I’m sorry but this approach is not going to work for me.
Apparently one almost needs a university degree in network management before a simple wireless connection can be established.
All I know is that in Ubuntu Desktop version there’s absolute no problem to establish a wireless WPA2 secured connection with that exact same wireless USB stick.
A few years ago I managed to create the wireless connection in Karmic Server version based upon an example and I’m still working with it. But in newer kernels it’s definitely not working.
It must be somehow that wpa_supplicant stuff.
I’ve tried to test the connection against a non protected network like you’ve asked.
It’s embarrassing to say but I failed. I even don’t know how to adjust the relevant files in order to be able to connect to an insecure network. The network is detected but there’s no association so I guess there must be something wrong with my configuration files.
I can only draw the conclusion that currently my knowledge about networks is absolute not sufficient to be able to do this and I don’t have time to read more about it.
Can you provide me with configuration files, please?
Which might explain the system becoming unstable… can you attach another dmesg from the kernel and driver you are now using.
If I’m reading this correctly (but I may not be) it may suggest some sort of conflict between the wireless device/wpa_supplicant and the sound card… maybe in virtual memory… I’m trying to find out what "MainVirtualIF is ???
Thanks for investigating the problem so far. I really appreciate all the effort you make for this.
I’ve compared my configs with the ones in your post of July 14, 2011, 07:06:17 pm. There were some minor differences which I guess are not that important but nevertheless I corrected them:
In my configs access point scanning mode set to 2 was still in etc/network/interfaces not in wpa_supplicant.conf.
Proto in my wpa_supplicant.conf was set to RSN WPA instead of WPA2 WPA.
These modifications don’t make any difference. Kernel 2.6.31 still works and kernel 2.6.35 does not.
In kernel 2.6.35 the interfaces name is not ra0 but wlan0 so I did: wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd. Initially this didn’t work (message about wpa_supplicant already active) but after issuing ifdown it did work.
The command seems to finish never so I stopped it with CTRL+C after some time. You can read the output in the attachment. If I read it correctly I understand from it that the driver does recognize the wireless network but that it fails when it comes to the security key.
Besides I’ve decided to get rid of all failed attempts and so I’ve removed all kernel images and kernel headers except for 2.6.31 which I do need as long as this matter is not solved. After that I’ve installed the latest kernel image and header of 2.6.35.
So the above test was performed on a pristine kernel without any additional drivers not even the one you’ve provided. We can probably try additional drivers in a subsequent step.
The observation you’ve posted in your post of July 15, 2011, 03:20:24 pm is quite interesting. Unfortunately I can’t provide you with another dmesg output because I’ve removed that kernel earlier this week because of persisting crashes. So far 2.6.35 does not produce errors concerning paging errors.
From your wpa_supplicant output, it seems like it’s an issue with the group cipher key length… maybe the key that you generated with wpa_passphrase is invalid.
Does your “passphrase” contain any strange characters such as a tilde (~) etc.
you might (just as a test) want to try entering the passphrase as a plain text key… so make /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf read:
let’s use just one -d in the last command this time, to turn down the verbosity level… the last output was a bit longer than I expected and probably unnecessary
Just as a matter of interest, what is the make/model of your router/access point ?
what is the output from:
iwlist wlan0 scanning
and do you NEED WPA2… I know your router/AP is mixed mode, but can’t you just connect to it with WPA ? … or am I misunderstanding your network layout ?
What I’m getting at is… couldn’t you just drop WPA2 and CCMP altogether and just connect with WPA/TKIP ?
This seems to be the important part:
State: 4WAY_HANDSHAKE -> GROUP_HANDSHAKE
[b]RSN: received GTK in pairwise handshake - hexdump(len=34): [REMOVED]
WPA: Unsupported CCMP Group Cipher key length 32 (32).[/b]
RSN: Failed to install GTK
RSN: Failed to configure GTK
wpa_driver_wext_deauthenticate
I’m reading up on the 4way handshake and GTK (group temporal key) now :o … I’ll post if I find anything.
Just a quick reply for now.
Concerning WPA2: No, I do not insist on using WPA2 although it is safer. I have a rather old PC running Windows XP. Windows XP is supposed to handle WPA2 but it can’t so that one connects with WPA too.
And that is merely the reason that my modem router is in mixed mode.
I can probably try what happens if I switch it to WPA or WPA2 only. I’ve found several claims that mixed mode means trouble with Ralink based adapters so it may be worth the effort to try it.
B.T.W.: Why doesn’t it try WPA if WPA2 fails? if I am correct the config allows both types and the AP accepts both types.
