NetworkManager system-wide use

[David Nielsen]

fre, 26 05 2006 kl. 11:48 -0600, skrev Philip Prindeville:
> David Hollis wrote:
> > On Fri, 2006-05-26 at 11:14 -0600, Philip Prindeville wrote:
> >
> >   
> >> Sorry for the slight digression, but can someone explain to me why
> >> NetworkManager has a dependency on wpa_supplicant?  Not all
> >> wireless networks use WEP/WPA (some are wide open).  Further,
> >> not all networked machines (like my desktop) have Wireless NIC's.
> >>
> >> It would seem to be an unnecessary (and unfounded) dependency.
> >>     
> >
> > Uh, unless I really don't understand your question, the dependency is
> > there because SOME/MOST networks do use WEP/WPA.  
> >   
> 
> Not true.  A lot of hotspots (Starbuck's, Boise airport, certain municipal
> networks like Portland, OR, etc. are all open access, with no WEP/WPA).
> 
> It is sometimes or even *mostly* the case, but not always.  Therefore, in
> the cases where it doesn't apply, no dependency should exist.
> 
> The RPM should have some way of detecting if wireless cards are present
> (perhaps using the contents of /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-*) and
> then inferring a dependence of wpa_supplicant (which as I said, only
> applies IFF you have wireless hardware and the networks you use
> require authentication and/or privacy).

I read that correctly you want to install the rpm in runtime.

"Oh it looks like you have wifi and you want to connect using WEP/WPA..
please give me the root password." 

That sounds like an utterly scary scenerio. You are forgetting the the
system is dynamic, so the user can insert a wifi capable device at any
time and to connect to a protected network you would then for first time
require the root password to install the rpm.

This should just magically work, which means the package must be
installed. The natural thing to do this would be make networkmanager
depend on it. What is the tradeoff here, a dependency on 241kb package
vs. having to install something in runtime (the logic to do this would
probably be comparable in size to be honest).

Please tell me I read your proposal wrong.

- David
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