Re: [patch]mac80211: add support for iwlist channel

[James Ketrenos <jketreno@linux.intel.com>]

Jiri Benc wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:43:09 -0700, James Ketrenos wrote:
>> [...]
>> /**
>>  * enum ieee80211_channel_flags - Channel flag bit values
>>  * @IEEE80211_CHAN_W_TUNE: Hardware can tune to this channel
>>  * @IEEE80211_CHAN_W_ACTIVE: Channel can be used for active scanning
>>  * @IEEE80211_CHAN_W_IBSS: Hardware can act as IBSS Master
>>  * @IEEE80211_CHAN_W_RADAR: Radar spectrum enforcement applies
>>  * @IEEE80211_CHAN_W_TX_ALLOWED: Tx is allowed
> 
> Looks good, except...
> 
>> [...]
>>  * A channel without the TX_ALLOWED bit set *can not* be used
>>  * for any type of transmission and can only be used for passive
>>  * listening.  This is useful for performing network audits.
> 
> I don't find this useful. The stack isn't aware of anything like this.
> Do you plan to add a support for this flag? Also, cfg80211/nl80211
> would need to be taught of it.

If its not useful for anyone else, we can have it just in iwlwifi.  
I don't know if any other hardware supports tuning to channels they 
can't transmit on.

I have personally found it very useful here when using my laptop to 
troubleshoot other wireless issues in geographies where I can't 
transmit -- but I can sniff the packets to tell people what to fix.

For now, since nothing else in the stack can do anything with it,
I'd just assume yank it.  I don't have the time to implement it all
in right now.

Is there any mechanism for documenting where we would like things
to eventually go?  A "future" tag we can stick on things (in the
documentation, etc.)?

James

> 
> Thanks,
> 
>  Jiri
>