wireless-crda breaks association with hidden networks

[Rocko]

Binary package hint: wireless-crda

Jaunty (Ubuntu 9.04 kernel 2.6.28-8-generic) no longer associates with hidden networks (I've tried both an 11N network and an 11g network) after wireless-crda version 1.6 is installed. (This is in Australia.) wpa_supplicant never goes into 'associating' mode, and the daemon log reports that the link timed out.

Reverting to wireless-crda 1.5 (and rebooting) fixes the problem.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

This log is shows an un-updated Jaunty alpha 5 installation connecting successfully.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

In my Jaunty installation that won't associate, I just tried downgrading network-manager to 0.7.1~20090213+gitf142e15-0ubuntu1~nm1, and then subsequently I downgraded linux-image to 2.6.28-8.24, and in both cases it won't associate.

For reference, wpasupplicant is at version 0.6.6-2 in both versions of Jaunty (ie the one that does associate and the one that doesn't). The iwlagn driver reports "iwlagn: Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link AGN driver for Linux, 1.3.27ks" in both, and both are loading the iwlwifi-4965-2.ucode firmware.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

Also for reference, both Jaunty installations associate successfully with my home 11g network. I've disabled 11n for my network card (because a separate bug means it won't get a DHCP address in 11n mode with the work network). The work network, in addition to being 11n, uses a hidden SSID.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

Re-assigning to linux because downgrading to the 2.6.28-7-generic kernel solves the problem in Jaunty.

ie Jaunty CAN associate and connect with:

linux-image 2.6.28-7.20
network-manager 0.7.1~rc3-0ubuntu1

but not with
linux-image 2.6.28-8.27 or -8.28 or -8.24

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

I also tried linux-image 2.6.28-8.26 with both network-manager 0.7.1~rc3-0ubuntu1 and 0.7.1~rc1+20090220-0ubuntu1, and this combination also doesn't work. So some other low-level configuration item has changed and it only affects the 2.6.28-8 kernel.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

It's a general problem with hidden networks: if I turn off broadcast of the SSID on my home 802.11g AP, I can't associate with it either.

I don't think it's network manager's fault, however, because I can't get wpa_supplicant to connect manually to hidden networks, either, unless I'm using a kernel that works with network-manager, eg 2.6.28-7-generic.