Running NetworkManager on Fluxbox on Slackware 14.0

BrutalMusic · 12-23-2012, 09:04 PM

What is the current best practice for running NetworkManager on Fluxbox on Slackware 14.0?

I'm running across a lot of conflicting information on how to run a GUI interface for NetworkManager. There is plenty of information on how it was done for 13.37 but there is also mention that there was work being done on it in preparation for NetworkManager's addition to the standard software set.

http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:beginners_guide suggests the slackbuild for network-manager-applet, but the repository doesn't have that slackbuild for 14.0. It has it for 13.37, which makes me wonder whether there's something more appropriate in the default installation.

I have a fresh, full install of Slackware 14.0 32-bit. slocate has listings for both network-manager-applet and nm-applet, but when I attempt to start nm-applet from a terminal emulator in Fluxbox, I get

Code:

bash-4.2$ nm-applet

** (nm-applet:6171): CRITICAL **: dbus_set_g_error: assertion `gerror == NULL || *gerror == NULL' failed
Segmentation fault

The references to network-manager-applet found by slocate are in /var/log and /usr/doc, so no usable program there.

I can't help but suspect that there's a new way that this is done that I can't find amongst all the information on how it formerly was done. How am I supposed to do this?

(Note: Since I'm sure people will suggest wicd, I've used wicd in the past and it doesn't work with my workplace's enterprise-wpa2 encryption. Ubuntu installations can get onto the network, so I'd like to see if NetworkManager fixes the issue.)

Thanks!

malekmustaq · 12-24-2012, 07:08 AM

Quote:

but the repository doesn't have that slackbuild for 14.0. It has it for 13.37, which makes me wonder whether there's something more appropriate in the default installation.

Slackware 14 installer includes a network manager applet. There is also a good Network Applet (Manager) that runs over Slackware 14 here.

Quote:

but when I attempt to start nm-applet from a terminal emulator in Fluxbox

Try issue that X command from the run window: Press ALT+F2 write it there and press Enter.

Hope that helps.

BrutalMusic · 12-25-2012, 02:58 AM

Thanks for your reply!

Quote:

Originally Posted by malekmustaq

Quote:

but when I attempt to start nm-applet from a terminal emulator in Fluxbox

Try issue that X command from the run window: Press ALT+F2 write it there and press Enter.

I currently have xfce4-power-manager running in the tray. When I started nm-applet from the run box, that icon flickered to the left (as in, moved over to make room for another icon) but then went back to its usual location. ps -e reports that there are no instances of nm-applet running.

network-manager-applet is the same thing as nm-applet. network-manager-applet-0.9.4.1-i486-2.txz in Slackware 14.0's default software set. network-manager-applet actually renames itself nm-applet when it installs, so there are two names for the one application.

The Segmentation Fault I mentioned in my first post is a rare problem that should be fixed by updating NetworkManager, according to a post here http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...em-4175426353/

To get the most current version:

I downloaded http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sourc...0.9.6.4.tar.xz and http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sourc...0.9.6.4.tar.xz.
I unzipped each and used the instructions at http://www.slackwiki.com/Building_A_Package. (I suspect it was overkill to make packages and that I could have used make install.)
I used installpkg to install the NetworkManager package and then the network-manager-applet package.

Now, when I run nm-applet I get the error

Code:

bash-4.2$ nm-applet

(nm-applet:13253): GLib-GIO-ERROR **: Settings schema 'org.gnome.nm-applet' is not installed

Trace/breakpoint trap

but the package is installed

Code:

bash-4.2$ which nm-applet
/usr/bin/nm-applet

The post I quoted above doesn't mention updating network-manager-applet, just NetworkManager. So I uninstalled the network-manager-applet and reinstalled the version on the Slackware 14.0 DVD.

When starting nm-applet from the run box, I get the flickering icon, as noted above. (With the higher version that didn't happen.) There's also a new error when I start it from a terminal emulator in Fluxbox:

Code:

bash-4.2$ nm-applet

** (nm-applet:13788): WARNING **: Could not initialize NMClient /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager: Rejected send message, 2 matched rules; type="method_call", sender=":1.37" (uid=1000 pid=13788 comm="nm-applet ") interface="org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties" member="GetAll" error name="(unset)" requested_reply="0" destination="org.freedesktop.NetworkManager" (uid=0 pid=2022 comm="/usr/sbin/NetworkManager ")
** Message: applet now removed from the notification area
** Message: applet now embedded in the notification area
** Message: applet now removed from the notification area

** (nm-applet:13788): WARNING **: Failed to register as an agent: (32) No session found for uid 1000
** Message: Starting applet secret agent because GNOME Shell disappeared

** (nm-applet:13788): WARNING **: Failed to register as an agent: (32) No session found for uid 1000
^C** Message: PID 0 (we are 13788) sent signal 2, shutting down...

malekmustaq · 12-25-2012, 11:38 AM

Quote:

I currently have xfce4-power-manager running in the tray. When I started nm-applet from the run box, that icon flickered to the left (as in, moved over to make room for another icon) but then went back to its usual location. ps -e reports that there are no instances of nm-applet running.

