I'm trying to debug an EAP hostapd problem. I'm using one hostapd instance to act as a wireless AP, and a second hostapd instance on the same box as a Radius server. Both instances are running hostapd 2.7. I frequently enter a state where a client is attempting to authenticate, but gets stuck in an endless loop of CTRL-EVENT-EAP-RETRANSMIT events. Eventually the client gives up, disconnects, reconnects and enters the loop again. If I kill the AP hostapd process and restart it with the same config file, the client will be able to connect. I've seen this on multiple boxes using two different ath9k MiniPCI cards. I have similar setups with raspberry Pis using a variety of realtek-based USB wireless devices, none of which have ever exhibited this problem. Most, if not all, of the clients that trigger the problem have been Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac). My client population is at least 50% Apple, so it's possible that this is just a coincidence. Below is a merged hostapd/radius log showing the failure. We can see that the two hostapd instances are successfully communicating with one another throughout. We can also see that some clients are able to connect even while one is stuck. We also see that the troubled client is able to connect as soon as hostapd is restarted. All of this implies that the problem is with some state about this client, either inside hostapd or the wireless driver, which gets cleared when hostapd restarts. Does this sound familiar? Any suggestions for next steps? Thanks We see an iPhone attempt to connect: 2019/03/29 23:02:34.510 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:02:34.532 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a IEEE 802.11: authenticated 2019/03/29 23:02:34.538 hostapd: HT: Forty MHz Intolerant is set by STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a in Association Request 2019/03/29 23:02:34.541 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a IEEE 802.11: associated (aid 1) 2019/03/29 23:02:34.544 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a 2019/03/29 23:02:34.544 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=1 Simultaneously a different device tries to connect, radius authentication succeeds, and the device joins the network: 2019/03/29 23:02:36.566 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:02:36.569 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a IEEE 802.11: authenticated 2019/03/29 23:02:36.577 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a IEEE 802.11: associated (aid 2) 2019/03/29 23:02:36.578 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 48:45:20:50:2a:3a 2019/03/29 23:02:36.578 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=1 2019/03/29 23:02:36.592 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:02:36.592 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD method=1 2019/03/29 23:02:36.592 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=25 2019/03/29 23:02:36.716 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:02:36.717 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:02:36.717 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS2 48:45:20:50:2a:3a 2019/03/29 23:02:36.732 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN) 2019/03/29 23:02:36.732 hostapd: wlan0: AP-STA-CONNECTED 48:45:20:50:2a:3a 2019/03/29 23:02:36.734 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a RADIUS: starting accounting session 72FD7DB85C2A3A6B 2019/03/29 23:02:36.734 hostapd: wlan0: STA 48:45:20:50:2a:3a IEEE 802.1X: authenticated - EAP type: 25 (PEAP) We see RETRANSMIT events for the iPhone: 2019/03/29 23:02:37.542 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-RETRANSMIT 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a 2019/03/29 23:02:43.544 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-RETRANSMIT 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a A third device successfully connects and authenticates: 2019/03/29 23:02:49.101 hostapd: wlan0: STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:02:49.106 hostapd: wlan0: STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b IEEE 802.11: authenticated 2019/03/29 23:02:49.108 hostapd: HT: Forty MHz Intolerant is set by STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b in Association Request 2019/03/29 23:02:49.117 hostapd: wlan0: STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b IEEE 802.11: associated (aid 3) 2019/03/29 23:02:49.120 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b 2019/03/29 23:02:49.121 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=1 2019/03/29 23:02:49.126 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:02:49.126 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD method=1 2019/03/29 23:02:49.126 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=25 2019/03/29 23:02:49.248 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:02:49.249 hostapd: wlan0: STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:02:49.250 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS2 ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b 2019/03/29 23:02:49.286 hostapd: wlan0: STA ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN) 2019/03/29 23:02:49.286 hostapd: wlan0: AP-STA-CONNECTED ac:bc:32:d1:79:0b More retransmits: 2019/03/29 23:02:55.558 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-RETRANSMIT 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a 2019/03/29 23:03:15.550 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-RETRANSMIT 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a hostapd is killed, and restarted using the same config files. 2019/03/29 23:03:22.007 hostapd: Configuration file: /tmp/hostapd.conf.wlan0 2019/03/29 23:03:22.074 hostapd: Using interface wlan0 with hwaddr 46:c3:06:31:a5:bc and ssid "users" 2019/03/29 23:03:22.074 hostapd: wlan0: RADIUS Authentication server 127.0.0.1:1812 2019/03/29 23:03:22.890 hostapd: wlan0: interface state UNINITIALIZED->ENABLED 2019/03/29 23:03:22.890 hostapd: wlan0: AP-ENABLED We see the phone try to connect again, and it succeeds immediately: 2019/03/29 23:03:24.083 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:03:24.085 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a IEEE 802.11: authenticated 2019/03/29 23:03:24.089 hostapd: HT: Forty MHz Intolerant is set by STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a in Association Request 2019/03/29 23:03:24.092 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a IEEE 802.11: associated (aid 1) 2019/03/29 23:03:24.095 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a 2019/03/29 23:03:24.095 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=1 2019/03/29 23:03:24.139 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-STARTED 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:03:24.139 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD method=1 2019/03/29 23:03:24.139 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PROPOSED-METHOD vendor=0 method=25 2019/03/29 23:03:24.283 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:03:24.391 radius: : CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS 00:00:00:00:00:00 2019/03/29 23:03:24.392 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a RADIUS: VLAN ID 4 2019/03/29 23:03:24.393 hostapd: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS2 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a 2019/03/29 23:03:24.407 hostapd: wlan0: STA 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a WPA: pairwise key handshake completed (RSN) 2019/03/29 23:03:24.407 hostapd: wlan0: AP-STA-CONNECTED 64:9a:be:da:b1:9a _______________________________________________ Hostap mailing list Hostap@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/hostap
