switching on wireless after minimal install: f16

[Ranjan Maitra]

Hi,

Just playing with minimal install: I was able to install minimally.
Question: how do I switch on wireless?

Playing last week using wired, I simply did: 

chkconfig network on
service network start

but with wireless, I get 

Startnig network (via systemctl): Job failed. See system logs and
'systemctl status' for details....
[FAILED]

Any suggestions?

TIA and best,
Ranjan

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

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On 03/07/2012 02:00 PM, Michael Cronenworth wrote:
>  Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> > You can do it using iwconfig. You can also do it by using the
> > network service instead of NetworkManager. You should have both
> > options available with a minimal install.
>
>  iwconfig may work for WEP, but what about WPA(2)? The man page says 
that
passphrases are not supported.
That is what wpa_supplicant is for. wpa_cli may also be useful.

Mikkel
- -- 
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and
taste good with Ketchup!
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[Michael Cronenworth]

Marko Vojinovic wrote:
>  I believe it would be quite funny to have wireless option during the
>  installation, but not afterwards. The user should be able to activate wireless
>  after the installation in the same way anaconda can do it during the
>  installation. The question is how exactly to do it. 
NetworkManager does not have a command-line interface to add/remove 
connections. You can bring up/down wired connections from the 
command-line, but that's about it. Wireless connections require access 
to the Gnome keyring for the WEP/WPA passphrase, which isn't supported 
by "nmcli" (the command-line tool).

I'm sure Dan Williams would be open to patches implementing support if 
you care to add it. ;)

[Ranjan Maitra]

On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 12:23:52 -0600 Michael Cronenworth <mike(a)cchtml.com&gt;
wrote:

>  Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  > Thanks, my question is: how do I install anything from a minimal install
>  > using wireless? I am not committed to using NetworkManager: how does
>  > one turn wireless on after an install?
>  
>  As I said, you can't.
>  
>  wicd is an alternative to NetworkManager, but you won't have it in your 
>  minimal install.
>  
>  There is no way that I know of to handle connecting to a wireless AP 
>  outside of those two tools. 
Interesting! Because the wireless is used to do the minimal install. 

Thanks again,
Ranjan

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

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On 03/07/2012 12:07 PM, Michael Cronenworth wrote:
>  Ranjan Maitra wrote:
> > Just playing with minimal install: I was able to install minimally.
> > Question: how do I switch on wireless?
>
>  NetworkManager cannot connect to WEP/WPA type access points from a 
command-line.
You must have a GUI (X+Gnome/KDE) installed.
You can do it using iwconfig. You can also do it by using the
network service instead of NetworkManager. You should have both
options available with a minimal install.

Mikkel
- -- 
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and
taste good with Ketchup!
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[Michael Cronenworth]

Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  Thanks, my question is: how do I install anything from a minimal
> install
>  using wireless? I am not committed to using NetworkManager: how does
>  one turn wireless on after an install? 
As I said, you can't.

wicd is an alternative to NetworkManager, but you won't have it in your 
minimal install.

There is no way that I know of to handle connecting to a wireless AP 
outside of those two tools.

[Michael Cronenworth]

Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  Just playing with minimal install: I was able to install minimally.
>  Question: how do I switch on wireless? 
NetworkManager cannot connect to WEP/WPA type access points from a 
command-line. You must have a GUI (X+Gnome/KDE) installed.

[Ranjan Maitra]

On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 17:17:33 +0100 suvayu ali <fatkasuvayu
+linux(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote:

>  On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 04:01, Ranjan Maitra
> <maitra(a)iastate.edu&gt; wrote:
>  > but with wireless, I get
>  >
>  > Startnig network (via systemctl): Job failed. See system logs and
>  > 'systemctl status' for details....
>  > [FAILED]
>  >
>  > Any suggestions?
>  
>  I think for wireless, NetworkManager is preferred. I would simply try:
>  
>  # yum install NetworkManager
>  # systemctl start NetworkManager.service 
Thanks, Suvayu! But I do not have the ability to install NetworkManager
after a minimal install. Can't tell that I have anyway.....

