My Wifi Woes
 

Three or four weeks ago I bought my very first laptop, an HP
G70-246US. After opening up the box I immediately replaced Windows
Vista with Ubuntu 8.10. Everything was fantastic, except wireless
networking. My wired network came up "automagically" and when I'd
move to another wired network, it "just worked". The new laptop comes
with an Atheros AR928x.

I asked here and got no joy. For 2 weeks I read everything I could
find in forums, lists, wikis, blogs and every help site I could in
that time. Last night I found a hint and edited
my /etc/network/interfaces file.

I changed it from:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

and added:
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp

Once I did that, my new laptop found the neighbor's 2 wireless
networks. Now I can go ahead and setup my new wireless router.

--
Raquel
http://www.byraquel.com
================================================== ==========
Diversity is not for the squeamish. It means making (and taking) a
space at the table that includes people you don't like, don't agree
with, or who you think are just plain wrong.

--Alexander John Goodrum


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My Wifi Woes
 

On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 8:58 AM, Raquel <raquel@thericehouse.net> wrote:
> Last night I found a hint and edited
> my /etc/network/interfaces file.
>
> I changed it from:
> auto lo
> iface lo inet loopback
>
> and added:
> auto wlan0
> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>
> Once I did that, my new laptop found the neighbor's 2 wireless
> networks. Now I can go ahead and setup my new wireless router.

Hi Raquel

Glad you got it working to this point.

I thought I'd make a comment here so you understand what you've done a
little better. (If you do already, ignore the rest of this note ;-)

The entry in /etc/network/interfaces is the 'traditional'
Debian/Ubuntu way of configuring networking. It works fine, it's
reliable etc, but it can be annoying to change it every time you
start using a new network that requires different settings. This will
become more obvious if/when you require encryption on your wireless
connections (WEP, WPA) You can set those up using the interfaces
file as well, but it can be annoying to do, especially if you have to
change the file everytime you move from the coffee shop to home to the
library etc.

Network Manager was designed to handle that kind of thing more
automatically. Since it wasn't working for you, it's obviously not
any 'easier' or automatic :-)

Network Manager does not use the /etc/network/interfaces file, and if
you have an entry in there and try and use Network Manager as well it
will not work. So, as long as you are using the interfaces file,
avoid network manager.

If you find setting up WEP/WPA etc using the interfaces file
difficult, then I'd repeat the suggestion made earlier about trying
WICD. It seems to have the advantages of Network Manager and be more
reliable to boot.

Brian

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My Wifi Woes
 

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:17:44 -0500
Brian McKee <brian.mckee@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Hi Raquel
>
> Glad you got it working to this point.
>
> I thought I'd make a comment here so you understand what you've
> done a little better. (If you do already, ignore the rest of this
> note ;-)
>
> The entry in /etc/network/interfaces is the 'traditional'
> Debian/Ubuntu way of configuring networking. It works fine, it's
> reliable etc, but it can be annoying to change it every time you
> start using a new network that requires different settings. This
> will become more obvious if/when you require encryption on your
> wireless connections (WEP, WPA) You can set those up using the
> interfaces file as well, but it can be annoying to do, especially
> if you have to change the file everytime you move from the coffee
> shop to home to the library etc.
>
> Network Manager was designed to handle that kind of thing more
> automatically. Since it wasn't working for you, it's obviously not
> any 'easier' or automatic :-)
>
> Network Manager does not use the /etc/network/interfaces file, and
> if you have an entry in there and try and use Network Manager as
> well it will not work. So, as long as you are using the interfaces
> file, avoid network manager.
>
> If you find setting up WEP/WPA etc using the interfaces file
> difficult, then I'd repeat the suggestion made earlier about trying
> WICD. It seems to have the advantages of Network Manager and be
> more reliable to boot.
>
> Brian
>

Yes, the traditional Debian/Ubuntu method is what I'm used to. I'm
trying to use the NetworkManager, but it wasn't working. So I tried
bringing up up the interface the "old" way, and it worked ... until I
rebooted this morning. Then nothing, not even my wired network,
worked. I removed the entry in "interfaces" that I'd entered last
night, rebooted and the wired network came up as well and available
wireless networks showed up in Network Manager.

I may take your advice and install WICD. NetworkManager seems, to me
at this point, to be erratic.

--
Raquel
http://www.byraquel.com
================================================== ==========
Diversity is not for the squeamish. It means making (and taking) a
space at the table that includes people you don't like, don't agree
with, or who you think are just plain wrong.

