[opensuse] 11.4 - madwifi, Why doesn't it respect the network blocks in wpa_supplicant.conf?



Guys,

Here is a strange one. I have used this same laptop with 11.0-11.4. The wireless adapter is Atheros based and uses the madwifi adapter. I have a couple of networks I connect to that don't broadcast the ESSID and to handle this seamlessly without having to reconfigure yast->network devices every time I change between the networks, I have always included the proper network blocks in /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf. This no longer works in 11.4 and I find myself having to fire up yast->network devices and manually change the ESSID to switch networks (primarily between home and work, but regardless, it is a pain)

In wpa_supplicant.conf, your network blocks are simple brace delimited blocks of data each holding authentication information for a particular wap. On network activation, wpa_supplicant is supposed to step though the network block and connect to the one that is available (has best signal, etc...) That isn't happening. For example, in wpa_supplicant.conf, I have:

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel

network={
ssid="skyline"
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
#psk="snipped"
psk=snipped
}
network={
ssid="work"
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
#psk="snipped"
psk=snipped
}


Apparently (or something similar to) the ESSID entered in yast->network devices is preventing wpa_supplicant for finding the alternate network when you switch from work to home for instance. (that is -- physically coming home from work and rebooting the laptop at home)

Am I missing a new feature or setting somewhere? This was always simple stuff and I never had to mess with Yast when changing networks before. Anybody have any idea why the alternate network blocks in wpa_supplicant.conf are not getting parsed for a connection? What say the experts?

--
David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E.
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