Try run only one network manager at a time. Have you killed the xfce-network-manager first before starting another network manager? Network manager takes control over the ethernet device and if there are two of them they contend each other.

Quote:

network-manager-applet is the same thing as nm-applet. network-manager-applet-0.9.4.1-i486-2.txz in Slackware 14.0's default software set. network-manager-applet actually renames itself nm-applet when it installs, so there are two names for the one application.

Actually there is only one name of application, and its binary it calls "nm-applet" which it installs at /usr/bin--

Code:

~ $ cat /var/log/packages/network-manager* | grep bin
usr/bin/
usr/bin/nm-connection-editor
usr/bin/nm-applet

See, there is only one binary for the purpose. The other one is a connection editor.

Quote:

The Segmentation Fault I mentioned in my first post is a rare problem that should be fixed by updating NetworkManager, according to a post here http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...em-4175426353/
To get the most current version:
I downloaded http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sourc...0.9.6.4.tar.xz and http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sourc...0.9.6.4.tar.xz.
I unzipped each and used the instructions at http://www.slackwiki.com/Building_A_Package. (I suspect it was overkill to make packages and that I could have used make install.)
I used installpkg to install the NetworkManager package and then the network-manager-applet package.
Now, when I run nm-applet I get the error

These cases exist only among those Slackware 14 systems that came by way of "upgrading" from previous version 13.37 (or probably those also from version 13.1) but none of these troubles ever occur among those by way of fresh installation of version 14. If you want to eliminate this problem you will need to remove from the system files some older versions of Gnome libraries.

Upgrading from one version to another is not really advisable between major stable versions; I have this lesson from experience. So, as matter of policy I always mount my /home at separate partition so that I can do fresh version install to the system partitions anytime.

Hope that helps.

Good luck.

BrutalMusic · 12-26-2012, 08:31 PM

Thanks for your reply!

Quote:

Originally Posted by malekmustaq

Quote:

I currently have xfce4-power-manager running in the tray. When I started nm-applet from the run box, that icon flickered to the left (as in, moved over to make room for another icon) but then went back to its usual location. ps -e reports that there are no instances of nm-applet running.

Try run only one network manager at a time. Have you killed the xfce-network-manager first before starting another network manager? Network manager takes control over the ethernet device and if there are two of them they contend each other.

That's xfce4-power-manager, not xfce-network-manager. Network manager (nm-applet) is the only network manager running.

Quote:

These cases exist only among those Slackware 14 systems that came by way of "upgrading" from previous version 13.37 (or probably those also from version 13.1) but none of these troubles ever occur among those by way of fresh installation of version 14. If you want to eliminate this problem you will need to remove from the system files some older versions of Gnome libraries.

This is a fresh, full install. Before this format and install, I had another install of Slackware 14.0. That install was having odd application crashing issues, so I decided to just format and start fresh.

One thing to note, though...

When I got the segmentation fault, my system also had another problem I hadn't noticed. It didn't have the correct driver for its Broadcom BCM4315 card. I have since installed the driver from slackbuilds. It's currently giving me the error I recently noted:

Code:

bash-4.2$ nm-applet

** (nm-applet:13788): WARNING **: Could not initialize NMClient /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager: Rejected send message, 2 matched rules; type="method_call", sender=":1.37" (uid=1000 pid=13788 comm="nm-applet ") interface="org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties" member="GetAll" error name="(unset)" requested_reply="0" destination="org.freedesktop.NetworkManager" (uid=0 pid=2022 comm="/usr/sbin/NetworkManager ")
** Message: applet now removed from the notification area
** Message: applet now embedded in the notification area
** Message: applet now removed from the notification area

** (nm-applet:13788): WARNING **: Failed to register as an agent: (32) No session found for uid 1000
** Message: Starting applet secret agent because GNOME Shell disappeared

Thanks!