At boot I am sometimes asked for root password to connect to wifi

English Network/Internet
1

Hello all,
Since a couple of weeks I am regularly asked for my root password at boot to open the wifi connection. Sometimes it does not do that, the way I prefer it.
I have the following setup:
Tumbleweed with KDE desktop, fully updated
Auto login
KDE wallet opened with empty password
Wifi network password and VPN password are placed in the open wallet
When wifi starts, it automatically starts the VPN
I use network manager

In the thread: https://forums.opensuse.org/t/network-manager-wont-enable/164345
I see deano-ferrari asks for the output of these two commands:

[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$ systemctl list-units | egrep -i "network|wicked"
  NetworkManager-wait-online.service                                                                                loaded active exited    Network Manager Wait Online
  NetworkManager.service                                                                                            loaded active running   Network Manager
  network-online.target                                                                                             loaded active active    Network is Online
  network-pre.target                                                                                                loaded active active    Preparation for Network
  network.target                                                                                                    loaded active active    Network
  nss-lookup.target                                                                                                 loaded active active    Host and Network Name Lookups
[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$ inxi -Na
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 3165 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:3165 class-ID: 0280
  Device-2: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb
    bus-ID: 3-2.2:4 chip-ID: 8087:0a2a class-ID: e001
[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$ ^C
[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$

This output is from after I set the password.
I think it is strange that I don’t need to set the password every time, it is also done automatically, which I prefer.
What else can I check to find out what is happening here?
Thanks.
Screenshot_20230212_061755

2

You may have several connection profiles and NetworkManger may chose different profile. Capture output of

PAGER= nmcli connection

when password is requested and when password is not requested (after connection is finally established).

3

Hello arvidjaar,
I rebooted 3 times just now and every time I needed to enter my password, so I can’t give the one without the password.

[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$ PAGER= nmcli connection
NAME                    UUID                                  TYPE  DEVICE 
wlp1s0                  10d5fe42-8b35-38cc-9f51-c32385fcd6da  wifi  wlp1s0 
nl995.nordvpn.com.tcp   706f3799-a5bb-4852-860a-220a1c25a3bf  vpn   --     
us8588.nordvpn.com.tcp  111d0378-da78-4024-9127-2bc24f70501b  vpn   --     
[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]

$ PAGER= nmcli connection
NAME                    UUID                                  TYPE  DEVICE 
nl995.nordvpn.com.tcp   706f3799-a5bb-4852-860a-220a1c25a3bf  vpn   wlp1s0 
wlp1s0                  10d5fe42-8b35-38cc-9f51-c32385fcd6da  wifi  wlp1s0 
tun0                    d8bca237-5dbb-4398-a486-def67ed2cb68  tun   tun0   
us8588.nordvpn.com.tcp  111d0378-da78-4024-9127-2bc24f70501b  vpn   --     
[User: jan] @ [Server: localhost] - [Directory: ~]
$

The 1st part is from before I typed the password, the 2nd is after I typed it.

I then realized the wifi connection is automatically starting the VPN, so I don’t know if it is the wifi or the VPN asking for a password. I switched off the auto-start of the VPN and now I didn’t need to type the password for the wifi. Probably it is the VPN which is started. Starting it manually requires the root password.
I use NordVPN through networkmanager because that way I can let Conky know the status of the VPN which it then writes on my desktop. When I use the Nordvpn app I don’t know how to do that.

4

As you have found it should be VPN, because WiFi is already established when password is requested. Check VPN configuration, it is apparently set as system connection (which Plasma applet calls “All users may connect to this network”). Also you have two VPN profiles, they may be configured differently.

5

True. It was set to that. I now changed the wifi setting and the 2 VPN settings to only let my username connect and after a reboot it all went automatically. Ket’s see if it stays that way.
Thank you very much for your answers, really appreciated.