[Server-devel] Hidden SSID and Proxy settings

[James Cameron]

On Sun, Mar 06, 2011 at 11:29:09PM -0600, Jerry Vonau wrote:
> On Fri, 2011-03-04 at 15:34 +1100, James Cameron wrote:
> > On Thu, Mar 03, 2011 at 09:55:26PM -0600, Jerry Vonau wrote:
> > > On Thu, 2011-03-03 at 14:47 +1100, James Cameron wrote:
> > > > On Wed, Mar 02, 2011 at 10:38:07PM -0500, Dr. Gerald Ardito wrote:
> > > > > Both methods work within a session.
> > > > > In GNOME, I can connect to the hidden network. And, if I
> > > > > change back to Sugar, the connection is intact.
> > > > 
> > > > (Restarting NetworkManager at this point causes the connection
> > > > to drop and not be re-established.)
> > > > 
> > > > The ONBOOT setting doesn't appear to work either.
> > > 
> > > On an un-hidden network it does, or at least loaded as the UI
> > > becomes usable.
> > 
> > Why should it wait for the UI to become usable?  That sounds like it
> > is waiting for the settings service to register with D-Bus.
> > Therefore it is not using ifcfg as such.
> 
> That is part of the problem, ifcfg-rh plugin, nm-applet knows how to
> use the info while sugar does not. What is needed it to use NM keyfile
> plugin so there is a common method of storing system level info
> between sugar and gnome. Here is what I did, get into gnome, stop the
> NM service, edit /etc/NetworkManager/nm-system-settings.conf using
> keyfile in place of ifcfg-rh, restart NM. Now go configure your hidden
> network ticking both of the boxes. That will create system level
> config file in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/<name> that will
> be used by NM upon boot. Reboot back into gnome, the settings should
> stick bringing the network up and not ask for a password. Switch over
> sugar, the icon for the AP should be connected. Reboot, while in
> sugar, when sugar returns you should be auto connected to your hidden
> network.     

Thanks for the explanation.  I was not aware of the ifcfg-rh and keyfile
plugins.  I've tested this and written it up in a procedure:

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Wifi_Connectivity#10.1.3_and_11.2.0

Also linked from http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Hidden

(I like how "The connection will remain active over restart of Sugar or
GNOME."  Much more to my liking for diagnosis and testing.  Previously I
had simply turned off NetworkManager and manually configured.)

Perhaps you might propose a patch to fix this in olpc-os-builder for the
next release?  The intent being to reduce the steps that have to be done
by Gerald and others.

> > I agree with Gerald, the issue is now one of persistence.
> 
> Think we should ditch the ifcfg-rh plug-in in favor of using NM native
> system support. This would mean tweeking network.py to write out the
> needed NM config file. 

I don't understand, sorry.  Perhaps sugar-devel@ should be involved.

-- 
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/