In the following, find some frequently asked questions about configuring special network options with NetworkManager.
By default, connections in NetworkManager are device type-specific: they apply to all physical devices with the same type. If more than one physical device per connection type is available (for example, your machine is equipped with two ethernet cards), you can tie a connection to a certain device .
To do so in GNOME, first look up the MAC address of your device (use the available from the applet/widget, or use the output of command line tools like nm-tool or ifconfig). Then start the dialog for configuring network connections and choose the connection you want to modify. On the or tab, enter the of the device and confirm your changes with .
If you use KDE, start the dialog for configuring network connections and choose the connection you want to modify. On the or tab, use the option to select the network interface to which to tie the connection.
When multiple access points with different wireless bands (a/b/g/n) are available, the access point with the strongest signal is automatically chosen by default. To override this, use the field when configuring wireless connections.
The Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) uniquely identifies each Basic Service Set. In an infrastructure Basic Service Set, the BSSID is the MAC address of the wireless access point. In an independent (ad-hoc) Basic Service Set, the BSSID is a locally administered MAC address generated from a 46-bit random number.
Start the dialog for configuring network connections from the GNOME Control Center with + or in KDE 4 from the with +. Choose the wireless connection you want to modify and click . On the tab, enter the BSSID.
The primary device (the device which is connected to the Internet) does not need any special configuration. However, you need to configure the device that is connected to the local hub or machine as follows:
Start the dialog for configuring network connections from the GNOME Control Center with + or in KDE 4 from the with +. Choose the connection you want to modify and click . If you are using GNOME, switch to the tab and from the drop-down list, choose . If you are using KDE, switch to the tab and from the drop-down list, choose . That will enable IP traffic forwarding and run a DHCP server on the device. Confirm your changes in NetworkManager.
As the DCHP server uses port 67, make sure that it is not blocked by the firewall: On the machine sharing the connections, start YaST and select +. Switch to the category. If is not already shown as , select from and click . Confirm your changes in YaST.
In case a DHCP server provides invalid DNS information (and/or routes), you can override it. Start the dialog for configuring network connections from the GNOME Control Center with + or in KDE 4 from the with +. Choose the connection you want to modify and click . If you are using GNOME, switch to the tab, and from the drop-down list, choose . If you are using KDE, switch to the tab, and from the drop-down list, choose . Enter the DNS information in the and fields. Click to add additional routes ot to override automatic routes. Confirm your changes.
Define a system connection that can be used for
such purposes. For more information, refer to
Section 5.7, “NetworkManager and Security”.