Re: How to get VPNC working on FC5?

["Robert G. Brown" <rgb phy duke edu>]

On Tue, 6 Jun 2006, Derek Atkins wrote:

> Hmm..  After rebooting and restarting (due to a number of other
> reasons) the VPN configuration is now in the list.  I guess I would
> have assumed it would get there in real-time.

I've noticed a very odd asynchronous aspect to NM in many contexts, not
just this one.  I got it going on a Toshiba M55 laptop today (ipw2200).
I already knew the tricks to getting an ipw2200 going at all (installing
the firmware rpm from livna, e.g.) but still, once it came up I went
through an endless cycle of clicking both the connect to new network and
connect to other network buttons, entering the (non-broadcast) essid of
my home network, entering its WAP code (only there as a casual block, I
know it is easily breakable but use ssh etc without exception
internally) and not getting a connection.

So after trying this maybe a dozen times (I'm patient and repetition has
worked before) it finally just works.  THEN it works consistently.

This kind of non-deterministic behavior with no controls is seriously
maddening.  Why doesn't it work the first time?  I'm twenty feet from
the WAP (signal strength is perfect).  The WAP is working (my other
laptop is connected and accessible any time I hook up the wire).  The
wireless interface is working (it finds neighbor's networks with
broadcast essids).  I'm not actually so uncoordinated as to mistype the
essid and WEP code 10 times in a row.  SOMETHING makes it fail, but it
is so opaque that I can't even help debug what it is -- and then of
course it just works, sometimes after a reboot (or two), sometimes
before.

The problem is that anyone who isn't a serious computer person would
give up LONG before getting through this, and the "solution" is to be
patient.  There is some state information that we don't have access to
through the interface that is crucial to the connection, basically.
When the state is correct, everything happens, but the only control
interface one has to state is the same panel, over and over.  NM needs
to give users more control over what happens, in particular a better
interface to the essid's the connect to.  I can't EDIT the configuration
of something I've entered (outside of editing raw xml in .gconf) but I
can enter it over and over again -- and have to in order to even retry.

     rgb

> -derek
>
> Derek Atkins <warlord MIT EDU> writes:
>
> > hi,
> >
> > I just upgraded from FC3 to FC5 and modulo a few issues it seems to
> > be working okay..  I wanted to play with the VPNC plugin, so I created
> > a new VPN configuration but I can't figure out how to tell NM to
> > actually startup the VPN!
> >
> > > From the applet, I left click, go to VPN Connections, and all I see are
> > "Configure VPN" and "Disconnect VPN" (the latter greyed out).
> >
> > I thought that maybe it didn't like the space in the name of my VPN
> > so I tried to edit the name..  And then I had TWO copies of the config
> > (I guess 'Edit' with a name-change didn't auto-delete the older configuration
> > like I expected it to).  I then deleted the old config.
> >
> > SOMEWHERE along the way I got these messages on my terminal (where I
> > started the applet).
> >
> > Any ideas?  Suggestions?
> >
> > Do I need to clear out my old FC3 gconf configuration?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > -derek
> >
> > (NetworkManager:17752): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_list_store_remove: assertion
> > `VALID_ITER (iter, list_store)' failed
> >
> > ** (nm-applet:17687): WARNING **: <WARNING>
> > nmi_dbus_get_vpn_connection_properties (): applet-dbus-info.c:639 - couldn't
> > get 'name' item from GConf.
> >
> >
> > ** (nm-applet:17687): WARNING **: <WARNING>
> > nmi_dbus_get_vpn_connection_properties (): applet-dbus-info.c:639 - couldn't
> > get 'name' item from GConf.
> >
> >
> > ** (nm-applet:17687): WARNING **: <WARNING>
> > nmi_dbus_get_vpn_connection_properties (): applet-dbus-info.c:639 - couldn't
> > get 'name' item from GConf.
> >
> >
> > ** (nm-applet:17687): WARNING **: <WARNING>
> > nmi_dbus_get_vpn_connection_properties (): applet-dbus-info.c:639 - couldn't
> > get 'name' item from GConf.
> >
> >
> > ** (nm-applet:17687): WARNING **: <WARNING>
> > nmi_dbus_get_vpn_connection_properties (): applet-dbus-info.c:639 - couldn't
> > get 'name' item from GConf.
> >
> >
> > --
> >        Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
> >        Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
> >        URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
> >        warlord MIT EDU                        PGP key available
> > _______________________________________________
> > NetworkManager-list mailing list
> > NetworkManager-list gnome org
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/networkmanager-list

--
Robert G. Brown	                       http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
Phone: 1-919-660-2567  Fax: 919-660-2525     email:rgb phy duke edu