Problem With HostAP and static WEP, kernel 2.6.14, hostap 0.47

[Jared Holzman]

To All,

I'm having trouble trying to configure HostAP with static WEP on my 
server. Configuration seems to work using iwconfig tool (iwconfig mode 
Master, iwconfig essid, iwconfig key etc, etc) and I can then use the 
AP. However once I start the hostapd daemon, the encryption key seems to 
disappear from iwconfig and the AP becomes unusuable (in both unsecured 
mode and WEP mode) and if I try and set the key subsequently, using the 
iwconfig tool, it fails with an error and then comes up with invalid 
output until I reset the device.

Any Ideas?

Thanks,

Jared

PS Following is some relevant log information

[root at bob root]# iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"homezone"  Nickname:"bob.homezone"
          Mode:Master  Frequency:2.437 GHz  Access Point: 00:09:5B:67:92:F2   
          Bit Rate:5.5 Mb/s   Sensitivity=1/3  
          Retry min limit:8   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XX   Security mode:restricted
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:2  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:460  Invalid misc:171   Missed beacon:0

[root at bob root]# cat /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf | grep -v ^\#
interface=wlan0
logger_syslog=-1
logger_syslog_level=2
logger_stdout=-1
logger_stdout_level=2
debug=0
dump_file=/tmp/hostapd.dump
ctrl_interface=/var/run/hostapd
ctrl_interface_group=0
ssid=homezone
macaddr_acl=0
accept_mac_file=/etc/hostapd/hostapd.accept
deny_mac_file=/etc/hostapd/hostapd.deny
auth_algs=3
eapol_key_index_workaround=0
eap_server=0
own_ip_address=127.0.0.1

[root at bob root]# hostapd -dd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
Configuration file: /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
Opening raw packet socket for ifindex 11
Using interface wlan0 with hwaddr 00:09:5b:67:92:f2 and ssid 'homezone'
Flushing old station entries
Deauthenticate all stations
Wireless event: cmd=0x8c04 len=20
Wireless event: cmd=0x8b2a len=8
Received 268 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:0f:b5:8e:da:43
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 24 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:09:5b:67:8e:fd
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Signal 2 received - terminating
Flushing old station entries
Deauthenticate all stations
Could not disable PrivacyInvoked for interface wlan0
Could not remove generic information element from interface wlan0

[root at bob root]# hostapd -dd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
Configuration file: /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
Opening raw packet socket for ifindex 17
Using interface wlan0 with hwaddr 00:09:5b:67:92:f2 and ssid 'homezone'
Flushing old station entries
Deauthenticate all stations
Wireless event: cmd=0x8c04 len=20
Wireless event: cmd=0x8b2a len=8
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 24 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:09:5b:67:8e:fd
Received 24 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:09:5b:67:8e:fd
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 60 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:0f:b5:8e:da:43
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 342 bytes management frame
extra data in frame (elen=0)
unknown frame type 3
Received 360 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:0f:b5:8e:da:43

Received 360 bytes management frame
DATA
Data frame from not associated STA 00:0f:b5:8e:da:43

[root at bob root]# iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"homezone"  Nickname:"bob.homezone"
          Mode:Master  Frequency:2.437 GHz  Access Point: 00:09:5B:67:92:F2
          Bit Rate:11 Mb/s   Sensitivity=1/3
          Retry min limit:8   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:1  Invalid misc:14   Missed beacon:0

[root at bob root]# iwconfig wlan0 key XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XX
Error for wireless request "Set Encode" (8B2A) :
    SET failed on device wlan0 ; Invalid argument.
[root at bob root]# iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11-DS  ESSID:"homezone"
          Mode:Master
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:1  Invalid misc:14   Missed beacon:0


[root at bob root]# iwconfig -v
iwconfig  Wireless-Tools version 28
          Compatible with Wireless Extension v11 to v19.

Kernel    Currently compiled with Wireless Extension v19.

wifi0     Recommend Wireless Extension v18 or later,
          Currently compiled with Wireless Extension v19.

wlan0     Recommend Wireless Extension v18 or later,
          Currently compiled with Wireless Extension v19.

wlan0ap   Recommend Wireless Extension v18 or later,
          Currently compiled with Wireless Extension v19.