RE: [SUSPECTED SPAM] Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
> -Original Message- > From: William Kenworthy > Sent: Monday, April 4, 2022 8:05 PM > To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org > Subject: [SUSPECTED SPAM] Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point > > > On 4/4/22 23:12, Jack wrote: > > On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: > >> Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular > >> access point to an interface or fail? > >> > >> I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two > >> wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to > >> connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! > >> I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch > >> they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest > >> which is often not what I want :( > >> > >> BillK > > > > I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and > > KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a > > network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you > > any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. > > > > Jack > > > Hi Jack, unfortunately its a headless, wifi only system which is why getting > openrc to behave is important! > > BillK The bit where specifying the SSID in conf.d/net doesn't work sounds like a bug to me, but one that may take a while to be fixed since I'm not sure how many people use netifrc with wireless. If you're open to experimenting, NetworkManager will let you specify that connections may only be used with specific adapters. While normally considered a GUI tool it does have nmcli and nmtui for configuring it on headless systems. LMP
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On 5/4/22 16:05, Michael wrote: On Tuesday, 5 April 2022 08:46:52 BST Neil Bothwick wrote: On Tue, 5 Apr 2022 11:16:10 +0800, William Kenworthy wrote: On 5/4/22 07:09, Michael wrote: On Monday, 4 April 2022 16:12:53 BST Jack wrote: On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular access point to an interface or fail? I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which is often not what I want :( BillK I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. Jack Look at the example provided in: /usr/share/doc/netifrc-0.7.3/net.example.bz2 You can set a different ssid for each wireless NIC. The wpa_supplicant can be set with credentials for the two APs only. Unfortunately, this does not work as I want ...wpa_supplicant's behaviour makes sense in that it provides a fallback if the allocated access point cant connect ... it will pick the next available one (seemingly based on signal strength) if it is in its conf file (and does not care that its another ssid) - so it does not fail. As only one of the two networks has internet access the device often ends up not being able to be connected to (its headless so that's a problem!). I have fallen back to openrc for the main connection and will do the other manually - it would be nice to have everything properly controlled but its not working for me. Could you run two instances of wpa_suplicant, each listening on a different interface and using a config with only the AP for that interface? As I recall wpa_cli can be launched by specifying a particular interface. Therefore two instances of wpa_cli launched by a script should be possible. However, isn't the purpose of /etc/conf.d/net to specify how individual interfaces are configured? I still think - but have not tried it - each wireless NIC can be configured via this file to use a particular access point/ channel and not go scanning for others, while the wpa_supplicant can be left to deal with the authentication mechanism after each NIC has found its specified ESSID. The section in the netifrc example file which starts as follows, merits reading: ### # SETTINGS # Hard code an SSID to an interface - leave this unset if you wish the driver # to scan for available Access Points . . . Something like this ought to work: essid_wlan0="foo" essid_wlan1="bar" Didnt work - what did work was setting up the main network using normal openrc and scripting the other interface after making it config_wlan1="null" in conf.d/net. I am putting this part of the problem as solved. Routing is still an issue but once I have a couple of diagnostic packages installed (compiling is slow on a pi!) I will be better able to see whats gone wrong. BillK
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On Tuesday, 5 April 2022 08:46:52 BST Neil Bothwick wrote: > On Tue, 5 Apr 2022 11:16:10 +0800, William Kenworthy wrote: > > On 5/4/22 07:09, Michael wrote: > > > On Monday, 4 April 2022 16:12:53 BST Jack wrote: > > >> On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: > > >>> Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular > > >>> access point to an interface or fail? > > >>> > > >>> I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two > > >>> wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 > > >>> to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... > > >>> reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the > > >>> first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the > > >>> strongest which is often not what I want :( > > >>> > > >>> BillK > > >> > > >> I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and > > >> KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a > > >> network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you > > >> any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. > > >> > > >> Jack > > > > > > Look at the example provided in: > > > > > > /usr/share/doc/netifrc-0.7.3/net.example.bz2 > > > > > > You can set a different ssid for each wireless NIC. The > > > wpa_supplicant can be set with credentials for the two APs only. > > > > Unfortunately, this does not work as I want ...wpa_supplicant's > > behaviour makes sense in that it provides a fallback if the allocated > > access point cant connect ... it will pick the next available one > > (seemingly based on signal strength) if it is in its conf file (and > > does not care that its another ssid) - so it does not fail. As only > > one of the two networks has internet access the device often ends up > > not being able to be connected to (its headless so that's a problem!). > > > > I have fallen back to openrc for the main connection and will do the > > other manually - it would be nice to have everything properly > > controlled but its not working for me. > > Could you run two instances of wpa_suplicant, each listening on a > different interface and using a config with only the AP for that > interface? As I recall wpa_cli can be launched by specifying a particular interface. Therefore two instances