NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

[madmage]

Hi all,
I learned in the past all about ifconfig, iwconfig and related stuff, then I found the GUI-based configuration tools and was happy with them. In particular, I am now using NetworkManager and the KDE4 Plasma applet to configure it.

I have now a problem, because I have also a Xubuntu machine that act as a server at home, and I do not want the network to be active only after a GUI login: I want it to connect to my home wireless network at the boot.

Is there any way to start NetworkManager from command line and connect to my wireless network (that is WPA protected)? Why NetworkManager starts only when the Plasmoid starts? Shouldn't the latter be only a frontend?

If this is not possible, is there any alternative to using NetworkManager, that has the same ease of use also from the GUI (i.e., plasmoids, applets, etc.)?

Thanks,

[wizard10000]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

If you want the network to start automatically you'll need to script the connection.

You wouldn't use networkmanager, you'd use wpa_supplicant directly like this -


#!/bin/bash

wpa_supplicant -Dwext -ieth1 -c/home/wizard/scripts/connect-script.conf -B

dhclient eth1

The connect script isn't much, really. Anyway, putting a symlink to your connect script in rc.local should get you where you need to be.

Hope this helps -

[madmage]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

If you want the network to start automatically you'll need to script the connection.

You wouldn't use networkmanager, you'd use wpa_supplicant directly like this -


#!/bin/bash

wpa_supplicant -Dwext -ieth1 -c/home/wizard/scripts/connect-script.conf -B

dhclient eth1

The connect script isn't much, really. Anyway, putting a symlink to your connect script in rc.local should get you where you need to be.

Thanks!

What should I write in the connect script?

[wizard10000]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

Thanks!

What should I write in the connect script?

That's generally pretty simple - here's a real basic config:

network={
ssid="MYNETWORKSSID"
scan_ssid=1
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
psk="MYNETWORKPSK"
}

You can find the key_mgmt information by doing

sudo iwlist eth1 scan

where eth1 is the name of your wireless interface.

Hope this helps -

[The Liquidator]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

That's interesting - Here is my problem.

Laptop user. Previous user of wicd although on a reinstall of 9.10 network manager just worked so I used it for some time without issue. Using WPA2.

However, upgrades from KDE 4.3.3/3/4 then to 4.4 left it so as there was a slowdown in loading the desktop. I renamed the config folder in .kde but on logging in network manager would not work, so I'm now back on wicd. Trouble with that is that it loads to late to provide a connection for a startup widget so it returns a "can't connect" error every time.

Attempting to connect via the network manager - I get the offer to introduce a password- the correct one- 3 times then it gives up. However, I need a Pre-shared key to connect and I think that NM is attempting something else and failing. With wicd I get the option to enter a pre-shared key but not with NM. Is there anything I can do to sort this please?

Thanks

Ian

[wizard10000]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

I'll tellya, Ian - I'm no expert at this but if wicd isn't connecting fast enough to accomodate a startup widget then maybe the thing to do would be to start the network from /etc/rc.x

I may not know the answer but am happy to exchange blank looks with you and try to help

[The Liquidator]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

I have actually fixed it but by a rather odd way - installing network-manager gnome!

Either that package, or one of it's dependencies, has made some under-the bonnet change that has suddenly made NM work for me again. Whilst it wasn't critical (a weather plasmoid) it was annoying to see it time out when using wicd. Now works a treat.

Ian

[wizard10000]

Re: NetworkManager without GUI and Desktop Managers

Excellent.

cheers -