nm-applet (network manager) - don't remember settings when SSID contains some 'uncommon' characters

[zajjar]

I use Ubuntu 7.10 GutsyGibbon.

I want to connect to wireless network (WPA2, pass, hidden SSID) and I use option "nm-applet (network manager) -> Connect to other wirless network" for it.
I set SSID, pass, and encryption. Next I click on the connect button.
Everything is OK, WiFi works fine, but when I restart my computer I see then network manager don't remember this network and don't connect to this network.
I must configure wireless again... to the next reboot.

[Gareth Fitzworthington (mapping-gp-deactivatedaccount)]

I can confirm this also for 7.10.
This occurs for both "roaming mode" & manual setup (dhcp).

See attached syslog extracts: one for fail & one for success.

It appears that the Network Manager requests a key and is given a key but the key appears to be incorrect.

Also, [Logout] and then [Log back in] and key is remembered. However, after reboot as described above by zajjar key is incorrect.

 I have tried to correct this via the Keyring (and set for auto key use at logon) but problem is the same.

Problem is the same whether AP is hidden or not.

Adjustments to /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf appear to have no effect at all with regard to Network Manager. Perhaps it keeps it own wpa_supplicant.conf somewhere.

[Gareth Fitzworthington (mapping-gp-deactivatedaccount)]

Solution:
I have just discovered that my Keyring Manager was muddled.
This is what worked for me:

1/ restart PC & get wireless going.
2/ Goto Keyring Manager.
3/ You should see perhaps 4 entries (under the view drop-down menu choose keyrings).
      Entries will probably be "SSID name", Login", "default", & "session".
4/ Delete "SSID name", Login", & "default". ("session" can't be deleted)
5/ Restart PC.
6/ Login at GDM & while Gnome is loading you should be asked for your wireless details.
7/ Enter the correct details.
8/ Wireless should be working.
9/ Reboot & re-login and wireless should come up automatically.

[zajjar (zajjar)]

Thank you Gareth for your help but your solution doesn't work for me :(
I tested it in fresh installation Ubuntu. I had only two entries in my keyring manager: "login" and "session" and I deleted, like you said, only "login" entry.
When I restarted my laptop I didn't see any request for wireless details.
Wireless didn't work :(

(BTW, when I started keyring manager for the first time (after configuration Wireless) I were asked for access password to my "wireless entry" in "login" database).

I also tried to run wireless and then restart laptop for checking syslog file.
After restarting in syslog file I have following two lines (last position):
<cut>
Oct 22 19:48:42 toshiba NetworkManager: <info> Updating allowed wireless network lists.
Oct 22 19:48:42 toshiba NetworkManager: <WARN> nm_dbus_get_networks_cb(): error received: org.freedesktop.NetworkManagerInfo.NoNetworks - There are no wireless networks stored..
</cut>

[jonj (jonjackson)]

Very similar here. Network manager remembers the key for WEP encryption, but not for WPA encryption

Network manager was working fine with WEP encryption on the router. I changed the router to WPA encryption, rebooted the laptop etc. and attempted to connect to the wireless. First of all, NM didn't recognize that the router was now on different encryption, and refused to connect, or ask for new details. However using the 'Connect to other wireless network' option, I entered the details and got connected. All seemed to be fine. On next reboot, NM fails to reconnect using saved details. Clicking on the network ID in the NM drop down menu does nothing - it's a case of 'Connect to other wireless network' again. Tried deleting settings from gconf:system/network/wireless etc. but still NM is unable to remember the settings for WPA

So it's back to WEP encryption and it's working fine again.

[Paul Dufresne (paulduf)]

Marking as Confirmed (was New).
Syslog_fail contains this:
Oct 21 21:00:46 localhost NetworkManager: <WARN> nm_utils_supplicant_request_with_check(): real_write_supplicant_config: supplicant error for 'SET_NETWORK 0 psk <key>'. Response: 'FAIL'

[Paul Dufresne (paulduf)]

Oops, marking back as Incomplete.
Syslog_fail is Gareth file, which does not seems to get fixed the same way for zajjar (bug reporter).

Zajjar, please your /var/log/syslog file afer a fail connection.
Jonj, please do the same.

Please keep all in mind bug #140422!

[zajjar (zajjar)]

I tested many settings with WPA2 on my fresh Ubuntu installation and I noticed that probably problem is in SSID name.

