/messages

Plug in the WUSB54G version 4 wireless NIC

Note the "tweaked" driver name referenced in /var/log/messages

Dec 11 14:41:01 localhost kernel: usb 4-5: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2
Dec 11 14:41:01 localhost kernel: usb 4-5: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Dec 11 14:41:01 localhost kernel: idVendor = 0x13b1, idProduct = 0xd
Dec 11 14:41:01 localhost kernel: usbcore: registered new driver rtusb
Dec 11 14:41:02 localhost udevd-event[6203]: rename_netif: error changing netif name rausb0 to : Invalid argument

zless /lib/modules/2.6.17-5mdv/kernel/3rdparty/rt2570/rt2570.ko.gz | strings |  grep rtusb
zless /lib/modules/2.6.17-5mdv/kernel/3rdparty/rt2570/rt2570.ko.gz | strings |  grep rausb

Find the "true" driver name with lsmod | grep usbcore

[root@localhost ~]# lsmod | grep usbcore
usbcore               113472  4 rt2570,ehci_hcd,uhci_hcd
[root@localhost ~]#

Create a simple /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-rausb0

DEVICE=rausb0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes

echo alias rausb0 rtusb >> /etc/modprobe.conf

Reboot the Computer

Try iwlist rausb0 scanning

iwlist rausb0 scanning

Associate by whatever means appropriate

Partial distro tool use

1. Click the "Network & Internet" tab
2. Click the "Set up a new network interface" icon or link
3. Choose "Wireless" from the list
4. Click the "Cisco-Linksys|Wireless-G USB Network Adaptor" radio button and click the Next button
5. Fill in the rest of the prompts as appropriate
6. DO NOT click the "Wireless connection" icon or link. This tool writes so many files and has so many side effects that you might never again achieve a known state.
7. Exit drakconf
8. iwlist rausb0 scanning
9. Associate as appropriate

DEVICE=rausb0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Using WPA

By Steve Litt

network={
    key_mgmt=NONE
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="any"
}

network={
    psk="mypassphrase"
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="myssid"
}

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes
WIRELESS_ENC_KEY="open s:mypassphrase"
WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER=wext
DHCP_CLIENT=dhclient

#!/bin/bash
iwpriv rausb0 enc 3
iwpriv rausb0 auth 3
iwconfig rausb0 essid "your wireless network name"
sleep 1
iwpriv rausb0 wpapsk "your top secret password"
sleep 1
iwconfig rausb0 essid "your wireless network name"

WPA Troubleshooting

iwlist mydevice scanning

[root@fester ~]# ifup wlan0

Determining IP information for wlan0... failed; no link present.  Check cable?
[root@fester ~]#

wpa_supplicant -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -i wlan0 -D wext

wpa_supplicant -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -i wlan0 -D wext
ifup wlan0
ping troubleshooters.com
ifdown wlan0
ifup wlan0
ping troubleshooters.com

blacklist rt2570
blacklist rtusb

cd /etc
find . | grep rt25
find . | grep rtusb
find . | grep rausb

Other Drivers

network={
    key_mgmt=NONE
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="any"
}

network={
    psk="mypassphrase"
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="myssid"
}

DEVICE=ath0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes
METRIC=35
MII_NOT_SUPPORTED=no
USERCTL=no
RESOLV_MODS=no
WIRELESS_MODE=Roaming
WIRELESS_ENC_KEY="open s:mypassphrase"
WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER=madwifi
IPV6INIT=no
IPV6TO4INIT=no
DHCP_CLIENT=dhclient
NEEDHOSTNAME=yes
PEERDNS=yes
PEERYP=yes
PEERNTPD=no

About WPA2

Summary

network={
    key_mgmt=NONE
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="any"
}

network={
    psk="mypassphrase"
    scan_ssid=1
    ssid="myssid"
}

DEVICE=wlan0
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
ONBOOT=yes
WIRELESS_ENC_KEY="open s:mypassphrase"
WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER=wext
DHCP_CLIENT=dhclient

ifdown wlan0
wpa_supplicant -B -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -i wlan0 -D wext
ifup wlan0

By Steve Litt Steve Litt is the author of many books. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Part III: Editorials

Thank You

By Steve Litt

Steve Litt is the author of Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting.   Steve can be reached at his email address.

Villains Abound!

By Steve Litt

Steve Litt's business, Troubleshooters.Com, has run off Linux since March 2001. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Life After Windows: Take Your Hand Off of My Wallet, Troll!

Life After Windows is a regular Linux Productivity Magazine column, by Steve Litt, bringing you observations and tips subsequent to Troubleshooters.Com's Windows to Linux conversion.

