[Kubuntu] Which script initializes a USB wireless device once it is plugged in?

MonctonJohn · 08-12-2008, 11:57 AM

Here's the story. I have DansGuardian, tinyproxy and firehol working on my kid's computer. The issue is that the PC has a wireless usb adapter and when I reboot the PC after it gets an IP I always have to restart the three services for it to work. I would like to know which script sets up the wireless card and gives it an IP. I would like to insert some restart statements into this script so that I don't have to manually restart the three services. Any help is always appreciated.

tredegar · 08-12-2008, 03:07 PM

Quote:

when I reboot the PC after it gets an IP I always have to restart the three services for it to work.

Why are you rebooting the computer after it gets an IP?

Quote:

I would like to know which script sets up the wireless card and gives it an IP.

This is configured in /etc/network/interfaces

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I would like to insert some restart statements into this script so that I don't have to manually restart the three services.

I don't think you want, or need, to restart them from the interfaces file.

Just put them into /home/USERNAME/.kde/Autostart and make them executable. For example in my /home/USERNAME/.kde/Autostart I have this file called localfixes :

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# Disable the stupid Caps Lock key, make it "Shift":
xmodmap -e "remove Lock = Caps_Lock"
xmodmap -e "add Shift = Caps_Lock"
# load the default nvidia settings (I like a dimmed screen)
nvidia-settings -l

The file is executable:

Code:

tred@vaio:~$ ls -al .kde/Autostart/localfixes
-rwxr-xr-x 1 tred tred 216 2008-06-15 17:20 .kde/Autostart/localfixes

Or, if you want them to run as root, call them just before the final exit 0 in /etc/rc.local

MonctonJohn · 08-12-2008, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Quote:
when I reboot the PC after it gets an IP I always have to restart the three services for it to work.
Why are you rebooting the computer after it gets an IP?

Oops... I should have been clearer. After I'm done working on it and I shut it down, the next day I boot it up and plug in the USB Wireless NIC then it gets an IP.

Quote:

Or, if you want them to run as root, call them just before the final exit 0 in /etc/rc.local

I do want them to run as root, but they have to be able to run at some point after the NIC is plugged in. rc.local runs at startup so this won't work for me I don't think. Somehow I want to restart these services after the NIC is configured with an IP.

Any ideas?

tredegar · 08-13-2008, 02:16 AM

Perhaps take a look at the scripts in /etc/network/if-up.d/*
These seem to be executed after (any) interface comes up.

You'll need something like:

Code:

#! /bin/sh

if [ "$IFACE" = eth0 ]; then
	your commands here
fi

MonctonJohn · 08-13-2008, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Perhaps take a look at the scripts in /etc/network/if-up.d/*

Thanks.

I'll check it out tonight.

At work on Windoze. Can't play right now

tredegar · 08-13-2008, 03:48 PM

Quote:

At work on Windoze. Can't play right now

That's why I have a tiny but fully functional Asus eee 701 - to "play" with at work. "Lunch 5-mins" and all that.
It is now running Kubuntu 8.04 perfectly, though a few tweaks were necessary. Goodbye Xandros

I just tried my suggestion for a solution for you:

I put this script into /etc/network/if-up.d/testing

Code:

#!/bin/bash
if [ "$IFACE" = eth1 ]; then
    echo eth1 was brought up at `date` >> /home/tred/eth_log
fi

And made it executable.

As root, I brought down my interface, then up again:

Code:

ifdown eth1
ifup eth1

The testing logfile appeared:

Code:

tred@vaio:~$ cat /home/tred/eth_log
eth1 was brought up at Wed Aug 13 21:40:36 BST 2008

And the resulting logfile is owned by root, so the script was run as root.

Therefore I would expect that you can run any arbitrary commands from such a script and they will be run after the interface is brought up.

Obviously, you'll need to change eth1 for whatever your relevant interface is called.

How much error-checking and reporting, you care to put into such a script is up to you (As you see, I have NONE, but it was just a test.)

Let us know how you get on.

MonctonJohn · 08-13-2008, 05:43 PM

Quote:

That's why I have a tiny but fully functional Asus eee 701 - to "play" with at work. "Lunch 5-mins" and all that.
It is now running Kubuntu 8.04 perfectly, though a few tweaks were necessary. Goodbye Xandros

I was able to use Ubuntu at work for a project for a while but we ran out of time and funds. I'm hoping something happens in the future so I can get back to it again.

Quote:

Let us know how you get on.

It works... after a little tweaking. Seems the whole tinyproxy/firehol/dansguardian is a little specific on which one needs to be started first so after playing with that it finally came up properly. Thanks for all the help tredegar. Now I just have to teach my daughter how to use it

btw: the ifup/ifdown commands didn't seem to work with my NIC. Complained about it not being configured. The NIC is call wlan0 so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.