wired ethernet disabled between reboots, was: when startup delays become bugs

[Chris Murphy]

On May 21, 2013, at 2:30 PM, Reindl Harald <h.reindl at thelounge.net> wrote:

> 
> 
> Am 21.05.2013 22:25, schrieb Chris Murphy:
>> On May 21, 2013, at 2:07 PM, Reindl Harald <h.reindl at thelounge.net> wrote:
>>> Am 21.05.2013 22:02, schrieb Chris Murphy:
>>>> Maybe someone can explain to me the use case for ONBOOT= where its value isn't tied 
>>>> to the current network state. I wasted an inordinate,  unreasonable amount of time 
>>>> trying to figure this out before I realized what was going on
>>> 
>>> why should ONBOOT tied to the *current* state?
>> 
>> Common and reasonable user expectation, at least in a GUI.
> 
> you notice the word *boot* contained in ONBOOT?

Not in the GUI. That terminology isn't used there. The equivalent setting in the GUI is buried. The installer behavior is also different between F18 and F19 in this regard, which is how this topic started.


> 
>>> it simply controls if a interface is brought up at
>>> boot or not - not more and not less
>> 
>> It's an unusual convention.
> 
> no it is named as exactly what it does
> it is common since decades that ifcfg-files contain ONBOOT

You are answering the question you wish you'd been asked and changing the context. The context is the GUI. Gnome Shell's menu bar has a network icon, user clicks that icon, and has a Wired option. That option has a binary state, On or Off. The widespread convention on all other GUI OS's is that this setting is sticky through a reboot.

The configuration file ONBOOT= entry is an ancillary issue.


> 
>>> the use case is easy and simple:
>>> i have a spare network for testings on one of my machines
>>> most of the time it is not useed and so not started
>>> if i need it "ifup eth1"
>> 
>> What is the negative side effect of it being On at reboot, when it was left On at the time you initiated the reboot?
> 
> * longer boot time at all and especially if DHCP is enabled
> * the ip address of the interface is usually routed over a different network/interface
> * my testing network may not be present at all

Seems specious. But even if I accept them at face value, it's an insufficient pass for the installer behavior changing in F19 from F18, and still indicates UI deficiency in Gnome.

> 
>> I don't disable my cabled connection or wireless connections, just because I only
>> use one at a time. I leave them both on and I expect a modern OS to use the available one
> 
> and i am living in a servers world where *magic is avoided*

Ok well I have the ability to distinguish between server and laptop use cases. If the OS can't, then that's an area of needed improvement.



Chris Murphy