Feature added by: Scott Couston (zcnnnnzc) Feature #306983, revision 1 Title: Create a Single way of Managing NIC Devices openSUSE-11.2: Unconfirmed Priority Requester: Important Requested by: Scott Couston (zcnnnnzc) Description: In Opensuse 11.1 the decision was made to remove Yast controll of Network Manager. This created 2 semi-dependant ways of managing Network Interface Cards, that in retrospect offered poor or impossible singular control. This decision may have had technical merit however it created a huge deal of complication and bugs as a result. At this time KDE4 NM was not available and KDE3 NM was the only form of NM available to this version of openSuse. In the case where NM is selected over IFUP, other dependant Yast Applications offered no control over the NIC and IP itself. Take the small example of the Yast Firewall. If NM was selected over IFUP, the Yast Firewall offered NO contol over the IP. If NM is selected over IFUP, the NIC(s) as a devices, offered no controll as Yast defines all dependancies over NIC(s) as a device or multiple devices. If NM is selected over IFUP during Installation, there was no facility to input static IP's or effect any controll over NM as Installation only offered the user to choose the alternate NM but not configure it. Poor or No testing of a PC that was on a LAN where NO DHCP Services were offered was obvious. Without DHCP Servies, it was not possible to Install updates as IFUP could not provide nominated DNS Services. IFUP could only set a static IP, but failed to provide DNS Services despie being present in IFUP's configuration. NM also suffered at the fate of DHCP Services. Despite Static Services being present in NM, the presence of DHCP Services overruled static entries in NM as thease were ignored. NM only provided static services so configured, when DHCP Services were Not present. The control over NIC cards became a total IF issue. Any variant from IFUP using DHCP Services and the LAN also providing them, meant we lost control over the NIC(s).* We need to decide IF we need to maintain both IFUP and NM for control over NIC(s) as of 11.1 we offer almost NO control over any variant so configured* The downline application to configure WIFI, VPN, IPV6 etc are all compromised. 2 totally different methods of appling downline services need provision for the rest of further developements. I do not think it is realistic for us to continue to maintain both IFUP and NM as the down line repercusions are so huge and without control over an IP and DNS we might as well stop developement. It is not sufficant to depend on DHCP Services always being present as we then assume a condition that may not be set. This would be akin to stating in the"Installation Requirements" and adding a line stating that OpenSuse requires DHCP Services to be present for the software to "Install and Function Correctly" Either we dump NM or IFUP. Certainly unless Yast can controll NM it must go OR if we want to take the other downline services of VPN, WIFI, IPV6; IFUP must go. Request for Comment neeeds to start, both in the technical requirements of a singular control and the userability of same. The above statments are all suypported by various bugs, mostly opened by the author. Any Commnts please? -- openSUSE Feature: https://features.opensuse.org/306983