Re: Problems modifying gconf connection profile for 802-11-wireless-security

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Thu, 2012-05-31 at 18:38 -0500, Joe Robichaux wrote:
> Where I work there the wireless network configuration seems to cause a
> lot of problems with Linux based systems. Collegues who run Unbutu
> seem to be able to resolve the problem by modifying the corporate SSID
> profile in  /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections such that the
> "group" and "pairwise" settings for the 802-11-wireless-security are
> set to "ccmp;" only and not [ccmp, tkip] which is the default I

This typically indicates a problem with the kernel drivers or the
network configuration, like some access points in the SSID allowing TKIP
but others with the same SSID not allowing TKIP, thus breaking roaming.
That sort of thing is a network configuration error on the part of the
wireless network admins.  If you could email me a list

In any case, the reason the applet doesn't expose the encryption mode
preference is precisely because it's almost never needed, and if it is,
that indicates a problem with the network or driver that's better fixed
at the source.  However, the option is present in the configuration.

>  believe. Howerver, I am running RedHat 6.2 and the connecton profiles
> are defined using gconf in the directory
> ~/.gconf/system/networking/connections. When I try to add new keys for
> the group and pairwise settings to an existing profile one of two
> things  happen, either the profile is not recognized by the network
> manager applet (e.g. the profile name no longer is visible when select
> "Edit Connections") or the network manager or applet overwrites the
> modified gconf.xml file removing the group and pairwise keys.  

This can be done by adding keys to the correct connection in GConf in
the '802-11-wireless-security' section, named 'pairwise' and 'group'.
Each key should be a List type, with String elements, and have a single
element called "ccmp".  I've just tested that to work correctly in
RHEL6.

But yes, if they are edited by nm-connection-editor, those defaults get
cleared, and that's a bug in the version of NM that is shipped in RHEL.
The best thing to do here is to file a bug at http://bugzilla.redhat.com
and we'll evaluate it for inclusion in a future update.

One icky hack for that is to write a small app that runs in your
session, that monitors GConf for changes, and adds back the key as
necessary.

Alternatively, you could make the connection a "system" connection (by
checking the "Available to all users" box in the editor), and set the
CIPHER_PAIRWISE and CIPHER_GROUP keys to "CCMP" in the connections file
in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/.  But again, editing that
configuration would likely reset those values due to the bug in the
applet.

Dan

> Can anyone help me modify the network connection profiles manually so
> that I can change the certain defaults that the network manager applet
> does not provide mechanisms to modify and have network manager
> recognize that profile?
> 
> The NetworManager components installed on my system are shown below
> for reference :
> 
> NetworkManager-pptp-0.8.0-1.git20100411.el6.x86_64
> NetworkManager-0.8.1-15.el6.x86_64
> NetworkManager-glib-0.8.1-15.el6.x86_64
> NetworkManager-openconnect-0.8.1-2.el6.x86_64
> NetworkManager-gnome-0.8.1-15.el6.x86_64
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> networkmanager-list mailing list
> networkmanager-list gnome org
> https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/networkmanager-list