#5854 LOW Future : provide dummy eth2 device for non-NetworkManager connection (was: Wired devices not activating correctly)

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#5854: provide dummy eth2 device for non-NetworkManager connection
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  Reporter:  mikus            |       Owner:  dcbw          
      Type:  enhancement      |      Status:  new           
  Priority:  low              |   Milestone:  Future Release
 Component:  network manager  |     Version:                
Resolution:                   |    Keywords:  wired ethernet
  Verified:  0                |    Blocking:                
 Blockedby:                   |  
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Comment(by mikus):

 Replying to [comment:2 dcbw]:
 > I'd need some logs here from /var/log/messages to see what the issue is;

 Dan - please don't change the intent of the summary and then ask for logs
 to support the topic revision.  When I opened this ticket (original
 summary "provide dummy eth2 device for non-NetworkManager connection") I
 was describing/requesting a facility that currently DOES NOT EXIST --
 there *aren't* any logs for what does not exist.

 I did NOT open this ticket as a request for help/investigation into why
 there were unforseen consequences from my first attempt at specifying a
 fixed IP address for my wired connection (the wired connection at my home
 did activate just fine with my ifconfig(wired IP) - else I wouldn't have
 tried what I did).  I'm treating the subsequent problem at the cafe as a
 one-time occurrence (besides, it was on 667 - and I'm now way beyond
 that).

 --------

 To me, the issue requested by this ticket is:  A simple way to avoid
 interference between NetworkManager-defined interfaces and manually-
 defined interfaces.

 [The story:  I got to the cafe, booted, and the XO did not connect to the
 public wifi.  If I remember correctly, when I tried '/sbin/ifconfig eth0
 up' at the cafe, I got back an error message saying there was no
 __device__ defined for eth0.  So I said to myself:  "Back home, I had been
 doing ifconfig down(wireless)/up(wired) with eth0 -- if instead I had been
 doing the ifconfig down(wired)/up(wired) with eth2 (i.e., with an
 interface not controlled by NetworkManager), would I have avoided the
 problem I had at the cafe?".  Hence this ticket.  (At home, with the radio
 off, there was still a device defined for eth0, so it allowed ifconfig
 up(wired) - but something like eth2 did not allow it -- there was
 currently no corresponding device defined.  This ticket is my way to
 request the "creation" of such a normally-never-needed device.)]

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/5854#comment:4>
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