Menu error in NetworkManager

I run opensuse 12.1, 64 bit, with KDE4.

All network connections work good with Yast’s traditional method.

When I switch to NetworkManager, and try to connect to wireless network, an error - probably a programming error - manifests itself. If the security is chosen WPA2 Enterprise, then the dropdown menu for Authentication does not allow to change the setting. When the menu is activated, it shows the choices correctly: TLS, PEAP, TTLS, …, but fixing a new choice is impossible.

I wonder whether you have encountered this.

I installed an older version of NetworkManager - behaves the same way. The knetworkmanager from KDE3 is installable but does not run.

Not seeing this issue

Like caf4926, I have not run into this problem.

If this is a network to which you are regularly connecting, then it might not be possible to change authentication to something different from what is actually found.

If I define a network from scratch, then I can set the authentication method. If, when setting SSID, I click the “search” button, then it fills in the authentication method for me based on what it sees. It might not be possible to change to a different value in that case.

An upgrade of plasmoid-networkmanager to latest git version partially solves the problem, and the required fields become settable in dropdown menus.

Here is what the problem was.

Start Network Manager. Edit or create a new wireless connection, let us name it “KNF”.

Go to “Wireless Security” tab. In “Security” dropdown menu, select “Protected EAP (PEAP)”. Continue creating a fictive network connection, try to connect, get failure report, exit. All this may run correctly.

Now the failing part. Again start the menu of Network Manager and edit the KNF connection. Go to “Wireless Security” tab, and there try to change the “Authentication” to some other setting. That will likely fail, and this was the defect.

However, with upgrade a new bug is introduced. After setting up a new network connection, it becomes uneditable, saying that “No agents were available for this request”. For a change, the connection has to be deleted and re-created.

It looks like the KDE4 team cannot figure out the mess: the Internet is full of similar complaints, for different Linuxes. I wonder what those programmers would think, if they went to a restaurant and the waitress would come soon after they had ordered and say: “No cooks were available for your request”.

If somebody is free of these bugs and can freely connect to WPA2 Enterprise network using opensuse 12.1, please post the version numbers of the kernel, NetworkManager, NetworkManager-kde4-libs, plasmoid-networkmanagement (if installed).

This network manager reminds me much of a child’s drawing or child’s cooking. Lots of hope, bright colors, fun, but try to eat or use …

Probably is written by very very young programmers who don’t care. Here’s how I come to that conclusion.

Is completely broken, generally, does not work from start.

One window does not send a signal to another. When in the popup window the settings are done and the window is closed with “OK”, the mother window’s “Apply” button does not light up. It does not understand that settings have been changed, and it is necessary to offer the user an option to apply his changes. Basic logic, isn’t it? But do they teach some logic at school?

The popup window’s size is needlessly large and does not fit my small screen. I have to go into advanced window management and change the size there. A normal change of size by pulling a corner is impossible. Who and why would disable such a feature? Too much of Redmond’s influence? What do they teach at that school - games only?

Editing of settings is practically impossible. The combination of settings has to be deleted and recreated in order to begin existence. Do they teach the difference between “create” and “change” at that school?

The dodging box-bar that is supposed to indicate which menu item is chosen at the moment by highlighting the line with text does not work properly. It stands so that it encompasses lower half of one menu line and the upper half of another menu line. Now I am thinking they do not teach what “unambiguous” means at that school.

The bottom last part of several menu items is not visible at all - I think they go out of screen, and I am guessing what they might contain.

After recreation of a network connection, with great difficulty and many thoughts about the profession and school, one should not disconnect. And you know why? Yes! Because you cannot reconnect.

All this is understandable, and, isn’t it good to have things in front of you, to work on them?

I suggest you test a new user login
Tell us if it displays the same behaviour

Thanks for the advice. I tried with a new user. As it appears, NetworkManager requested kwallet service. I enabled it, and then the NetworkManager worked reasonably well.

With my original account, the NetworkManager was not telling me that it needs the kwallet service.

Two minor defects are left: The sliding bar in the choice of networks menu doesn’t stand properly on a menu item. I have to give the password to kwallet service (to make it available for NetworkManager) every time I change a network setting, even if I have given the password to the same NetworkManager earlier. This may be a feature of kwallet, but I am forced to use the kwallet, since NetworkManager does nor work without the kwallet service.

If the kwallet service is not available, the NetworkManager does not complain directly. Instead, the user is told by KDE Control Module that “No agents were available for this request” (this message is a popular search topic).

I had the same error, to connect to the eduroam university network. However I succeeded by doing a dummy wpa2 connection and afterwards directly editing the config files in /etc/networkmanager by entering ttls as authentication mehtod and phase two: pap

This can also happen if hitting the “Never Allow” button when prompted for to open the wallet. Easy to do and forget… Solution is to edit the access controls for the “KDE Daemon” under “Account Details”, “KDE Wallet”, “Access Control”. Delete the exiting setting or set to “Always Allow”. After, Network Manager passwords are stored in the wallet again.

I’m telling you, I am so frustrated right now with 12.1. I wonder how much vetting was done. It has so many new bugs from 11.4, it is shocking! I really regret going for it. 11.4 was usable at least. Why do I even want/need this stupid wallet thing?

I just went into the yast and removed wallet, but it is still loading. Is this like the Novell stuff that you can’t hardly remove?
I just tried the F5 and selected System V and I got my blue-tooth mouse back, so that is a start. I removed and redid the network connection and it seems to be working. Nope… still sporadic. I think if I can kill wallet, my problems may well be over until this is all fixed.

How can I kill wallet, and how do I force it to use System V, assuming this is what is allowing my bluetooth to load now?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10573557/systemV/add_systemV1.jpg
then
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10573557/systemV/add_systemV2.jpg

For kwallet
Delete all these
.kde4/share/apps/kwallet/
.kde4/share/config/kwalletrc

On 04/20/2012 09:46 PM, lshantz wrote:
>
> I’m telling you, I am so frustrated right now with 12.1. I wonder how
> much vetting was done. It has so many new bugs from 11.4, it is
> shocking! I really regret going for it. 11.4 was usable at least. Why do
> I even want/need this stupid wallet thing?

If you are willing to store your wireless secrets/keys in an unencrypted file,
then you do not need to.

> I just went into the yast and removed wallet, but it is still loading.
> Is this like the Novell stuff that you can’t hardly remove?
> I just tried the F5 and selected System V and I got my blue-tooth mouse
> back, so that is a start. I removed and redid the network connection and
> it seems to be working. Nope… still sporadic. I think if I can kill
> wallet, my problems may well be over until this is all fixed.
>
> How can I kill wallet, and how do I force it to use System V, assuming
> this is what is allowing my bluetooth to load now?

You do a lot of spouting off about the quality of various parts of 12.1, yet you
have not read the Release Notes! They state how to switch from systemd to
SystemV, and back.

If you want the openSUSE releases to improve, one of the critical steps is to
test early and file bug reports. Each of us sets up our systems differently, and
run a different workload. As a result, some see no problems, while you seem to
find a lot; however, if your problems are not reported, then they can never be
fixed. In general, developers do not read these forums, thus they do not see
your problem reports here.