Atheros AR5211 802.11a can't send packets

[Sam Leffler]

Nikolay Kanchev wrote:
> Hello list
>
> I have trouble with miniPCI Atheros AR5211 based card and 802.11a mode 
> on Freebsd 7.1 and 7.2 PRERELEASE
>
> Notebook: Pentium M 1.5GHz
>
> from FreeBSD 7.2 generic kernel
> dmesg
> ------------------------
> ath0: <Atheros 5211> mem 0xe0200000-0xe020ffff irq 10 at device 6.0 on 
> pci2
> ath0: [ITHREAD]
> ath0: WARNING: using obsoleted if_watchdog interface
> ath0: Ethernet address: 00:ff:f3:a0:28:02
> ath0: mac 4.2 phy 3.0 5ghz radio 1.7 2ghz radio 2.3
> ------------------------
>
> pciconf
> ------------------------
> ath0 at pci0:2:6:0:        class=0x020000 card=0x7005144f chip=0x0012168c 
> rev=0x01 hdr=0x00
>     vendor     = 'Atheros Communications Inc.'
>     device     = 'AR5211 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Wireless Adapter'
>     class      = network
>     subclass   = ethernet
> ------------------------
>
> When I try to operate in 802.11a mode the card associate with AP but 
> can't send packets.
> I try ping and check that the packets go through firewall but 
> disappear somewhere, in tcpdump I don't see send packets.
> I try to ping my notebook from other PC and in tcpdump I see "arp 
> who-has" and other packets from other PC but again no packets from 
> AR5211 card.
>
> In 802.11b mode card is working fine.
>
> I try the card on windows and its working.
>
> ahtstats output:
>
> 13       data frames received
> 2        data frames transmit
> 65       long on-chip tx retries
> 4        tx failed 'cuz too many retries
> 1M       current transmit rate
> 28       beacon miss interrupts
> 1746     tx management frames
> 2385     tx frames discarded prior to association
> 1703     tx frames with no ack marked
> 884      rx failed 'cuz of bad CRC
> 30       periodic calibrations
> 2        rfgain value change
> 7        avg recv rssi
> -96      rx noise floor
> 24       phantom beacon misses
> 53       tx discarded 'cuz queue is full
> Antenna profile:
> [0] tx     1739 rx        0
> [1] tx        0 rx     6942
>
> "tx discarded 'cuz queue is full" counter increased with ping packets.
> I try AR5006 based PCcard and it working fine on FreeBSD 7.1 and 7.2
> It seems that only AR5211 driver have problems and can't send packets.
>
A single snapshot of athstats isn't very useful; you need to collect 
stats before and after packets are lost to look for reasons why the 
packets do not go out.  athstats 1 or similar is also useful when 
digging for problems.  Alternatively learn about wlandebug and the debug 
facilities that let you get console msgs.

I don't run RELENG_7 but I test 5211 in 11b and 11a, w/ and w/o security 
whenever I make hal changes so I doubt there's anything specific to the 
5211.

You also haven't provided basic info like how your card is configured.

    Sam