Configuring wireless card with no WAPs available causes infinite loop in installer

[Tim Hull]

I installed Ubuntu Hoary on an IBM ThinkPad T42 with both ethernet and wireless
cards.
As i'm using a modem-like device for my internet access, I had neither a wired
nor a wireless network
available during install. However, I wanted to configure the wireless for
future use.

Because of this, I selected the wireless card as the network interface to
configure in the installer.
However, it kept asking me for the ESSID, as it couldn't find the network. The
only way I could get out of this loop
is by backing up to the install main menu and skipping steps, which caused
loopback not to be configured (see bug #9532)

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I think I've fixed this in netcfg locally, but it requires a string change and
possibly changes to casper and kickseed as well, so I'm going to leave it until
after Array CD 6. I don't know if it will make it past the preview freeze rules.

I do think we should fix this for Hoary, though.

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

What casper changes would be required? Is this change safe to effect post-preview?

[Tim Hull (thully-arbornet)]

This bug only exists on the install CDs, not the live CDs.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

(In reply to comment #2)
> What casper changes would be required? Is this change safe to effect
post-preview?

It will require an extra netcfg preseed; a one-liner.
.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

netcfg (1.08ubuntu3) hoary; urgency=low

  * If an interface's kill switch is enabled but the user continues without
    disabling it, go on to the next interface (closes: Ubuntu #7451).
  * Avoid infinite loop on wireless configuration if no access points are
    available, by introducing a slightly different question the second time
    round the loop; entering an empty ESSID there breaks out of wireless
    configuration (closes: Ubuntu #7098).
  * Add draft Xhosa translation.

 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:32:46 +0000