GUI network setup

z4ziggy · 2007-08-14 20:11:32

Hello everyone.

Sorry it took me so long, but im busy with 5 projects atm, so im trying to work in parallel, but we all know we men suck at that... but im doing my best

anyway, as some user had suggested in Archie preview, i present to you netsetup - a simple gui application for managing network profiles (create/delete/change/enable/disable). it also allows editing /etc/hosts, but thats neglectable (imo). atm dtw is reviewing it before we can release it and put it into Archie iso.

the program does not support network configuration (ie, INTERFACES from rc.conf) but i will add this option shortly. just 1 remark - it might confuse some people having both interfaces AND profiles on the application, and the user shouldnt choose both (both interfaces AND profiles), so im trying to come up with the most simple way to allow both configurations AND still eliminate problems that might arise. i have a vague idea how to accomplish that, but it will take me sometime to release it, so ive decided to publish a working program and continue work from here...

just for the record, this application is part of what is going to be ACC - Arch Configuration Center - a gui control-panel like for Arch linux. If you're not interested in such a project, dont just bash me

miggols99 · 2007-08-14 20:39:20

That looks really good! I know it goes against the Arch Linux philosophy, but it looks great!

z4ziggy · 2007-08-14 20:42:54

thanks.

and i dont think its against Arch philosophy (as i am an advocate Arch philosopher myself...) - GUI can also be KISS. it all depends how you design/implement it. and i believe ACC is KISS. at least it is being designed as KISS...

rufius · 2007-08-14 21:52:33

I don't think its against Arch philosophy either. Like z4ziggy said, well implemented GUI's are KISS

dtw · 2007-08-14 22:13:29

z4ziggy wrote:

the program does not support network configuration (ie, INTERFACES from rc.conf) but i will add this option shortly. just 1 remark - it might confuse some people having both interfaces AND profiles on the application, and the user shouldnt choose both (both interfaces AND profiles), so im trying to come up with the most simple way to allow both configurations AND still eliminate problems that might arise. i have a vague idea how to accomplish that, but it will take me sometime to release it, so ive decided to publish a working program and continue work from here...

I say don't bother! Who cares about defining interfaces in rc.conf when this allows you to define them so easily as a network profile?

What you should really look at is including support for starting, stopping and restarting profiles with netcfg, something that cannot even be done with interfaces defined in rc.conf.

Network-profiles are the future of network support in Arch. rc.conf settings are obsolete - let's move on...

z4ziggy · 2007-08-14 22:38:39

dtw:
i was thinking of making netsetup restart the network script (/etc/rc.d/network) and thus to allows start/stop profiles once you press the "ok" button. im not sure about this yet - i might add another button for this instead of putting it under the "ok" button (which atm only updates rc.conf with the enabled profiles list), however, this will require also adding "apply" button so the user will get a chance for updating rc.conf with any changes he might have done to his enabled-profiles-list, so "restart network" will actually restart the network with his updated NET_PROFILES list.

1st i want to know if its workable on your pc too then i'll enhance it.

and about rc.conf network settings - i actually want to put it in only for 1 lame reason - i already coded it i know its lame... but it does look nice in anyway, there should be some option for disabling interfaces from rc.conf in case of profiles are enabled, so if we're gonna have "enable/disable interfaces", and already have a complete gui window for configuring it, why not use it? still needs some more brainstorm - thats why ive posted the screenshots - i really would like to hear what the users think.

dtw · 2007-08-15 07:45:44

z4ziggy wrote:

dtw:
i was thinking of making netsetup restart the network script (/etc/rc.d/network) and thus to allows start/stop profiles once you press the "ok" button. im not sure about this yet - i might add another button for this instead of putting it under the "ok" button (which atm only updates rc.conf with the enabled profiles list), however, this will require also adding "apply" button so the user will get a chance for updating rc.conf with any changes he might have done to his enabled-profiles-list, so "restart network" will actually restart the network with his updated NET_PROFILES list.

