id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	priority	milestone	component	version	resolution	keywords	cc	field_blocks	field_dependson	field_seealso
481	Support for IEEE802.11 wireless networking (a.k.a. WiFi)	Jiri Svoboda		"Implement a native HelenOS driver for 802.11 wireless networking adapter.

 Details::
  IEEE802.11 (commonly referred to as ""!WiFi"") is a popular standard for 802-compatible wireless networking. The adapters come in different forms: on-board (Intel), PCI card or as a USB device. Almost every laptop, smartphone or tablet has one (including the [wiki:FreeRunner OpenMoko FreeRunner]). But so far, HelenOS does not have any support for such device.
  [[br]][[br]]
  The new driver should be realized as a native HelenOS driver running in userspace and providing the networking interface to be usable with the networking stack used in HelenOS. Functionality that is 802.11-generic (i.e. not specific for a concrete device) shall be packaged as a library to allow reuse for different kind of drivers.
  [[br]][[br]]
  It is up to the applicant to choose a concrete model to write the driver for. A good choice is an adapter that is
   * readily available for buying
   * not excessively expensive
   * supported by at least one of the open-source *BSD variants
   * does not require non-redistributable firmware
  An example is [http://www.alza.cz/edimax-ew-7811un-d187195.htm Edimax EW-7811Un] miniature USB adapter supported by [http://www.daemon-systems.org/man/urtwn.4.html NetBSD urtwn driver] (needs redistributable firmware).
  [[br]][[br]]
  See also the discussion below that mentions a possibility to patch QEMU 0.9 to emulate an Atheros AR5212 NIC wireless adapter.

 What Gains and Benefits will this bring?::
  HelenOS will be able to make use of its networking capability on a much wider spectrum of machines and it would be possible to use HelenOS in an environment where wired networking is not available.

 Difficulty::
  Medium to High

 Required skills::
  A successful applicant will have good skills of programming in the C language and the ability to survive in a non-standard non-POSIX environment. A successful applicant should have a fair understanding of the workings of the networking stack and the NICF (networking framework in HelenOS) too.

 Documentation::
  * [http://www.helenos.org/doc/theses/lm-thesis.pdf Networking and TCP/IP stack for HelenOS system] (partially obsoleted)
  * [http://www.helenos.org/doc/helnet.pdf HelenOS NICF documentation]
  * [http://www.helenos.org/doc/refman/networking-0.4.2/ Networking stack Reference Manual]
  * [wiki:DeveloperDocs/IEEE802_11 More materials on IEEE 802.11]

 Possible mentors::
  HelenOS Core Team, Jiri Svoboda"	enhancement	closed	major		helenos/net/other	mainline	fixed	gsoc13, gsoc14