Best wishes,
Ranjan

[Michael Cronenworth]

Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  Interesting! Because the wireless is used to do the minimal install.
Anaconda uses NetworkManager.

[Chris Adams]

Once upon a time, Marko Vojinovic <vvmarko(a)gmail.com&gt; said:
>  If I may chime in a bit... If anaconda uses NetworkManager for the
> minimal 
>  install, then NM should be a part of the minimal install, right? Or else, NM 
>  should be available on the minimal install boot media, so that the OP can use 
>  it somehow to activate his wireless network. 
anaconda is also running X, but that doesn't mean X should be part of
the minimal install.

There will always be arguments about what is "minimal"; to me, minimal
would only have the bare minimum needed to boot and log in (kernel, boot
loader, init system, shell, and basic editor), bring up basic networking
(/sbin/ip and maybe /sbin/ifup and the old "network" service), and
install other software (rpm and yum).  Everything else could be added
from there.

I think it is fair to only support basic wired networking in the minimal
install (things that the most they might need from userspace is a
firmware file and /sbin/ip).  Once you go down the path of adding
wireless, you need daemons (at a minimum wpa_supplicant for most
networks), and then you'll get arguments for other networking methods
(Bluetooth, PPP/PPPoE, cellular, VPNs, etc.).  Now your minimal install
is not so minimal, and you've added a bunch of stuff that isn't
applicable to lots of minimal installs.

If you need wireless on your installed system and want an otherwise
minimal system, select "Minimal" and then customize the package set to
add NetworkManager (and/or whatever is needed for your setup).
-- 
Chris Adams <cmadams(a)hiwaay.net&gt;
Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services
I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.

[Marko Vojinovic]

On Wednesday, 7. March 2012. 13.58.50 Michael Cronenworth wrote:
>  Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  > Interesting! Because the wireless is used to do the minimal install.
>  
>  Anaconda uses NetworkManager. 
If I may chime in a bit... If anaconda uses NetworkManager for the minimal 
install, then NM should be a part of the minimal install, right? Or else, NM 
should be available on the minimal install boot media, so that the OP can use 
it somehow to activate his wireless network.

I believe it would be quite funny to have wireless option during the 
installation, but not afterwards. The user should be able to activate wireless 
after the installation in the same way anaconda can do it during the 
installation. The question is how exactly to do it.

I'd like to know the answer to this one too... ;-)

Best, :-)
Marko

[Michael Cronenworth]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  You can do it using iwconfig. You can also do it by using the
>  network service instead of NetworkManager. You should have both
>  options available with a minimal install. 
iwconfig may work for WEP, but what about WPA(2)? The man page says that 
passphrases are not supported.

[Ranjan Maitra]

On Wed, 7 Mar 2012 12:07:25 -0600 Michael Cronenworth <mike(a)cchtml.com&gt;
wrote:

>  Ranjan Maitra wrote:
>  > Just playing with minimal install: I was able to install minimally.
>  > Question: how do I switch on wireless?
>  
>  NetworkManager cannot connect to WEP/WPA type access points from a 
>  command-line. You must have a GUI (X+Gnome/KDE) installed. 
Thanks, my question is: how do I install anything from a minimal install
using wireless? I am not committed to using NetworkManager: how does
one turn wireless on after an install?

Best,
Ranjan

[Suvayu Ali]

On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 04:01, Ranjan Maitra <maitra(a)iastate.edu&gt; wrote:
>  but with wireless, I get
>
>  Startnig network (via systemctl): Job failed. See system logs and
>  'systemctl status' for details....
>  [FAILED]
>
>  Any suggestions? 
I think for wireless, NetworkManager is preferred. I would simply try:

# yum install NetworkManager
# systemctl start NetworkManager.service

-- 
Suvayu

Open source is the future. It sets us free.