of wpa_cli launched by a script should be possible. However, isn't the purpose of /etc/conf.d/net to specify how individual interfaces are configured? I still think - but have not tried it - each wireless NIC can be configured via this file to use a particular access point/ channel and not go scanning for others, while the wpa_supplicant can be left to deal with the authentication mechanism after each NIC has found its specified ESSID. The section in the netifrc example file which starts as follows, merits reading: ### # SETTINGS # Hard code an SSID to an interface - leave this unset if you wish the driver # to scan for available Access Points . . . Something like this ought to work: essid_wlan0="foo" essid_wlan1="bar" signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On Tue, 5 Apr 2022 11:16:10 +0800, William Kenworthy wrote: > On 5/4/22 07:09, Michael wrote: > > On Monday, 4 April 2022 16:12:53 BST Jack wrote: > >> On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: > >>> Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular > >>> access point to an interface or fail? > >>> > >>> I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two > >>> wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 > >>> to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... > >>> reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the > >>> first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the > >>> strongest which is often not what I want :( > >>> > >>> BillK > >> I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and > >> KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a > >> network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you > >> any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. > >> > >> Jack > > Look at the example provided in: > > > > /usr/share/doc/netifrc-0.7.3/net.example.bz2 > > > > You can set a different ssid for each wireless NIC. The > > wpa_supplicant can be set with credentials for the two APs only. > > Unfortunately, this does not work as I want ...wpa_supplicant's > behaviour makes sense in that it provides a fallback if the allocated > access point cant connect ... it will pick the next available one > (seemingly based on signal strength) if it is in its conf file (and > does not care that its another ssid) - so it does not fail. As only > one of the two networks has internet access the device often ends up > not being able to be connected to (its headless so that's a problem!). > > I have fallen back to openrc for the main connection and will do the > other manually - it would be nice to have everything properly > controlled but its not working for me. Could you run two instances of wpa_suplicant, each listening on a different interface and using a config with only the AP for that interface? -- Neil Bothwick Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again pgpZgGfAGG3EL.pgp Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On 4/4/22 23:12, Jack wrote: On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular access point to an interface or fail? I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which is often not what I want :( BillK I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. Jack Hi Jack, unfortunately its a headless, wifi only system which is why getting openrc to behave is important! BillK
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On 5/4/22 07:09, Michael wrote: On Monday, 4 April 2022 16:12:53 BST Jack wrote: On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular access point to an interface or fail? I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which is often not what I want :( BillK I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. Jack Look at the example provided in: /usr/share/doc/netifrc-0.7.3/net.example.bz2 You can set a different ssid for each wireless NIC. The wpa_supplicant can be set with credentials for the two APs only. Unfortunately, this does not work as I want ...wpa_supplicant's behaviour makes sense in that it provides a fallback if the allocated access point cant connect ... it will pick the next available one (seemingly based on signal strength) if it is in its conf file (and does not care that its another ssid) - so it does not fail. As only one of the two networks has internet access the device often ends up not being able to be connected to (its headless so that's a problem!). I have fallen back to openrc for the main connection and will do the other manually - it would be nice to have everything properly controlled but its not working for me. BillK
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On Monday, 4 April 2022 16:12:53 BST Jack wrote: > On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: > > Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular > > access point to an interface or fail? > > > > I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two > > wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to > > connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! > > I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch > > they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which > > is often not what I want :( > > > > BillK > > I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and > KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a > network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you > any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. > > Jack Look at the example provided in: /usr/share/doc/netifrc-0.7.3/net.example.bz2 You can set a different ssid for each wireless NIC. The wpa_supplicant can be set with credentials for the two APs only. signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
On 4/4/22 01:31, William Kenworthy wrote: Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular access point to an interface or fail? I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which is often not what I want :( BillK I don't know about wpa-supplicant, but I'm using open-rc and KDE, and KDE's systemsettings Network / Connections screen lets you restrict a network connection so a specific device. Not sure if this helps you any, but it would indicate that what you want is possible. Jack
[gentoo-user] Choose a wireless access point
Is there a way force openrc and wpa_supplicant to map a particular access point to an interface or fail? I have two AP's (each on a different ssid) to connect to so have two wifi interfaces - unfortunately they are not equal so I want wlan0 to connect to only one particular AP, and wlan1 to the other ... reliably! I can manually force it to connect but invariably at the first glitch they both end up connected to the same AP (usually the strongest which is often not what I want :( BillK
