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8.123. NetworkManager

Updated NetworkManager packages that fix several bugs and add various enhancements are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
NetworkManager is a system network service that manages network devices and connections, attempting to keep network connectivity active when available. It manages Ethernet, Wi-Fi, mobile broadband (WWAN), and PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) devices, and provides integration with a variety of VPN services.

Bug Fixes

BZ#922558
Previously, NetworkManager did not explicitly request static routes from DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) servers, and thus some servers would not deliver those routes. With this update, NetworkManager now requests static routes from DHCP servers when available.
BZ#701381
Previously, it was impossible for some users to check Enable Wireless box in NetworkManager as the field was unresponsive. Moreover, the Enable Wireless connection option was unavailable in NetworkManager after hardware was disabled and enabled again. With this update, users can turn on the wireless connection from the GUI after their hardware is reenabled.
BZ#1008884
When running the NetworkManager applet in some Virtual Machine (VM) configurations, left-clicking on the icon could cause the applet to terminate unexpectedly. This bug has been fixed and the applet no longer crashes in these configurations.
BZ#923648
Previously, bridge and bond connections created through the NetworkManager connection editor (nm-connection-editor) were not set to connect automatically, and thus had to be manually started. With this update, these connections automatically start when created by default.
BZ#896198
A GATEWAY setting in the /etc/sysconfig/network file caused NetworkManager to assign that GATEWAY to all interfaces with static IP addresses. This scenario took place even if no GATEWAY or a different one was specified for these addresses. To fix this bug, if GATEWAY is given in /etc/sysconfig/network, only configurations with a matching gateway address will be given the default route. Alternatively, the DEFROUTE=yes/no option may be used in individual configuration files to allow or deny the default route on a per-configuration basis.
BZ#836993
Previously, when using the vpnc program via NetworkManager with token out of synchronization, the server prompted for a next token. However, NetworkManager misinterpreted this response and reported a failed connection. With this update, a new prompt for next token code has been added to the NetworkManager-vpnc utility, thus fixing the bug.
BZ#991341
Prior to this update, on receipt of an IPv6 Router Advertisement, NetworkManager attempted to replace the IPv6 default route which the kernel had added. Consequently, the kernel returned the following failure message:
'ICMPv6 RA: ndisc_router_discovery() failed to add default route.'
To fix this bug, NetworkManager no longer replaces an IPv6 default route added by the kernel.
BZ#758076
Previously, it was not possible to choose Certificate Authority (CA) certificate via the "Choose certificate" dialog window in nm-connection-editor. This was confusing for the user. The dialog checkbox information has been replaced with a more informative text, thus fixing the bug.
BZ#919242
Previously, when NetworkManager was not allowed to manage bridge, bond, or VLAN interfaces due to the missing NM_BOND_BRIDGE_VLAN_ENABLED option in the /etc/sysconfig/network file, the NetworkManager connection editor (nm-connection-editor) still allowed the user to create these types of network connections. The editor now warns the user when unusable connections have been created, thus fixing the bug.
BZ#915480
Previously, the NetworkManager GUI applet (nm-applet) did not show bridge, bond, or VLAN interfaces in the menu. With this update, the nm-applet has been enhanced to show all available bond, bridge, and VLAN interfaces that are configured but not yet created.
BZ#905532
Due to some missing ignored options for bonding interfaces, the /sys/class/net/bond0/bonding/primary file was empty during installation. In addition, the network traffic went through eth0 during installation. This bug has been fixed and NetworkManager now supports a much larger set of bond interface options.
BZ#953076
Previously, in some cases, NetworkManager was unable to set the mode of a bond master interface. A patch has been provided to fix this bug and the mode setting now changes according to nm-editor alterations.
BZ#953123
Previously, the NetworkManager connection editor (nm-connection-editor) did not allow setting the cloned MAC address for VLAN interfaces. A patch has been provided to fix this bug and nm-connection-editor now works as expected.
BZ#969363
Prior to this update, the manual page of nm-online did not describe the correct usage of nm-online parameters, such as the -t option. The manual page has been updated to describe the usage of its parameters correctly.
BZ#973245
Previously, NetworkManager wrote and saved only connection types compatible with standard ifcfg network configuration files. This bug has been fixed and other connection types like Bluetooth, WWAN, can now be saved as keyfiles in the /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ directory.
BZ#902372
Previously, when taking control of an existing bridge, NetworkManager did not ensure a clean bridge state. With this update, NetworkManager resets bridge options and removes all bridge ports, which ensures clean bridge state on start-up with bridging support enabled.
BZ#867273
After configuring the IP-over-InfiniBand (IPoIB) profile on machine with an InfiniBand (IB) device, the profile was not connected. This bug has been fixed and IP-over-Infiniband (IPoIB) network configurations are now listed in the network applet menu.
BZ#713975
After changing the authentication or inner authentication drop-down menus in the configuration for a new wireless network connection, the "Ask for this password every time" checkbox kept resetting. To fix this bug, the updated NetworkManager GUI applet saves the value of the checkbox when connecting to WPA Enterprise networks.
BZ#906133
Prior to this update, an Ad-Hoc WiFi network failed to start when its BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) was specified, due to kernel restrictions. To fix this bug, the NetworkManager connection editor (nm-connection-editor) disallows setting the BSSID for ad-Hoc WiFi connections, since this value is automatically chosen by the kernel.

Enhancements

BZ#602265
With this update, NetworkManager has been enhanced to support the creation and management of Point-to-point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) based connections. NetworkManager now waits a short period of time before reconnecting a PPPoE connection to ensure the peer is ready.
BZ#694789
A new GATEWAY_PING_TIMEOUT configuration option has been added. This new option ensures that NetworkManager waits for a successful ping of the gateway before indicating network connectivity.
BZ#990310
NetworkManager now reads ifcfg alias files and assigns the addresses in them to their master interface, using the alias name as the address label.
BZ#564467, BZ#564465
Manual pages for nm-connection-editor and nm-applet utilities have been created.
Users of NetworkManager are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix these bugs and add these enhancements.