Re: WiFi <=> Ethernet bridge not working; advice?

[Mark Shroyer <subscriber+netbsd%markshroyer.com@localhost>]

On Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 06:31:10PM -0500, Mark Shroyer wrote:
> I'm trying to turn a bunch of old laptops into 802.11b to Ethernet
> bridges.  For some reason, while I can bring up both the wireless and
> the Ethernet interfaces on these laptops and add them to a bridge,
> NetBSD (5.0.1) doesn't appear to forward frames across the bridge for
> me.
> 
> [...]
> 
> I'm out of ideas.  Brconfig shows that the bridge is up and correctly
> learning MAC addresses on both sides, but for some reason no traffic
> gets across.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

I've done some more reading and thinking about this setup, and I came
across this response to a similar question on the OpenBSD mailing list:

http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/openbsd/2005-10/2185.html

> > If I remember correctly, bridging only works in hostap mode.
>
> Bingo, someone remembered -- and that is correct.
>
> In the other modes, MAC addresses of course do not get exposed
> correctly, and your access point cannot impersonate the other
> hosts it is required to.
>
> It is fairly obvious if you think about it.

So I guess that answers my question: if the bridged 802.11 interface
isn't in host AP mode, it will be unable to forward frames with MAC
addresses different from its own.  In hindsight I'm not really sure what
I was thinking trying to set this up.

Anyway, I figured I should post this follow up in case someone else
makes the same mistake and finds this thread on a search engine...

-- 
Mark Shroyer
http://markshroyer.com/contact/