In two words: dhcp_client sucks!

And now the long story…

Since the upgrade to Mandriva 2008.1, wifi stopped working on my laptop. I tried to install the 2008.1 on several machines. I tried to connect on different access points. I lowered security on the access point. I tried everything. On desperation, I even tried to boot Windows to check that hardware was ok! And the only log I had was this: 

SIOCETHTOOL: Operation not supported

After all these tests, I was convinced that the problem had something to do with the distribution itself. Maybe a firmware issue or a bad combination of packages…

Then came the 2009.0 release. I though that an upgrade will cure my malediction. Indeed. Nothing new on wireless side. My wifi was still broken. Until I came across a tip on a random forum (I don’t remember which one) suggesting that dhcp_client could be the culprit.

So I replaced it by dhcpcd , and against all expectations, it worked!

Mandriva wireless configuration in French, the network settings dialog open on the DHCP client dropdown with dhcpcd picked over dhclient, pump and dhcpxd

And to not be annoyed by dhcp_client in the future, it’s wise to definitely remove it: 

1$ urpmi dhcp_client