I found that most of the linuxes using KDE 4.4 have this problem with their network manager that (in kubuntu 10.04\fedora 13 kde\opensuse 11.3 kde)when you right-click the icon of network on the taskbar,there will be a right-click menu appears.I am using ADSL(pppoe network connection)and I click on the "manage connections".Then a window will appear.I created a new DSL connection and click"apply" and "OK".The window will disappear.But when I right-cilck the network icon on the taskbar in order to choose the DSL connection I created just now,I found that I cannot find the new DSL connection on the right-click menu just appeared!
That is a very big problem.I hope the KDE 4.5 will solve this problem soon.

Have you been able to use the GNOME network manager to use the ADSL connection? It cannot run alongside the KDE Network Manager, but is fully functional under KDE.

I wanted to,but when I "sudo apt-get install gnome network manager",it seems that it has installed it.But when I remove the KDE network manager and logout then login,I found neither can I use GNOME network manager but nor can I use the KDE's!

If you run the following command in Konsole, then the GNOME network manager should be launched.

Code: Select all

killall -9 knetworkmanager & qdbus org.kde.kded /kded unloadModule networkmanagement && nm-applet &

thx.I will have a try.

what does the 'qdbus org.kde.kded /kded unloadModule networkmanagement' do exactly? i.e. what does the kded networkmanagement module do?

/mark

There is always something wrong with NM under KDE4. It has been dysfunctional from day one, and anyone using it has had to put up with a dismal cycle of fixed-broken-update-broken etc, ad infinitum. Distro help on KDE wireless fall into two categories, hardware and software, probably 70% are software, and of those 95% are about a broken Knetworkmanager.

Other than the fact that it just doesn't work most of the time there is also the stupid requirement for Kwallet, to which it should never have been linked other than as an option. The option should be opt into using it not jump through hoops and opt out.

K4.5 is fast approaching and KDE still does not have a faultproof, functioning network manager. I use WICD, I tell everyone else to use WICD. It is time KDE dropped NM and either embraced WICD or Connman, or came up with something that actually works.

Few Distros actually use Networkmanager as default (I wish mine didn't) it apparently works well under Gnome, but, certainly the KNetworkmanager front end, is completely rubbish under KDE.

The command 'qdbus org.kde.kded /kded unloadModule networkmanagement' instructs KDE Daemon to unload the Network Management module. The Network Management module is the backend component for the Network Management applet. Without the module the applet does not function. However, it will conflict with the GNOME Network Manager if both are run simultaneously.

The requirement for KWallet is for security purposes. If it irritates you, then simply have a password less wallet. GNOME's Network Manager uses GNOME Keyring which is the KWallet equivalent in GNOME. Wicd stores your passwords in plain text on the system, in a root only accessible location which can be easily breached by a malicious attacker. Especially in the case of Corporate VPN's this security practice is not acceptable.

Also note that whilst a "few" distributions may use Network Manager by default, those that do tend to be the major ones.

Myself, I have never had a problem with KDE Network Management.

bcooksley wrote:The requirement for KWallet is for security purposes. If it irritates you, then simply have a password less wallet. GNOME's Network Manager uses GNOME Keyring which is the KWallet equivalent in GNOME. Wicd stores your passwords in plain text on the system, in a root only accessible location which can be easily breached by a malicious attacker. Especially in the case of Corporate VPN's this security practice is not acceptable.

Which is all fine, except many users do not need that level of security. I have tried, on numerous occasions, to set up KWallet with a null password, and it hasn't worked, KWallet keeps popping up all the time.
My point is that while a level of security will be required for some people, it should be set up as 'OFF" as default and with the ability to turn it on if needed. At the moment with KNM, it is tied to KWallet, and shouldn't be, unless the user requests it.
Which doesn't change the fact that KNM is not fit for purpose,as evidenced by pages of forum discussions. While some people do not have a problem, many others do. In these days of mobile computing wireless connection needs to be seamless and unobtrusive, something KNM isn't.
This has been a problem since KDE 4.0, and as no real resolution is in sight the concept of wireless management is something which is well overdue for a complete rethink. While networkmanger maybe a good backend, KNM is rubbish.

I think I said it already, but let me reinstate: KNM is not the officially supported way to connect to NetworkManager. It was meant to be a stop-gap solution until the plasmoid was in better shape (such as it is now), and in fact it's disabled by default in the build in recent SVN revisions.

I second bcooksley's sentiments. I've been able to use the plasmoid on wireless, wired, and 3G connections with ease (those with a small "hack" using blueman to get my phone connected via BT and not a cable - but that's the fault of NM, not of the applet).

Will the KDE 4.5 solve this problem?I hope soon so that we have enough reasons to throw the gnome away.After the problem is solved,in my mind KDE is perfect.

grubstreet wrote:Will the KDE 4.5 solve this problem?

First of all, there is no “KDE 4.5”. A rebranding took place last November. After such long time people should start to learn that the software package is called “SC” (Software Compilation).

Secondly: No. KDE SC 4.5 will not solve the problem, simply because all Network Management stuff is not even part of the SC. It's a separate Extragear application just like Amarok. It has its own release cycle and I have no idea when the next release will be made, because – sadly – http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/Network_Management offers no roadmap.
The Network Management team though stated that they plan to do releases more frequently than the SC.

First of all, there is no “KDE 4.5”. A rebranding took place last November. After such long time people should start to learn that the software package is called “SC” (Software Compilation).

That's a good marketing joke. Why should KDE succeed, where McDonaalds failed? (In the year 2003 a.d. McDonalds Germany renamed "Juniortüte" to "Happy Meal". And you would not believe, but still people talk about "Juniortüte" and still they order "Juniortüte" and get the right thing.)

But the KDE SC 4.5 is just the SC.I think it is not RTMed(like windows 7,it has the RC edition and the RTM edition,and the RTM is stable and be-sold)And maybe after one more meeting,when the KDE stable edition is released,it will be solved.
If it is not available,can I use wicd to manage the network?If yes,how to use it?

Legion wrote:My point is that while a level of security will be required for some people, it should be set up as 'OFF" as default and with the ability to turn it on if needed.

I strongly disagree.
Choosing th weakest possible option as the default is what got Microsoft into the security mess they are in now.
It leads to bad practice because after some time even developers forget about the existance of these security facilities.

Moreover, consequences of weak security are unfortunately not restricted to the users chosing that path for convenience. The lax or almost non existant access proctection on Windows (though this has been greately improved by recent versions) has had serious impact on infrastructure shared with everyone else, e.g. the Internet (spam, botnets, etc).

So maybe the introduction screen of KWallet's first time setup should better explain that choosing a password will require to enter it once per session.

Legion wrote:Which doesn't change the fact that KNM is not fit for purpose,as evidenced by pages of forum discussions. While some people do not have a problem, many others do.

This is indeed strange.
I personally know people who have problems, while at the same time they know that I haven't any in all the years I am using it.

Sometimes we managed to track down problems to system level configuration interfering with the networkmanager itself (the system process, not the end user UI). E.g. Debian users having interfaces configured in /etc/networking/interfaces.

It seems to be very specific to the kind of network setup in use, i.e. wired and wireless work fine, dialing based (GSM, DSL, etc) seem to be problematic.

Cheers,
_