For example I had problem when I used this SSID:

sM&jK,*.$:")X'Z{c;/]@9(!S6+R-QLt

(it's not a joke :) this is for test only)

With this SSID WiFi works fine only to reboot. After reboot wifi doesn't work.
I attach syslog file with my comments (beetwen <comment></comment> tag).
I don't know which of used characters are problematics.

------------

Important: when I use SSID with this characters: 0-9, A-Z, a-z and some others,
WiFi works fine even if I am rebooting laptop.

For example when I use this SSIDs:
home
home/]@9wifi
aaabbbcccaaabbbcccaaabbbcccaaabb
home;/]@9wifi

and even this:
sMajK,a.a:a)XaZ{ca/]@9aaS6aRaQLt

after reboot everything is OK and WiFi works fine.

[Paul Dufresne (paulduf)]

Jonj, what you described is a known bug (the number I don't have right now).
Gareth, I guess you should open a new bug, as zajjar is now describing something different than you.

I am confirming this bug as I believe there is enough information for a developer to 'at least investigate if not fix' the problem.
Zajjar, if you happen to find more precise character culprit, please give the the information.

[zajjar (zajjar)]

Paul, I thought that after changing ssid to shorter name, without strange characters, everything will be ok but I was wrong :(
When I only changed password to the new one, after reboot wifi didn't work too :(
I have no idea what is wrong.

I tried to delete all old keys in keyring-manager and all keys in /system/networking/wireless/networks.
It didn't help. After reboot wifi still didn't work.

IMPORTANT: when I am using the old password, after reboot everything is ok.

[Paul Dufresne (paulduf)]

Ok (marking bug as incomplete, time to get a better picture of what is going on)

[zajjar (zajjar)]

Paul, I think that everything I described earlier (with kind of characters used in ssid) is still true and this is still a problem.
Therefore I think, that previous status "confirmed" was ok.

Second problem (last post) which I noticed is, that password can't be changed to the other password, because after this and after reboot machine, Network Manager can't find it.

That's all what I know and what I found about this problem.
I am tired of it and I don't have any ideas :(

IMHO, Network Manager with Key Ring Manager have many problems with cooperation.

[dnquark (leo-alekseyev+launchpad)]

I am facing the same bug when using Purdue University's wireless network: the SSID is PAL2.0 (note the ".") and all settings pertaining to the connection get lost upon reboot or resume from suspend. This is problem, since the process of setting up that connection is relatively involved, and at the moment it is the main reason I am going back to Windows. I hope this bug gets addressed.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

Hi,

do you still see this with 0.6.6-0ubuntu5 package in hardy?

[zajjar (zajjar)]

Hi Alexander,

if you ask me I can say that I have not installed hardy beta on my laptop yet.
Now, I am using windows on my lapotop (it's shame for me ;) but I have no problems with wifi on windows :( ).
Maybe dnquark tested hardy on his laptop?

[zajjar (zajjar)]

Hi all,

I have just installed Ubuntu 8.04 on my Toshiba notebook and I can say that this bug doesn't exist.
Now (with Ubuntu 8.04), wifi works fine.

Regards.

[SteveLee (steve-fullmeasure)]

I have the problem on Hardy.

In my case the SSID is 4 alphanumeric characters but the password includes a ?
The SSID is hidden, MAC filtering is on, WPA2, AES.

On boot the SSID is show in the list of networks but selecting it fails. You have to COnnect to another network and enter all the details. I checked the network DB was OK and even deleted my entry.

This is a pain as I just changed from WEP key #2 (which is not a supported config at the moment) to get better security and so use a strong password as well.

[Dmitry (dmitrybezzubikov)]

Hi all!
Just has resolved the problem.

Add to /etc/rc.local

sleep 15s
/etc/init.d/networking restart

before "exit" string

It's like network start up earlier than something that need for wifi..

[Dmitry (dmitrybezzubikov)]

Hi all!
Just has resolved the problem.

Add to /etc/rc.local

sleep 15s
/etc/init.d/networking restart

before "exit" string

reboot
wi-fi starts as it should

It's like network start up earlier than something that need for wifi..

[Dmitry (dmitrybezzubikov)]

No, it doesn't work.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

still a problem with NetworkManager 0.7 in intrepid?

[Martin Mai (mrkanister-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

 We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!