Notes#

full-mac support#

Need more capability info for card’s supported features
add request IEs to cfg80211_connected() & to nl80211 event
add wpa version, cipher suites etc. from IW_AUTH to CONNECT cmd
add cfg80211_register_netdev(netdev)
add cfg80211_register_iwpriv(netdev, handlers) to support vendor drivers moving to cfg80211, MUST be done BEFORE cfg80211_register_netdev

test mode#

 * <code>   {
     .cmd = NL80211_CMD_TESTMODE,
     .dumpit = NULL,
     .doit = NULL,
     .policy = NULL,
     .flags = GENL_ADMIN_PERM,
}</code>
 * testmode.dumpit = driver_ops.testmode_dumpit etc.
 * no API rules
 * compiled out by default, hard to enable, depends on CONFIG_DEBUG?
 * small example tool in userspace?
 * new multicast ID, nl80211_test_event(skb), maybe overwrite the CMD

antenna settings#

* new antenna settings API needed

rate control (and userspace API)#

* for debug: set of bitrates, legacy & ht (this is generic)
*  * optionally with _MAC attribute for per-station setting (e.g. for fixed links in a mesh)
*  * also export this information back in station info in nl80211
*   noop bitrate algorithm for TI 1271 chip
*   need generic HT rate algorithm
*   need simpler rate control algorithm due to CPU usage (PID?)
*   want API for switching algorithm, export list of names, select by name
*   stick with debugfs for more advanced per algo control/debug
*   we want to have multicast bitrate control (e.g. by looking through station list)
*   have allowed-multicast-rates bitmap
*   add ht bitrate reporting to GIWRATE, just export the speed

wext deprecation#

*   * publish community statement that we no longer want wext

action frame processing#

*     * receive action frame multicast group per interface
*     * use _FRAME attribute for the frames
*     * send action frame, TA verified in cfg80211
*     * commitment for handling action frames when mcast group is used
*     * restrict group to one process (is that even possible?)
*     * require extra commitment command, but commitment goes away once process dies, closes socket, unbinds mcast group
*     * frame should be buffered during scan
*     * (maybe later: location frame, add channel attribute in send cmd?)
*     * good capability handling for all of this
*     * filter (-EINVAL) when wrong frame is transmitted (e.g. != public-action before association, != action while associated...)

channel stats/noise reporting#

*       * channel statistics (currently channel use, maybe noise floor later)
*       * add flag to request this while starting a scan
*       * remove iwconfig noise report

ROAMING (moving within ESS)#

*         * good bg scan algorithm
*         * export roaming capabilities of driver/device combination (mac80211==none, iwm==full)
*         * link quality event?
*         *  * signal change
*         *  * packet loss
*         *  * rate going down
*         *  * beacon loss this needs configurable thresholds from userspace