[SOLVED] NetworkManager restart required on boot

[PolywogSys]

Whenever I boot into Fedora 16 (KDE Spin), the network manager system tray icon is set to "M" and it says that NetworkManager startup required. I restart NetworkManager and everything seems to start working normally.

Recently, NetworkManager has stopped listing access points completely. In fact, VPNC config is not listed in my NetworkManager list of items. I need to delete the config, and readd the access point manually. Oddly enough the scan button works and sees all the access points.

At one time I got really ticked off NetworkManager wasn't coming up at all after multiple reboots, and multiple config changes. So I decided to manually configure the wlan0 interface and run vpnc manually, and everything worked fine!

So it's not a problem with the hardware. Even iwlist worked fine to locate access points, even though nothing was showing up on the NetworkManager system tray icon. Other than writing shell scripts to configure my interfaces, what the heck could be going wrong?

Note: consoleKit sometimes comes back with an error upon login saying that the connection with dbus was lost. I usually know that this means NetworkManager won't work AT ALL.

Note: that when I bring up networkmanager configuration screen, and attempt to configure VPN, it says "No agents were available for this request."

Note: this machine is an upgrade from Fedora 14, Fedora 15, to Fedora 16. Could there be some conflicting configuration files?

[PolywogSys]

Since I always use KDE and never used Gnome (it was a KDE Spin distro) it never occured to me that NetworkManager would be a gnome thing, and would require gconf settings. Similarly, the "no agents available" was a gnome-keyring-daemon thing.

To resolve almost a years worth of wasted time fencing with NetworkManager, possibly consoleKit and polKit...

1. I disabled network.service (so that I use NetworkManager only):
   sudo systemctl disable network.service
2. I deleted the following directories that were probably sullied by previous installs that were not migrated to the new gnome libs correctly (of courss YMMV if you use gnome and need anything in here):
   rm -rf ~/.gconf ~/.gconfd ~/.gnome2 ~/.gnome2_private
3. I deleted all of my NetworkManager configurations (except for the Wired one)
4. I added "gnome-keyring-daemon" to my kde startup programs:
   K -> Search "start" -> AutoStart

I rebooted.

As soon as I logged in, I could see all the wireless networks, and configured them as normal. I could configure my VPN as normal. I was no longer getting those errors about "no agents were available". I thought this was KDE system only, grr pott.

Now if I could only get jovie to automagically start activating and scaring the living daylights out of me.

References:

• http://superuser.com/questions/47625...s-file-on-ubun
• http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=7458
• http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=269842

[Beeblebrox]

Hi,

I have a very similar problem and thus I would like to reopen this thread.

When I boot my Fedora 16 KDE, sometimes I get a weird bug report telling me that KDE something crashed. NetworkManager ist this blue idle icon which tells me that NetworkManager is not running and I shall start it. Then I try to restart it under service management, but this gives me a bug report as well.
Then I log out, log in again. No plasma error, NetworkManager still not working. Restarting it via service management now works and I can connect to whatever I want to.

I mean, with this boot -> fail ->log out log in -> restart NetworkManager strategy I can work with my Fedora, but it is very annoying. Anybody out there with some advice?

Packages are up to date.

Thanks a lot.

[jpollard]

Install gnome - bet the problem disappears.

Unfortunately, the developers seem to be focusing on making Fedora a gnome only distribution.

For me, NetworkManager just wouldn't work, so I dumped it and enabled the legacy networks.

No problems since. Note - I don't have any wireless interfaces, and that seems to be the only area NetworkManager gets right.

[Beeblebrox]

Well, I want to stick with KDE and not switch to gnome :-)

What is this Legacy thing about and how can I try it? Does your comment mean that the legacy thing won't work with wireless connections?

Also, I have to switch between various connections - will it be possible to figure that out with legacy?

Thanks!

[jpollard]

Originally Posted by Beeblebrox

Well, I want to stick with KDE and not switch to gnome :-)

What is this Legacy thing about and how can I try it? Does your comment mean that the legacy thing won't work with wireless connections?

If you disable NetworkManager you can enable "network" as it is part of the SysVinit scripts. You do have to set the configuration files to have "NM_CONTROLLED=no" and have "ONBOOT=yes".

It works for me with static IP configurations (my internal net) and my DHCP controlled network for internet access.

I don't have any wireless connections, so I don't know about them.

Also, I have to switch between various connections - will it be possible to figure that out with legacy?

Thanks!

Depends on what you mean by "switch between". If you mean between wired and wireless or between one or another wireless connection, then I'm not sure.

[Beeblebrox]

Thanks for your answer, but I do need to switch between various wired (static/DHPC) and wireless networks all the time, so I guess your solution is not an option for me, unfortunately.

Does any body else have an idea?