--Alexander John Goodrum


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My Wifi Woes
 

Raquel wrote:
> Three or four weeks ago I bought my very first laptop, an HP
> G70-246US. After opening up the box I immediately replaced Windows
> Vista with Ubuntu 8.10. Everything was fantastic, except wireless
> networking. My wired network came up "automagically" and when I'd
> move to another wired network, it "just worked". The new laptop comes
> with an Atheros AR928x.
>
> I asked here and got no joy. For 2 weeks I read everything I could
> find in forums, lists, wikis, blogs and every help site I could in
> that time. Last night I found a hint and edited
> my /etc/network/interfaces file.
>
> I changed it from:
> auto lo
> iface lo inet loopback
>
> and added:
> auto wlan0
> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>
> Once I did that, my new laptop found the neighbor's 2 wireless
> networks. Now I can go ahead and setup my new wireless router.
>
>
Cool. Is that really all that you did? I am a little surprised that
there wasn't already an entry for your wireless (wlan0). You shouldn't
have needed to remove your settings for the loopback divice (lo). Try
adding that the loopback section back in and see if everything still
works. Glad to hear that you got it working be sure to write down
somewhere what you did so that if you ever reinstall you can get it back.

--
-john

To be or not to be, that is the question
2b || !2b
(0b10)*(0b1100010) || !(0b10)*(0b1100010)
0b11000100 || !0b11000100
0b11000100 || 0b00111011
0b11111111
255, that is the answer.



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My Wifi Woes
 

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:54:56 -0700
John Hubbard <ender8282@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Raquel wrote:
> > Three or four weeks ago I bought my very first laptop, an HP
> > G70-246US. After opening up the box I immediately replaced
> > Windows Vista with Ubuntu 8.10. Everything was fantastic, except
> > wireless networking. My wired network came up "automagically"
> > and when I'd move to another wired network, it "just worked".
> > The new laptop comes with an Atheros AR928x.
> >
> > I asked here and got no joy. For 2 weeks I read everything I
> > could find in forums, lists, wikis, blogs and every help site I
> > could in that time. Last night I found a hint and edited
> > my /etc/network/interfaces file.
> >
> > I changed it from:
> > auto lo
> > iface lo inet loopback
> >
> > and added:
> > auto wlan0
> > iface wlan0 inet dhcp
> >
> > Once I did that, my new laptop found the neighbor's 2 wireless
> > networks. Now I can go ahead and setup my new wireless router.
> >
> >
> Cool. Is that really all that you did? I am a little surprised that
> there wasn't already an entry for your wireless (wlan0). You
> shouldn't have needed to remove your settings for the loopback
> divice (lo). Try adding that the loopback section back in and see
> if everything still works. Glad to hear that you got it working be
> sure to write down somewhere what you did so that if you ever
> reinstall you can get it back.
>
> --
> -john
>

I probably didn't write that correctly. I never did remove the
loopback section. I actually ended up removing the wlan0 section.
I'm wondering if adding the wlan0 section, and then removing it,
forced NetworkManager to reconfigure and work properly?

I just got back from a "test" run through town. There is a community
network in the small town where we live. I was able to get on and do
some browsing. I also went to McDonalds and logged in there.

So now, it seems that the computer is working the way it should and I
can start setting up my new Linksys WRT54GL so I can disconnect from
the wire here at home.

--
Raquel
http://www.byraquel.com
================================================== ==========
Diversity is not for the squeamish. It means making (and taking) a
space at the table that includes people you don't like, don't agree
with, or who you think are just plain wrong.

--Alexander John Goodrum


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My Wifi Woes
 

Raquel wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:54:56 -0700
> John Hubbard <ender8282@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Raquel wrote:
>>
>>> Three or four weeks ago I bought my very first laptop, an HP
>>> G70-246US. After opening up the box I immediately replaced
>>> Windows Vista with Ubuntu 8.10. Everything was fantastic, except
>>> wireless networking. My wired network came up "automagically"
>>> and when I'd move to another wired network, it "just worked".
>>> The new laptop comes with an Atheros AR928x.
>>>
>>> I asked here and got no joy. For 2 weeks I read everything I
>>> could find in forums, lists, wikis, blogs and every help site I
>>> could in that time. Last night I found a hint and edited
>>> my /etc/network/interfaces file.
>>>
>>> I changed it from:
>>> auto lo
>>> iface lo inet loopback
>>>
>>> and added:
>>> auto wlan0
>>> iface wlan0 inet dhcp
>>>
>>> Once I did that, my new laptop found the neighbor's 2 wireless
>>> networks. Now I can go ahead and setup my new wireless router.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Cool. Is that really all that you did? I am a little surprised that
>> there wasn't already an entry for your wireless (wlan0). You
>> shouldn't have needed to remove your settings for the loopback
>> divice (lo). Try adding that the loopback section back in and see
>> if everything still works. Glad to hear that you got it working be
>> sure to write down somewhere what you did so that if you ever
>> reinstall you can get it back.
>>
>> --
>> -john
>>
>>
>
> I probably didn't write that correctly. I never did remove the
> loopback section. I actually ended up removing the wlan0 section.
> I'm wondering if adding the wlan0 section, and then removing it,
> forced NetworkManager to reconfigure and work properly?
>
> I just got back from a "test" run through town. There is a community
> network in the small town where we live. I was able to get on and do
> some browsing. I also went to McDonalds and logged in there.
>
> So now, it seems that the computer is working the way it should and I
> can start setting up my new Linksys WRT54GL so I can disconnect from
> the wire here at home.
>
>
Hello,

