hostapd does not issue EAP Identify challenge

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Sat, 3 Feb 2018, Jouni Malinen wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 01, 2018 at 05:33:06PM -0600, Bob Friesenhahn wrote:
>> Under Linux (a MIPS-based router/bridge device), I am using hostapd with the
>> 'wired' driver (no Wi-Fi support included) and am encountering the issue
>> that while authentication is successful if the supplicant issues an
>> unsolicited identity request (e.g. due to unplug/plug the Ethernet cable),
>> hostapd does not itself initiate authentication by periodically transmitting
>> EAP-Request Identity frames (to address 01:80:C2:00:00:03) after being
>> started.
>
> There is no support within hostapd to initiate EAPOL authentication with
> the 'wired' driver, i.e., getting something like this working would
> depend on external components detecting a port change (cable plugged in)
> or some other triggers for initiating.

We can implement that in hostapd based on the environment we are 
running it in, just as we externally implemented data-path control 
based on successful authentication.

Can you suggest a place in the code to add detection of port change or 
adding a trigger to get EAPOL initiated?  Is this an optional driver 
feature which is simply lacking for the wired driver but implemented 
in other drivers?

Thanks,

Bob
-- 
Bob Friesenhahn
bfriesen at simple.dallas.tx.us, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/