IFCFG-WIRELESS(5)

NAME

ifcfg-wireless - wireless LAN network interface configuration

SYNOPSIS

/etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-*

GENERAL

Wireless networks need some additional configuration data compared to ethernet ones. Therefore additional variables for ifcfg files were introduced. Some wireless variables are not applicable to a single wireless network but are global to the interface. The description of the variable points this out.

OPTIONS

  Mandatory options:

WIRELESS_ESSID <string>
    Set the SSID/ESSID (Network Name) The ESSID is used to identify cells which are part of the same virtual network. The format allow the following escape sequences:

    •   \x[0-9A-Fa-F]{2}: define one byte as hex (\x0A for new line)

    •   \[0-9]{1,3}: define one byte in oktal (\012 for new line)

    •   \t: translated to tab (\x09)

    •   \n: translated to new line (\x0A)

    •   \r: translated to carriage return (\x0D)

    •   \e: translated to ESC (\x1B)

    •   \\: become single \

    •   \": become single "

  Global wireless options:

WIRELESS <bool>
    Enable or disable wireless for this configuration. If not given wireless will be enabled, if one of WIRELESS_ESSID, WIRELESS_AP_SCANMODE or WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER is given.

WIRELESS_AP_SCANMODE <0|1|2>
    Defines which SSID scan mode should be used. Mode 0 means the driver performs the scan. Mode 1 means wpa_supplicant takes care of scanning. Mode 2 is basically the same as mode 0 but the access point gets chosen by security policy and SSID. This mode does not support multiple network settings. Default is “1” for most drivers. This variable can have no suffix. This set the wpa_supplicant variable ap_scan.

WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER <string>
    This variable allows to override the wpa driver name that should be used by the wpa_supplicant. Default is “nl80211,wext”.

  Wireless network configuration options:

WIRELESS_AUTH_MODE <OPEN|SHARED|PSK|EAP>
    Sets authentication mode. The mode depends on the protection technology being used. shared key authentication makes it easier for a potential attacker to break into your network. Unless you have specific needs for shared key authentication, use the open mode. As WEP has been proved insecure, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) was defined to close its security wholes. The values PSK and EAP are deprecated, use WIRELESS_WPA_PSK or WIRELESS_EAP_MODE instead. For specific key management protocol, consider the variable WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT.

WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT <WPA-EAP|WPA-PSK|SAE|WPA-EAP-SUITE-B-192|...>
    Set the list of accepted authenticated key management protocols. When unset, wicked is using all protocols reported as device capabilities and filtered by PSK or EAP depending on further configuration variables.

    •   PSK key management protocols (require WIRELESS_WPA_PSK):

        •   WPA-PSK: WPA pre-shared key

        •   FT-PSK: Fast BSS Transition (IEEE 802.11r) with pre-shared key

        •   WPA-PSK-SHA256: Like WPA-PSK but using stronger SHA256-based algorithms

        •   SAE: Simultaneous authentication of equals

        •   FT-SAE: SAE with FT

    •   EAP key management protocols (require WIRELESS_EAP_MODE):

        •   WPA-EAP: WPA using EAP authentication

        •   WPA-EAP-SHA256: Like WPA-EAP but using stronger SHA256-based algorithms

        •   WPA-EAP-SUITE-B: Suite B 128-bit level

        •   WPA-EAP-SUITE-B-192: Suite B 192-bit level

        •   FT-EAP: Fast BSS Transition (IEEE 802.11r) with EAP authentication

        •   FT-EAP-SHA384: Fast BSS Transition (IEEE 802.11r) with EAP authentication and using SHA384

    •   OPEN network key management protocols:

        •   NONE: WPA is not used; plaintext or static WEP could be used

        •   OWE: Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (a.k.a. Enhanced Open)

WIRELESS_MODE <MANAGED|AD-HOC|MASTER>
    Set the operating mode of the device, which depends on the network topology. Set to ad-hoc for network composed of only one cell and without Access Point, managed for network composed of many cells, with roaming or with an Access Point, master if you want your system act as an Access Point or synchronisation master. Default is managed..

WIRELESS_AP <address>
    In environments with multiple Access points you may want to define the one to connect to by entering its MAC address. Format is 6x2 hex digits, separated by colons, eg 01:02:03:04:05:06.