I too have had a problem with Network Manager, that make me want to
switch to something else. I only have a wired DSL connection, and
haven't ever really needed to open Network Manager for any other reason
other than curiosity, as it has always worked.

I did open it one day here recently,, and after I unlocked the setting
so I could see what they were, I checked out all the Network settings,
then noticed that they have a hosts file editor in it as well. I clicked
on the hosts file section, and it went into a grayed out condition for a
really long time. When it finally came back to being responsive. I could
not see the 127.0.0.1 that is supposed to be on the start of each line
of the sites I am blocking.

I then opened my hosts file in Gedit, and discovered that Network
Manager had *sorted* my hosts file, and the numbers were all down below
the domain names, at the bottom of the file! This is very odd behavior,
and breaks my blocking of many malware and other bad sites.

As long as I don't open the hosts file in Network Manger's interface it
leaves it alone, but it still makes me nervous. For now, any network
setup I need to do, I will be doing manually, as i have no need to
change settings on an often basis.

By the way, there are some excellent documents on configuring your
networks in the following location on your hard drive, if you have been
installing any of the Linux docs that are available from the Ubuntu
repositories. I've was amazed when I started reading some of the stuff
that is in this folder.

<file:///usr/share/doc/>

You may have to start Synaptic, and browse through the three available
Documentation sections on the left side in order to get them, but they
are definitely worth having. I have learned more about Linux in the past
few days of perusing these files, than I had in the last six months of
asking questions on this group. Get the Ubuntu documentation package,
the Linux docs,, and the Rute Book for a start, and you will have some
very good reference works.

There are also some docs on hardening and securing your network, that
have taught me more than I ever knew about the internet before. Included
in on of them was a link to a web site online, where a guy was
explaining what different intrusion log entries in a Firewall log were
about, and how to tell which ones were actual attacks, and I now know a
lot more about how the hackers do things thanks to him. 8-)

Ubuntu rocks! Even the network tools that come with it are much more
capable than anything I ever had on Windows. I installed EtherApe, and
it shows a real time graphic representation of every connection to my
computer along with the strength and bandwidth of each connection as a
line between the connections that gets wider with increased traffic.

You can double click on any connecting dot that represents another
computer, and you get a dialog that shows any protocols they are using,
and the input and output traffic from them, along with their ip
addresses, and resolved domain name. Windows doesn't have anything like
that. I was quite amazed at how many connections Google makes to you
after you hit a site they have ads on.

Anyway, I've rambled on a bit too much here ,so I'll sign off,

Later, Ray Parrish

--
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http://www.rayslinks.com
Poetry from the mind of a Schizophrenic
http://www.writingsoftheschizophrenic.com/


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My Wifi Woes
 

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009, Ray Parrish wrote:

............large snip...........
>
> You may have to start Synaptic, and browse through the three available
> Documentation sections on the left side in order to get them, but they
> are definitely worth having. I have learned more about Linux in the past
> few days of perusing these files, than I had in the last six months of
> asking questions on this group. Get the Ubuntu documentation package,
> the Linux docs,, and the Rute Book for a start, and you will have some
> very good reference works.
>
> There are also some docs on hardening and securing your network, that
> have taught me more than I ever knew about the internet before. Included
> in on of them was a link to a web site online, where a guy was
> explaining what different intrusion log entries in a Firewall log were
> about, and how to tell which ones were actual attacks, and I now know a
> lot more about how the hackers do things thanks to him. 8-)

...........snip.............

How about some specific documentation package names?


--
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The most dangerous ones aren't the ones who don't know.
They're the ones who don't know that they don't know.

