AutoConfigure Windows XP Laptops with the Novell Client for WPA / 802.1x authentication

If you don't have MS Active Directory to publish Group Policies such as wifi and 802.1x settings to your XP laptops then this scripted method can work well for you.

I found a nice little .exe utility called "WZC Auto Provision" from labs.arubanetworks.com that will set all of the required wireless attributes via a single command line.

Steps

1. Make a directory on a network volume to hold the executables and scripts. Something like "\\server\vol\wifisettings\" will work fine.
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2. Download "WZC Auto Provision" from https://labs.arubanetworks.com and extract "WifiCfg_XP.exe" to the network location you just created.
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3. Next create a registry file to modify the default location profile of the Novell Client to enable 802.1x. This will change based on which tabs are enabled on your Novell client. I already had the "eDirectory", "Script", "Windows" and "NMAS" tabs enabled so the next one for me is "tab 5". The best way to do it is to configure your Novell client for 802.1x and then export the following directly out of your registry and save it to your network location.
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4. Create the 802.1x-setup.bat script from the example below.

The registry setting alone will not be enough to enable 802.1x in the Novell Client. The noveap.dll will need to be registered, the following DOS batch script (8021x-setup.bat) will do this and a couple other things in the following order:

#1) use WifiCfg.exe to setup the wifi network to connect to. I found it necessary to have it configure the network like this:

• /SSID: your-SSID
• /Authentication:WPA
• /Encryption:TKIP
• /KeyProvidedAutomatically:TRUE
• /IEEE8021xEnabled:TRUE
• /EAPType:PEAP
• /MACHINE_AUTH:TRUE
• /InnerAuthentication:MSCHAPv2
• /EnableFastReconnect:TRUE
• /ValidateServerCert:FALSE

#2) Load the Novell Client registry settings to enable 802.1x in the default location profile.

#3) Register the noveap.dll which will enable 802.1x

\\server\vol\wifisettings\NovellClientConfig.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Novell\Location Profiles\Services\{1E6CEEA1-FB73-11CF-BD76-00001B27DA23}\Default\Tab5]
"Tab"="EAP""Enable EAP"=dword:00000001
"InitialLogonOnlyAuth"=dword:00000000
"AppenDomainToUser"=dword:00000000

\\server\vol\wifisettings\8021x-setup.bat

@echo off
echo #1: Configuring wifi settings for the 802.1x network
start /b /wait \\server\vol\wifisettings\WifiCfg_XP.exe -add /SSID:your-SSID /Authentication:WPA /Encryption:TKIP /KeyProvidedAutomatically:TRUE /IEEE8021xEnabled:TRUE /EAPType:PEAP /MACHINE_AUTH:TRUE  /InnerAuthentication:MSCHAPv2 /EnableFastReconnect:TRUE /ValidateServerCert:FALSE

echo #2: Configuring the ovell client for 802.1x authentication
start /b /wait %windir%\regedit.exe /s \\server\vol\wifisettings\NovellClientConfig.reg

echo #3: Registering the Novell EAP DLL
start /b /wait %windir%\system32\regsvr32.exe /s %windir%\system32\noveap.dll

exit      

Now that you have all three file in your network location...
*WifiCfg_XP.exe
*NovellClientConfig.reg
*8021x-setup.bat

you should just have to run the 8021x-setup.bat script form your network location and reboot.

tada!