Operation Manual

NetworkManager tries to keep your computer connected at all times using the best
connection available. If the network cable is accidentally disconnected, it tries to
reconnect. It can nd the network with the best signal strength from the list of your
wireless connections and automatically use it to connect. To get the same function-
ality with ifup, a great deal of conguration effort is required.
21.5.2 NetworkManager Functionality and
Conguration Files
The individual network connection settings created with NetworkManager are stored
in conguration proles. The system connections congured with either NetworkMan-
ager or YaST can be found in /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-*. Any user-
dened connections are stored in GConf for GNOME or $HOME/.kde4/share/
apps/networkmanagement/* for KDE.
In case no prole is congured, NetworkManager automatically creates one and names
it Auto $INTERFACE-NAME. That is made in an attempt to work without any con-
guration for as many cases as (securely) possible. If the automatically created proles
do not suit your needs, use the network connection conguration dialogs provided by
KDE or GNOME to modify them as desired. For more information, refer to Section “Con-
guring Network Connections” (Chapter 5, Using NetworkManager, ↑Start-Up).
21.5.3 Controlling and Locking Down
NetworkManager Features
On centrally administered machines, certain NetworkManager features can be controlled
or disabled with PolicyKit, for example if a user is allowed to modify administrator
dened connections or if a user is allowed to dene his own network congurations.
To view or change the respective NetworkManager policies, start the graphical Autho-
rizations tool for PolicyKit. In the tree on the left side, nd them below the network-
manager-settings entry. For an introduction to PolicyKit and details on how to use it,
refer to Chapter 9, PolicyKit (↑Security Guide).
350 Reference