[SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

bys · 2015-12-10 17:00:48

[FIX] -- downgrading to wpa_supplement 2.3 from 2.5 fixed this problem for me.

Early on, I installed wpa_actiond to automatically detect wifi networks, and connect when it recognized one of my netctl profiles. This worked great for months, until a reboot this morning. I did a system update a few days ago, and before posting this topic, but neither wpa_actiond nor netctl have been updated in a while.

Best I can tell, the wpa_actiond service is no longer capable of attaching to the wpa_supplicant socket, but I haven't the slightest idea how to debug further. I can manually attach to any of my netctl profiles (hence my ability to post this), but netctl-auto doesn't actually work on its own. Here's what I'm seeing in the logging:

# systemctl status netctl-auto@wlp3s0.service
● netctl-auto@wlp3s0.service - Automatic wireless network connection using netctl profiles
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/netctl-auto@.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Thu 2015-12-10 11:51:08 EST; 5s ago
     Docs: man:netctl.special(7)
  Process: 2540 ExecStop=/usr/bin/netctl-auto stop %I (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
  Process: 2754 ExecStart=/usr/bin/netctl-auto start %I (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
   CGroup: /system.slice/system-netctl\x2dauto.slice/netctl-auto@wlp3s0.service
           ├─2792 wpa_supplicant -q -B -P /run/wpa_supplicant_wlp3s0.pid -i wlp3s0 -D nl80211,wext -c/run/network/wpa_supplicant_wlp3s0.conf -W
           └─2794 wpa_actiond -p /run/wpa_supplicant -i wlp3s0 -P /run/network/wpa_actiond_wlp3s0.pid -a /usr/lib/network/auto.action

Dec 10 11:51:08 discord systemd[1]: Starting Automatic wireless network connection using netctl profiles...
Dec 10 11:51:08 discord netctl-auto[2754]: Included profile 'wlp3s0-some-of-my-wifi-profiles'
Dec 10 11:51:08 discord netctl-auto[2754]: Could not read interface p2p-dev-wlp3s0 flags: No such device
Dec 10 11:51:08 discord systemd[1]: Started Automatic wireless network connection using netctl profiles.

All fine and good right? It doesn't work, and if I

journalctl -b | grep wpa_actiond

, I get this at the same timestamp:

Dec 10 11:51:18 mysystem wpa_actiond[2794]: Error (wlp3s0): Could not attach to wpa_supplicant

That appears to be output from the wpa_actiond process launched by netctl-auto. Trying the exact process it's launching doesn't throw an error from the root user:

# wpa_actiond -p /run/wpa_supplicant -i wlp3s0 -P /run/network/wpa_actiond_wlp3s0.pid -a /usr/lib/network/auto.action
# journalctl -b | grep wpa_actiond
Dec 10 11:54:48 mysystem wpa_actiond[2993]: Starting wpa_actiond session for interface 'wlp3s0'
Dec 10 11:54:53 mysystem wpa_actiond[2993]: Terminating wpa_actiond session for interface 'wlp3s0'

I have no idea where to go from here. Hoping someone has a pointer or two...

Last edited by bys (2015-12-11 06:02:38)

rtoijala · 2015-12-10 17:37:14

Hi,

I have the same problem. Since the problem began (for me) with the upgrade to wpa_supplicant 2.5, I bisected the regression.
The first bad commit is

commit 97752f7930af55106b0959c2bb191d982382afe3
Author: Johannes Berg <johannes.berg@intel.com>
Date:   Mon Oct 20 12:00:08 2014 +0200

    Revert "nl80211: Do not indicate P2P_DEVICE support by default"
    
    This reverts commit 851b0c5581069de6db01ddca7c150b76cee415a2.
    
    The kernel now has full support for this (and it is turned off
    by default for hwsim) so wpa_supplicant should really go back
    to autodetecting this so clients don't have to figure out what
    to do.
    
    Also add a debug message stating that P2P_DEVICE support is used.
    
    Signed-off-by: Johannes Berg <johannes.berg@intel.com>

My wireless works if I revert that commit, so it is the guilty one.
I don't really know what to now, since I have no idea which software the bug is in.
Is it wpa_actiond, wpa_supplicant, netctl of maybe the kernel?

drrossum · 2015-12-11 03:54:42

Same problem here. See also this thread and this bug report
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=206044
https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/44731

I'll also revert for now.

Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 7260 (rev 83)

Last edited by drrossum (2015-12-11 15:35:21)

bys · 2015-12-11 06:01:07

Downgrading to wpa_supplicant 2.3 fixes the problem.

b_adele · 2015-12-13 08:30:12

Hi,
Actually for resolving temporary this problem, you can do it:

ifconfig wlp2s0 down # The interface is already used
netctl start your_wireless_profile

b_adele · 2015-12-13 10:41:34

b_adele wrote:

Hi,
Actually for resolving temporary this problem, you can do it:
ifconfig wlp2s0 down # The interface is already used
netctl start your_wireless_profile

Hi,

In this bug report => https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/44731 wauli user have found the solution with the current wpa_supplicant version. The solution is here and work for me => https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/44731#comment141718

Arch Linux

#1 2015-12-10 17:00:48

[SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

#2 2015-12-10 17:37:14

Re: [SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

#3 2015-12-11 03:54:42

Re: [SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

#4 2015-12-11 06:01:07

Re: [SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

#5 2015-12-13 08:30:12

Re: [SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

#6 2015-12-13 10:41:34

Re: [SOLVED] Debugging netctl-auto when it suddenly stops working

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