Re: [PATCH] wifi: ath12k: enable WIPHY_FLAG_DISABLE_WEXT

[Kalle Valo <kvalo@kernel.org>]

Jeff Johnson <quic_jjohnson@quicinc.com> writes:

> On 4/11/2024 9:56 AM, Kalle Valo wrote:
>
>> From: Kalle Valo <quic_kvalo@quicinc.com>
>> 
>> ath12k will support Multi-Link Operation (MLO) in the future but not yet. A
>> major change with MLO is that cfg80211 will disable Wireless Extension (WEXT)
>> user space interface. To avoid having inconsistent user experience, first
>> supporting WEXT and later not, disable WEXT already now.
>> 
>> Now ath12k claims that WEXT is not supported:
>> 
>> $ iwconfig wlan0
>> wlan0     no wireless extensions.
>> 
>> Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.0.c5-00481-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-3
>> 
>> Signed-off-by: Kalle Valo <quic_kvalo@quicinc.com>

[...]

> Currently on my version of Ubuntu when I switch to Hotspot mode I'm seeing:
> [   55.189623] warning: `iwconfig' uses wireless extensions which will stop
> working for Wi-Fi 7 hardware; use nl80211

Do you know what entity is running iwconfig? Or was it you running
iwconfig manually?

Please note that this warning is shown only once, all following WEXT
usage (of any process) is not warned. Linus proposed doing a per process
type of warning but we never implemented that, I think we should do
that.

> So are userspace folks aware of the need to move away from iwconfig?

I hope they are but difficult to say. We have been trying for years to
get rid of WEXT but the progress has been really slow. This warning is
another attempt to make everyone aware as with MLO WEXT will not work.

> Is there a Ubuntu / Network Manager fix fir this?

I would hope that Network Manager doesn't use WEXT or especially run the
iwconfig tool. This is why I suspect that you run iwconfig manually.

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