wpa_supplicant causes system to crash.

I have a similar problem.

I just installed 9.10 from scratch in a system using a wifi adaptor Atheros AR5001X+ (AR2414 chipset). Ubuntu 9.10 automatically assigns to it the ath5k driver. With 9.04 this combination was problematic resulting in frequent crashes solved when I switched to the madwifi driver. Madwifi is not available with 9.10.

I had one unexplained crash in the 48 hours I've been running 9.10. Examining the syslog, I noticed a message from wpa_supplicant every 2 minutes. Other than that one crash, the system seems to be running fine.

Is the wpa_supplicant insistence a problem in itself? A bug?

Here is a sample from syslog:

-----
Nov 1 12:48:37 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 12:50:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 12:52:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 12:54:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 12:56:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 12:58:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 13:00:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 13:02:37 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 1 13:04:36 ggv-desktop wpa_supplicant[1387]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS

I believe the constant CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS by the wpa_supplicant might be a bug in itself. Several others have reported it as a bug.

I also have a similar problem on 9.10, with RaLink wireless card. Worked well, but not perfectly on 9.04

robert@aragorn:~> sudo lshw -C network
  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
       vendor: RaLink
       physical id: 9
       bus info: pci@0000:00:09.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 00
       serial: 00:11:50:db:ff:47
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list logical ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rt61pci ip=192.168.1.102 latency=32 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bg
       resources: irq:11 memory:dfff8000-dfffffff

I have this same issue on my Dell Latitude C610 with a RaLink wireless card (PC Card):

  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: RT2561/RT61 rev B 802.11g
       vendor: RaLink
       physical id: 1
       bus info: pci@0000:07:00.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 00
       serial: 00:08:a1:a7:aa:b1
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list logical ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rt61pci ip=10.0.1.10 latency=64 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bg
       resources: irq:11 memory:2c000000-2c007fff

Tried a clean installation of both Ubuntu 9.10 and Xubuntu 9.10 and the problem occurs in both, so currently I'm restricted to using a wired network.

I've having this problem on a Toshiba A80-132 (Equium) laptop. Occassional crashes that require hard-reboot. sometimes I need to remove the battery. Although oddly, often I can ssh in from another machine and reboot.

These crashes started after a clean install of 9.10. No problems in 9.04.

Wireless details are:

06:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG [Calexico2] Network Connection (rev 05)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 2741
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 22
        Memory at b8006000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
        Kernel driver in use: ipw2200
        Kernel modules: ipw2200

Syslog around crashes always has:
Nov 12 09:55:03 osprey wpa_supplicant[1453]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 12 09:57:03 osprey wpa_supplicant[1453]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Nov 12 09:59:09 osprey kernel: imklog 4.2.0, log source = /var/run/rsyslog/kmsg started.

Further to my last comment, I'm not certain that the crash and messages are related. The messages appear several times without a machine crash so perhaps it's a false association.

I agree Dougie, I believe that my association may have been totally coincidental.

Just in case: I think this issue is related https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/460886

I'm running the netbook remix on a Toshiba NB100... the exact same bug has been freezing my system since install.
The problem was masked by the easy connects to my home network, I just swept it under the rug until trying to take the netbook on vacation... it was a nightmare.

When no network is available, or when the networking is disabled, the system freezes, the only thing in the logs is the intermittent notice from wpa_supplicant as mentioned above. After a lot of frustration, I found that booting into the rescue kernel and starting X manually gave me a working system (with some drivers missing...) but everything was smooth. Booting into a failsafe gnome, the wpasupplicant was still unfulfilled, but the system stayed functional until I started the gdm-launcher. I was able to run anything as a command or from the standard gnome-menu shortcut, but as soon as the gdm-launcher was activated, the freeze was on.

I am still new to linux, but the pattern I observed seemed to be an interaction between networking and the gdm-launcher. Everything worked fine with either gdm or networking (unconnected).

I hope this helps. If any logs or info from any of these trials would be helpful, let me know.

