Wireless Driver Required Changes

This page lists known issues related to the Wireless Driver, pointing to track numbers and suggested driver patches (where applicable) to fix the issues.

New driver interface to set/get probe response retry limit

Currently, 'iwpriv msh0 setprspretrylt' allows you to set the number of probe response retries (from 0 to 15), but there is no way to check the current value.

Firmware release 5.110.22.p22 introduced the ability to both check and set these values.

According to Marvell release noter: "Driver should add command CMD_ACT_SET (0x00) or CMD_ACT_GET (0x01) followed by data while sending CMD_ACT_MESH_SET_GET_PRB_RSP_RETRY_LIMIT to firmware."

Fix transmission power control via iwconfig

iwconfig ethX txcontrol was broken. Javier Cardona submitted a patch to wireless-testing http://marc.info/?l=linux-wireless&m=122244070125724&w=2

Capability bits for upgrade feature

Driver may check firmware configuration before issuing an upgrade. This feature was introduced in firmware version 5.110.22.p20 and requires driver support. See: http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/libertas/RELEASE_NOTES (22.p18 notes)

New (enhanced) wol filter

Wake-on-lan supported by firmware 22.p20 is more intuitive and flexible. This feature was introduced in firmware version 5.110.22.p20 and requires driver support. See: http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/libertas/RELEASE_NOTES (22.p20 notes)

APIs to enable/disable/status of dynamic contention window adaptation logic

Libertas firmware now supports switching dynamic contention window on and off. This feature was introduced in firmware version 5.110.22.p20 and requires driver support. See: http://dev.laptop.org/pub/firmware/libertas/RELEASE_NOTES (22.p20 notes)

Probe Retry Limit COMMITTED

Patch committed in http://dev.laptop.org/git?p=olpc-2.6;a=snapshot;h=bb855af96a4caa7e6dc80dd9e81266c235961a02

Probe Request/Response exchange between XOs is maintained for the sole reason of not breaking ad-hoc mode (which can be implemented passively and, in the end, brings no obvious advantages over the mesh mode). As it is a very bursty and demanding control traffic, particularly in dense networks, the number of retries, currently set to 2, should be reduced, if not removed altogether.

5.110.22.p6 allows probe response retries to be set from driver, from 0 (no probe response) to 15.

But a driver patch is required and can be found here.

Not responding to RREQs COMMITTED

In this bug, the XO stops responding to mesh path requests frames (RREQs). The main cause seems to be that the driver is not waiting long enough for the firmware to download.

A suggested fix can be found here.

Active antenna programming COMMITTED

Currently it is not possible to change mesh parameters in the standalone (active) antennae. In order to support this we need both a new firmware and driver support. Both can be found attached to this ticket

ethtool -S msh0 returning noise COMMITTED

Committed to stable branch: http://dev.laptop.org/git?p=olpc-2.6;a=commit;h=de2a86ff3b60edcfed8e3927f61bd6da69f03288 The command ethtool -S eth0 should return useful NIC statistics, but it is dumping senseless numbers instead.

This is described in this ticket and is believed to be related to the driver. A patch/fix is attached to the ticket.

mesh view not working with 22.p8/p9 COMMITTED

Due to http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/6818 mesh view does not work with firmware version 5.110.22.p8/9.

A patch for implementing the populating of the mesh filter is proposed here