Return-path: Received: from he.sipsolutions.net ([78.46.109.217]:39383 "EHLO sipsolutions.net" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1750758Ab1FAER1 (ORCPT ); Wed, 1 Jun 2011 00:17:27 -0400 Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/3] mac80211: create a STA entry for a WDS interface after receiving a beacon From: Johannes Berg To: Felix Fietkau Cc: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, linville@tuxdriver.com In-Reply-To: <4DE54E16.7000709@openwrt.org> References: <1306869394-83047-1-git-send-email-nbd@openwrt.org> <1306869394-83047-2-git-send-email-nbd@openwrt.org> <1306870354.29989.1.camel@jlt3.sipsolutions.net> <4DE543E2.9070600@openwrt.org> <1306872395.29989.3.camel@jlt3.sipsolutions.net> <4DE54E16.7000709@openwrt.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:17:23 +0200 Message-ID: <1306901843.3867.2.camel@jlt3.sipsolutions.net> (sfid-20110601_061730_484040_9A5E0515) Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: linux-wireless-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: On Tue, 2011-05-31 at 22:22 +0200, Felix Fietkau wrote: > On 2011-05-31 10:06 PM, Johannes Berg wrote: > > On Tue, 2011-05-31 at 21:39 +0200, Felix Fietkau wrote: > >> On 2011-05-31 9:32 PM, Johannes Berg wrote: > >> > On Tue, 2011-05-31 at 21:16 +0200, Felix Fietkau wrote: > >> >> When a STA entry is created too early, a lot of essential information > >> >> required for rate control is missing. > >> > > >> > I don't understand how you can rely on beacons for WDS. > >> You usually set up WDS links between APs on the same channel, each > >> running both a normal AP vif and a WDS vif. The remote AP's beacons are > >> then used to detect the capabilities of the peer. > > > > I don't think we can rely on "usually" unless we also enforce that > > somehow. Otherwise this link will basically be dead. There's nothing > > that requires you to add WDS to an AP interface only after all. > I don't think using WDS without APs makes any sense. Since WDS alone > does not use beacons or probe requests, there's nothing else that would > ensure that rate information, HT capabilities, etc. get exchanged. I just don't like the fact that you can create a non-functional WDS interface by adding it when there's no AP interface. johannes