-=b=-

I am also experiencin full system crashes on wpa with dell studio 15 ubuntu 9.10.
 description: Wireless interface
       product: PRO/Wireless 5300 AGN [Shiloh] Network Connection
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:05:00.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 00
       serial: 00:21:6a:77:b4:6e
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz

Tested for a week on wired, no crashes. Now running for a week on WEP also stable.
My wireless device is a dlink-dir-655 FW 1.21EU

Same problem here. Every two minutes wpa_supplicant throws an error and disrupts the network for 1-2 seconds as described here

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/460886

[ 7.389761] ath5k 0000:03:07.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 21 (level, low) -> IRQ 21
[ 7.389803] ath5k 0000:03:07.0: registered as 'phy0'
[ 7.499232] ath: EEPROM regdomain: 0x10
[ 7.499233] ath: EEPROM indicates we should expect a direct regpair map
[ 7.499235] ath: Country alpha2 being used: CO
[ 7.499236] ath: Regpair used: 0x10
[ 8.100940] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'minstrel'
[ 8.101355] ath5k phy0: Atheros AR2413 chip found (MAC: 0x78, PHY: 0x45)

03:07.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Atheros Communications Inc. AR2413 802.11bg NIC [168c:001a] (rev 01)
 Subsystem: D-Link System Inc Device [1186:3a1d]
 Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
 Latency: 168 (2500ns min, 7000ns max), Cache Line Size: 4 bytes
 Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 21
 Region 0: Memory at fdee0000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
 Capabilities: [44] Power Management version 2
  Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
  Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=2 PME-
 Kernel driver in use: ath5k
 Kernel modules: ath5k

The same bug on dell inspiron 1525 with Karmic.
  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: BCM4312 802.11a/b/g
       vendor: Broadcom Corporation
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:0b:00.0
       logical name: eth1
       version: 01
       serial: 00:1f:3a:07:7e:95
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz

Same problem on Lenovo Thinkpad T60 with Karmic.

  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 02
       serial: 00:1b:77:4f:10:be
       width: 32 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list logical ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=iwl3945 ip=10.10.10.7 latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abg
       resources: irq:31 memory:edf00000-edf00fff

Same problem here on Lenovo Thinkpad T60p with Karmic.

  *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       product: AR5212 802.11abg NIC
       vendor: Atheros Communications Inc.
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 01
       serial: 00:16:cf:af:b8:c8
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress msix bus_master cap_list logical ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=ath5k ip=192.168.0.123 latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abg
       resources: irq:17 memory:edf00000-edf0ffff

I have experienced what I believe is the same problem on a MacBook Pro 2,1 with Karmic.

{{{
 *-network
                description: Wireless interface
                product: AR5008 Wireless Network Adapter
                vendor: Atheros Communications Inc.
                physical id: 0
                bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
                logical name: wlan0
                version: 01
                serial: 00:17:f2:eb:b5:1b
                width: 64 bits
                clock: 33MHz
                capabilities: bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
                configuration: broadcast=yes driver=ath9k ip=192.168.0.21 latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abgn
                resources: irq:17 memory:98100000-9810ffff
}}}

After a fresh install of Karmic, I experienced fairly frequent random crashes which required hard resets. At first I thought the crashes might graphics driver related but was able to rule this out when the system crashed with no applications open at all.

I then noticed the prevalence of syslog entries such as:

{{{
Feb 25 21:18:13 truffles wpa_supplicant[1164]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
Feb 25 21:20:13 truffles wpa_supplicant[1164]: CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS
}}}

just before crashes occurred. This was *before* finding this bug report.

After finding this bug report, I tried turning wireless networking off and using a network cable, and had a couple of days working without any network connection at all. In both cases I had no further crashes. Turning wireless networking back on coincides with crashes reoccurring.

Please excuse the unecessary {{{ }}} markup included in error in my previous comment.

Hi! I have a Dell Inspiron 1545, running Karmic, issuing the same problem. The only thing I can add to the already described symptom is that after disabling my wireless card using the FN key, the system stopped hanging. Here are my hardware details:

rodrigo@rodrigo-laptop:~$ sudo lshw -C network
[sudo] password for rodrigo:
  *-network DISABLED
       description: Wireless interface
       product: Wireless WiFi Link 5100
       vendor: Intel Corporation
       physical id: 0
       bus info: pci@0000:0c:00.0
       logical name: wmaster0
       version: 00
       serial: 00:22:fb:d4:ae:ec
       width: 64 bits
       clock: 33MHz
       capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list logical ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=iwlagn latency=0 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abgn
       resources: irq:31 memory:f69fe000-f69fffff

my problem has gone away after disabling 802.11n in my router. on b/g network settings no problems on wpa

I have the same or a similar problem. But for me this only happens with either rt2860sta or ndiswrapper + network-manager.
If I run wpa_supplicant manually it works fine.

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.