WIRELESS_PRIORITY <num>
    This variable only makes sense used in conjunction with multiple networks. If you want to prefer one configured network for over another, set the respective WIRELESS_PRIORITY variable (means, with the same suffix) to a higher value (integer only).

WIRELESS_CHANNEL <num>
    With this variable you can define the channel being used. This is only applicable to ad-hoc and master operating modes. Channels are usually numbered starting at 1, and you may use iwpriv(8) to get the total number of channels and list the available frequencies. Depending on regulations, some frequencies/channels may not be available.

WIRELESS_KEY_[0123] <string|hex>
    You can define up to 4 WEP encryption keys. You can use WEP with open and sharedkey authentication. The key can be entered in as ASCII string, where char represent one byte of the key, thus the length must match 5, 13 or 16. Or you can specify the key in hex digits.

    Note: for backward compatibility a prefix “h:” or characters like “-” or “:” get removed from the hexstring.

    Examples:

        WIRELESS_KEY_0="01020304ff"
        WIRELESS_KEY_0-"s:hello"

WIRELESS_DEFAULT_KEY <num>
    Sets the default WEP key. The default key is used to encrypt outgoing packets, incoming ones are decrypted with the key number specified in the packet. This defaults to 0.

WIRELESS_WPA_PROTO <WPA|RSN>
    Using this variable you can specify the WPA protocol to be used. Valid values are WPA and RSN (aka WPA2). Multiple values are allowed. Default is both.

WIRELESS_WPA_PSK <string|hex>
    When using WPA-PSK authentication, you need to specify your pre shared key here. The key is used for authentication and encryption purposes. You can enter it in hex digits (needs to be exactly 64 digits long) or as passphrase getting hashed (8 to 63 ASCII characters long).

WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE <TKIP|CCMP>
    WPA modes support two different encryption systems, TKIP and CCMP. This variable defines which to use for unicast communication. Default is to allow both. In case you want to restrict it to one protocol, set this variable.

WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP <TKIP|CCMP|WEP104|WEP40>
    WPA modes support two different encryption systems, TKIP and CCMP. This variable defines which to use for broad-/multicast communication. Default is to allow both. In case you want to restrict it to one protocol, set this variable.

WIRELESS_EAP_MODE <TLS|PEAP|TTLS|...>
    Use this variable to specify the outer WPA-EAP authentication methods.

WIRELESS_EAP_AUTH <PAP|CHAP|MSCHAP|MSCHAPv2|...>
    Use this variable to specify the inner WPA-EAP authentication methods.

WIRELESS_WPA_IDENTITY <string>
    Identity string for WPA-EAP as configured on the RADIUS server.

WIRELESS_WPA_PASSWORD <string>
    Needs to be set in conjunction with WPA-EAP. Set to your password as configured on the RADIUS server.

WIRELESS_WPA_ANONID <name>
    Sets anonymous identity. Default is “anonymous”. The anonymous identity is used with WPA-EAP protocols that support different tunnelled identities (e.g., TTLS).

WIRELESS_PEAP_VERSION <0|1>
    When using WPA-EAP with PEAP authentication, you can use this variable to force which PEAP version (0 or 1) to be used. Default is to allow both.

WIRELESS_PEAP_LABEL <string>
    When set to 1 the new label: “client PEAP encryption” can be enforced to be used during key derivation with version PEAPv1 or newer. Most existing PEAPv1 implementation tend to use the old label, “client EAP encryption”, which is the default value for wpa_supplicant. Default value is 0.

WIRELESS_CA_CERT <string>
    CA certificate for Interworking network selection. The file path can be specified relative to the ifcfg file or absolute.

WIRELESS_CLIENT_CERT <string>
    File path to client certificate file (PEM/DER). It is used with WPA-EAP where a client certificate/private key is used for authentication (EAP-TLS).

WIRELESS_CLIENT_KEY <string>
    File path to client private key file (PEM/DER/PFX). If the key is encryped, specify the WIRELESS_CLIENT_KEY_PASSWORD.

WIRELESS_HIDDEN_SSID <NO|YES>
    Set to “yes” if you try to connect to a hidden network. The probe request frames will be specific to the configured ESSID.

WIRELESS_FRAG <num>
    Maximum EAP fragment size in bytes (default 1398). This value limits the fragment size for EAP methods that support fragmentation (e.g., EAP-TLS and EAP-PEAP). This value should be set small enough to make the EAP messages fit in MTU of the network interface used for EAPOL. The default value is suitable for most cases.

