Wireless connectivity Issue

Issues related to configuring your network
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jwilwert
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Joined: 2007/12/24 00:16:11
Location: Dallas (Allen), Texas

Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by jwilwert » 2012/02/04 17:41:02

Hi,
I am running Centos 5.4 on a HP laptop. I recienty upgraded my internet connection with ATT&T and they require that I use the new modem/router that came with the upgrade. Any wireless connnection issues I've had it the past, I've been able to work through - with help from the forum! THANKS!!
New modem/router - new connectivity issue!
I recognize the wireless network which ATT&T has setup - we'll call 2WIRE000
The 10 diget network key isn't working!
So, I set my wife's window's machine (also a HP laptop) next to mine, just to compare settings - the window's machine has no wireless network issues at all!
The windows machine uses the Network Authentication WPA2-PSK
The Linux machine is promping for WPA or WPA2. Is this the issue?
Also, the windows machine is ussing data encyption AES.
The Linux machine makes no mention of any encryption of the data.
Is this also an issue?

Many THANKS! in advance,
John Wilwert

pschaff
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Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by pschaff » 2012/02/04 21:49:41

First, you should immediately update to the current release 5.7. 5.4 is seriously obsolete and has numerous known bugs and security issues that have been fixed in subsequent updates. Obsolete releases are not supported, nor is it advisable to be running them.

See the [url=http://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/ReleaseNotes/CentOS5.6]CentOS 5.6 Release Notes[/url] Section 4 for details on the recommended update procedure for such an old release, and [url=http://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/ReleaseNotes/CentOS5.7]CentOS 5.7 Release Notes[/url] for other information.

You should use WPA2 Personal if that's what the router is set up for. You also don't say how you are trying to configure the network. With a laptop [url=http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Laptops/NetworkManager]NetworkManager[/url] is generally preferred.

If more help is needed after updating to a supported release, then please [url=http://www.centos.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=28723&forum=54]provide more information about your system[/url] by running "./getinfo.sh" and showing us the output file

jwilwert
Posts: 51
Joined: 2007/12/24 00:16:11
Location: Dallas (Allen), Texas

Re: Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by jwilwert » 2012/02/08 02:24:14

Phil,
Thanks for your response and encouragement to get this issue resolved. First, Ii upgraded my system to release 5.7, as you had suggested. My issues, as I have descriped persist, so ran the ./getinfo.sh script and these are the results:
[~]$ cat /tmp/basedata.ra4052
Information for network problems.
[code]
== BEGIN uname -rmi ==
2.6.18-274.17.1.el5 i686 i386
== END uname -rmi ==

== BEGIN rpm -qa \*-release\* ==
elrepo-release-5-3.el5.elrepo
centos-release-5-7.el5.centos
centos-release-notes-5.7-0
rpmforge-release-0.5.2-2.el5.rf
== END rpm -qa \*-release\* ==

== BEGIN cat /etc/redhat-release ==
CentOS release 5.7 (Final)
== END cat /etc/redhat-release ==

== BEGIN getenforce ==
Enforcing
== END getenforce ==

== BEGIN free -m ==
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 502 482 19 0 22 301
-/+ buffers/cache: 158 343
Swap: 1023 0 1023
== END free -m ==

== BEGIN lspci -nn ==
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 82865G/PE/P DRAM Controller/Host-Hub Interface [8086:2570] (rev 02)
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82865G/PE/P PCI to AGP Controller [8086:2571] (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:24d2] (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:24d4] (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:24d7] (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) USB2 EHCI Controller [8086:24dd] (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge [8086:244e] (rev c2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) LPC Interface Bridge [8086:24d0] (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) IDE Controller [8086:24db] (rev 02)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller [0401]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Audio Controller [8086:24d5] (rev 02)
00:1f.6 Modem [0703]: Intel Corporation 82801EB/ER (ICH5/ICH5R) AC'97 Modem Controller [8086:24d6] (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation NV34M [GeForce FX Go5200 64M] [10de:0324] (rev a1)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ [10ec:8139] (rev 10)
02:01.0 CardBus bridge [0607]: ENE Technology Inc CB-710/2/4 Cardbus Controller [1524:1411] (rev 02)
02:01.1 FLASH memory [0501]: ENE Technology Inc CB710 Memory Card Reader Controller [1524:0510]
02:02.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394) [0c00]: Texas Instruments TSB43AB21 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link) [104c:8026]
02:03.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:4320] (rev 03)
== END lspci -nn ==

== BEGIN lsusb ==
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 059b:0472 Iomega Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 0461:4d5a Primax Electronics, Ltd
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
== END lsusb ==

== BEGIN rpm -qa kmod\* kmdl\* ==
kmod-ndiswrapper-1.56-1.el5.elrepo
== END rpm -qa kmod\* kmdl\* ==

== BEGIN ifconfig -a ==
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:C0:9F:3C:86:96
inet addr:192.168.1.64 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:3442 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2766 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:3179302 (3.0 MiB) TX bytes:370476 (361.7 KiB)
Interrupt:217 Base address:0x6800

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:90:4B:54:3F:70
BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 b) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)
Interrupt:209 Memory:d2004000-d2006000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:35 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:35 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:3833 (3.7 KiB) TX bytes:3833 (3.7 KiB)

== END ifconfig -a ==

== BEGIN brctl show ==
./getinfo.sh: line 87: brctl: command not found
== END brctl show ==

