Set wireless network up in package

[igeek]

Is it possible to set up a wireless network package for instaDMG? Will this cause any keychain issues?

Thanks, Joe Beams

[larkost]

Since InstaDMG output only goes on computes that are wiped out, you can always just push in any Keychain you want, so you might be able to get by by pushing out a Keychain with the values you want already filled in, and the rest of the configuration files.

[jasonpgignac]

This would, of course, depend entirely on what kind of wireless you are setting up. If ther’s 802.1x involved, for instance, it probably wouldn’t work, because the cert would be computer specific, right?

[knowmad]

There was an extended discussion of this in the past… check out this thread:
[url]https://www.afp548.com/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=45&showtopic=20630&highlight=wireless[/url]
I did not re-read it just now but I remember that there was some serious scripting acrobatics necessary to get it running properly…. and had to be set on first boot not in instadmg… something to do with mac addresses and signed keys and whatnot…..
Later this week I too will be tackling this issue…. so keep me posted on your progress and I will do the same.
knowmad

[ptone]

I’m struggling to get this working and I’m not sure why – this is with an open network, so no keychain or 802.1X certs or anything.

First I push out my configured /lib/prefs/sysconfig/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist into the image – but this really seems to do nothing

Then I’ve tried a startup item that calls either:

[code]networksetup -setairportnetwork SSID[/code]

or

[code]/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/A/Resources/airport -z
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/A/Resources/airport -ASSID[/code]
(thats -A with the arg immediately appended)

These work great on BOOT, but change nothing in the preferred networks and so do not help with reconnecting after sleep.

There has to be a way programatically, I can set the changes I want – but a radmind fsdiff doesn’t give any clues – at least that I’m seeing. I really need this on first boot after a clean image application.

-P

[larkost]

Are you sure that your network interfaces are setup when you go to do this? Going to the GUI automatically does this, but InstaDMG packages do not do this by default if you manually avoid the apple setup.

[ptone]

[QUOTE][u]Quote by: larkost[/u][p]Are you sure that your network interfaces are setup when you go to do this? Going to the GUI automatically does this, but InstaDMG packages do not do this by default if you manually avoid the apple setup.[/p][/QUOTE]

If by setting up interfaces you mean that the system already knows that en0 is a builtin ethernet and en1 is airport etc, yes.

I can go the the Network prefpane and see the interfaces. Go into and see the list of preferred networks etc. I don’t want to remember every new network, so I’m looking for a way to add my chosen SSID to that list. The com.apple.airport.preferences.plist doesn’t seem to be it.

-Preston

[larkost]

Going to the Network Preference pane does not tell you if you already had the network ports setup because by going to the Network Pane the first thing it does is to set up ports that were missing. So that does not mean that they were setup. Checking on the command line will get you better information.

[ptone]

I should clarify that even after visiting the prefpane (and hence, the interfaces are set up), then the CLI utilities I have tried connect to a wireless network just fine, but do not modify the preferred networks list (and so no reconnect on wake)

Some quick experiments with one of my new favorite tools fseventer led me to /lib/prefs/sysconfig/preferences.plist

This is where the airport settings of interest are stored. The problem is that this plist is riddled with UUIDs that cross reference each other, so trying to create what I want would seem impossible with PlistBuddy and a startup item.

Now I’m Curious how well a system “heals” this file, as I have not had major problems pushing it out with images done the “old fashioned way” (Just checked my last years image, and sure enough full of UUIDs from my master machine).

I’m pretty sure a machine without Airport will intelligently deal with the presence of an airport interface in this machine, but I’m still hoping for a “clean” way to populate the airport stuff with some sort of command line…

-Preston

[knowmad]

Larkost… didn’t you write a tool that basically does the plist populating (among other things)?

[larkost]

Yes… but it was written for a beta of MacOS X 10.5.3, and does not work on the final version… plus it only was ever tested for one type of 802.1X. I switched jobs (and away from networks I could test on) before 10.5.3 came out. However, anyone who wants to can raid it:

The code is located at:

http COLON SLASH SLASH code.google.com/p/macenterprise8021x/ (sorry… anti-spam filter hates me)

And if anyone ever wants to put together a hacked WAP that I could test thing on and were to send it to me, I would be willing to finish up the work on it. Alternately, I am willing to hand over the project to someone who could complete it.

[ptone]

Well in my simpler non .1X world, I’ve gone ahead and just pushed out a machine specific version of the sysconfig/preferences.plist

Since all my machines will be using the standard en0 and en1 interfaces, it seems to work, even though the UUIDs are no longer unique and even the hardware addresses stick from the model machine. So imperfect from a InstaDMG point of view, but gets the job done.

-P

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