Failure starting Wlan connection with wpa_supplicant?

Question

I'm brand new to server configuration. I'm just a developer, so forgive me if I don't understand what you're talking about, if I haven't posted enough information, or if I don't understand your terminology.

You should know that my SSID is hidden. I have confirmed both the SSID and passkey are correct on a computer that is connected to the network.

What I've done so far:

1. Installed Debian (Jessie) to an i386 "server."
2. Installed wpa_supplicant.
3. Read the "README.modes" file associated with wpa_supplicant
4. Attempted to use the non-roaming method by changing my "interface" file in the "network" directory.

My attempt at #4 on that list was guided by this post. I did the following...

1. Change the "interface" file permissions.
2. Run the "wpa_passphrase" command.
3. Copy the hashed PSK to the "interface" file.

My "interface" file now contains...

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
     wpa-ap-scan 1
     wpa-scan-ssid 1
     wpa-ssid mySSID
     wpa-psk myHashedPSK

I have confirmed that my device is recognized by using "iwconfig" and that it is indeed defined as "wlan0."

The Problem: "ifup wlan0" returns the following...

run-parts: failed to stat component /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/wpasupplicant: No such file or directory
Failed to bring up wlan0.

I have navigated to "/etc/network/if-pre-up.d/" and found something there named "wpasupplicant." When I open it in the text editor using "pico" I am greeted with what I assume is a completely empty file.

What is wrong with my configuration, and how do I fix it?

Answer 1

You are missing the wpasupplicant package. You need to install it properly first.

You can do it with apt-get as below:

apt-get install wpasupplicant

Make sure it is properly installed.

And then to be on the safe side, put double quotes around the values like following and try again:

wpa-ssid "mySSID" 
wpa-psk "myHashedPSK"