Need support for WiMax cards management

[Grigory Rechistov]

Binary package hint: network-manager

Currently network-manager does not provide support for WiMax cards available.
At the moment I am aware of at least two vendors providing WiMAX NICs: Intel and Samsung. I have an Intel mini-PCI wireless card. Though there are both firmware and kernel module in current 9.10 kernel so my device is properly detected, they are not enough to start using the NIC.

I had to perform the following actions before i was able to connect:
1) Download official sources for `wimaxd` daemon and supplicant libraries from an official Intel site http://linuxwimax.org
2) Build them, install them.
3) Get XML configuration files specific for my particular provider (taken from CD distributive supplied for Windows)
4) As superuser run 'wimaxd; wimaxcu ron; wimaxcu connect network 15' to connect to the provider ("Yota" brand)

The current issue is that this NIC can operate in only one mode at the time: either WiFi or WiMAX, so I need to bring wlan0 down before connecting to Wimax and vice-versa. And, while I use NM to manage WiFi, this is inconvenient.

I am sure it would be great if all or at least part of this actions can be done through some GUI configurator accessible from network-manager.

Currently I plan to use some script (maybe incorporate it into my ifupdown cfg) to switch between the NIC operation modes (taken from http://icelord.net/wordpress/archives/1151):

STATE=`sudo wimaxcu status system| awk '{print $4}'`
if [ "$STATE" = "OFF." ]
then
    beep
    sudo iwconfig wlan0 tx off
    sudo ifconfig wmx0 up
    sleep 0.1s
    sudo wimaxcu ron
    sleep 2s
    sudo wimaxcu connect network 15
    sudo dhclient wmx0 &
else
    beep
    sleep 0.1s
    beep
    sleep 0.1s
    bepp
    sudo ifconfig wmx0 down
    sudo wimaxcu roff
    sleep 2s
    sudo iwconfig wlan0 tx on
    sleep 0.5s
    sudo ifconfig wlan0 up
fi

Also, I am unaware what are the details of operation of Samsung WiMAX NICs (they are sold as external USB deivces ) but I am sure that madwimax project does support these cards in Linux.

So, some kind of plug in for network-manager is desirable. It should be able to do the following things at least:
1) Detect Wimax cards
2) Detect that WiFi and WiMax cannot be used simultaneously.
3) Allow bringing interfaces up and down using proper backend utilities (intel or madwimax)

[Tony Espy (awe)]

@Grigory

As you pointed out, getting WiMax to work on Ubuntu requires additional software from Intel, including a closed source binary supplicant which clearly is not something that can be included in Ubuntu.

That said, there is work being done on an open-source supplicant. The upstream developers of NM are aware of this, and as the open-source supplicant becomes more mature, support will be added for it eventually.

I'm going to mark this as Wishlist, cause realistically right now, there's not much that can be done.

Also, FYI to really make something of this magnitude happen independently would require a blueprint and discussion at UDS for Lucid+1.

[Vitaly (vitaly-rcdesign)]

Tony, since may, intel wimax stack don't need proprietary supplicants anymore. Version 1.5 solved problems: http://linuxwimax.org/

[xamanu (xamanu-deactivatedaccount1-deactivatedaccount)]

I'm using Samsung SWC-U200 with maxwimax drivers http://code.google.com/p/madwimax/ (needs libusb 1.0)

Not having a Networt Manager integration means:
* Problems with native Gnome programs that check NM to connect to internet
* Difficulties on sharing the WiMax internet connection over Wifi (using NM)

[David Ward (dpward)]

@Tony: regarding your comment #1, is there a tracker upstream? I can't find one.

[madbiologist (me-again)]

Support for Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" has ended. Is this still occurring on Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin"?

[Grigory Rechistov (atakua)]

As an original bug reporter, I have to say that I does not follow Wimax in Linux anymore as I no longer own any of such devices. What's more important is that the local Russian operator Yota is effectively shutting down its Wimax network in favor of LTE technology. Therefore this issue is become less and less relevant over time, at least for Russia region.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for network-manager (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]