# Why does networkmanager keep breaking?

## Xamindar

It has broken three or four times because of updates in the past few months and now it is broken again after a networkmanager update. Can anyone explain why broken networkmanager versions keep ending up in portage?

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## catzooka

Define 'broken'. Any error logs? Which version of NetworkManager? Are you using it in conjunction with the nm-applet or knetworkmanager?

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## d2_racing

Indeed, we need more details...

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## Xamindar

 *catzooka wrote:*   

> Define 'broken'. Any error logs? Which version of NetworkManager? Are you using it in conjunction with the nm-applet or knetworkmanager?

 

I am using nm-applet which I thought was the only one usable. Last I checked we still couldl not use knetworkmanager in kde4. Is there an overlay or something I don't know about? 

I get:

```
!!! All ebuilds that could satisfy "kde-misc/knetworkmanager" have been masked.

!!! One of the following masked packages is required to complete your request:

- kde-misc/knetworkmanager-4.4.0_p20100331 (masked by: package.mask)

/usr/portage/profiles/package.mask:

# Theo Chatzimichos <tampakrap@gentoo.org> (26 Feb 2010)

# Mask knetworkmanager as it is crashy, unusable, under

# heavy development, and snapshot

```

Here are the versions I am using at this moment. While it is on unstable I don't think the updates should completely break it for a few days once a month which is what has been happening. That's a little much. 

```
These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!

[ebuild   R   ] net-misc/networkmanager-0.8.1-r3  USE="avahi bluetooth connection-sharing gnutls (-dhclient) -dhcpcd -doc -nss -resolvconf" 0 kB

[ebuild   R   ] gnome-extra/nm-applet-0.8.1-r1  USE="bluetooth -debug" 0 kB

Total: 2 packages (2 reinstalls), Size of downloads: 0 kB

```

Again, is there anything out there that works better than nm-applet on kde4? I read almost a year ago that it was being worked on but haven't heard anything since.

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## catzooka

While understandably frustrating, an unstable version is what it is. Reporting bugs would help the developers fix those instabilities.

As far as knetworkmanager is concerned, I pull it down from KDE SVN myself (perhaps it is time for me to learn how to write proper ebuilds). If you're interested in doing it manually, here is how (as root):

```

# svn co svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/extragear/base/networkmanagement knetworkmanager

# cd knetworkmanager/

# mkdir build

# cd build/

# cmake ../ -DDBUS_SYSTEM_POLICY_DIR=/etc/dbus-1/system.d/ -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=`kde4-config --prefix`

# make && make install

# kbuildsycoca4 --noincremental

```

Then before you can make use of it, you have to edit its dbus configuration file (as root):

```

# sed -i -e 's/at_console=".*"/group="plugdev"/' "/etc/dbus-1/system.d/NetworkManager-kde4.conf"

```

If that file doesn't exist, you'll have to copy it first from the 'knetworkmanager' directory with the SVN source to '/etc/dbus-1/system.d/' and then run the command above.

Log out, and restart DBUS (/etc/init.d/dbus restart). Also make sure your user is part of the 'plugdev' group.

Aftewards, you'll be able to right click and pull up the settings on the system tray (or panel) in KDE and add the NetworkManager plasmoid to it.

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## Princess Nell

I have removed the 0.8.x versions and masked it to tie nm, nm-vpnc and nm-applet down to 0.7.2.

0.8.x on my gnome system doesn't get a network connection. And when I go in to edit e.g. the eth0

wired connection and save it, nm-applet tells me the connection is disconnected and doesn't reconnect.

Except it didn't really disconnect because it wasn't connected in the first place.

Reproduced under x86 and x86_64 with networkmanager-0.8.1-r3. -r1 is possibly broken, too.

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## djhyland

I'm glad to hear that other people are having problems with networkmanager-0.8.1-r3 and nm-applet-0.8.1-r1 as well.  I thought it might be a hardware issue with me, as I'm using broadcom-sta with my stupid Broadcom card.  

Anyway, despite networkmanager-0.8.1-r1 and nm-applet-0.8 working fine for me, with the updates I can see my available networks, just not connect to them.  When I try, they'll try to connect (one green light), but never fully connect (two green lights).  Perhaps it's a config issue?

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## Princess Nell

I think the explanation is here: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-838455.html. But I will not pursue it right now, masking nm >= 0.8 is good enough for me.

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## djhyland

 *Princess Nell wrote:*   

> I think the explanation is here: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-838455.html. But I will not pursue it right now, masking nm >= 0.8 is good enough for me.

 

Sweet!  The last post in your link worked for me.  Perhaps the original poster should try it as well?

EDIT: (Posting from a connection made with networkmanager-0.8.1-r3 and nm-applet 0.8.1-r1!)

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## Xamindar

 *djhyland wrote:*   

>  *Princess Nell wrote:*   I think the explanation is here: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-838455.html. But I will not pursue it right now, masking nm >= 0.8 is good enough for me. 
> 
> Sweet!  The last post in your link worked for me.  Perhaps the original poster should try it as well?

 

Yes thanks, this worked great! Now networkmanager is back in business.

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## Princess Nell

But is it still broken in that it rewrites /etc/conf.d/net? That was a nasty surprise, especially since the generated file generated an if-clause with missing fi, breaking other rc sc scripts that "need net".

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## M

 *Princess Nell wrote:*   

> But is it still broken in that it rewrites /etc/conf.d/net? That was a nasty surprise, especially since the generated file generated an if-clause with missing fi, breaking other rc sc scripts that "need net".

 

That would be gsoc gentoo nm plugin that is now enabled by default. I don't use nm but I read couple of blog posts http://qiaomuf.wordpress.com/ .

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