How To: Manual Network Configuration without the need for Network Manager

[vexingmodstwo]

Good luck -- I hope it stays working. If I look at Cell #2:

Cell 02 - Address: 00:15:05:EE:47:3F
ESSID:"pumpkin"
Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
Mode:Managed
Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
Quality:95/100 Signal level:-35 dBm Noise level:-96 dBm
Encryption keyn
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:bcn_int=100
Extra:atim=0

It states the encryption key=on. I wasn't feeding you any encryption parameters with my earlier instructions b/c I had instructed you to initially turn off the encryption. I'm assuming its WEP encrypted by your output, but this requires an additional configuration parameter in order to connect

sudo ifconfig wlan0 key <key>

Oh, right. That was after I had turned encryption back on on the router because everything else (besides this laptop) trying to connect to it was encrypted and offline.

I'm still trying to figure out how it finally started working so as to help anyone else with the same issue. I think it was a combination of this How To, this one, and Jamie Jackson's how to, along with using wifiradar. I had tried to do a manual configuration with WICD, but it didn't work. With wifiradar it worked right after I entered the default gateway address.

So basically I had a driver issue, a config issue, then a network manager issue.

Hope this helps anyone else trying to figure this out.

And Kevdog, I can't thank you enough for your patience and help.

[ljungkvist]

Hi

I use a Compaq presario V6000 laptop with the Broadcom BCM94311 wireless card. When I first installed ubuntu (hardy) it didn't work, so I followed this guide, which made it work. My only problem now is that the network manager for some reason doesn't manage to connect automatically at boot. I have to check/uncheck the "enable wireless" option in tray icon. Then it works.

So because of that, and the fact that I would like to know how these things work , I decided to give this thing a shoot.

The network I'm trying to connect to uses WPA, so I naturally followed the instruction listed under that one: I created the wpa_supplicant.conf-file as described, and then followed the commands. Here is my output on the first two:

╔═compres═▷ ~
╚kalle 20$ sudo ifconfig wlan0 down
╔═compres═▷ ~
╚kalle 21$ sudo dhclient -r wlan0
There is already a pid file /var/run/dhclient.pid with pid 8708
killed old client process, removed PID file
Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client V3.0.6
Copyright 2004-2007 Internet Systems Consortium.
All rights reserved.
For info, please visit http://www.isc.org/sw/dhcp/

Listening on LPF/wlan0/00:14:a5:d9:49:e4
Sending on   LPF/wlan0/00:14:a5:d9:49:e4
Sending on   Socket/fallback
DHCPRELEASE on wlan0 to 192.168.178.1 port 67
send_packet: Network is unreachable
send_packet: please consult README file regarding broadcast address.

Is there something going wrong already here? Because when I then run the next command

sudo wpa_supplicant -w -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd

It just gives me endless of error output (i can post it). I tried with both the wext and the ndiswrapper flags (since I use ndiswrapper).

Another question: Don't I have to shut off the network assistant? (how?)

[kevdog]

Just a few things.

I think the only way to turn Network Manager off, is to uninstall the program:
sudo aptitude purge network-manager-gnome

As far as bring up interfaces its the command
sudo ifconfig <interface> up

The -dd flag in the statement:
sudo wpa_supplicant -w -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd

Is to give debugging messages. Once its up and running and you do not need the messages you can do the following:
sudo wpa_supplicant -Bw -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

The B flag sends it to the background

If you are having good luck connecting with the manual approach, I would either put the commands in a script file, or switch to the WICD gui program. It works in much the same way as the manual approach.

[SammyBoy247]

[SOLVED] see posts below

I have happily had a wired network since copper was invented but my wife recently get a new laptop a we decided to take advantage of it's on board Realtek RTL8187B. We bought a cheap Netgear WGR614 router and within 10 novice minutes we were up and running with msXP on the laptop and 8.04 x64 on the main desktop.

Two days later the windows laptop had massive spyware and virus issues dispite a full norton suite.

ANY-WAY - installed Hardy on laptop (dual boot) started to configure wifi with ndiswrapper and windows XP drivers. Got hardware up and running using wired LAN but in process I mucked up the domain resolution somehow and lost all networking and things just got worse from there.

