[SLUG] Wireless problems: what does "RX too short data frame payload" mean?

[Mary Gardiner <mary@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I upgraded to Ubuntu Hardy on Monday and have spent my time since
largely filing bugs against the iwl3945 wireless support (some
behaviour, like very buggy support for the physical wireless-off
switches that you're meant to use when flying, is a considerable
regression over ipw3945 at this time).

Before I file another one, I need some help with possible causes,
specifically an "is this me or them?" problem.

Symptoms:

I am trying to connect to an unencrypted wireless network at university.
Assocating and obtaining a DHCP lease works. I can ping other machines
in my local network (a /24). I cannot easily connect to anything outside
the local network, including the web interface where I am meant to go
and authenticate myself for full Internet access. Every so often a
packet comes through, but the rate is probably about 2%. (ping doesn't
work at all, so I can't give a number for sure.)

Other people seem to be connecting to everything fine. (Using Windows
laptops, mostly.)

The only obvious error in my logs, aside from the irrelevant one filed
at https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hal/+bug/131835 is:

"wlan0_rename: RX too short data frame payload"

Does this mean anything? Is there any other way I can test the extent to
which this is my problem, rather than the University's problem? If it is
their problem, is there some way to make it occur on Windows so that
their tech support will agree to look at it?

For reference, I can connect to my home wireless network (WPA encrypted)
with no apparent problems.

-Mary