== BEGIN route -n ==
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.168.1.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0
169.254.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.0.0 U 0 0 0 eth0
0.0.0.0 192.168.1.254 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 eth0
== END route -n ==

== BEGIN cat /etc/resolv.conf ==
; generated by /sbin/dhclient-script
search gateway.2wire.net
nameserver 192.168.1.254
== END cat /etc/resolv.conf ==

== BEGIN grep net /etc/nsswitch.conf ==
#networks: nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#netmasks: nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
netmasks: files
networks: files
netgroup: nisplus
== END grep net /etc/nsswitch.conf ==

== BEGIN chkconfig --list | grep -Ei 'network|wpa' ==
NetworkManager 0:off 1:off 2:off 3:off 4:off 5:off 6:off
network 0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off
wpa_supplicant 0:off 1:off 2:off 3:off 4:off 5:off 6:off
== END chkconfig --list | grep -Ei 'network|wpa' ==

[/code]

So, Phil, I am hoping that from the above info you can help me log on to my new ATT&T account. I have successfuly used the NetworkManager in the past and hopefully it will be useful agin. If any additional info in needed, please let me know.

Thanks,
John Wilwert

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AlanBartlett
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Re: Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by AlanBartlett » 2012/02/08 03:24:17

I'm assuming that your new modem/router/wap, with which you have been provided, is a [b]2Wire 2700HG-B[/b].

The first thing to do is to confirm that it is configured correctly. Use a wired connection and via your web-browser, go to [url=http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=C05&THISPAGE=A02_POST&NEXTPAGE=C05]this page[/url] --

http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=C05&THISPAGE=A02_POST&NEXTPAGE=C05

Carefully check the settings. If necessary, take the option to reset to the default and then re-configure.

Under the [b]Identify Network[/b] heading, set the [i]Network Name[/i] to your choice, the [i]Wireless Channel[/i] to "Auto" and, for the moment, enable [i]SSID Broadcast[/i]. (Once you have got wireless access operating, you can turn off the [i]SSID Broadcast[/i], if you so wish.)

Under the [b]Wireless Security[/b] heading, enable [i]Wireless Network Security[/i], set [i]Authentication[/i] to "WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK" and [i]Use Custom Pass Phrase[/i].

Skip, for now, the section under the [b]MAC Filtering[/b] heading. You can enable that later. For the [b]Additional Settings[/b], accept the defaults.

Remember to click on "Save".

Now turn your attention to the system you wish to connect via the WAP. I shall assume it is a laptop computer, fully up to date and running [i]CentOS 5.7[/i]. Turn off the [i]network[/i] service and turn on the [i]NetworkManager[/i]. Ensure that the [i]wpa_supplicant[/i] service is also off. Ensure that any switch or button has been operated on the hardware to allow the WiFi adaptor to activate. Make sure that you have the appropriate firmware installed, if required.

[code]
[b]for S in network wpa_supplicant; do service $S stop; chkconfig --level 0123456 off; done
chkconfig --level 2345 NetworkManager on
service NetworkManager start[/b]
[/code]
It [i]might[/i] be an idea to re-boot the laptop, at this point.

Assuming you are using a [i]Gnome[/i] desktop, you should now see an icon at the top right of the screen. It is supposed to represent a lead and [b]RJ45[/b] plug . . . to some people they think it looks like a mouse icon! Right click on it and take the option to set up a new wireless network. Follow it through carefully . . . entering all the details, as discussed in the [b]2Wire[/b] modem/router/wap configuration, above. Remember to [b]save[/b] the settings.

It will work, I can promise you that -- I use both wired & wireless connections for my laptop (dual boot, [b]RHEL 6.2[/b] & [b]CentOS 5.7[/b]) and a wired connection for my workstation ([b]CentOS 5.7[/b]) via a [b]2WIre 2700HG[-B][/b] modem/router/wap device. :-)

jwilwert
Posts: 51
Joined: 2007/12/24 00:16:11
Location: Dallas (Allen), Texas

Re: Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by jwilwert » 2012/02/12 17:44:23

Alan,
MEGA THANKS! for your help. Yes, I do have my wireless connection working - and I am a little concerned as I did not follow the exact procedure you had suggested. First, my modem/router is a 3800HGV-B, which sounds very similar to your model. Realy, no issues there.

I set the Wireless Name, the Wireless Channel and kept the SSID Broadcast enabled, all as you suggested. I chose different settings for the Wireless Security settings and this is my greatest concern. I chose to disable the wireless security and enable MAC filtering. I guess I've placed all my security eggs in one basket- MAC filtering. Is this a good idea? Also, if I disable the broadcast of the SSID, wil by network be more secure?

Any insights will be very helpful.

Again, THANK YOU!!!!
John Wilwert

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AlanBartlett
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Re: Wireless connectivity Issue

Post by AlanBartlett » 2012/02/12 18:58:43

I'm pleased to read that you now have a working WiFi connection.

Ah, I had forgotten that a [b]2Wire 3800HGV-B[/b] would be a more current [i]AT&T[/i] issue but as I am not US based, I hope the reason is understood. ;-)

Now that you have got the wireless basics working, I would certainly advise turning off the broadcasting of the SSID. You know that your network is present and its name. Why tell everyone else?

As for system security, I use both WPA2-PSK [i]and[/i] MAC filtering . . . As things presently stand, someone would have to know and then spoof the MAC of one of your devices to gain network access. Again you should now find it easy to implement the pre-shared key (PSK) security method, if you are so inclined.

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