I am using opensuse 13.1 and have updated to kde 4.13 (using http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/KDE:/Distro:/Factory/openSUSE_13.1/).
All is working fine with the exception of the taskbar network icon (bottom right of the screen). This shows a picture of a screen with a red cross in the right hand corner. The actual netork connection is wired and working fine. I am assuming that this is a hangover from the previous network connector but how do I correct it?
Did you restart after upgrading?
systemctl restart network.service
Further to the above, what does the following report about your wired connection (even thought the GUI icon is not as expected)
nm-tool
Thanks very much for posting. It shows:
opensuse:/home/garry # nm-tool
** (process:5335): WARNING **: Could not initialize NMClient /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager: The name org.freedesktop.NetworkManager was not provided by any .service files
NetworkManager Tool
State: unknown
** (process:5335): WARNING **: error: could not connect to NetworkManager
opensuse:/home/garry #
Check that network manager is active
systemctl status NetworkManager
If necessary, start it
systemctl restart NetworkManager
systemctl status NetworkManager gives
Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Activation (enp1s0) Stage 5 of 5 (IPv4 Commit) complete.Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> (enp1s0): device state change: secondaries -> activated (...00 0]
Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> NetworkManager state is now CONNECTED_GLOBAL
Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Policy set 'Wired connection 1' (enp1s0) as default for I... DNS.
Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Activation (enp1s0) successful, device activated.
Apr 20 09:59:18 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <warn> Dispatcher failed: (32) Unit dbus-org.freedesktop.nm-disp...tory.
Apr 20 09:59:32 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> (enp1s0): IP6 addrconf timed out or failed.
Apr 20 09:59:32 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Activation (enp1s0) Stage 4 of 5 (IPv6 Configure Timeout)...ed...
Apr 20 09:59:32 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Activation (enp1s0) Stage 4 of 5 (IPv6 Configure Timeout)...ed...
Apr 20 09:59:32 opensuse NetworkManager[4022]: <info> Activation (enp1s0) Stage 4 of 5 (IPv6 Configure Timeout)...lete.
Have you enabled “User controlled using NetworkManager” in YaST->Network Devices->Network Settings->Global?
Thanks very much - that was it. That setting was set as ‘traditional method with ifup’.
I’m only surprised that you didn’t realise it was set that way. 
(You mentioned that you had upgraded to KDE 4.13, and that would not have changed the setting by itself , so you must have been using ‘ifup’ previously.)
That’s why it is important to supply the complete output when given commands to execute. It would have been obvious from the first part of the output that the service was disabled.
The desktop network icon worked fine (with ifup) with kde 4.12.4 hence my confusion. Due to the well-documented past problems with kde network manager - ifup was the recommended option.
I’ve been using network manager with KDE plasmoid (without issue) for a number of years now, but I have to connect to number of different networks and configure network equipment as part of my job. If you’re only using NM to connect to a single network, you’re better off sticking with ‘Traditional ifup’ IMHO.
What exactly do you mean with “worked fine”?
The network management icon absolutely needs NetworkManager to provide any function, as it is just a frontend to NetworkManager.
Maybe it just didn’t show the red cross in 4.12.4?
In fact I tried to switch to ifup now on my KDE 4.12.4 system, and it does show just a red cross there as well. But the icon is hidden so you only see it if you click on the small up-arrow in the system tray just left of the digital clock.
AFAIK KDE 4.13 contains the new plasma-nm, maybe this does not hide itself when NetworkManager is not running?
Or maybe it was set to “Always show” in your case, I’m not sure of the defaults in 4.13 as I haven’t installed it yet.
Btw, for just a wired connection you don’t really have a need for NetworkManager. And the network did work as you wrote.
If you’re just bothered by that red cross when using ifup, you can disable the networkmanagement plasmoid in the “System Tray Settings”.
Due to the well-documented past problems with kde network manager - ifup was the recommended option.
What well-documented problems?
I never had any problem at all with KDE4’s networkmanagement plasmoid.
Long long ago there were problems with NetworkManager but it seems that for quite a while it has worked well for most.
That seems to be the case with me, or at least I have not figured out how to hide it. I use ifup and it’s a bit annoying to see the nm icon with the red “x” in it.
Is there a way to hide it?
Right-click on the small up arrow (that would show the hidden icons) just left of the digital clock and choose “System Tray Settings”.
On the “Display” tab you can completely disable the networkmanagement applet, on the “Entries” tab you can set the visibility of any of the tray icons to “Auto”,“Always Shown” or “Hidden”.
See also:
http://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/SystemTray/en
That did it. Thanks.