Xfce 4 and/or Firefox strange system notification behaviour.

stf92 · 08-26-2017, 01:44 PM

Hi: When I am out of reach of the wi-fi modem, and hence working off line, I get interrupted every three minutes by a dialog box with title "Authenticate" and the following contents:

Code:

System policy prevents modification of network settings for all users. 

An application is attempting to perform an action that requires privileges. Authentication as the superuser is required to perform this action.

An then the password for root is asked for. Clicking 'Details' gives

Code:

Action: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.system
Vendor: NetworkManager

Desktop manager is Xfce 4.10, web browser Mozilla Firefox ESR 24.1.0. Having read this notification, and having seen NetworkManager is the name of an executable file in my system (slackware 14.1) and was shown by the ps command, I killed it and described behavior ceased. However what happens if I want to go back online? I would have to restart the system. Any other solution besides killing that process?
I thought maybe by killing NetworkManager

phenixia2003 · 08-26-2017, 02:05 PM

Hello,

Seems that NetworkManager is configured with option 'all users may connect to this network' disabled, and option 'Automatically connect to this network when it is available' enabled.

If you want to get rid of the authenticate dialog box which comes every three minute, you can disable the option 'Automatically connect to this network when it is available'. In that case, you'll have to connect manually to the network.

If you want to be able to connect to the network without to have to enter root password, you can enable the option 'All users may connect to this network'.

To access these configuration options, click the network icon in the system-tray, and select the configuration icon (it looks like a 'tool' on 14.2, but I don't remember what it is on 14.1), select the connection, click edit, and select 'general configuration' tab.

--
SeB

stf92 · 08-26-2017, 06:21 PM

Thanks a lot for information so precise. Only I don't know what the system tray is. Anyway to access those config options through menus?

A further question: will these changes affect all users including root? Maybe it depends on who effects the changes, root or a regular user.

Gordie · 08-26-2017, 10:46 PM

The clock is in the tray. So are some other icons including Network Manager

stf92 · 08-26-2017, 11:59 PM

I'll tell you what I can see, when I start X as root (Xfce 4.10, Firefox ESR 24.1. 0) On the right side of the clock there is a "Wi-Fi network connection" icon. On the right side of this, a battery icon". Mine is a notebook and I only use Wifi for internet. Clicking the second icon (Wifi) I can see no configuration icon. All of these three icons are on a bar on top of the screen, let us call it system-tray as phenixia does. So I think we are speakiing about different things. what else could the explanation be for this discrepancy?

brobr · 08-27-2017, 05:07 AM

It's possibly just not 'click':

try Left-click on the icon (screen-like when ethernet is connected; bunch of bars when wifi is connected), this would show available connections;
Right-click on the icon allows you to change settings; one of them to disable wifi, if needed.

At least this is on current (which changed from 14.1) and I just moved from wicd to networkmanager and am learning as well (especially linking scripts to particular connections via the dispatcher...)

hth

phenixia2003 · 08-27-2017, 05:17 AM

Hello,

Quote:

Originally Posted by stf92

I'll tell you what I can see, when I start X as root (Xfce 4.10, Firefox ESR 24.1. 0) On the right side of the clock there is a "Wi-Fi network connection" icon. On the right side of this, a battery icon". Mine is a notebook and I only use Wifi for internet. Clicking the second icon (Wifi) I can see no configuration icon. All of these three icons are on a bar on top of the screen, let us call it system-tray as phenixia does. So I think we are speakiing about different things. what else could the explanation be for this discrepancy?

nm-applet from 14.1 is a bit different from 14.2, that's certainly why you didn't' find the icon I talked about. Instead, run nm-connection-editor, select the connection you want to modify, click 'Edit', then, in tab 'General' you'll find the options 'Automatically connect to this network when it is available' and 'all users may connect to this network'.

Below is a screenshot of nm-connection-editor from 14.2. Things might be a bit different on 14.1.

Otherwise, you can do that on the command line using nmcli.

First, unless you know it, run nmcli to get your connection name :

Code:

$ nmcli con
NAME           UUID                                  TYPE            DEVICE 
my_connection_name  f0620740-e2e2-dc43-a3af-8217e6b329ee 802-3-ethernet  eth0

To get parameters of connection my_connection_name, run nmcli as below :

Code:

$ nmcli con show my_connection_name
connection.id:                          my_connection_name
connection.uuid:                        f0620740-e2e2-dc43-a3af-8217e6b329ee
connection.interface-name:              --
connection.type:                        802-3-ethernet
connection.autoconnect:                 yes
connection.autoconnect-priority:        0
connection.timestamp:                   1503823093
connection.read-only:                   no
connection.permissions:

If you want to disable auto-connection, run nmcli as below :

Code:

$ nmcli con modify my_connection_name connection.autoconnect FALSE

if you want that only some users have access to my_connection_name, run nmcli as below :

Code:

$ nmcli con modify my_connection_name connection.permissions username[,username ...]

And, to allow access to this connection to all users, run nmcli as below :

Code:

$ nmcli con modify my_connection_name connection.permissions ""

--
SeB