How a macbook connects to WiFi?

[awardblvr]

Does anyone know of a diagram showing the typical transactions that occur for a macbook (any recent OSX 10.x version) to connect wirelessely and be ready for network activity? All the steps like find SSID, respond, present WPA credentials, get DHCP addr, DNS, etc? Any diagram to understand what all the typical expected transactions/handshakes/acknowledges are?

I'm trying to understand why a macbook connecting to a WiFi network (normal DHCP) , with no external internet connection) might start to connect then just drop off before allowing access to other things on that closed network. (however, the same Macbook can connect to that network wired and be perfectly OK).

Thanks for any pointers!

 

[sfx2000]

Macs don't do anything different from any other client OS...

What is the specific problem you're having?

 

[TonyH]

Macs don't do anything different from any other client OS...

What is the specific problem you're having?

I did a search on the 'net. Lots of hits, Youtube presentation, etc. Only Apple stuff at home is iPAD, iPhone and old MacBook belonging to wife and kids. I thought MacBook has good help files like
Windows, LOL!

 

[sfx2000]

Well - ok... Apple's technote library and their dev website have lots of good info... just not obvious for Joe Six-Pack trying to solve an issue...

In any event, most of the current iOS/Mac OS X issues (iOS 8/MacOS Yosemite 10.10.x) actually have to do with discoveryd, which is very broken... and this can affect basic network access and WiFi.

Even 3rd Party Apple developers are angry with Apple on that mess... but good news here is that iOS 8.4 and MacOS X 10.10.4 might revert back to mdnsResponder, e.g. old-school Bonjour...

In the interim - for the MacBook - turn off WiFi, go into Preferences -> Network -> WiFi and delete the association, reboot, turn WiFi back on, and reattach to the AP, this generally works... but not always..