On Thu, 2007-02-08 at 11:48 -0500, Jon Smirl wrote:
> On 2/8/07, Bernd Petrovitsch <bernd@firmix.at> wrote:
> > > Could I run my mesh nodes in Master mode and then use OLSR to set up
> > > WDS links between them?
> >
> > I'm not a WDS expert. How are these links setup?
> 
> WDS is a way of setting up links between stations running in Master
> mode. My idea was to run all of my mesh nodes in Master mode and then
> use OLSR to control the WDS links.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Distribution_System

If I understand this correctly, WDS extends the functionality of a
"normal" access point so that it can talk directly with another
WDS-enabled access point.
And with WDS you have to "route"[0] packets from one client to another.
If I understand it correctly it - thus - implements "routing" based on
MAC-adresses (of the access points and clients).
If this is the case, WDS must be (conceptually) part of the MAC-layer.

Since this OLSRD is an pure user-space program and routes on the IP
layer, it is not usable for this that easy AFAICS.

Of course, there is room for a hack (if someone finds the time): Given
that the access points run Linux (or other OSs with such features), one
can hook into the MAC layer (with ebtables or an extension thereof) and
get the requests into the user-space. And then one can implement the
third "protocol" (after IPv4 and IPv6) which can be used.
The algorithms etc. are in place and perfectly usable to use MAC
addresses instead of IP addresses.

> I haven't tried doing this yet. I was hoping that someone already had
> tried and could tell me if it will work.

> >Either you have an (additional) access point with a LAN to the OLSRD box
> 
> That's basically a two radio strategy. It drives up the cost of the
> nodes plus there are problems with interference between the radios.

Yup.

> >or you run your laptop in adhoc mode with OLSRD. In the latter case your
> >laptop is a true part of the mesh network.
> 
> That requires significant user education which won't happen in a
> casual use environment.

Well, people have to install an additional program. People have to
configure an IP address on the WLAN interface (if it didn't happen
before). And then you have to configure it once and be done.

It depends on the circumstances if one wants or wants not to do this.

	Bernd

[0]: Actually they "bridge".
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