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My Wifi Woes
 

Robert Holtzman wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Feb 2009, Ray Parrish wrote:
>
> ............large snip...........
>
>> You may have to start Synaptic, and browse through the three available
>> Documentation sections on the left side in order to get them, but they
>> are definitely worth having. I have learned more about Linux in the past
>> few days of perusing these files, than I had in the last six months of
>> asking questions on this group. Get the Ubuntu documentation package,
>> the Linux docs,, and the Rute Book for a start, and you will have some
>> very good reference works.
>>
>> There are also some docs on hardening and securing your network, that
>> have taught me more than I ever knew about the internet before. Included
>> in on of them was a link to a web site online, where a guy was
>> explaining what different intrusion log entries in a Firewall log were
>> about, and how to tell which ones were actual attacks, and I now know a
>> lot more about how the hackers do things thanks to him. 8-)
>>
>
> ...........snip.............
>
> How about some specific documentation package names?
>
Ok, here they are -

doc-linux-html
doc-linux-nonfree-html
hal-doc [Hardware abstraction layer]
harden-doc [hardening your network to intrusion]
iproute-doc [Professional tools to control the networking in Linux kernels]
linux-doc
newbiedoc []
partimage-doc
policykit-doc [PolicyKit is a toolkit for defining and handling the
policy that
allows unprivileged processes to speak to privileged processes.]
ubuntu-docs [for this one you will need to also install the yelp
package to view these files as they are in xml format]
user-mode-linux-doc
rutebook [Linux: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition]

That should give you something to read for a while. The ubuntu-docs
package is huge, but you can't view it in your web browser as the xml
files do not render as intended in a web browser. You must also install
the package yelp to view this set of files. After you install the
documentation files, point your web browser at this link to begin
browsing the folder they will all be in. -

<file:///usr/share/doc/>

And here is a link to the site where the guy is talking about what
different firewall log entires mean, and basically giving a mini
tutorial on hacking into other computers.

<http://www.packetfactory.net/firewalk/firewalk-final.html> [Firewalking]

He gives some very good tips on how to prevent intrusion into your system.

Later, Ray Parrish

--
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My Wifi Woes
 

Robert Holtzman wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Feb 2009, Ray Parrish wrote:
>
> ............large snip...........
>
>> You may have to start Synaptic, and browse through the three available
>> Documentation sections on the left side in order to get them, but they
>> are definitely worth having. I have learned more about Linux in the past
>> few days of perusing these files, than I had in the last six months of
>> asking questions on this group. Get the Ubuntu documentation package,
>> the Linux docs,, and the Rute Book for a start, and you will have some
>> very good reference works.
>>
>> There are also some docs on hardening and securing your network, that
>> have taught me more than I ever knew about the internet before. Included
>> in on of them was a link to a web site online, where a guy was
>> explaining what different intrusion log entries in a Firewall log were
>> about, and how to tell which ones were actual attacks, and I now know a
>> lot more about how the hackers do things thanks to him. 8-)
>>
>
> ...........snip.............
>
> How about some specific documentation package names?
>
Here are a couple more things that can really help you understand your
system's details. I didn't do a very good search with that las t email.

procinfo [Displays system information from /proc]
procps [/proc file system utilities] /proc is where a representation of
all of the running processes on your system reside, it's a kind of map
to your ram's contents
bash-doc [Documentation and examples for the The GNU Bourne Again
SHell] This will help to learn the command line in Terminal.
debconf-doc [additional documentation for Debconf, including the
debconf user's guide]
linux-doc-2.6.24 [Linux kernel specific documentation for version 2.6.24]
manpages [Manual pages about using a GNU/Linux system]

Now, that should be enough for one day. 8-) By the way, I tried to use
Yelp to view those xml files, and it turns out Yelp is the default Help
Browser in Ubuntu, and there is no method of loading external files into
it, so whoever put that note at the repository about using it to browse
them was full of it.

Keep in mind that most of the programs you install, will come with
either html doc files, or man pages, so most of them you can look up on
your system. Some however have very little documentation. Compiz was one
that I found that had none available, so I had to find them on the web
to look things up.

Later, Ray Parrish
--

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My Wifi Woes
 

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009, Ray Parrish wrote:

> Robert Holtzman wrote:
>

............snip.............

>> How about some specific documentation package names?
>>
> Ok, here they are -

.............snip............

>
> That should give you something to read for a while.

............still more snip...............

Thanks. Now if only I had a wireless enabled laptop I could move the
stacks of Linux Journal and Precision Shooting out of the bathroom.

--
Bob Holtzman
"The best argument against democracy is a five
minute conversation with the average voter."
Winston Churchill


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