Slashdot Mirror
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.
The slashdot editors tried to censor this port by threadslapping it to -1.
In less then `0 seconds every fucking reply to this thread went to -1 (some were at +1)
Just goes to show censorship at work, from the very hipocrits that winge like girls about other site's censorship.
A quick thought - iptables on an access point? That I like. Think of all the possiblities...
political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
So now I can run Seti on my AP?
One thing that irks me to no end is that my home firewall is a noisy old Pentium 200 with disks and fans. I've been looking into embedded systems to do this, and the current access points I've seen are not effective firewalls at all; no logging, and they don't _reall_ block everything, even though they say they do. A small Linux kernel which does not need to be built up with support for PCI, two ethernet cards, disks and multiple filesystems might just do the trick.
This is really cool, but I think I'll stick with Apple's Airport. Don't need to configure that much, plus I like the design. :-)
Ciryon
I Like their slogan:
:)
"All your base stations are belong to us"
.. Sense of humor
Here: http://kevindustries.com/screens.html
------
Random, useless fact: I type in startx entirely with my left hand.
Multi-point to Multi-point works with this solution... its funny how going to linux solves my problems
- what is the definition of simultanagnosia?! I've been meaning to look it up!
I think that this is a cool idea. You can now upgrade and fix bugs, security holes etc.. yourself instead of having to wait for the vendor to do it (if they do it). Not to mention if you have a really old AP, maybe you can get it out and play around with Linux on it. This could allow you to take old AP's that people are pretty much throwing out, and recycle them. Might save you a few bucks. That'd be cool.
I have no signature
Imagine a...
Can someone please give a few lines describing what 802.11b is and perhaps some recommended urls?
Thanks
AC.
I may try this, as long as I can rollback to the original firmware ;)
:/
(I have the SMC ezconnect 2652 AP)
The site is getting slower and slower so I may have to wait until next week before I find out
I also wonder how much WEP it supports
-Yarn - Rio Karma: Excellent
Now my access point can get 0wn3d too! What'll they think of next?
SS1: http://draco.meatbarn.com/OpenAP/screenshot_boot_1 .jpg 1 .jpg 1 .jpg
SS2: http://draco.meatbarn.com/OpenAP/screenshot_boot_
SS3: http://draco.meatbarn.com/OpenAP/screenshot_boot_
I put up a mirror of the screens available here
After the initial install with the SRAM card the access point can be upgraded over the network.
Does that mean the vendors of access points do not write protect the operating system on the hardware level? Or are future modifications only possible when the jumper remains in the upgrade position? If the jumper becomes meaningless after the upgrade, its implementation is a serious design flaw and an undetected rooting waiting to happen.
You forgot to mention that this is very much an Airport Killer.
Make sure you update it to reflect the people killed by the suicide gunmans attack on the 12 year olds party that happend in the past 24 hours. I don't want you stat to be out of date.
I've always thought that an access point that had NoCatAuth built in would be a great product. Now, until the AP vendors come up with something like this, at least we can roll our own.
-Aaron
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
Cybie! aka Ralph Bonnell
AFAIK, the bridging code is loaded to the PCMCIA card each boot. Did they manage to keep the file and just replay it or did they reverse-engineer the bridging code?
Not that I am really concerned, bridging a wireless LAN to your wired LAN is bad news unless there is zero need for security (aka my home).
I have been looking for a reliable software that can be used to turn a notebook into an AP. There is
a driver for prism2 cards which works well enough, but lacks roaming support and in the latest version
WEP doesn't seem to work.
I had been looking for AP software under Linux, but the prism2 card combined with bridging in the kernel
was all I could find. It works, but could be better.
So, the question is, if I could use this to turn an old notebook into something more usefull. And,
if so, why has it only been announced as Linux for certain AP hardware.
***Quis custodiet ipsos custodes***
Interesting features. However, looks it needs to add some security features, such as 64-bit or 128-bit WEP, MAC access control etc.
Anyone else notice that board had what looked to be a PC/104 bus? That just adds even more to the potential. Put it in a new case, add a PC/104 board with another PCMCIA controller, and you've got 3x ethernet + 802.11b . Hells yah. Firewall potential gets nice. External, Internal, DMZ, and 802.11b DMZ.
I've got a pacemaker that runs Linux. Beat that. Seriously, this is way cool. Send critical logs to a printer on your WLAN, or save them all to an nfs-mounted volume... sweeeeeeet.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Could someone elaborate on the repeater functionality? Could I place unwired access points at regular distances, with only the one at the end wired to the regular network, and roam all down the chain with an 802.11b device (PDA for instance)?
Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
YHTB.  DNPG.  DNCaHD.  YHL.  HAND. 
