// Wi-Fi on Linux Made Easy
//
// by dual_parallel
//
// http://www.oldskoolphreak.com

	Running Linux?  Want to use 802.11b with Linux?  Think that you
have to use Windows to get a wireless adapter that's easy to install and
use?  Well you don't, and this article will show you the easiest way to
get wireless working in Linux.
	First some assumptions: 1. The reader has basic Linux knowledge
(that's all you'll need).  2. The reader has a computer, preferably a
laptop.  3. The reader owns or has access to a wireless access point
(WAP).  4. The reader can acquire a Lucent/Orinoco 802.11b adapter.  This
last assumption is not absolutely necessary, but this article will focus
on the Orinoco card, which is widely supported and the best card next to
the Cisco Aironet 352 [1].
	Actually, this article will show the _two_ easiest ways to get
wireless working in Linux.  This first method utilizes an install of Red
Hat 7.3.  The second will use a Linux-on-CD distro.
	Red Hat is a powerful distribution with a wide range of hardware
support.  Included in the Red Hat 7.3 release is native support for the
Orinoco adapter.  To get it up and running, insert your adapter and
install Red Hat with GNOME, choosing Custom under Installation Type. (The
test installs for this article used Medium firewall rules, allowing
incoming SSH.)  When you get to Selecting Package Groups, either select
Laptop Support or click Select individual packages and, under System
Environment, select Wireless Tools under Base and kernel-pcmcia-cs under
Kernel.
	Ok, you've completed installation - now set up your card.  Click
the GNOME menu, Programs, System, Internet Configuration Wizard.  Under
Device Type, choose Ethernet connection.  Click Next.  Select Other
Ethernet Card.  Click Next.  For Adapter, choose PCMCIA wavelan_cs, and
choose eth0 for Device.  Leave everything under Resource alone.  Click
Next.  Enter a host name if you want and Automatically obtain IP address
with DHCP to get your IP from your WAP.  Click Next, then Finish.  Click
Apply and Close.  Don't worry about activating the interface.
	After this, perform the following four steps [2].  Make backups
of all configuration files before you edit them, i.e.

linux:~ # cp somefile somefile.bak

1. Fix /etc/sysconfig/pcmcia -
Backup your file and change the options to the following:

PCMCIA=yes
PCIC=i82365
PCIC_OPTS=
CORE_OPTS=
CARDMGR_OPTS=
SCHEME=essidany

PCIC= may say yenta_socket or something else - just leave it.

2. Fix /etc/pcmcia/network -
Replace the comment in the start section that reads, "We don't do
*anything* here. We get a hotplug event when the ethX device is registered,
and we bring the device up there" with the following:

'start')
     [ -f /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-${device} ] && \
      /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifup ifcfg-${device}
    ;;

3. Configure the interface eth0 -
Since the /etc/pcmcia/network start $device script is going to try to up
the device (default eth0), you need to make sure you have that interface
configured for dhcp.

Start vi and manually change the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0
file to read:

DEVICE="eth0"
ONBOOT="yes"
BOOTPROTO="dhcp"

4. Restart the pcmcia script -
To test it /etc/init.d/pcmcia restart.

	You should now have access on your wireless access point.  If it's
not working, go ahead and give your machine a reboot.  If that doesn't do
it, check that the rest of your network is working properly and double
check your config files.
	The next method uses an amazing distribution called Knoppix [3].
Knoppix is a full, Debian-based distro on a bootable CD.  Knoppix uses
KDE, Konqueror, includes OpenOffice.org and many other packages.
Knoppix also includes the orinoco_cs module for the ubiquitous Lucent
card.
	Knoppix is such a well designed distro, the instructions for
wireless access are beyond rudimentary:

1. Insert Knoppix CD.

2. Insert Wi-Fi adapter.

3. Reboot.

	It's that simple.  As long as your CD drive is bootable (change
your BIOS settings or make a boot floppy if it isn't), Knoppix will load
the Orinoco drivers and set up DHCP for the interface.  Boot up next to a
working WAP and you'll be online in no time.
	As previously stated, a Lucent/Orinoco card is not absolutely
necessary.  The two methods presented were also tested with a Prism2
PCMCIA Wi-Fi adapter (a Belkin F5D6020 to be exact).  After boot-up, Red
Hat will recognize the Prism2 card and load the wvlan_cs module instead
of the wavelan_cs module and everything should work fine.
	Now that you're wireless with Linux, start exploring.  Knoppix
includes wavemon, Gwireless is a GNOME-based client you may find useful,
get the latest Ethereal and do some sniffing, check out Wellenreiter and
Kismet...
	Few things done in Windows cannot be done in Linux, wireless
access included.  Hopefully any myth that Linux is the least bit
unfriendly when it comes to Wi-Fi has been dispelled.

[1] Dragorn.  The Comprehensive Guide to 802.11b Networks.  2600: The
	Hacker Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2.
[2] Allison, B.  http://jackal.dnsalias.com:8080/public/misc/wireless/
	wireless.html
[3] http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html