Gave up.... Fresh install over all partitions from live CD with wired LAN update.

ANY-WAY (again)
Currently I am looking at a fresh install of Hardy.
I have purged network manager.
I have installed ndiswrapper and the appropriate winXP drivers.
I have a wlan0 device.
iwlist scan reveals my home wifi network.
I have turned off all security on the router.
sudo dhclient wlan0 results in "No DHCPOFFERS"

I am a complete novice to wireless but have spent three solid days on this and have learnt alot but not enough.

I officially give up and could do with some help. Please let me know what you need me to post. I can do another fresh install if you'd like a fresh canvas.

Thanks in advance.

PS Following a recent post who's situation seemed very similar I installed wifi-radar. I too found my router but could not obtain an ip from it.

Also I have a Nokia N95 which has no problem connecting to the router with and without wep+/-wpa.

[kevdog]

The realtek chipset is very difficult - there is a 8187b and 8187l varieties. For the 8187b drivers I thought the win98 driver was the appropriate choice rather than winxp. The 8187l driver I am in the process of figuring out -- however it is different.

[SammyBoy247]

I definately have the 8187b chipset I will try the '98 drivers instead of the XP. I chose the XP drivers following a HOWTO on the subect NDISing 8187b chipset.

So many people have trouble with this chip however many more claim they have it up and running under ubuntu.

Am I better off just forgeting the onboard chipset and buying a more widely supported usb dongle?

[SammyBoy247]

I can't believe it....

win98 drivers
eth0 down
wlan0 down
wlan0 up
dhclient wlan0

And I'm up and running
Please find enclosed another thank-you for your collection

[chrisbedford]

PLEASE won't you rename this thread Manual WIRELESS Network config...

[n6k6t6]

Please help!
My problem is really fascinating.
I have a Dell Inspiron 1420n laptop. Wireless worked fine except for
one annoying issue: upon return from suspend at a different physical
location the network manager took a VERY LONG time to update its list
of networks. New networks would be visible via "iwlist scanning"
and yet the NetworkManager is still attempting to connect to a network
that is miles and miles away...
Don't get me wrong, I, as others with this problem, did have a
decent workaround. Mine was:
modprobe -r ipw3945
modprobe ipw3945

The only problem was that it took too long.

It is annoyance by the lack of something as simple as a rescan button
that made we install wicd, uninstalling NetworkManager in the process.

Ever since my wireless doesn't work.
To troubleshoot I followed the instructions in this howto,
but had no luck.

First, the following output says "DISABLED"

~# lshw -C network
*-network DISABLED
description: Wireless interface
product: PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:0c:00.0
logical name: eth1
version: 02
serial: 00:1c:bf:a8:d3:0f
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=ipw3945 driverversion=1.2.2mp firmware=14.2 1:0 () latency=0 link=no module=ipw3945 multicast=yes wireless=unassociated


It looked suspicious, but I carried on, until the final command
that failed:

~# wpa_supplicant -w -Dwext -i eth1 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
Trying to associate with 00:1d:7e:65:12:a6 (SSID='LocustSwarm' freq=2437 MHz)
Associated with 00:1d:7e:65:12:a6
WPA: Key negotiation completed with 00:1d:7e:65:12:a6 [PTK=TKIP GTK=TKIP]
CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 00:1d:7e:65:12:a6 completed (auth) [id=0 id_str=]

This command never exited.
Here is my wpa_supplicant.conf:

:~# cat /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
ap_scan=1

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant

network={
ssid="LocustSwarm"
scan_ssid=1
proto=WPA
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
psk="MYPASSPHRASE"
pairwise=TKIP
group=TKIP
}

Please, any insight will be much appreciated!

[kevdog]

PLEASE won't you rename this thread Manual WIRELESS Network config...

Please send a PM to a forum moderator -- that would probably be a better title. The thread used to be entitled something different, however when it was bumped to stick status it was renamed. I have no control of the naming of the thread. Only a moderator can change the title.

Thanks.