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Chapter 14. Configuring NetworkManager to ignore certain devices

By default, NetworkManager manages all devices except the ones described in the /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/85-nm-unmanaged.rules file. To ignore certain other devices, you can configure them in NetworkManager as unmanaged.

14.1. Permanently configuring a device as unmanaged in NetworkManager

You can configure devices as unmanaged based on several criteria, such as the interface name, MAC address, or device type. If you use a device section in the configuration to set a device as unmanaged, NetworkManager does not manage the device until you start using it in a connection profile.

Procedure

  1. Optional: Display the list of devices to identify the device or MAC address you want to set as unmanaged: 

    # ip link show
...
2: enp1s0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 52:54:00:74:79:56 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
...
    Copy to Clipboard
  2. Create a *.conf file in the /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/ directory, for example, /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/99-unmanaged-devices.conf.

  3. For each device you want to configure as unmanaged, add a section with a unique name to the file.

    Important

    The section name must begin with device-.

    • To configure a specific interface as unmanaged, add: 

      [device-enp1s0-unmanaged]
match-device=interface-name:enp1s0
managed=0
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    • To configure a device with a specific MAC address as unmanaged, add: 

      [device-mac525400747956-unmanaged]
match-device=mac:52:54:00:74:79:56
managed=0
      Copy to Clipboard

    • To configure all devices of a specific type as unmanaged, add: 

      [device-ethernet-unmanaged]
match-device=type:ethernet
managed=0
      Copy to Clipboard

    • To set multiple devices as unmanaged, separate the entries in the unmanaged-devices parameter with a semicolon, for example: 

      [device-multiple-devices-unmanaged]
match-device=interface-name:enp1s0;interface-name:enp7s0
managed=0
      Copy to Clipboard

      Alternatively, you can add separate sections for each device in this file or create additional *.conf files in the /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/ directory.

  4. Restart the host system: 

    # reboot
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Verification

  • Display the list of devices: 

    # nmcli device status
DEVICE  TYPE      STATE      CONNECTION
enp1s0  ethernet  unmanaged  --
...
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    The unmanaged state next to the enp1s0 device indicates that NetworkManager does not manage this device.

Troubleshooting

  • If the output of the nmcli device status command does not list the device as unmanaged, display the NetworkManager configuration: 

    # NetworkManager --print-config
...
[device-enp1s0-unmanaged]
match-device=interface-name:enp1s0
managed=0
...
    Copy to Clipboard

    If the output does not match the settings that you configured, ensure that no configuration file with a higher priority overrides your settings. For details on how NetworkManager merges multiple configuration files, see the NetworkManager.conf(5) man page on your system.

14.2. Temporarily configuring a device as unmanaged in NetworkManager

You can temporarily configure devices as unmanaged, for example, for testing purposes. This change persists a reload and restart of the NetworkManager systemd service, but not a system reboot.

Procedure

  1. Optional: Display the list of devices to identify the device you want to set as unmanaged: 

    # nmcli device status
DEVICE  TYPE      STATE         CONNECTION
enp1s0  ethernet  disconnected  --
...
    Copy to Clipboard

  2. Set the enp1s0 device to the unmanaged state: 

    # nmcli device set enp1s0 managed no
    Copy to Clipboard

Verification

  • Display the list of devices: 

    # nmcli device status
DEVICE  TYPE      STATE      CONNECTION
enp1s0  ethernet  unmanaged  --
...
    Copy to Clipboard

    The unmanaged state next to the enp1s0 device indicates that NetworkManager does not manage this device.

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