Do I really need Network Manager?

[StefanJ]

I manage RHEL servers at work. I configure interfaces manually by jiggering around with the scripts in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts.

But that's not what I'm asking about. I just want to provide some bona fides.

My Toshiba laptop has been happily running Fedora since F13. I used preupgrade to seamlessly upgrade to F15, and a few months back to F16.

A week or so ago, the wireless link began to flake on me. KDE Deamon would request access to the wallet, and I'd be asked to type in the "secret" for my wireless network. I couldn't actually get this to work, so I'd reboot. This became more and more common and last night I thought I'd remove and reinstall the connection.

Since I knew how to muck with those config scripts . . . how hard could it be?

Well, two concatenated words: NetworkManager. Wrapped around my laptop's network devices like Borg Implants around Jean-Luc Picard's amygdala.

In /var/log/messages I see my laptops's wireless interface get recognized, assigned wlan0, and then declared "managed" and made unavailable.

I've tried using NetworkConfiguration GUI, but I just can't get wlan0 to the point where it can find my home network.

So . . . what's easier? Learning the convoluted muck of NetworkManager, or uninstall it and try to get it working manually?

The only "gotcha" is that this is a wireless connection, and I suspect that NetworkManager is providing the "hey, there's your wireless network, I'll take care of connecting and providing the right keys" service.

/venting

[Thetargos]

Actually for wireless
Is one of the best applications of Network Manager. I do reckon, however, that it can act up some times. With your issue at hand, I guess the root problem might have to do with a driver acting up, or lingering coffing files from your previous installs. Preupgrade is great, but it isn't perfect, yet. More often than not I've had my share of conflicting config files Lying around the file system after an upgrade... Needless to say identifying problems stemming from them can sometimes be difficult.

Sent on the move

[StefanJ]

Thanks, I was afraid that the wireless angle would make removing NetworkManager problematical.

Where, besides /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts, should I look if I wanted to manually root out previous network configuration state?

Ideally, I would like to start fresh. The system does not seem to have any trouble recognizing the wireless hardware. I'd like NetworkManager or system-config-network to "find" this hardware for the first time and automagically get it going.

After all, it did that when I installed Linux to begin with.All I had to do was pick the network and put in the WEP key.

---------- Post added at 06:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 PM ----------

Well, this is frustrating.

I hooked up my laptop to a router via Cat5, did a yum update out of a matter of course, rebooted, and rolled up my sleeves to figure out why wlan0 was mussed up.

And on scanning /var/log/messages, saw that wlan0 had grabbed an IP address.

I pulled the Ethernet cable and sure enough, the wireless connection picked up and . . . well, I'm using it now.

According to several threads here, recent F16 kernels had trouble with wireless drivers. But I was only behind a little (3.3.2-1 to 3.3.2-6) and did not think that was what was responsible. And the connection was intermittent, not down.

Sheesh.

Marked as solved.

[Thetargos]

While the drivers do not change between releases of the same version, some patches from fedora may do change the 802.11 stack, yielding erratic behavior.

Sent on the move

[george_toolan]

Don't use WEP unless you have to ;-)

[plasmonics]

Originally Posted by StefanJ

Since I knew how to muck with those config scripts . . . how hard could it be?

You can try using this guide. It is a bit old and does not take into account that F16 now uses systemctl instead of systemVinit. However, I got it to work in F16. It assumes that you use WPA2, not WEP. http://fedoraforum.org/forum/showthr...highlight=wpa2

[akelsaman]

I think actual configuration always help to catch the missing
this is my actual configuration without NetworkManager

[CODE]
sudo service NetworkManager stop
sudo chkconfig NetworkManager off
I think actual configuration always help to catch the missing
this is my actual configuration without NetworkManager

sudo yum install wpa_supplicant
# you may be find it installed by default
# if you find any error return to RFKILL only do the next
sudo yum rfkill
sudo rfkill list
# will appear list of yourwireless an bluetooth interfaces marked with numbers
sudo rfkill unblock YOUR_WIRELESS_INTERFACE_NUMBER

sudo vi /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

network={
        ssid="MY_WORK_WIRELESS_NETWORK"
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
# to get all known type of authentication and more configuration [ man wpa_supplicant.conf ]
        psk="MY_PASSWORD"
}

sudo service NetworkManager stop
sudo chkconfig NetworkManager off
sudo service wpa_supplicant start
sudo chkconfig wpa_supplicant on

sudo wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

-B : run tool as diamond in backgroung.
-i  : your wireless interface.
-c : the configuration file wich we edit.

sudo vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/wlan0

DEVICE="wlan0"
TYPE="Wireless"
HWADDR="00:26:C6:25:42:3E"
#ESSID="MY_WIRELESS_NETWORK_IF_I_USE_WEP_AUTHENTICATION"
#KEY=""MY_PASSWORD_IF_I_USE_WEP_AUTHENTICATION"
BOOTPROTO="dhcp"
ONBOOT="no"
NM_CONTROL="no"
# WPA="yes" is used to authenticate using WPA through wpa_supplicant tool
WPA="yes"
# WPA2="yes" is used to authenticate using WPA2 through wpa_supplicant tool
WPA2="yes"