Can't DHCP Wireless Connect

[Michael Steele_2]

What's Up?

From a previous thread:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1400663

This is a Edimax Wireless USB 2.0 Adaptor
Model = EW7718Un

Has greater signal reception than my Netgear under Vista.

Error message from console:

ERROR for wireless request Set encode [8B2A]
Set failed on device ra0: Network is down

When I ifconfig ra0 inet up, up comes the NIC, it broadcasts for a IP, and fails.

There is no authentication or encryption currently set. Nor any be broadcast from the router.

Help Please - :-)

[Horia Chirculescu]

Hello,

How about setting up a non DHCP environment? Can you assign static IP and see if the wireless adapter works as expected?

Best regards,
Horia.

[Matti_Kurkela]

Have you set the network name (ESSID) using iwconfig?

Have you copied the RT2870STA.dat configuration file to /etc/Wireless/RT2870STA/RT2870STA.dat and made the appropriate modifications (SSID, Country settings, AuthMode=OPEN, EncrypType=NONE, etc.)?

In a wireless network, the DHCP request can succeed only after the NIC has associated with the AP, so that's the first thing to check.

My laptop has an integrated Intel WLAN chip (using the iwlagn driver). When the wireless NIC is not associated, "iwconfig wlan0" displays:

wlan0 IEEE 802.11abgn Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated
Tx-Power=15 dBm
Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:off

When a network is available, the same command displays more information:

wlan0 IEEE 802.11abgn ESSID:""
Mode:Managed Frequency: GHz Access Point:
Bit Rate=1 Mb/s Tx-Power=15 dBm
Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality=50/70 Signal level=-60 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

MK

[Michael Steele_2]

Joria

If the router is DCHP then how can I use a static IP configuration?

Matti:

a) What is a AP?

b) I've set the SSID - I don't think the ESSID is relevant. I forget the definition of hand so I'll have to look it up.

c) I have made the appropriate settings rt2870sta.dat file. I have not checked the rt2870sta(?) file.

d) Did not know the 'iwconfig' command - thanks!

[J. Maestre]

Even if the router assigns IP addresses through DHCP you can use a static address in that IP range and it'll work just the same.

Worst thing that could happen is getting an IP conflict if the address has already been assigned to other device, but usually when using a high number chances of that are slim to none.

[Michael Steele_2]

Matti:

OK - AP = Access point.

Found some info on different Linux forums and you all seem to be in the same ballpark.

Question: One of the other forums corrected the problem by downloading a larger kernel, to correct a stack size problem with the fedora version. Commants?

Later gator.

[J. Maestre]

Kernel stack size shouldn't be an issue.

4k stacks are known to give problems with windows drivers loaded through ndiswrapper, as well as some other binary drivers, but that's not your case here.

There's already a staging 2870/3070 ralink driver in the 2.6.32 kernel, so it wouldn't make sense that it still required a >=8k kernel stack.

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] but usually when using a high number
> chances of that are slim to none.

Right. And tracking down a problem which
occurs only infrequently is always easier
than tracking down a problem which occurs
frequently?

In my limited experience, a typical DHCP
server offers IP addresses confined to some
limited range, leaving other addresses in
that sub-net available for static use. If I
were looking for a good static address, then
I'd choose one of those others.

[Horia Chirculescu]

Hello,

>If the router is DCHP then how can I use a >static IP configuration?

This was only for testing purpose. What if DHCP (client or server or even the protocol is scrambled) is not working at all?

J. Maestre is right about this issue. I would just add the fact that you should add the correct gateway in order to have a working device.

My point was this: You must be sure that you do have a working IP link through your wireless connection. Maybe your access point requests encryption and this would not even allow IP connections.

Best regards,
Horia.