Re: Using wpa_supplicant in D-Bus mode with nl80211 driver

[Marcel Holtmann <marcel@holtmann.org>]

Hi Dan,

> > > > > > I am trying to use wpa_supplicant in D-Bus mode with the nl80211 driver
> > > > > > instead of WEXT. I don't seem to be able to control the from the command
> > > > > > line and the -D option doesn't take.
> > > > > 
> > > > > I would assume you are doing this with NM. You could either change it to
> > > > > register the interface (this is not from -D option, but from the D-Bus
> > > > > message) with the nl80211 driver or try to build wpa_supplicant without
> > > > > WEXT support (which would make the nl80211 wrapper the default one). I
> > > > > don't think either of these are yet acceptable as a generic solution,
> > > > > but making NM request driver "nl80211,wext" could be a suitable first
> > > > > step when moving to wpa_supplicant 0.7.x (this makes wpa_supplicant
> > > > > first try with nl80211 and if needed, fall back to WEXT).
> > > > 
> > > > I am doing manual testing and with ConnMan. However I would prefer to
> > > > have a global driver setting "nl80211,wext" that I can give on the
> > > > command line and that will then chosen as default if the addInterface
> > > > method doesn't give a driver. I really don't need a per interface
> > > > setting here.
> > > 
> > > Um, you can specify a driver for the interface you add in the dbus call
> > > for addInterface.  Add a "driver" key to your dict with the driver you
> > > want in the value.  Is there a bug with that?
> > 
> > I know that I can do that. I was just looking for a global configuration
> > switch to default to nl80211,wext via D-Bus system activation and not
> > via changing the code.
> 
> Even with system activation you still need to call addInterface, which
> can take the driver.  I still don't quite understand what you're getting
> at here, I guess...  When you say "not change code" you mean in the
> process that's calling wpa_supplicant?

that is exactly what I mean. So to switch NM to use nl80211 you would
have to change the NM code. I prefer to have this a command line option
so people can turn it back to wext in case something breaks. Or a vendor
driver for that matter (not that I care about these).

Regards

Marcel