[NMLUG] The final word (for now) on wireless on Linux

[nate at santafe.edu (Nate Metheny)]

Matt Grommes wrote:
> What do you mean by scanning? When I'm looking for an open wireless I 
> usually reboot to windows to run Netstumbler (lame but I'm lazy). Or I 
> just leave my ssid blank and it picks up any open nets.
> 

While using Windows to scan is great and easy, it can also reveal that 
your card is attaching itself via MAC address without requesting a 
network address, which to some network administrators, is a bad bad.

I use kismet in linux, and it runs beautifully once you can get the card 
to drop into monitor mode, you can scan without attaching MAC addresses, 
therefore making your logging and WiFi scanning process stealthy and 
unobtrusive.

Kismet gives a quality amount of verbose diagnostics that I've never 
seen in any other scanning program, either.

Through kismet and it's ability to attach to ethereal, you can also do 
real-time data dumps and analysis of packets, if you're into that kind 
of thing.

I'd say it depends on if you consider rebooting a dual boot (I've never 
been a fan of a dual boot) worth it just to find wireless access points 
surrounding your location, and how much time you want to spend 
troubleshooting and getting a working kismet installation running.

>> How do you get the orinoco b to do scanning?
>> Thx,

You have to patch the orinoco module that's defaulted in most kernels 
with the 0.13 version in order to get it to drop into monitor mode.

More info:
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Orinoco.html

See the latest version of pcmcia-cs. (3.2.7?)

It's easiest in 2.4.x to just use pcmcia-cs instead of in-kernel PCMCIA 
modules / drivers.

In 2.6.x, it's a whole different monster.

>>
>> Matt Grommes wrote:
>>
>>> I have a soft spot in my heart for my old Orinoco b card. It's rock 
>>> solid, full linux support and sports a connector for an external 
>>> antenna. That said, you probably have to buy it on ebay and it's only 
>>> 802.11b.
>>>

Amen to the soft spot; I have the same said spot for Orinoco gold cards. 
The newer versions of this classic card are actually incompatible with 
the patched orinoco driver, as I've recently run into with a purchase of 
a labelled "orinoco 802.11b" card. Ebay is your only hope.

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| Nate Metheny            IT Group Leader ||
| Santa Fe Institute          505.946.2730 |
|| http://www.santafe.edu nate@santafe.edu |
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