[pkg-wpa-devel] Bug#572143: wpasupplicant: dbus config file wrong - doesn't associate : Proposal of practical solution

[Etienne URBAH]

Concerning the setup of configuration files to make the 'wpa_supplicant' 
daemon operate correctly :

I am trying to describe below a practical solution providing more 
information than Message #10 of Kel Modderman.


As system administrator, my old method to start the 'wpa_supplicant' 
daemon was to use a Shell script like following simplified one :

iface=`/sbin/iwconfig 2>&1  |  grep -i 'IEEE *802\.11'  |  head -1  | 
cut -d ' ' -f 1`
if [ "$iface" ]
then
   /sbin/wpa_supplicant  -B  -i "$iface"  -D wext  -c 
/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
fi


But for some months, at startup, a 'wpa_supplicant -u -s' process 
systematically appears, fails, stays in memory, reappears as soon as 
killed, and makes my previous method also fail !

In order that the 'wpa_supplicant' daemon is correctly started again, I 
had to perform following painful work :

-  Discover that 'wpa_supplicant -u -s' is started using following dbus 
service file :
 
/usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/fi.epitest.hostap.WPASupplicant.service
    Currently, the 'Exec=' line of this dbus service file is :
    Exec=/sbin/wpa_supplicant -u -s

-  Discover that the process using this dbus service file to start the 
'wpa_supplicant' daemon is 'NetworkManager' (currently from 
network-manager 0.8.1-3)

-  Inside the '/etc/network/interfaces' file, define the 'Wifi' logical 
interface as the one pointing to the physical MAC address of my wireless 
chip.

-  Inside the '/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections' folder, create a 
file describing the '802-11-wireless' setup of the 'Wifi' logical 
interface defined in the '/etc/network/interfaces' file.

-  Inside '/etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf', in the '[ifupdown]' 
section, set managed=true

With this configuration, 'NetworkManager' starts correctly the 
'wpa_supplicant' daemon (and then 'dhclient').


Could the Debian maintainer :
-  Verify if the above information is relevant and accurate,
-  If necessary, improve it,
-  Precisely document the '-s' and '-u' options in the manual page of 
'wpa_supplicant' (and 'wpa_cli' and 'wpa_gui' if appropriate).

Thank you very much in advance.

Etienne URBAH
78  Avenue de Suffren
75015  PARIS
Tél: +33 1 45 67 51 64
Fax: +33 1 47 34 61 40