That's not really the same functionality as using netcfg - have you looked at netcfg to see what it does?

miggols99 · 2007-08-15 08:43:14

Ok so it isn't. My mistake

dtw · 2007-08-15 08:53:34

miggols99 wrote:

Ok so it isn't. My mistake

No, no :-) I meant that listing profiles in rc.conf and doing /etc/rc.d/network restart is nowhere near as useful as the facilities provided by netcfg. However, in true *nix stylee, I'm not actually going to say why netcfg is better, I'm going to make everyone find out why themselves

z4ziggy · 2007-08-16 16:26:26

well, thanks for dtw and mksoft the program is now BUGS FREE!!! yea, right... well, at least we've got some major bugs squashed (i'm amazed how many bugs can reside in one small pygtk program... i guess its because im such a python n00b... but thanks mksoft for providing me so much guidance and pythonish knowledge) . in anyway, i hope to be able release the program this weekend for more of you to test it out.

if anyone has some ideas about network configurations, please share them with us so we can include the good ones...

also, mksoft had volunteered (*cough* he doesnt know that yet *cough*) to help designing and implementing the ACC infrastructure so others could easily add their own applets so we can enjoy more and more of a central Arch GUI configuration tool. and about time, if i may say so myself...

Last edited by z4ziggy (2007-08-16 16:27:37)

iphitus · 2007-08-16 23:23:13

looks good! which network scripts does it use?

might want to restructure the wireless one though. You're either going to have WPA or WEP, no point offering the options for both at the same time.

A layout on the wireless tab (rename it to wireless rather than wifi) like:
ESSID:
Security: <drop down with 'None', 'WPA', 'WPA config', 'WEP'>
Then show the appropriate controls for each.

James

dtw · 2007-08-17 10:41:45

Nice idea. It uses the old scripts, not your new ones. I was wondering how hard it would be to add support for brain0's autodetect to this...

rson451 · 2007-08-23 19:21:30

any word on when you may release this?

z4ziggy · 2007-08-23 20:02:58

sorry, but my version 2.2 was out - i mean, my baby (version 2) was just born (2 days ago, x.2 release), so i havn't been around. still a lot bust thanks to the new miracle in my life, but i've uploaded the latest sources here. do note that after talking to iphitus last week about his new netcfg2, ive decided not to release the program yet and better wait to iphitus to finalize his scripts and adopt netsetup once he is done.
in anyway, you can take a glimpse at what we're aiming. enjoy

Last edited by z4ziggy (2007-08-23 20:03:23)

s26c.sayan · 2007-10-23 16:58:26

Any further update on this?

raul_nds · 2008-02-08 21:27:38

Bump? I'm interested in this. Does this work with netcfg2?

tigrmesh · 2008-02-09 16:43:26

@raul_nds - looks like not yet...

z4ziggy wrote 2007-08-23 16:02:58

after talking to iphitus last week about his new netcfg2, ive decided not to release the program yet and better wait to iphitus to finalize his scripts and adopt netsetup once he is done

Last edited by tigrmesh (2008-02-09 17:17:29)

poor_kenny · 2008-05-25 23:38:18

Does this have a notification area icon which can indicate signal strength in case of WIFI... much like K-network-manager or gnome's?

Arch Linux

#1 2007-08-14 20:11:32

GUI network setup

#2 2007-08-14 20:39:20

Re: GUI network setup

#3 2007-08-14 20:42:54

Re: GUI network setup

#4 2007-08-14 21:52:33

Re: GUI network setup

#5 2007-08-14 22:13:29

Re: GUI network setup

#6 2007-08-14 22:38:39

Re: GUI network setup

#7 2007-08-15 07:45:44

Re: GUI network setup

#8 2007-08-15 08:43:14

Re: GUI network setup

#9 2007-08-15 08:53:34

Re: GUI network setup

#10 2007-08-16 16:26:26

Re: GUI network setup

#11 2007-08-16 23:23:13

Re: GUI network setup

#12 2007-08-17 10:41:45

Re: GUI network setup

#13 2007-08-23 19:21:30

Re: GUI network setup

#14 2007-08-23 20:02:58

Re: GUI network setup

#15 2007-10-23 16:58:26

Re: GUI network setup

#16 2008-02-08 21:27:38

Re: GUI network setup

#17 2008-02-09 16:43:26

Re: GUI network setup

#18 2008-05-25 23:38:18

Re: GUI network setup

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