TX rate problem in hostap mode

[Sam Leffler]

Paulo Fragoso wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> We are using a Samsung wireless card (PRISM2) with FreeBSD 5.3 in hostap 
> mode and client is running FreeBSD 5.3 with Orinoco wireless card, all 
> works fine but tx rate at hostap it is all time in 2Mbps.
> 
> We found this article for solve this problem with FreeBSD 5.x:
> 
> http://excamera.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi
> 
> After modify dev/wi/if_wi.c in the hostap:
> 
> --- dev/wi/if_wi.c.orig Tue Feb  1 17:15:20 2005
> +++ dev/wi/if_wi.c      Tue Feb  1 17:58:44 2005
> @@ -958,6 +958,10 @@
>                         wi_dump_pkt(&frmhdr, NULL, -1);
>                 fid = sc->sc_txd[cur].d_fid;
>                 off = sizeof(frmhdr);
> +
> +               /* tx_rate problem? */
> +               frmhdr.wi_tx_rate = 110;
> +
>                 error = wi_write_bap(sc, fid, 0, &frmhdr, 
> sizeof(frmhdr)) != 0
>                      || wi_mwrite_bap(sc, fid, off, m0, 
> m0->m_pkthdr.len) != 0;
>                 m_freem(m0);
> 
> now we can get files from hostap faster (5x) than before.
> 
> Both cards (hostap and client) was using mediaopt DS/11Mbps.
> 
> Is possible ifconfig command change this field when using mediaopt 
> "DS/11Mbps"?

Locking the xmit rate at 11Mb/s (or any rate for that matter) isn't a 
great idea though wi should honor a fixed rate.  I thought Prism cards 
implemented rate control in the firmware for ap mode but perhaps not. 
netbsd has xmit rate control support for wi that purportedly does a good 
job; you might investigate it.  If you come up with changes I'd be 
interested in integrating them into -current (which could then be 
brought back to -stable).

	Sam