Furthermore I still don’t understand why the wireless USB adapter has no problems at all connecting to my network when I plug it into a laptop computer running the same Ubuntu version except it is the desktop version and besides with the 2.6.31 kernel on the server it also connects without problems. My guess is that there’s nothing wrong with my wireless network, it is just a kernel/driver issue.
B.T.W.: I’ve brought the problem to the attention of the Ubuntu developers and their answer was that I should file a bugreport on Launchpad. Well, in Launchpad there are about 20 similar problems and virtually none of them has drawn the attention of the developers or is even triaged so I did not file a report after all.
The reality is simply that no one seems to know exactly what is happening with this type of adapters.
My passphrase does not contain strange characters. It is in hexadecimal form so it can’t contain strange characters and the plaintext form is a mix of numbers and capitals.
And I know for sure it is correct because that old 2.6.31 kernel uses the same wpa_supplicant settings too and is still connecting without problems. The SSID does contain certain unusual characters but even that’s not a problem for the 2.6.31 kernel.
My modem router is a FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7140 Annex A.
I agree… I would have expected it to fall back on WPA if WPA2 failed to connect, but it just appears to go into a loop of retrying WPA2.
I’m also as baffled as you as to why it works in the desktop edition but not the server edition… I do realise -
a) the kernels are slightly different… but wouldn’t have expected the drivers (which are modules) to be any different.
b) NetworkManager handles the network connections slightly differently, but I’m unsure of the exact differences in the way the keys are generated, but I do know… after creating a WPA2 connection in NetworkManager and checking its settings in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections … NetworkManager appears to store the psk= as a plain text string of the passphrase, and NOT a long passkey hash. (but sets read/write permissions for owner root only [-rw------- 600])
I also know NetworkManager doesn’t use the /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf or /etc/network/interfaces config files … but it does use the wpa_supplicant service, and will start it even if it is disabled… NetworkManager gets its settings from /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/
So I would guess that it isn’t a kernel issue, or a driver issue, and probably isn’t a wpa_supplicant issue either… but more an issue of the way the network is brought up, and the way the passkey (psk=) is handed to the wpa_supplicant service.
Have you tried regenerating the long passkey hash from your passphrase, or are you just reusing the passkey hash that you previously had ?
It’s a weird one this for sure.
I don’t know whether you want to trust me with your passphrase and the passkey hash you are using so I can try them myself… if you are OK with that, send them to me either by email: mark.greaves@linux.co.uk
or in a Personal Message here.
As I suggested in my last post… I’d still suggest you try entering the psk= as a plain text string in /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf and see what happens.
I read on another forum that when using NetworkManager for a WPA/WPA2 connection, it asks for your passphrase, but after the first time you connect, the passphrase has changed to a passkey hash … I’ll look into this tonight and see if that’s correct… if it is, maybe you can connect with a desktop edition, then copy the passkey hash NetworkManager generates to your servers wpa_supplicant.conf … just an idea
Hello,
I’m also having trouble getting my USB adapter (Sitecom WL-346) to work. I believe (I’m not absolutely sure) the appropriate driver for it is rt2870.
The problem is that the output of iwconfig only shows my loopback device.
By the way, I am using Ubuntu 11.04.
The output of lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0df6:0051 Sitecom Europe B.V.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Also the output of lsmod does not show a module with substring ‘rt’.
When I unplug the adapter and replug it, and output the last lines of dmesg:
USB disconnect, address 2
new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 3
[RT3090]
DeviceID_1=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3090
DeviceID_2=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3091
DeviceID_3=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3092
DeviceID_4=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3062
DeviceID_5=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3562
DeviceID_6=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3592
DeviceID_7=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3060
DeviceID_8=PCI\VEN_1814&DEV_3290[/spoiler]
(look for the device ID string in red in the above spoiler… it’s in the RT3070 section)
So it would seem as though you need the RT3070 driver… BUT… the latest Linux 3070 driver doesn’t contain the device ID string for that adapter.
I can add the device ID string to the latest 3070 driver… then give you a link to the customised driver… then you can try it if you like ?
Up to you.
Hi Mark, thanks for responding.
You’re correct about the typo, it is indeed the WL-364.
One of the problems was the outdated version of the rt2800usb driver.
In this commit the adapter is added: Ubuntu Kernel Repositories
I’ve downloaded the complete (and most recent) compat source and compiled & installed everything.
