[Voyage-linux] 0.6.2 as AP with Atheros radios

[Punky Tse]

Hi Edwin,

Keep it simple, man.  Can you just post the /etc/network/interfaces that 
*won't* work on 0.6.2 + madwifi 0.9.4rc2 version.  I would just use it 
and test if I can reproduce it.

Regards,
Punky



Edwin Whitelaw wrote:
> Sure, but keep in mind this config is on the 0.5.2 box since 0.6 was 
> having the disappearing client problem.  The other system is still 
> running 0.6 but with a Prism card (Engenius NL2511) so everything is 
> wlan0 instead of ath0.
> lafayette:~# dpkg -l | grep madwi
> ii  madwifi-modules-2.6.23-486-voyage 0.9.4~rc2-1+5.0-2
>
> -------------more /var/log/dmesg
> Linux version 2.6.23-486-voyage (2.6.23-2) (root at punknix-uml) (gcc 
> version 4.1.2 20
> 061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)) #1 PREEMPT Wed May 21 15:31:49 
> GMT 2008
> .
> .
> .
> ------------
>
> ---------interfaces on 0.5.2 box w/Ubiquiti XR2 - ALIX board
> auto ath0
> iface ath0 inet static
>        address 172.23.2.1
>        netmask 255.255.255.0
>        broadcast 172.23.2.255
>        madwifi-base wifi0
>        wireless-mode Master
>        wireless-essid nrvu-lafayette
>        wireless-key s:XXXXXXXXXXXXX
>        wireless-channel 1
>        up iwpriv ath0 mode 3
>        up iwconfig ath0 txpower 14
>        up athctrl -i wifi0 -d 8000
>        down wlanconfig ath0 destroy
>
> auto ath0:0
> iface ath0:0 inet static
>        address 172.22.2.1
>        netmask 255.255.255.0
>        broadcast 172.22.2.255
> ------------
>
> The ath0:0 is used for the client radios and ath0 for routers.
> This has worked w/o problems for many months.
>
> When I had 0.6 installed, all the clients would mysteriously lose 
> association and bouncing the interface(s) (ifdown ath0/ifup ath0) 
> would restore them.  They might stay connected for a couple of days or 
> only a few hours before dropping again so I switched back to 0.5.2
>
> The other system was a bridged setup (eth0-ath0) where I replaced the 
> Atheros radio with the Prism but left the OS version at 0.6.
>
> Obviously no madwifi w/Prism card.
>
> ---more /var/log/dmesg..
> Linux version 2.6.26-486-voyage (2.6.26-12) (root at punknix-uml) (gcc 
> version 4.1.2 20061115 (prer
> elease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)) #1 PREEMPT Wed Dec 24 02:58:25 GMT 2008
> .
> .
> .
> --------
>
> ---------interfaces on 0.6 w/Prism - WRAP board
> auto br0
> iface br0 inet static
>       address 172.17.28.254
>       netmask 255.255.255.0
>       network 172.17.28.0
>       broadcast 172.17.28.255
>       gateway 172.17.28.1
>       bridge_ports eth0 wlan0
>       pre-up iwconfig wlan0 mode Master essid redhawk2 channel 11
>        up iwconfig wlan0 key s:XXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
> auto br0:0
> iface br0:0 inet static
>       address 172.16.28.254
>       netmask 255.255.255.0
>       network 172.16.28.0
>       broadcast 172.16.28.254
> --------
>
> On a possibly related note, I have both an early (0.6) and recent 
> (0.6.2) load of Voyage on the _client_ end of two different PtP links 
> and have not had a problem.  Not tried it on the Master end as these 
> are production backhauls and I can't really risk the outage.  I had 
> installed the first one of these client nodes on my backhaul before 
> trying it on the AP where I then had the disconnects and subsequently 
> backed off 0.6 until resolution of the problem.
>
> You may recall a post of a couple of weeks ago trying 0.6.2 as an AP 
> bridged to eth0 (very similar to the Prism setup above) with the 
> recommended madwifi version 
> (madwifi-modules-2.6.26-486-voyage_0.9.4~rc2-1+6.0-3_i386.deb).  This 
> did *not* work.  The client, a RALink PCI card in a desktop, would 
> continually connect and disconnect.  Switching back to 0.5.2 with an 
> identical interfaces file worked fine.
>
> Sure would like to put up the new OS version but until I can be sure 
> it's stable I don't need it 120' up a tower in winter.  :-)
>
> Thanks!
>
> Edwin
>
> Kim-man 'Punky' TSE wrote:
>> Hi Edwin,
>>
>> Can you re-post your configuration, and the madwifi driver version?  
>> Did you test 0.9.4rc2 version as well?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Punky
>>
>>
>> Edwin Whitelaw wrote:
>>> I tried using 0.6 a while back with Atheros radios in AP mode and 
>>> found it would mysteriously drop the clients after running for hours 
>>> or sometimes even a few days.  Bouncing the interface would bring 
>>> things back but I ended up downgrading to 0.5.2 in one case and 
>>> switching to a Prism radio in the other.  Both systems have run fine 
>>> since but I need to upgrade a couple of tower mounted systems before 
>>> winter sets in and had hoped to use 0.6.2 and don't know if the 
>>> above problem had been resolved.
>>>
>>> The above systems are installed on an ALIX.3Ds.
>>>
>>> Can anyone confirm successful long term stability using 0.6.2 
>>> w/Atheros AP?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Edwin
>>>
>>
>>
>