Ubuntu
linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 package

Wifi (ipw2200) stopped connecting with kernel update 2.6.24-22

Bug #322434 reported by Heikki Toivonen
10
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (Ubuntu)
Invalid
High
Stefan Bader
Hardy
Fix Released
High
Stefan Bader

Bug Description

SRU justification:

Impact: In order to have the wireless drivers from compat-wireless living beside of the ones that come with the stock kernel (or ubuntu modules) the mac80211 stack gets modified, so the exported symbols are unique and also the module names for the stack get prefixed. The modification missed out some request_module calls where the stack tries to get certain cryptographic algorithms (wep, pkip, ...). These calls still request the modules from the base package. However the loaded modules will not interact with the modified stack. This results in being able to see access points but always being asked for the passphrase.

Fix: Adapt the munging script to find and replace the requested module names.

Test: See bug report. Unable to connect to an encrypted AP with drivers from LBM (ipw2200 in that case).

My Dell Inspiron 9300's wifi stopped connecting to my access point with kernel update 2.6.24-22. I am able to boot with -21 and have working wifi. Later kernel updates have not fixed the issue either (the latest one I have is -23).

Symptoms: Network Manager applet shows it is trying to connect to my access point, and sees it and other access points around as well. But rather than connect, it asks me for my WEP key info after a while, then tries for a while, asks for WEP info, ad nauseam. In that sense it looks like https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/284308

My writeup of my system is here: http://www.heikkitoivonen.net/linux/ubuntu-8.04-9300.html

Will attach other info.

See original description
Revision history for this message
Heikki Toivonen (hjtoi) wrote :
Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)
Changed in linux:
importance: Undecided → High
status: New → Triaged
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

What encryption is the AP running? The log shows only WEP being loaded. I got the same network card here running with the latest Hardy kernel and can still connect to my AP (WPA). However I can see the tkip algorithm being loaded. Could you please also attach the output of lsmod? Thanks

Changed in linux:
assignee: nobody → stefan-bader-canonical
Revision history for this message
Heikki Toivonen (hjtoi) wrote :

I am not sure what exactly you meant with "What encryption is the AP running", but I am using 128-bit WEP. In Network Manager key dialog I have selected WEP 64/128-bit Hex, and authentication is set to Open System.

The AP is a Linksys WRT54G v3. Wireless security tab shows security mode is 128-bit WEP.

Attached lsmod.log.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

That was what I wanted to know. I just tried to make sure that the correct crypto module was used. Looking at the loaded modules it is clear what is going wrong. Just not exactly why. There is a separate ieee80211 stack in linux backports modules which normally should only be used for drivers there. But in your case it gets loaded and bound to the ipw2200 driver. As a work-around you can add the following line into /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist:
blacklist lbm_cw_ieee80211
then rebuild your initrd with "sudo update-initramfs -u". After rebooting the wireless should work again. Or, if you do not need any driver from linux-backports-modules you could remove that package.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

I just realized that there are actually two versions of the ipw2200 driver. One comes from the backports modules and the other is in the standard kernel image. So blacklisting won't work. So, if you need linux.backports-modules for other reasons, the only workaround would be to rename the ipw2200.ko in /lib/modules/2.6.24.../updates/...
I have to check what exactly changed there.

Stefan Bader (smb)
Changed in linux:
assignee: nobody → stefan-bader-canonical
importance: Undecided → High
status: New → Triaged
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Alright, sorry it took a while. I found out that the crypto module loads the wrong alg. module if you use the backports modules. I placed modified lbm packages at http://people.ubuntu.com/~smb/bug322434/
With that installed I was able to use the ipw2200 from LBM and connect to my AP. Could you please try whether this works for you as well?

Changed in linux:
status: Triaged → In Progress
status: Triaged → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Heikki Toivonen (hjtoi) wrote :

Fixed, thank you!

Andy Whitcroft (apw)
Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24:
status: In Progress → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

It is in progress, really. ;-) The only thing is that it probably does not need an explicit Hardy task since it is a versioned LBM, but ok.

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24:
status: Incomplete → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Commited to hardy-lbm as http://kernel.ubuntu.com/git?p=ubuntu/ubuntu-hardy-lbm.git;a=commitdiff;h=0b4465e374404d77002d83b3dc9440fb8d2afd1b

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24:
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Steve Beattie (sbeattie) wrote :

Stefan: does this need to be fixed in the ubuntu-{intrepid,jaunty}-lbm trees as well? If not, can you close out the development task? Thanks.

Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

This only affects Hardy LBM. The Intrepid and Jaunty LBM packages use a different naming scheme and are not affected. Which task should I close? The package is lbm-2.6.24, this exists only for Hardy.

Revision history for this message
Danilo Piazzalunga (danilopiazza) wrote :

Thank you for working on this one! :-)

The same bug has been reported for Intrepid as bug #297390, only it is for lbm-2.6.27.

Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote :

Accepted linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 into hardy-proposed; please test and give feedback here. Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Danilo Piazzalunga (danilopiazza) wrote :

Tested with 2.6.24-24.32. Fixed.

Martin Pitt (pitti)
tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 - 2.6.24-24.32

---------------
linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (2.6.24-24.32) hardy-proposed; urgency=low

  [Stefan Bader]

  * SAUCE: compat-wireless: Fix module load for crypto modules
    - LP: #322434

  [Upstream Kernel Changes]

  * rt2x00: Fix race conditions in flag handling
    - LP: #258985
  * iwlwifi: scan correct setting of valid rx_chains
    - LP: #330902

linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (2.6.24-24.31) hardy-proposed; urgency=low

  [Stefan Bader]

  * Update to match bumped kernel ABI

 -- Stefan Bader <email address hidden> Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:46:49 +0100

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (Ubuntu Hardy):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Beattie (sbeattie) wrote :

Closing the development task based on l-b-m-2.6.24 is hardy only and Stephan Bader's comment #11.

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

'invalid' is more accurate, then.

Changed in linux-backports-modules-2.6.24 (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Released → Invalid
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