Bug 3168 - The ralink rt2870 / rt2x00 wireless driver is spamming the system log
Summary: The ralink rt2870 / rt2x00 wireless driver is spamming the system log
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: RPM Packages (show other bugs)
Version: 1
Hardware: i586 Linux
Priority: Normal normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Thomas Backlund
QA Contact:
URL:
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Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2011-10-24 15:54 CEST by Gene Alexander
Modified: 2012-12-02 14:31 CET (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Source RPM: kernel
CVE:
Status comment:


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Description Gene Alexander 2011-10-24 15:54:39 CEST
I am attempting to configure a new mini-ITX system with Mageia as a wired and wireless router / firewall / openvpn system for one of our clients. It will eventually be running hostapd to provide an access point. The on-board USB wireless NIC uses the following drivers from the kernel:

[root@wireless ~]# lsmod|grep rt2
rt2800usb              13772  0 
rt2800lib              43442  1 rt2800usb
rt2x00usb              19652  1 rt2800usb
rt2x00lib              38770  3 rt2800usb,rt2800lib,rt2x00usb
mac80211              207987  3 rt2800lib,rt2x00usb,rt2x00lib
cfg80211              146623  2 rt2x00lib,mac80211
rt2870sta             405302  1 
crc_ccitt              12595  2 rt2800lib,rt2870sta
usbcore               167270  10 rt2800usb,rt2x00usb,ath3k,rt2870sta,xhci_hcd,uhci_hcd,ohci_hcd,ehci_hcd,usbhid

This setup with this driver is constantly spamming the system logs with these debug messages:

Oct 24 05:32:07 localhost kernel: ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 130
Oct 24 05:32:15 localhost kernel: ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 130
Oct 24 05:32:23 localhost kernel: ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 2(2) BSS returned, data->length = 256
Oct 24 05:32:33 localhost kernel: ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 130
Oct 24 05:32:43 localhost kernel: ===>rt_ioctl_giwscan. 1(1) BSS returned, data->length = 130

This makes diagnosing any problems using the system log difficult. Apparently this has been a problem with the ralink driver for a while now. This thread has a discussion about it on bugs.launchpad.net:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/356807

The consensus seems to be to recompile the kernel with debugging for the driver disabled: "Removing -DDBG from the driver Makefile in the kernel source and rebuilding it..." to get rid of the message. Obviously this does not resolve the condition that causes the logged message. But releasing a production kernel with driver modules that have debugging enabled is not a good idea. Debugging *is* expected in Cauldron, *not* in a "final" release.

Please release a new kernel soon that removes this debugging message for the ralink drivers.

This may also be related to this thread about Network Manager:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/network-manager/+bug/373680
Gene Alexander 2011-10-24 15:59:22 CEST

Source RPM: (none) => kernel

Comment 1 Manuel Hiebel 2011-10-24 18:58:21 CEST
Bug assigned to the package maintainer.

Assignee: bugsquad => tmb

Comment 2 Marja Van Waes 2012-01-28 19:41:42 CET
Pinging, because nothing has happened with this report for more than 3 months, it still has the status NEW or REOPENED.

@ tmb

Please set status to ASSIGNED if you think this bug was assigned correctly. If for work flow reasons you can't do that, then please put OK on the whiteboard instead. Don't change anything if you want to be pinged by me here again ;)

@ Gene

Feel free to close this report if this issue got solved

CC: (none) => marja11

Comment 3 Marja Van Waes 2012-07-06 15:04:22 CEST
Please look at the bottom of this mail to see whether you're the assignee of this  bug, if you don't already know whether you are.


If you're the assignee:

We'd like to know for sure whether this bug was assigned correctly. Please change status to ASSIGNED if it is, or put OK on the whiteboard instead.

If you don't have a clue and don't see a way to find out, then please put NEEDHELP on the whiteboard.

Please assign back to Bug Squad or to the correct person to solve this bug if we were wrong to assign it to you, and explain why.

Thanks :)

**************************** 

@ the reporter and persons in the cc of this bug:

If you have any new information that wasn't given before (like this bug being valid for another version of Mageia, too, or it being solved) please tell us.

@ the reporter of this bug

If you didn't reply yet to a request for more information, please do so within two weeks from now.

Thanks all :-D
Comment 4 Gene Alexander 2012-07-06 19:35:50 CEST
(In reply to comment #3)
...
> @ the reporter and persons in the cc of this bug:
> 
> If you have any new information that wasn't given before (like this bug being
> valid for another version of Mageia, too, or it being solved) please tell us.

This was never solved and I have no new information. The router / firewall system in question was shipped with the wireless disabled due to this bug and the fact that the USB based Ralink on the ASUS mini-ITX motherboard in question would never complete incoming wireless access requests under Linux. Testing with the system set up under Windows 7 Professional, it all worked, including running it as a wireless access point (WAP). As the end-user wanted Linux for the firewall / router, he is using a third party WAP instead, which is rather sad IMO.

> @ the reporter of this bug
> 
> If you didn't reply yet to a request for more information, please do so within
> two weeks from now.

I never saw a request for information on this bug.

> Thanks all :-D

You're welcome.
Comment 5 Manuel Hiebel 2012-11-05 16:52:06 CET
This message is a reminder that Mageia 1 is nearing its end of life. 
In approximately 25 days from now, Mageia will stop maintaining and issuing 
updates for Mageia 1. At that time this bug will be closed as WONTFIX (EOL) if it 
remains open with a Mageia 'version' of '1'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you plan to 
fix it in a currently maintained version, simply change the 'version' to a later 
Mageia version prior to Mageia 1's end of life.

Bug Reporter: Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that we may not 
be able to fix it before Mageia 1 is end of life.  If you would still like to see 
this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it against a later version of Mageia, 
you are encouraged to click on "Version" and change it against that version 
of Mageia.

Although we aim to fix as many bugs as possible during every release's lifetime, 
sometimes those efforts are overtaken by events. Often a more recent Mageia 
release includes newer upstream software that fixes bugs or makes them obsolete.

--
Mageia Bugsquad
Comment 6 Manuel Hiebel 2012-12-02 14:31:49 CET
Mageia 1 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on ''1st December''. Mageia 1 is no 
longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further security or 
bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug. 

If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of Mageia 
please feel free to click on "Version" change it against that version of Mageia and reopen this bug.

Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.

--
Mageia Bugsquad

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => WONTFIX


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