Wireless Bridged Interface

Name Taken · 2014-07-30 23:08:03

I've been experimenting with QEMU, KVM, and containers through a bridged interface using netctl on my desktop no problem. When I tried to bring it over to my laptop, I can't seem to create a bridged interface through the wireless interface. I have no problem using netctl or wicd to connect to my AP. I reread the corresponding Arch Wiki articles which only explains connecting through a wired interface.

Last edited by Name Taken (2014-07-30 23:21:40)

Tarqi · 2014-07-30 23:32:09

Most WIFI Hardware doesn't support bridging, see http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collabor … ss_card.21. You need to do some forwarding and routing here.

Name Taken · 2014-07-30 23:38:11

Tarqi wrote:

Most WIFI Hardware doesn't support bridging, see http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collabor … ss_card.21. You need to do some forwarding and routing here.

Would creating a NAT interface work? I don't see anything in netctl for NAT.

Tarqi · 2014-07-30 23:42:01

You don't need NAT. Just use a TAP-Interface and setup IP-forwarding. If needed, setup some routing too, but if you stay on your host this should not be necessary.

Name Taken · 2014-07-31 00:25:01

Tarqi wrote:

You don't need NAT. Just use a TAP-Interface and setup IP-forwarding. If needed, setup some routing too, but if you stay on your host this should not be necessary.

Can you point me to the appropriate Wiki articles? By "host" do you mean network? I will be connecting to different WiFi APs throughout the day.

branch · 2014-07-31 16:13:02

Tarqi wrote:

Most WIFI Hardware doesn't support bridging, see http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collabor … ss_card.21. You need to do some forwarding and routing here.

That article is quite old (2009) and IMO it does not reflect the state of "most" current hardware.

This page shows how to address this problem by spoofing the source MAC with ebtables.
https://wiki.debian.org/BridgeNetworkCo … reless_NIC

Tarqi · 2014-07-31 17:37:46

Name Taken wrote:

Can you point me to the appropriate Wiki articles? By "host" do you mean network? I will be connecting to different WiFi APs throughout the day.

Read the quemu docs, which cover how to use a TAP-device. The host means: The host. Just setup your default gateway in your VM. If you don't know what this is meant, I suggest you read something about networking and subnetting.

branch wrote:

That article is quite old (2009) and IMO it does not reflect the state of "most" current hardware.

This is the official kernel documentation. See https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentatio … bridge.txt.

branch wrote:

This page shows how to address this problem by spoofing the source MAC with ebtables.
https://wiki.debian.org/BridgeNetworkCo … reless_NIC

Will not help, because it doesn't cover how to add the interface to the bridge. The firmware will simply not support it (as stated in the docs).

Last edited by Tarqi (2014-07-31 19:57:00)

branch · 2014-07-31 18:52:31

Tarqi wrote:

This is the official kernel documentation. See https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentatio … bridge.txt.

That just links to the old aritcle you linked previously. Please read it more carefully. It is talking about WaveLan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WaveLAN) which predates WiFi. This is stuff from the 1990's. The working chip your article suggests using instead is Prism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_%28chipset%29), a very early 802.11b chip.

Tarqi wrote:

Will not help, because it doesn't cover how to add the interface to the bridge. The firmware will simply not support it (as stated in the docs).

How do you know? The OP has not even said what chip he is using!

Tarqi · 2014-07-31 19:52:32

branch wrote:

That just links to the old aritcle you linked previously. Please read it more carefully.

I know. However, it is the official documentation. And I read carefully, that's the reason I linked it here.

branch wrote:

How do you know? The OP has not even said what chip he is using!

Name Taken wrote:

[...] I can't seem to create a bridged interface through the wireless interface. [...]

I might be wrong, but this reads like the typical issue when trying to add a wireless device to a bridge.

But I will be quiet now, as I am obviously not experienced enough to help the OP.

Last edited by Tarqi (2014-07-31 20:18:14)

branch · 2014-07-31 20:46:24

Tarqi wrote:

But I will be quiet now, as I am obviously not experienced enough to help the OP.

Sorry, I certainly did not mean to disuade you from helping.

Anyway, I will also be quite now, at least until we hear back from the OP to see if he had any luck with either your or my suggestions.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-07-30 23:08:03

Wireless Bridged Interface

#2 2014-07-30 23:32:09

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#3 2014-07-30 23:38:11

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#4 2014-07-30 23:42:01

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#5 2014-07-31 00:25:01

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#6 2014-07-31 16:13:02

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#7 2014-07-31 17:37:46

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#8 2014-07-31 18:52:31

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#9 2014-07-31 19:52:32

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

#10 2014-07-31 20:46:24

Re: Wireless Bridged Interface

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