WIRELESS_PMF <disabled|optional|required>
    Whether Protected Management Frames are enabled or not. Default is disabled.

EXAMPLE

Some examples of different configuration types supported at the moment:

  Common parameters

        BOOTPROTO='dhcp'
        NAME='PRO/Wireless 4965 AG or AGN [Kedron] Network Connection'
        STARTMODE='auto'

  Global wireless parameters

        WIRELESS_AP_SCANMODE='1'
        WIRELESS_WPA_DRIVER='nl80211,wext'

  Scan only wireless configuration

        STARTMODE='manual'
        BOOTPROTO='none'
        WIRELESS='yes'
        # scan only, don't expect established connection:
        LINK_REQUIRED=no

    The scan results are listed in <wireless/scan-results/bss> node of
    the `wicked show-xml [ifname]` output.
    To show all visible SSIDs and KEY-MGMTs, you can use e.g.:

        wicked show-xml wlan0 | wicked xpath --reference 'object/wireless/scan-results/bss' 'ssid="%{ssid}" key-mgmt="%{?rsn/key-management} %{?wpa/key-management}"'

  Open network configuration

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'

  WPA-PSK

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK='example_passwd'

  WPA-PSK (WPA1 only)

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT='WPA-PSK'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE='TKIP'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP='TKIP'

  WPA-PSK (WPA2 only)

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT='WPA-PSK'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE='CCMP'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP='CCMP'

  WPA-PSK (WPA3 only)

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT='SAE'
        WIRELESS_PMF='required'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE='CCMP'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP='CCMP'

  WPA-PSK (WPA2 and WPA3 transition)

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_KEY_MGMT='WPA-PSK WPA-PSK-SHA256 SAE'
        WIRELESS_PMF='optional'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE='CCMP'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP='CCMP'

  WPA-EAP/PEAP/MSCHAPv2 network configuration

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_EAP_MODE='PEAP'
        WIRELESS_EAP_AUTH='MSCHAPv2'
        WIRELESS_WPA_IDENTITY='bob'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PASSWORD='example_password'
        WIRELESS_CA_CERT='/path/to/my/ca_cert.pem'

  WPA-EAP/TTLS/PAP network configuration**

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_EAP_MODE='TTLS'
        WIRELESS_EAP_AUTH='PAP'
        WIRELESS_WPA_IDENTITY='bob'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PASSWORD='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_CA_CERT='/path/to/my/ca_cert.pem'

  WPA-EAP/TLS network configuration

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_ssid'
        WIRELESS_EAP_MODE='TLS'
        WIRELESS_WPA_IDENTITY='bob'
        WIRELESS_CLIENT_CERT='/path/to/my/client.crt'
        WIRELESS_CA_CERT='/path/to/my/ca_cert.pem'

  WEP network configuration – insecure!

        WIRELESS_AUTH_MODE='shared'
        WIRELESS_KEY_0="s:hallo"
        WIRELESS_KEY_1="01020304050607080900010203"

  Multiple network configuration

        WIRELESS_ESSID='example_open_ssid'
        WIRELESS_ESSID_1='super_secure'
        WIRELESS_PRIORITY_1='10'
        WIRELESS_EAP_MODE_1='TLS'
        WIRELESS_WPA_IDENTITY_1='bob'
        WIRELESS_CA_CERT_1='/path/to/my/ca_cert.pem'
        WIRELESS_CLIENT_CERT_1='/path/to/my/client.crt'
        WIRELESS_CLIENT_KEY_1='/path/to/my/client.key'
        WIRELESS_ESSID_2='example_psk_ssid'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK_2='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_ESSID_3='home_wifi_5G'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PSK_3='example_passwd'
        WIRELESS_PRIORITY_3='5'
        WIRELESS_WPA_PROTO_3='RSN'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_PAIRWISE_3='CCMP'
        WIRELESS_CIPHER_GROUP_3='TKIP,CCMP'

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 2014-2022 SUSE LLC

BUGS

Please report bugs as described at http://bugs.opensuse.org

SEE ALSO

routes(5), ifcfg(5), wicked(8)

AUTHORS
Joachim Gleissner – original wireless man page, Pawel Wieczorkiewicz, Clemens Famulla-Conrad.