WPA automation how to with Atheros

Here is how-to automate WPA-PSK (the most common form of WPA) with mepis and atheros PCMCIA card.

1. Log into a Mepis terminal as root.

2. Get wpa_supplicant
apt-get install wpasupplicant

3. Open up the file /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf with a text editor. Put in the below with quotes.
network={
ssid="ssidname"
psk="keyname"
}

4. Create a startup script.
cd /usr/bin
touch wpa
nano (or whatever text editor you like) wpa and put in ifup ath0 & wpa_supplicant -D madwifi -i ath0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf & dhclient

**everything between ifup and dhclient need to be on one line.

5. Make the script executable.
chmod +x /usr/bin/wpa

6. Let anyone execute the file.
chmod 777 /usr/bin/wpa

7. Close the terminal, then right click on your desktop, then click on create new -> link to application. Make it executable and put "wpa" with no quotes in the line that says "command" under application.

8. Go to the mepis control center and disable ath0. Tell it not to start on boot.

9. Reboot

10. Anytime you want to connect to your wireless network, double left click on the desktop icon you created in #7. You will need the root password.