Owning Authpuppy server - The Openwrt side

[Andrei]

There is recommendation to use Ubiquiti products to run as access point for a given shared internet connection unmanaged. As i understand it, Ubiquiti are flashed to make a link either with auth.ilesansfi.org access point or with a Zap Québec centralized accessl points.

But if a authpuppy server is installed locally, Ubiquiti devices for example, NanoStation M2, Nanostation Loco M2, etc, even if there are ubiquiti flashed with all it need to make a link with parameters written in wifidog.conf will not work.

So instead of using airos sdk to make image who will be flashed on a ubiquiti station, we have to flashed them with Openwrt. In Openwrt images, there is no way to make them work with wifidog until there is a need of a specific ipkg package to install in the Openwrt firmware who will be on a ubiquiti station.

So, ok, it's seem to be easier with Openwrt firmware (or images) but there's more to do than simply having a proper openwrt image who will be accepted and working in Ubiquiti material device. The image will no longer be an airos image but a pure openwrt firmware.

Theses links are what it is to do to made the job done :

http://dev.wifidog.org/wiki/doc/install/openwrt
http://dev.wifidog.org/wiki/doc/install/gateway
http://sourceforge.net/projects/wifidog/files/wifidog-gateway/ (to download the latest portal gateway who will stand for making an ipkg file)
Finally this : http://sourceforge.net/projects/wifidog/files/wifidog-gateway/20090925/wifidog-20090925.tar.gz/download

Yes i can download all these files, but there are missing point to made them part of an openwrt installed in a Ubiquiti device.

There is no doc about it as i see it. I may be wrong, but i still think that it is much more easier to make an Ubiquiti airos image working with wifidog (or authpuppy). But it seem that it is easier to have openwrt in this case.

So is there something to make to have a Ubiquiti having a link with a local authpuppy server no matter what i'll used whatever it is openwrt with an wifidog ipkg package (how ?) or with a build airos ubiquiti image ?

[gbastien (gbastien02)]

The problem with airos images is that your wifidog.conf file MUST be compiled into the image as on the device, it is readonly, so you cannot modify it. That means the server has to be set to your local server in the wifidog.conf file and if you want to change any config, you need to recompile the image.

While in openwrt, you can modify the wifidog.conf file on the system simply by sshing into your router and editing /etc/wifidog.conf (or /etc/config/wifidog.conf, I don't remember which) with 'vim'. This way, you can tune the config file by trial and error, reboot, retry, etc. until you have it working as you desire.

With openwrt, ubiquiti devices are no different than other devices and you may follow the instructions in the wiki above. Wifidog can be installed with opkg, or more easily through the web interface, under "system" => "Software". No need to compile it from source.

And don't worry about bricking openwrt devices. If you are locked out, there is an easy recovery procedure that you can find on their website. I haven't killed one yet, but have been locked out of one many many times... ;-)

[Andrei (andrei-halle-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks a lot Geneviève.

In fact, it may sound a bit silly, but i prefer to make trial and error by re-compiling the image made by the airos sdk than having an openwrt firmware with all it need to add the wifidog ipk file. For me, in my point of view, it is much more complex, much more hard to understand than making an airos file ready to be used with a different wifidog.conf each time. This will lead to a question at the end of this message.

Yes it is vi (yes it sound a bit with vim :) ) a basic editing utility used to edit any text files as wifidog.conf is.

But i don't reject the openwrt solution as i know now that there is no hardware lost. I trust you a lot so i'm not afraid anymore of using openwrt with one of my ubiquiti device ;-)

But when you say openwrt web interface, you surely mention the Luci interface if i understanding it well. And under the "systeme" => "Software" there will be an option to add wifidog.

Cause in earlier openwrt firmware there were no web interface except gargoyle (what a for a web interface by the way) who is a web interface designed to work with openwrt.

My question is : When i make the image with the airos sdk it made also a new openwrtxxxxsquash file who seems the openwrt files to use. Is it the one i should use ?

Finally, i'll make a question which will not be a question but my own personnal guide to make authpuppy work with DD-WRT. It work well as routers are not Ubiquiti, as Ubiquit will be as repeaters. I will name it "Owning Authpuppy Server - The DD-WRT Side."

If it is possible, can you answer the last question i have in this message.

Thanks again Geneviève, i appreciate a lot your responses. Thanks a lot !

[gbastien (gbastien02)]

Hi Andrei,

Yes the web interface is luci. It may not be installed by default on the images available on the openwrt site. If not, ssh into the device, do an 'opkg update' and then 'opkg install luci-admin-full'. This should take care of installing all necessary luci packages.

As for the airos image, the one to use si the one starting with XM.v5.3.... You flash it from the airos web interface. I think the openwrt files are just the intermediary result of compilation used to build the final image, but I wouldn't use those, unless you find some information about them that I don't know...

[Andrei (andrei-halle-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks a lot Geneviève.

I'll see what i could do to integrate the wifi package for openwrt in the luci interface.

I already have a router (who is not ubiquiti) but another atheros based router who is flashed with open-wrt and Luci. So i'll try to make it working with my autpuppy server. If the result is giving me goods, i make it work with my ubiquiti devices.

Many thanks to you Genviève