Steve Litt is the founder and acting president of Greater Orlando Linux User Group (GoLUG).   Steve can be reached at his email address.

GNU/Linux, open source and free software

By Steve Litt

"GNU/Linux" is probably the most accurate moniker one can give to this operating system. Please be aware that in all of Troubleshooters.Com, when I say "Linux" I really mean "GNU/Linux". I completely believe that without the GNU project, without the GNU Manifesto and the GNU/GPL license it spawned, the operating system the press calls "Linux" never would have happened.

I'm part of the press and there are times when it's easier to say "Linux" than explain to certain audiences that "GNU/Linux" is the same as what the press calls "Linux". So I abbreviate. Additionally, I abbreviate in the same way one might abbreviate the name of a multi-partner law firm. But make no mistake about it. In any article in Troubleshooting Professional Magazine, in the whole of Troubleshooters.Com, and even in the technical books I write, when I say "Linux", I mean "GNU/Linux".

Steve Litt has used GNU/Linux since 1998, and written about it since 1999. Steve can be reached at his email address.

Letters to the Editor

All letters become the property of the publisher (Steve Litt), and may be edited for clarity or brevity. We especially welcome additions, clarifications, corrections or flames from vendors whose products have been reviewed in this magazine. We reserve the right to not publish letters we deem in bad taste (bad language, obscenity, hate, lewd, violence, etc.).

Submit letters to the editor to Steve Litt's email address, and be sure the subject reads "Letter to the Editor". We regret that we cannot return your letter, so please make a copy of it for future reference.

How to Submit an Article

Any article submitted to Linux Productivity Magazine must be licensed with the Open Publication License, which you can view at http://opencontent.org/openpub/. At your option you may elect the option to prohibit substantive modifications. However, in order to publish your article in Linux Productivity Magazine, you must decline the option to prohibit commercial use, because Linux Productivity Magazine is a commercial publication.

Obviously, you must be the copyright holder and must be legally able to so license the article. We do not currently pay for articles.

Troubleshooters.Com reserves the right to edit any submission for clarity or brevity, within the scope of the Open Publication License. If you elect to prohibit substantive modifications, we may elect to place editors notes outside of your material, or reject the submission, or send it back for modification. Any published article will include a two sentence description of the author, a hypertext link to his or her email, and a phone number if desired. Upon request, we will include a hypertext link, at the end of the magazine issue, to the author's website, providing that website meets the Troubleshooters.Com criteria for links and that the author's website first links to Troubleshooters.Com. Authors: please understand we can't place hyperlinks inside articles. If we did, only the first article would be read, and we can't place every article first.

Submissions should be emailed to Steve Litt's email address, with subject line Article Submission. The first paragraph of your message should read as follows (unless other arrangements are previously made in writing):

Copyright (c) 2003 by <your name>. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, version  Draft v1.0, 8 June 1999 (Available at http://www.troubleshooters.com/openpub04.txt/ (wordwrapped for readability at http://www.troubleshooters.com/openpub04_wrapped.txt). The latest version is presently available at  http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/).

Open Publication License Option A [ is | is not] elected, so this document [may | may not] be modified. Option B is not elected, so this material may be published for commercial purposes.

After that paragraph, write the title, text of the article, and a two sentence description of the author.

Why not Draft v1.0, 8 June 1999 OR LATER

Trademarks

URLs Mentioned in this Issue

• http://www.troubleshooters.com: Steve Litt's Troubleshooting website.
• http://www.troubleshooters.com/bookstore: Home of Steve Litt's books.
• http://money.cnn.com/2001/06/28/technology/microsoft_appeal/: The appeals court affirms Judge Jackson's finding that Microsoft maintained an illegal monopoly over operating systems.
• http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/world-domination/world-domination-201.html#ftn.id287430: Home of Eric Raymond's and Rob Landley's "World Domination 201" document.
• http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm: Findings of fact: District court for the District of Columbia.
• Hardware Manufacturers
• http://h18000.www1.hp.com/: Home of Compaq.
• http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html?pageDisplay=drivers: HP/Compaq drivers.
• http://www.linksys.com: Home of Linksys, maker of wireless products.
• http://www.broadcom.com: Home of Broadcom, makers of wireless NICs.
• http://www.ralinktech.com: Home of Ralink, makers of many chipsets including those in my Linksys WUSB54G, version 4.
• http://www.ralinktech.com/supp-1.htm: Bless their little hearts, Ralink gives you an excellent driver download, including Linux and Mac drivers, on this page. I wish all the vendors would do this.

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