Exploring Linux's new iNet wireless daemon
Abracadabra

Intel's iNet wireless daemon offers virtually all of the features found in the obsolete WPA Supplicant, and it is smaller by a factor of 10.
On Linux, a component called WPA Supplicant [1], which has been around since 2003, plays an important role in wireless connections (see the box entitled "Why the Name?"). As the name suggests, WPA Supplicant is a wireless supplicant that supports the WiFi Protected Access Standard (WPA) for secure wireless communication [2]. WPA has been around for over 20 years, and the industry is now on the third major version, which is known as WPA3. WPA Supplicant toils in the background on most modern Linux distros, where users tend to interact with the system through a GUI interface, but if you're using a wireless configuration tool like NetworkManager, Wicd, or ConnMan, WPA Supplicant is probably at work behind the scenes.
WPA Supplicant has seen many improvements through the years, and, in general, it is much easier to connect Linux to a wireless network than it used to be. However, many experts believe that Linux wireless support is due for some reinvention. The world got a scare a few years ago, when WPA Supplicant was shown to be susceptible to the KRACK attack on the WPA2 protocol [3]. Since then, KRACK vulnerabilities have been patched, and WPA3 has taken wireless security to a deeper level, but the complications in implementing a reliable solution underscored the inherent complexity and ungainliness of the WPA Supplicant codebase. That complexity, along with many dependencies, also means that WPA Supplicant is ill-suited for mobile devices and Internet of Things configurations. The need to simplify and provide a better solution for these new technologies explains why efforts have been underway for several years to create a lean alternative to WPA Supplicant.
One alternative that has already arrived, although it still is not installed by default on most Linux systems, is the iNet wireless daemon (iwd) [4]. Intel has been leading the development of iwd for the last four years. In October 2019, the stable 1.0 version was released, and today iwd's version count has reached 1.9. NetworkManager versions from 1.12.0 on can use iwd as their back end. Iwd also works with alternatives such as ConnMan and systemd-networkd. And recently, a small GUI was released for users who want to do without NetworkManager or ConnMan but still want to work through a graphical interface.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.