WARNING (Aug 2013): The instructions below are out of date, as linux systems,
including NetworkManager now handle wifi security differently.
please see more recent instructions.

Using wpa_supplicant on Linux to Connect to the
University of Birmingham (Bham) Campus Wireless Network
using the UOBwifi access points, started in March 2010.
Aaron Sloman

NB
These notes assume that you already have a working wireless card, which you have tested on some other wireless network.
If your wireless card is not working, try to configure it using 'system-config-network' or some other tool that works on your system, or ask a friend for help. Come back when the card works and has been tested on another more easily accessible wireless network, so that you are sure that you have the right drivers for your wireless card and it has been properly recognised by your operating system.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM OR THE SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE. NEITHER THE UNIVERSITY NOR THE SCHOOL NOR THE AUTHOR OF THIS DOCUMENT CAN ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENCES OF FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OFFERED HERE.
(In other words: the normal conditions of mutual-help for Linux users apply!)

In addition, please note that some of the helpdesk staff in Information Services are able to help users who wish to use a linux laptop to access the campus wireless service, but they will not physically change settings on user machines. That is the responsibility of users.

However, the Information Services web site now does give advice for linux users, and you should try their instructions, using NetworkManager, before trying mine. See:

http://www.wireless.bham.ac.uk/start/configuration/
General information about configuration for use of UOBwifi

Information about the old service is here

http://www.helpdesk.bham.ac.uk/laptopsurgery/linux.shtml
DO NOT use the certificate mentioned there for the new service.

---

Introduction: UOBwifi with new certificate, Starting March 2010

The following information was provided by Chris Lea in Information Services on 26 Mar 2010.

He agreed that I could pass it on, after testing the new service.

The campus WIFI certificate is changing because JANET(UK) have changed the certifying authority for their certificate service.
Details here http://www.ja.net/services/scs/

The Globalsign certificates are due to expire this summer so we need to replace with new and get everyone validating authentications against the new certificate.

It has been decided by someone that the best (least painful) approach is to run a new wireless SSID: UOBwifi against the new cert whilst running the current service UOBWLAN to expiration. This will give people time to migrate to the new service before the old one is phased out.

Changes and Actions Required

1. The name of the service (SSID) is changing from UOBWLAN to UOBwifi.
   So network settings will have to be altered to accommodate this.

2. WARNING Added 12 Jun 2013
   The certificate specified below stopped working for me in June 2013.
   I had to convert it from the .pem form to the .der form, as described here (another file).
   The .pem certificate used is available from webdev1.bham.ac.uk/uob_root_linux.pem

   E.g. linux users can fetch it using this command, or something similar:

       wget webdev1.bham.ac.uk/uob_root_linux.pem
   

3. Install the certificate in /etc/cert or wherever you put your certificates.

4. Update your system's information about the new service name and the location of the new certificate.

   This can be done in different ways, depending on the system you use.

   • If you use Ubuntu or a similar system, or use network-manager or wicd, look at this web site
     http://www.wireless.bham.ac.uk/start/configuration/linux.shtml

     If you use Fedora or something similar you may find my script and files for profiling useful. They are available in this package

         uobwifi.tar.gz
     

     whose contents can be browsed online here:

         uobwifi/
         (Note added 12 Jun 2013: Superseded by new versions of wicd and NetworkManager)
     

     In particular the wpa_supplicant.conf file:

         wpa_supplicant.conf
     

     This contains
     1. a script to run to start the service, namely startUOBwifi

     2. various subdirectories of the /etc directory, containing files to be used with UOUBwifi, namely:

     Certificate:
     
     DIR /etc/cert/
         containing
             /etc/cert/uob_root_linux.pem
     
     Text files specifying the profile (most optional)
     
     DIR /etc/uobwifi/
         containing
             /etc/uobwifi/hosts
             /etc/uobwifi/hosts.allow
             /etc/uobwifi/hosts.deny
             /etc/uobwifi/resolv.conf
     
     DIR /etc/wpa_supplicant/
         containing
             /etc/wpa_supplicant/uobwifi/
                 containing (essential)
                 /etc/wpa_supplicant/uobwifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
     
     DIR /etc/sysconfig/
         containing
             /etc/sysconfig/uobwifi/
             containing (optionally) scripts
                 /etc/sysconfig/uobwifi/firewall
                 /etc/sysconfig/uobwifi/network
                 Essential for telling wpa_supplicant what to do
                 /etc/sysconfig/uobwifi/wpa_supplicant
     
     DIR /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts
         containing
             /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/uobwifi/
             containing
                 /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/uobwifi/ifcfg-eth1
     
                 and optionally
                 /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/uobwifi/ifcfg-eth0
     

     Those files are copied into place by the startUOBwifi script, above, which then restarts the network service and wpa_supplicant service, then calls dhclient to obtain a dhcp connection for eth1.

     You should make sure that you have previous versions of those files saved for use with other network services or local use.

Maintained by Aaron Sloman
School of Computer Science
The University of Birmingham