5.208. NetworkManager

Bug Fixes

BZ#864828

Due to a bug reading and writing network configuration files, network connections using the LEAP authentication method could not be made available to all users. A patch has been provided to address this issue and the network configuration files now allow LEAP as expected.

BZ#864829

Previously, NetworkManager did not allow selecting the WPA protocol version for connection. Certain enterprise WLAN networks using Cisco equipment do not allow roaming between WPA and WPA2 Virtual Access Points (VAP) provided by the same physical access point, requiring the use of a specific WPA protocol version to prevent disconnections. This update adds a WPA protocol combo box to the NetworkManager user interface (UI), thus allowing a specific WPA protocol version to be used when necessary and preventing this bug.

BZ#864830

When a connection was locked to a specific WPA protocol version (either v1 or v2/RSN) via either the GConf system or settings in the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ configuration files, the NetworkManager UI overwrote that preference when the connection was edited and saved. This bug has been fixed and such WPA preferences are now preserved in the described scenario.

Enhancement

BZ#864831

Support for Opportunistic Key Caching (OKC), also known as Proactive Key Caching (PKC), has been added to NetworkManager for all WPA-Enterprise configurations.

Bug Fixes

BZ#663820

NetworkManager used a DHCP transaction timeout of 45 seconds without the possibility of configuring a different value. Consequently, in certain cases NetworkManager failed to obtain a network address. NetworkManager has been extended to read the timeout parameter from a DHCP configuration file and use that instead of the default value. As a result, NetworkManager will wait to obtain an address for the duration of the DHCP transaction period as specified in the DHCP client configuration file.

BZ#696967

If no Web browser was installed and the web site link was clicked in nm-applet's About dialog box, there was no response and NetworkManager did not display an error message. This has now been improved and the user is now presented with an error dialog box in the scenario described.

BZ#747649

NetworkManager did not update the timestamps for system connections. Consequently, the entry under the heading “Last Used” in the connection editor was always “never”, even if the connection had been used. An upstream patch has been applied and NetworkManager now updates connection timestamps for all connections.

BZ#773590

After system boot or when the user re-logged into the Gnome display manager, NetworkManager tried to initialize the user settings proxy even if it was not active. Consequently, this caused an unnecessary warning to be written to the /var/log/messages file. An upstream patch has been applied to prevent NetworkManager from trying to initialize the user settings proxy if the user settings service does not exist. As a result, warning messages are no longer generated in the scenario described.

BZ#787084

NetworkManager inserted erroneous warning messages in the /var/log/messages log file when changing the hostname. An upstream patch has been applied to the nm-dispatcher script and NetworkManager no longer generates unnecessary warnings during a hostname change.

BZ#801744

When an existing DHCP lease was renewed, NetworkManager did not recognize it as a change in DHCP state and therefore failed to run the dispatcher scripts. Consequently, hostnames where purged from DHCP records. With this update the code has been improved and NetworkManager now handles same-state transitions correctly. As a result, hostnames are not purged from the DHCP server when a lease is renewed.

BZ#809784

There were errors in nm-applet's message catalog for some languages. Consequently, the Routes button name in the connection editor was not translated for those languages and appeared in English. The message catalog has been corrected and now the button text is translated correctly for all supported languages.

Enhancements

BZ#209339

NetworkManager did not support EAP-FAST authentication for WPA2 Enterprise wireless networks, which made it unusable in some wireless environments. NetworkManager has been enhanced to handle EAP-FAST authentication.

BZ#673476

NetworkManager did not handle RFC3442-standard classless static routes provided by a DHCP server without manual changes to the dhclient's configuration file. An enhancement has been made to ensure that RFC3442 classless static routes are requested from the DHCP server, and that they are properly processed by NetworkManager without any manual intervention.

BZ#685096

NetworkManager did not recognize IP-over-InfiniBand interfaces, which prevented installation in some situations. These interfaces are now recognized.

BZ#712302, BZ#717475, BZ#804797

Previously, VLAN and bonding interfaces were not supported by NetworkManager and required special configuration to ensure NetworkManager did not interfere with their operation. NetworkManager now recognizes and can configure VLAN and bonding interfaces but only if the NM_BOND_VLAN_ENABLED key is set to yes in /etc/sysconfig/network. The default is that this option is set to no.

BZ#719892

If PolicyKit setup was used to disable creation of shared Wi-Fi networks, and a user tried to create a network using nm-applet, the setup silently failed. With this update, nm-applet now issues a notification providing the reason for the failure.

BZ#798294

When no VPN plug-in for NetworkManager was installed and a user tried to configure a VPN connection, the connection editor displayed an insensitive Add button without giving any indication of the cause. This update adds a tooltip to the button informing the user that editing a VPN connection is disabled due to missing VPN plug-ins.