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| slackware:network [2009/01/04 14:41] – Re-write the introduction using grammar tips from Chris Collins alien | slackware:network [2014/01/13 22:14] – [WPA encryption] Typo fix alien |
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| * Note that I deliberately used an ESSID (the access point's Station Set Identifier) which has spaces in it. This requires that you use quotes around the name: //"my access point"//. When your access point has a name without spaces, you do not need these quotes - in fact it is better to leave those out: //WLAN_ESSID[1]=Darkstar//. | * Note that I deliberately used an ESSID (the access point's Station Set Identifier) which has spaces in it. This requires that you use quotes around the name: //"my access point"//. When your access point has a name without spaces, you do not need these quotes - in fact it is better to leave those out: //WLAN_ESSID[1]=Darkstar//. |
| * You may have defined your WEP key as a string of ascii characters (i.e. a readable passphrase like "Hogwarts") instead of a string of hexadecimal characters (like "6CC07C36169B8E7524886F9A19"). If you want to use this readable string instead of typing a series of HEX characters, you can use the following key format in ''rc.inet1.conf'' <code> | * ** NOTE about WEP encryption:**\\ You may have defined your WEP key as a string of ascii characters (i.e. a readable passphrase like "Hogwarts") instead of a string of hexadecimal characters (like "6CC07C36169B8E7524886F9A19"). If you want to use this readable string instead of typing a series of HEX characters, you can use the following key format in ''rc.inet1.conf'' <code> |
| WLAN_KEY[1]="s:Hogwarts" | WLAN_KEY[1]="s:Hogwarts" |
| </code> This is for a 128-bit (aka 104-bit) WEP key. The even weaker 64-bit (aka 40-bit) WEP keys are still being used - in this case you would need to provide one of 4 keys (or all four with one of them defined as active), this key would have to be the one that the access point considers active as well. Suppose we want to set key [2] to the ascii value "Hogwarts" and then make this the active key, this will take two ''iwconfig'' commands: "''iwconfig key [2] s:Hogwarts''" and "''iwconfig key [2]''". These commands can be combined into one: "''iwconfig key [2] s:Hogwarts key [2]''" and the corresponding entry in ''rc.inet1.conf'' would become (the first "key" word removed): <code> | </code> This is for a 128-bit (aka 104-bit) WEP key. The even weaker 64-bit (aka 40-bit) WEP keys are still being used - in this case you would need to provide one of 4 keys (or all four with one of them defined as active), this key would have to be the one that the access point considers active as well. Suppose we want to set key [2] to the ascii value "Hogwarts" and then make this the active key, this will take two ''iwconfig'' commands: "''iwconfig key [2] s:Hogwarts''" and "''iwconfig key [2]''". These commands can be combined into one: "''iwconfig key [2] s:Hogwarts key [2]''" and the corresponding entry in ''rc.inet1.conf'' would become (the first "key" word removed): <code> |
| WLAN_KEY[1]="[2] s:Hogwarts key [2]" | WLAN_KEY[1]="[2] s:Hogwarts key [2]" |
| </code> | </code> WEP key generators can be found all over the internet. A nice one is [[http://www.powerdog.com/wepkey.cgi|PowerDog's cgi script]]. Using WPA encryption is recommended, see the section that comes next if you need to know how to configure WPA encryption. |
| WEP key generators can be found all over the internet. A nice one is [[http://www.powerdog.com/wepkey.cgi|PowerDog's cgi script]]. Using WPA encryption is recommended, see the section that comes next if you need to know how to configure WPA encryption.\\ \\ It depends on your access point and the quality of the signal (think of interference because of nearby Access Points when you live in a densely populated area) whether you have to explicitly configure parameters as the channel and the rate. Leaving these undefined will cause the driver to scan for the appropriate channel and settle for a dynamic transmission rate. | |
| | It depends on your access point and the quality of the signal (think of interference because of nearby Access Points when you live in a densely populated area) whether you have to explicitly configure parameters as the channel and the rate. Leaving these undefined will cause the driver to scan for the appropriate channel and settle for a dynamic transmission rate. |
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| * There is a way to generate the hexadecimal value for the PSK if you have an access point which uses a passphrase. As root, run: <code> | * There is a way to generate the hexadecimal value for the PSK if you have an access point which uses a passphrase. As root, run: <code> |
| wpa_passphrase YOURSSID passphrase | wpa_passphrase YOURSSID passphrase |
| </code> with the //YOURSSID// being the ESSID of your Access Point and //passphrase// is the ascii string you entered in the ccess Point's //WPA-PSK// configuration section. You'll receive an output, which looks like this: <code> | </code> with the //YOURSSID// being the ESSID of your Access Point and //passphrase// is the ascii string you entered in the Access Point's //WPA-PSK// configuration section. You'll receive an output, which looks like this: <code> |
| network={ | network={ |
| ssid="YOURSSID" | ssid="YOURSSID" |
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| In Slackware, the way to start your network (the configuration of your //nics// and bringing the interfaces up, and creating a default route if required) is by running the command <code> | In Slackware, the way to start your network (the configuration of your //nics// and bringing the interfaces up, and creating a default route if required) is by running the command <code> |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 |
| </code> Restarting the whole network is done in a similar fashion: <code> | </code> Restarting the whole network is done in a similar fashion: <code> |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 restart | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 restart |
| </code> This is quite crude, and not adequate for the dynamic detection and configuration of network devices. Therefore, when your computer boots, and UDEV detects your network hardware, it will run the following command after loading the kernel driver and determining the name of the interface (let's assume that it is //wlan0//): <code> | </code> This is quite crude, and not adequate for the dynamic detection and configuration of network devices. Therefore, when your computer boots, and UDEV detects your network hardware, it will run the following command after loading the kernel driver and determining the name of the interface (let's assume that it is //wlan0//): <code> |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 wlan0_start | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 wlan0_start |
| </code> More generically speaking, you can start/stop/restart any network interface yourself by running one of the commands <code> | </code> More generically speaking, you can start/stop/restart any network interface yourself by running one of the commands <code> |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 INTERFACE_start | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 INTERFACE_start |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 INTERFACE_stop | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 INTERFACE_stop |
| /etc/rc.d.rc.inet1 INTERFACE_restart | /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 INTERFACE_restart |
| </code> | </code> |
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| Read more about it here: [[http://wicd.net/|http://wicd.net/]] | Read more about it here: [[http://wicd.net/|http://wicd.net/]] |
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| Wicd installs a daemon which talks to your computer's //dbus// messagebus to detect network connects/disconnects. Configuration of your wireless as well as wired interfaces requires that you run X Window so you can use the graphical //wicd-client//. | Wicd installs a daemon which talks to your computer's //dbus// messagebus to detect network connects/disconnects. Configuration of your wireless as well as wired interfaces is done via a //wicd client//. You can either run the graphical //wicd-client// in your X Window session (KDE, XFCE, blackbox, ...), or use the console program //wicd-curses// if you are not using X. |
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| <note warn>If you want to use wicd, you will hav to remove any network interface configuration information from ''/etc/rc.drc.inet1.conf'' in order to prevent a struggle for power between wicd and Slackware's ''rc.inet1'' script.</note> | <note warn>If you want to use wicd, you will have to remove any network interface configuration information from ''/etc/rc.drc.inet1.conf'' in order to prevent a struggle for power between wicd and Slackware's ''rc.inet1'' script.</note> |
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| === lxnm === | === lxnm === |
