Re: background scanning, like Windows XP?

Kevin,

I just read a blurb on the Intersil Web site (the part where you
can send your questions, and maybe they will answer) concerning
scans. They say

  Limitations to issuing scan request.

  Question

          Using S10008C3, are there any limitations to issuing a scan
          request? When ScanResult occurs, how long does it take the PC
          Host to process this?

  Answer

          In S10008C3, a ScanRequest causes the association and frame
          reception to be interrupted for several seconds. We are adding
          an enhanced API and behavior change to HFA3841 and HFA3842
          station firmware to support NDIS5.1 that removes or reduces
          this limitation. This capability is in the next release of
          firmware, which is in Quality Assurance at this writing and
          expected to be released to Premier very soon.

That answer was last updated 10/05/01.

I think that Premier is for "registered developers" who own a license
to an Intersil product.

Dave

On Thu, Aug 29, 2002 at 04:21:18PM -0700, Kevin Lahey wrote:
> The current NetBSD support for scanning is very useful, but I'd 
> really like to be able to do background scanning, like Windows
> XP.  That is, I'd like to be able to scan for new APs while I'm 
> associated with (and sending traffic to) an AP.
> 
> The IEEE 802.11 spec has a paragraph or two about putting the
> end station into power saving mode, probing and scanning
> for APs on other channels while the current AP thinks we
> are asleep, then returning to the original AP before the 
> power saving period ends.  I'd love to do this, but it looks 
> to me like, on the PRISM-2 card at least, I'd need some firmware 
> support for it.
> 
> When I normally scan while associated, I only get a listing for
> the currently associated AP.  I can set the NWID to the empty
> string, and then scan, which will get me a full list of APs.
> Alas, the card will often associate with a different AP after
> the scan, so I have to reset the NWID and get it re-associated.
> Plus, this seems to take at least a couple hundred milliseconds.
> 
> What am I missing?  Is there some secret incantation to get
> this to work?  Does it work on FreeBSD or OpenBSD, and I've
> just been too dim to notice?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Kevin
> [email protected]
> --
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-- 
David Young             OJC Technologies
[email protected]      Engineering from the Right Brain
                        Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933
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