#901 BLOC Update.: Problems pinging WDS-enabled access points.

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#901: Problems pinging WDS-enabled access points.
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  Reporter:  jcardona  |       Owner:  ashish                           
      Type:  defect    |      Status:  reopened                         
  Priority:  blocker   |   Milestone:  Update.1                         
 Component:  distro    |     Version:  Development build as of this date
Resolution:            |    Keywords:                                   
  Verified:  1         |  
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Old description:

> The current version of the hardware MAC does not support the new frame
> type defined in 802.11s (type 0x3).  Because of this, mesh frames are
> implemented as standard WDS (type 0x2, 4-addr) frames augmented with the
> new 802.11s mesh fields.  This causes collisions with WDS-enabled APs, in
> particular with APs that automatically learn about other WDS nodes.
>
> To test:
>
> Setup: 1 xo + 1 Linksys WRT54G Access Point v3.1 or other WDS-enabled AP
>
> Steps:
>  1. Associate to AP
>  2. Assign static address to eth0
>  3. ping some nodes in the mesh
>  4. ping AP
>
> Result:  ping to AP will fail, no ARP entry is created for the AP
>
> More detail:  Step 3 produces broadcast WDS arp requests (ARP requests
> into the
> mesh).  The AP, as it supports WDS will receive those requests and record
> xo as a WDS node.  In step 4. the xo will send a broadcast 3-addr ARP
> request, intended for the AP.  The AP, will reply to the ARP in 4-addr
> format,
> which will then be (mis)interpreted by the firmware as a mesh frame.

New description:

 The current version of the hardware MAC does not support the new frame
 type defined in 802.11s (type 0x3).  Because of this, mesh frames are
 implemented as standard WDS (type 0x2, 4-addr) frames augmented with the
 new 802.11s mesh fields.  This causes collisions with WDS-enabled APs, in
 particular with APs that automatically learn about other WDS nodes.

 To test:

 Setup: 1 xo + 1 Linksys WRT54G Access Point v3.1 or other WDS-enabled AP

 Steps:
  1. Associate to AP
  2. Assign static address to eth0
  3. ping some nodes in the mesh
  4. ping AP

 Result:  ping to AP will fail, no ARP entry is created for the AP

 More detail:  Step 3 produces broadcast WDS arp requests (ARP requests
 into the
 mesh).  The AP, as it supports WDS will receive those requests and record
 xo as a WDS node.  In step 4. the xo will send a broadcast 3-addr ARP
 request, intended for the AP.  The AP, will reply to the ARP in 4-addr
 format,
 which will then be (mis)interpreted by the firmware as a mesh frame.

--

Comment(by jg):

 Javier,
 My problems with my WTR54GS do not occur with P4 and OFW when tested this
 evening at home.  I suspect my problems at 1cc are more lazyWDS trouble,
 and that the packet trace I got can confirm this...

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Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/901#comment:12>
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