Linux Firmware For Some 802.11b Access Points

drwho writes "This just unveiled at the BAWUG meeting tonight: Linux firmware for Access Points. Check this URL for more info. I haven't tried it yet but it looks great!" The upshot is that certain Access Points can be flashed with a stripped-down Linux system, which makes them more flexible than they'd be under the included firmware. There are even some screenshots of a modded access point booting up.

Mirror of Screenshots

[NewbieSpaz]

Here: http://kevindustries.com/screens.html [kevindustries.com]

Finally

[mattyohe]

Multi-point to Multi-point works with this solution... its funny how going to linux solves my problems

Re:firewall replacement

[parc]

I'm using a diskless setup on FreeBSD with an Intel NIC. Boots in about 15 seconds, and the only noise is the power supply and CPU fan. I can probably get rid of the CPU fan. I might even try cutting the PS fan, since the load on the PS is next to nothing.

Re:Sweet!

[linzeal]

Seti@home would have to port to the little amd proc in there as no source code is available for obvious reasons.

Re:802.11b ?

[Hougaard]

802.11b is wireless LAN. 11Mbit (With fallback to 5 and 2). A good reference is Nokia since they produce a complete setup.

Nokia Wireless LAN [nokia.com]

I'm using (Nokia) 802.11b for all my home stuff now. No more cables running across the floor (This is really a wife pleaser :). Even my printers are connected on a miniport (To a jet direct box) and mounted on a little mobile table.

Hardware

[Cybersonic]

in case your curious, this works on access points using the Eumitcom WL11000SA-N boards...
( ref: http://opensource.instant802.com/hardware.php )
Tested: US Robotics 2450, SMC EZconnect 2652W

Time to buy an SMC for me :)

Re:AirPort

[Strog]

Don't need to configure that much

You mean can't configure much. The original airports are the same as the Orinoco RG-1000 and each one is its own wireless network. The Orinoco has a better range for some reason. Better antenna? They released an updated firmware on the RG-1000 that would allow you to change the network name. I used it to change the network name of my boss's home one to the same network name as the AP at work. This makes the RG-1000 a lot more versatile. Is there an update for the airports that anyone is aware of? Anyone daring enough to try the Orinoco update on the airport?

Re:How are they doing bridging?

[irregular_hero]

The "bridging code" is standard Linux bridging. I think what you're referring to is the "Host AP" or "Infrastructure" mode of the wireless card inside the AP.

If the card is based on the Prism chipset, there's already a Linux driver that will operate the card in Host AP mode by implementing some of the functions normally present in the access point's Infrastructure mode in user space. Other things are handled by the card.

For example, the card itself will handle time-dependent functions like beacon-sending. And it will handle hardware-dependent functions like WEP encrypt-decrypt (optionally). But the association table and all the rest of the functions are part of user space.

Incidentally, you don't need the Host AP driver for your Wireless card to operate a bridged network. Oddly enough, the bridge code in the Linux kernel functions just fine with a wireless card in Peer-to-Peer mode -- it is, after all, just another interface to the kernel itself. What you won't get in peer to peer is sophisticated association handling -- that means that the signal strength meter in your wireless tools won't work exactly right in most commercial packages.

You can build an AP on a PC:

[burntfungus]

You can build a Linux Access point on a PC or laptop, pehaps even a PDA:

http://people.ssh.com/jkm/Prism2/

Bridging software: http://bridge.sourceforge.net

Re:802.11b ?

[burntfungus]

http://www.netstumbler.com
http://pasadena.net/vacation/

Re:802.11b ?

[Anonymous Coward]

IEEE 802.11b is an international standard for local area wireless networking, analogous to 802.3 for wired Ethernet. The folks at IEEE have been nice enough to make the standard document available for free, at the following page:

http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.11.html [ieee.org]

Most of the rest of the information around the 'net just paraphrases or simplifies the content from this document. Check this out for the real meat.

Re:firewall replacement

[Etyenne]

syslogd -r

Re:AirPort

[voltaire]

Actually, the Airport and the Rg-1000 are all the same hardware, infact the Ap-500 and Ap1000 are also compatible hardware. The Comunity Wireless groups have already experimented with swaping the firmware on these devices. All the devices use a Lucent/Orinoco wavelan card internally (Rg100 and Airport use silvers) Checkout PersonalTelco's FirmwareSwapping [personaltelco.net] page for details. The reason you see better range in the Rg1000 is probably the orientation, the radiation patern of the integrated antennas are better suited for verticial operation. I can't quote the source but I had read a site on 802.11 antenna design and what a sorry design the client adapters used.

Re:Can I use this to turn my old notebook into an

[burntfungus]

Yes see: http://people.ssh.com/jkm/Prism2/

Lots o links on this subject: http://wireless.pasadena.net/links.php

Re:AirPort

[kwj8fty1]

There are a number of firmwares that work on both the airports and the RG1000s.

There is an update to the airports... but I'm not sure what it fixes.

You can also flash a AP500 firmware onto either of them, and it works great. You lose DHCP, but you gain radius auth, and syslog. Good stuff.

You can download any of those firmwares from here:

http://www.vilos.com/rg1000 [vilos.com]

Re:2.4.x

[sderle]

Yer damn right. Have you taken a look at NoCatAuth [nocat.net] yet? As it happens we're working on a C port that should run comfortably on one of these. Join the mailing list to find out more.

Re:Repeater?

[dwhedon]

Exactly correct. The mesh formed between APs is an ethernet bridge. Stations associated with completely wireless APs (that is, no direct ethernet connection) will have their packets forwarded to the destination which may involve multiple wireless-wireless AP hops. The mesh is dynamic, APs can appear and disappear and stations can move between APs without loss of service.

David Kimdon
Instant802 Networks Inc.

Linux for the Airport

[ekalb]

There is a port [tu-berlin.de] of linux to the Apple Airport Base Station as well. However, it requires the use of a dhcp & tftp server, as well as the Java-based Airport admin tools [drexel.edu].