NetworkManager to reconnect silently

[n2xssvv.g02gfr12930]

On 19/05/11 14:10, Misha Shnurapet wrote:
> 19.05.2011, 21:12, "n2xssvv.g02gfr12930" <n2xssvv.g02gfr12930 at ntlworld.com>:
>> On 19/05/11 09:55, Misha Shnurapet wrote:
>>
>>>  Hi.
>>>
>>>  I asked this question in NetworkManager mailing list, but everyone there seems to be busy, so I decided to ask here.
>>>
>>>  I run torrents on my notebook. On an electricity outage NetworkManager starts asking for a new password, so when I'm not around and the light goes back on (powering up the WLAN router), it just stands stalled with the dialog open.
>>>
>>>  Is there a way to tell NM not to ask for a new password ever? Because I use a 63-symbol passphrase once set up on all the (two) machines so to forget about it.
>>>
>>>  Thanks!
>>>
>>>  NetworkManager-gnome-0.8.4-1.fc14.x86_64
>>>
>>>  --
>>>  Best regards,
>>>  Misha Shnurapet, Fedora Project Contributor
>>>  https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Shnurapet
>>>  shnurapet AT fedoraproject.org, GPG: 00217306
>>
>>   As far as i can tell there is no easy, if any, solution that would not
>> breach the security of your 63-symbol pass phrase. In my experience
>> using knetworkmanager a password is required for each secure Wireless
>> connection  and for security these are stored in a secure encrypted
>> area, (kwallet in my case), which needs just a single password for
>> access. Hence a password is always required for wireless access to
>> reconnect after a power out.
>>   This is not required for wired connections, so unless you can use some
>> wired connection that restarts on power up to do the torrent downloads,
>> you have little choice, without breaching the security provided by your
>> pass phrase, but to accept the problem.
>>   From what I can gather you use long random pass phrases for any
>> external available access which I heartily recommend. Nearly all
>> security breaches are made because it's easy to guess pass phrases that
>> relate to the person who created it.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> cpp4ever
> 
> Many thanks for your answer. However, the nm-applet in GNOME does *not* require you to enter passphrase *each* time you establish the connection you've *once configured*. And this behavior is absolutely correct. Also, makes it feel like with a wired connection.
> 
> What is not absolutely correct is that, when it can't get response from the router, it starts thinking the passphrase has changed (which is wrong because the router is simply off). As soon as power is back on, the AP is back online with the same settings and the same passphrase (how mean of a manufacturer would it be not to implement this). But the client device stands idle  waiting for a passphrase.
> 
> I tested a couple of possible scenarios lately. NetworkManager reconnects nicely on outages that last no more than ~1 minute. Beyond that, it starts asking the question. 
> 

  As for the router, on restarting it will require the initial
connection protocol to be followed. I suspect that after failing to make
contact a number of times the connection information is discarded by the
gnome applet and subsequently will either need it re-entered/reloaded to
then remake a connection. Hence for ~1 minute power outage you can make
a reconnection without re-entering the pass phrase.
  In short the gnome applet appears to only remember pass phrases for
possible connections it can detect. If one disappears for a while and
then reappears it will be treated as an unknown connection as it's
connection information was discarded. Perhaps providing the BSSID router
hardware address would fix this problem.
  As I use the KDE applet,and not the gnome applet, this is my best
guess at what has actually occurred, and the wireless router pass phrase
does remain the same. Have you looked at using cnetworkmanager command
line within a script rather than the gnome applet?

Regards

cpp4ever