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
http://wireless.pasadena.net
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
Check the nocat site for the (Wireless router Project) WRP. I think that is what you are looking for.
http://www.nocat.net
http://packetnexus.com
One of the features that I like about the MultiTech router/switch I have is that a modem can be hung off the serial port and used as a backup connection. What would it take to do the same with this, and is there a getty out there that would support operating both ways (i.e. use a modem for dialout, but if a terminal was connected instead then allow login).
fencepost
just a little off
Try getting hold of an old laptop. I got a 486 toshiba satelite for about $20, added two cheap PCMCIA ethernet cards, and loaded linux on it.
No fans (I think), battery backup, and LCD screen, nice...
There is a Linux on Laptops FAQ somewhere out there where you can check for compatability. Ebay is a good place to check for cheapo laptops. Just whatch out the the amount of RAM available. With no CD-ROM most of the old cheapo laptops can be a pain to get linux loaded, if your working from a distro whose imstall img can be over 8MB in size.
Yes, I was just about to say that.
Remember kiddies, the network IS the computer, to the nth power, cuz I'mthedoindot.com.
Yes see: http://people.ssh.com/jkm/Prism2/
Lots o links on this subject: http://wireless.pasadena.net/links.php
http://wireless.pasadena.net
I know this link and I have been using these drivers for a long time now (using it right now), but since November
or so WEP doesn't work with the newer versions and the old versions have problems with clients connecting to the AP.
It always takes 2-5 tries to get a connection to the AP. I guess, what I really wanted to ask is, if openap is better than this,
or just built on this driver. Or maybe WEP is the problem?!
***Quis custodiet ipsos custodes***
Wep is absolutly worthless. Instead use ipsec on the ends.
The bridging/routing/iptables works great.
The PCMCIA port could be used for anything, just ip-tables and a rudimentary web-server would be great on an embedded system.
I turn off my linux firewall every night, but
a small device checking it's heartbeat on the serial console could make it look like a 99.9999 system...
I want a cheap low power 80211.b / USB device with no fan noise to which I can hook up an external drive and the soundblaster extigy and run an mp3 player off it. Can I have that? Does this get me closer?
>That's the only thing we have an AP driver for.
Bruce, is that the royal we (linux) or is that the company?
As in, is this your company?
Here is a baseline image that should work on most notebooks:
l istic1000
http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/FujitsuSty
I've used this on two old notebooks, and it's work. It works great on the Stylistics, but it's not really required.
Keep in mind that you can only use prism2 based cards if you want to run true BSS (infa) Mode. But other cards will support iBSS mode (adhoc).
The "All your base" crap as the slogan is enough to make me never look at this software.
I just wasted your mod points! HA!
This guy got linux on his airport, only 2.2, but i'm sure it'd be no problem to upgrade to 2.4ness.
t /a irport.html
http://www-hft.ee.tu-berlin.de/~strauman/airpor
pretty cool
-- Spankmeister General
If you don't want remote logging, try a PCMCIA hard disk. Softwareandstuff.com has 170MB drives for $25 -- I bought two.
yes, the airport is still the nicest cheap 802.11b access point. it uses real 802.11b cards with the Lucent chipset (orinoco/wavelan) rather than the cheapo "Prism" chipset. That way you can use WEP encryption without any performance hit. [yes, wep is useful; it keeps the 95% of people who don't know how to run airsnort off of your network]
airports are also some sort of amd 486 cpu with 8 or 16 megs of ram i believe. porting bsd or linux to them would be great.
So... we could load up nocat, config it for our users, then resale them to the community to build our community net.... how cool
http://nocat.net/
So there.
Karma whorin' since 1999
There is a port 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.
it uses real 802.11b cards with the Lucent chipset (orinoco/wavelan) rather than the cheapo "Prism" chipset. (-1, Flamebait)
What makes you think that the Agere/Orinoco/WaveLAN product is better than the Prism chipset? Intersil prides itself in the fact that they sell more chipsets than "that other company." Linux drivers seem to exist, and quite frankly I don't see a good reason to buy one or the other. The particularly nice thing about the Prism chipset is its available in MiniPCI and CF form factors.
I'll bet MLK at least knew the difference between rabble and rebel, you illiterate twit.
yes, its great for the CF form factor. its just doesn't perform well with WEP enabled (2mbit/sec max). otherwise its fine.
This is neat and all but I'd really like to see this on a gateway/router. It'd be nice to have a personal SMTP server, DNS server, etc. running on my wireless gateway so I don't have to sit around with my thumb up my ass every time my ISP drops the ball. There are several services that require minimal resources that would be nice to see in a router.