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7.273. wpa_supplicant

Updated wpa_supplicant packages that fix multiple bugs and add one enhancement are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
The wpa_supplicant packages contain a WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) Supplicant utility for Linux, BSD, and Windows with support for WPA and WPA2 (IEEE 802.11i/RSN). The supplicant is an IEEE 802.1X/WPA component that is used in client workstations. It implements key negotiation with a WPA Authenticator and it controls the roaming and IEEE 802.11 authentication and association of the WLAN driver.

Bug Fixes

BZ#813579
When roaming from one Access Point (AP) to another and the connection was disrupted, NetworkManager did not always automatically reconnect. This update includes a number of backported upstream patches to improve Proactive Key Caching (PKC), also known as Opportunistic Key Caching (OKC). As a result, WPA connections now roam more reliably.
BZ#837402
Previously, the supplicant would attempt to roam to slightly stronger access points, increasing the chance of a disconnection. This bug has been fixed and the supplicant now only attempts to roam to a stronger access point when the current signal is significantly degraded.

Enhancement

BZ#672976
The "wpa_gui" program was removed from "wpa_supplicant" in the 6.0 release as per BZ#553349, however, the man page was still being installed. This upgrade removes the man page.
All users of wpa_supplicant are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix these bugs and add this enhancement.