At this time, the adapter is recognized (it shows up in iwconfig):
wlan1 IEEE 802.11bgn ESSID:off/any
Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated Tx-Power=0 dBm
Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Power Management:on
But there are still problems, when I plug the adapter in, NetworkManager shows “device not ready (firmware missing)”
The output of dmesg:
[ 1858.072095] usb 2-3: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 4
[ 1858.496123] usb 2-3: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 4
[ 1858.654096] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2412 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654106] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654113] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2417 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654121] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654126] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2422 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654133] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654138] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2427 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654145] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654150] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2432 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654157] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654162] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2437 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654168] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654174] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2442 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654180] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654185] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2447 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654192] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654197] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2452 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654204] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654209] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2457 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654216] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654221] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2462 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654228] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654233] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2467 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654239] cfg80211: 2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654245] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2472 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654251] cfg80211: 2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654257] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2484 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[ 1858.654263] cfg80211: 2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 1858.654554] ieee80211 phy1: Selected rate control algorithm ‘minstrel_ht’
[ 1858.657061] Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::radio
[ 1858.657111] Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::assoc
[ 1858.657164] Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::quality
[ 1858.657626] usbcore: registered new interface driver rt2800usb
[ 1858.761425] phy1 → rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Error - Current firmware does not support detected chipset.
The adapter is not recognised if I type the aforesaid command (there is no output).
Installing either the deb file seems a good option. Though when I’m trying to install it, dpkg gives an error: “trying to overwrite /lib/firmware/rt2860.bin, which is also in package linux-firmware 1.52”
I’m looking into that.
I guess I can add another success to this thread although it is not a complete success. The good news is that I managed to establish a connection with kernel 2.6.35.
The not so good news is that it still not works with WPA2. Based on our previous observations I’ve assumed that the fallback mechanism apparently fails for some reason so I’ve changed these lines of wpa_supplicant.conf:
proto=WPA2 WPA
pairwise=CCMP TKIP
group=CCMP TKIP
into these:
proto=WPA
pairwise=TKIP
group=TKIP
So now the driver is forced to work with WPA and that seems to work.
If I change it to this:
proto=WPA2
pairwise=CCMP
group=CCMP
thereby forcing WPA2 mode then the connection fails. However in this case scanning detects the AP (it gives the correct MAC-address) but fails to detect the SSID. I’ve a hunch that this might be due to the AP being hidden.
I’ve noticed a change in behavior that worries me a bit. In the old kernel the LED on the stick was blinking like mad. Now it blinks a few times and then it dims for several seconds and then blinks again a few times and this all happens in a random pattern. According to the log of the modem router the server does not disconnect so it appears to be a stable connection.
It does not seem to make any difference whether the psk is encrypted or in plain text.
Since we both have invested a lot of time in it already I’m determined to find out why it isn’t working in WPA2 mode.
Are you willing to assist further in this process? May be we can achieve more results with the drivers we tried earlier or may be the approach with new firmware which you tried with Michael may work.
Anyway, I’m very happy with this success.
Mark, thank you so much for all the assistance and advice you gave me so far!
Yeh sure… I’m quite happy to keep looking for a WPA2 solution, I too hate being beaten
Oddly enough after going through that with Michael, I was going to suggest a firmware update, and the latest drivers… maybe there is some kind of mismatch going on.
I also wonder if there is a later version of wpa_supplicant than the Maverick version… which version do you have:
wpa_supplicant -v
and for the Ubuntu package version:
sudo apt-get -v wpa_supplicant
I've a hunch that this might be due to the AP being hidden.
AFAIK the only way to be sure where the connection is failing would be to run:
BTW, I wouldn’t worry too much about the lights, I’ve got a PCMCIA card in an old laptop that flashes both the power and RX/TX lights very oddly in Linux (fine in Windows), but connects perfectly and has done for a year + … both lights flash twice, then there’s a gap, then they flash twice again… rinse and repeat.
I’ll have a search for CCMP key length problems/solutions in the morning.
was that that it would be impossible AFAIK, to discover exactly what was causing the issue, other than to run that command… which seems to suggest that it is more to do with the key than the fact that the AP’s SSID is hidden.
Did this result in new information?
Sorry, I’ve been a bit busy today… I’ll post as soon as I find anything useful
[EDIT]
I’m finding quite a few references to WMM (Wireless Multimedia aka. Wireless QoS) causing WPA/WPA2 authentication issues… from what I gather this is enabled by default in the Fritz!Box 7140.
It might be worth turning it OFF in the router, and trying with WPA2 again… though this at first glance doesn’t explain why it would connect on an earlier kernel… plenty of people were having a similar issue with Atheros wireless cards, they worked on earlier kernels but not on newer kernels… the workaround was to disable WMM (Wireless QoS) in the router.
