Mobile broadband / Bluetooth connections cannot be permanently removed from Network-Manager

[Peter Rhone]

In network manager, there are a few obsolete cellphones listed whose bluetooth connections I once used to go online. I can't remove them permanently. They don't show up in/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/, I can't find them in gconf-editor either. I can remove them until the next reboot using either the "Edit connections..." dialog in the applet, or by issuing 'nmcli connection delete uuid XXXXX' at the command line, but they always show up again after the next reboot.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.10
Package: network-manager 1.2.4-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.8.0-26.28-generic 4.8.0
Uname: Linux 4.8.0-26-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.3-0ubuntu8
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Thu Nov 3 15:40:54 2016
IfupdownConfig:
 # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
 auto lo
 iface lo inet loopback
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-12-15 (688 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.10 "Utopic Unicorn" - Release amd64 (20141022.1)
IpRoute:
 default via 192.168.44.1 dev bnep0 proto static metric 750
 169.254.0.0/16 dev virbr0 scope link metric 1000 linkdown
 192.168.44.0/24 dev bnep0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.44.77 metric 750
 192.168.122.0/24 dev virbr0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.122.1 linkdown
NetworkManager.state:
 [main]
 NetworkingEnabled=true
 WirelessEnabled=true
 WWANEnabled=true
 WimaxEnabled=true
SourcePackage: network-manager
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to yakkety on 2016-10-16 (17 days ago)
nmcli-nm:
 RUNNING VERSION STATE STARTUP CONNECTIVITY NETWORKING WIFI-HW WIFI WWAN-HW WWAN
 running 1.2.4 connected started full enabled enabled enabled enabled enabled

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Etienne Papegnies (etienne-papegnies)]

Okay, I just found out where this is coming from and how to fix it.

Grepping /var/log/kern.log for part of the connection name (not UID) gave me the answer:

Nov 3 14:13:59 Edge NetworkManager[739]: <info> [1478178839.0417] audit: op="connection-delete" uuid="7af23897-96eb-4c28-839d-43afc93b202c" name="GT-S7560 Network" pid=6913 uid=1000 result="success"
Nov 3 14:15:10 Edge NetworkManager[811]: <info> [1478178910.8315] keyfile: add connection in-memory (73f45daf-36c3-4397-94f5-5b224b497feb,"GT-S7560 Network")
Nov 3 14:15:10 Edge NetworkManager[811]: <info> [1478178910.8363] bluez: BT device GT-S7560 (00:73:E0:7F:3F:30) added (NAP)
Nov 3 14:24:05 Edge NetworkManager[811]: <info> [1478179445.0607] audit: op="connection-delete" uuid="73f45daf-36c3-4397-94f5-5b224b497feb" name="GT-S7560 Network" pid=2381 uid=1000 result="success"
Nov 3 14:24:51 Edge NetworkManager[700]: <info> [1478179491.2727] keyfile: add connection in-memory (61cfa658-cb83-49c7-98fb-3c8a60d7ccbf,"GT-S7560 Network")
Nov 3 14:24:51 Edge NetworkManager[700]: <info> [1478179491.2793] bluez: BT device GT-S7560 (00:73:E0:7F:3F:30) added (NAP)
Nov 3 15:15:46 Edge NetworkManager[781]: <info> [1478182546.4953] keyfile: add connection in-memory (0cbec96f-e1f0-4889-b721-0cb296192ca8,"GT-S7560 Network")
Nov 3 15:15:46 Edge NetworkManager[781]: <info> [1478182546.4990] bluez: BT device GT-S7560 (00:73:E0:7F:3F:30) added (NAP)

Basically Bluetooth manager runs separately from networkmanager and re-adds the connection to network-manager on startup.

Once you actually go to bluetooth manager and remove the connection from there, it is then listed in nm-applet as "Unmanaged" until the next reboot where it's gone and stays gone.

Still an usability bug IMO.