Re: Lost network after lenny-to-squeeze upgrade

[Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com>]

On Sat, 14 May 2011 11:11:55 +0300, Itay wrote:

> On Sat, 14 May 2011, Camaleón wrote:
> 
>>> I seem to have NetworkManager active (...) <# ps -efl | grep -i
>>> network>
>>> 5 S root      1832     1  0  80   0 - 19611 -      05:23 ? \
>>>          00:00:00 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager
>>> </# ps -efl | grep -i network>
>>>
>>> (Do I really need it?  It's home LAN.  ...)
>>
>> No, you don't need it.
> 
> I thought it was not required -- but wasn't sure.
> 
> I browsed the manpage (of NetworkManager) and the very interesting
> thread you have initiated on
>  	http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2010/12/msg00424.html
> but still can't make up my mind what would be the added value. Is
> NetworkManger primarily useful for portable computers? for very large
> networks?

Yes (to the former question) and no (to the latter) :-)

In linux we have been using -since years- a system to configure anything 
related to the network stack. That old system is called "ifup" (or at 
least that's the name I was used to use) but with todays new devices 
(like laptops having 2 or 3 network adapters) and the needing for a 
method to manage all of them (like the possibility of creating profiles 
for every usage), having all that in mind, it was born a new way for 
setting up the network: NetworkManager.

Over the paper, it aims to be a dynamic and easy way to manage all of the 
user's needings regarding his network setup but the easiness has a price 
and sometimes NM it becomes more than a headache to get it configured 
properly.

For that reason, unless you really obtain any benefit of NM inherent 
characteristics (fast network profile switching, rapid access to VPN...) 
you can safely disable it (or even remove it).
 
Greetings,

-- 
Camaleón