HostAP + nVIdia + maybe ath9k

[Felix Joussein]

Hello List,

I'm using hostapd for quiet a while now, but never had such a problem:

When I restart HostAP for example due config change, my system completely
freezes.
My OS is Debian/Lenny
Hostapd Version are: 0.5.5 / 0.6.8
The restart-procedure: /etc/init.d/hostapd restart
Where as the "stop" part of "restart" works, but at the "start" part the
cursor freezes.

No mater if X is running or not, the result is always the same:
First a black screen and then sometimes "dots" running diagonally across
the screen.

I have tried to track down the problem and found out that it must have
something to do with some NVidia chipsets.

For example, my current - stable - setup runs on an nVidia Corporation
MCP67 chipset/board.
I have also succeeded on an amd based chipset

The machine, on which it crashes is a nVidia Corporation MCP78S as well as
on an 3rd nvidia board (the origin one, I used a year or so stable), which
I have thought is now broken and have send it to the manufacture for
guaranty exchange... based on NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a.

I'm using the following NIC:

01:06.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR5416 802.11abgn
Wireless PCI Adapter (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Linksys Device 0061
	Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 16
	Memory at fe9f0000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: ath9k
	Kernel modules: ath_pci, ath9k

Unfortunately there is not even one log-file entry documenting this
freeze... only the "last" command registers a "crash".

Any help appreciated.

Thanks a lot,

Felix