[Server-devel] Setting up an XS with an AP

[David Leeming]

Martin et al.

The settings using subnet 172.18.6.0 were advised to me by colleagues, and
when I reset the subnet in dhcpd.conf to what comes up as default on install
(172.18.0.0 etc) it is now working!!!

So the only changes I made were to set the IP address for eth1 to 172.18.0.1
and the dhcp to eth1

The AP I am using is a cheapo D-Link DWL2100AP

Once manually associated and registered with eJabberd, the XOs find the
school mesh portal automatically. I notice just as the connect, the pop-up
status info (when hovering over the connection icon on home page) says
"Unknown mesh" but then it connects and all fine.

David Leeming
OLPC Coordinator, SPC and Technical Advisor, People First Network
Honiara, Solomon Islands


-----Original Message-----
From: Martin Langhoff [mailto:martin.langhoff at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, 6 August 2008 10:02 a.m.
To: David Leeming
Cc: server-devel
Subject: Re: Setting up an XS with an AP

On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 8:08 AM, David Leeming
<leeming at pipolfastaem.gov.sb> wrote:
> I am now in Nauru (very small central Pacific country) starting up a
single
> class trial here.

Fantastic!

> They have provided a machine to be used as the XS for the
> pilot. They have no active antenna (AA) so we are using two network cards
> and a D-Link DWL 2100 AP.

Makes sense. How many XOs are you planning to support with that?

> I installed the XS software and configured it for a small school server,
> adding the shared roster "online" etc, and it works fine when tested using
> my own prototype AA.

Good so far.

> However, I am having problems getting it work with the AP on eth1 - can
> anyone advise please. This is how I tried to set it up:
>
> .         /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1

Couple of questions

 - did you set that configuration yourself? Or is that what the
network_config script did?
 - how many network cards does the server have? (tip: should be 2!)
 - did you add/remove network cards after the initial install?

> D-Link settings:
>
> .         Mode = Access point
>
> .         DHCP server off
>
> .         Gets IP from DHCP server

So far good.

> .         ESSID - not sure what to do with that so I tried "school-mesh-0"

Hmmm, possible cause of trouble. Pick any "other" name, perhaps call
it "school" or a local word for school.

> .         ESSID broadcast - on or off, did not make any difference

Keep it on. It will appear *much* faster on the kids 'network view'.

> .         The DLink works to some extent attached to the Eth1 network
card.
> I can see it in the XO neighbourhood view and I can connect to it on my
> Windows Vista laptop - it gives me an IP in the range as above.

Right,

> However, the XOs will not stay connected. Unlike with the active antenna,
> which they find and connect to in seconds of booting, they do not find it
> and revert to looking for XO mesh portal. If you click on the icon in
> neighbourhood view they will try to connect but the connection circle/icon
> on home view stays greyed out and then it gives up.

Change the ESSID, retry, and if it still fails to connect send us the
logfiles collected by the command olpc-netlog. See the olpc-netlog
mention in http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Attaching_Sugar_Logs_to_Tickets

And we *need* to know the build numbers and the output of
olpc-netstatus for what you consider "successful" connections and
"failed" connections.

cheers,


m
-- 
 martin.langhoff at gmail.com
 martin at laptop.org -- School Server Architect
 - ask interesting questions
 - don't get distracted with shiny stuff - working code first
 - http://wiki.laptop.org/go/User:Martinlanghoff