Static IP ethernet network setting is lost after reboot

[mspanc]

Binary package hint: network-manager

I use ubuntu 8.10.

I do following steps:

1. Put ethernet cable into card (there's only printer there with static IP, I use direct connection with crossed cable).
2. Network Manager attempts to find IP.
3. I open connections configuration dialog, seek for "Auto eth0" connection
4. I edit this connection, change name to "printer", disable automatic connecting, system setting checkbox (whatever that means) and configure static IP.
5. After reboot, there's no "printer" connection, there's only "Auto eth0" again.

I've encountered situation where putting cable again caused similar result but I cannot reproduce it.

Please let me know how can I provide you more detailed information.

[mspanc (mspanc)]

I found that if I create new connection instead of modyfing "auto eth0", it remains after reboot. Seems that "auto eth0" is always recreated, no matter if that causes any other connection to lost.

[zap (anpaza)]

I (an many others) can confirm this bug. Here are some links:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=973410
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=974382
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/network-manager/+bug/5364 (comment from gheeke from 2008-10-24)

The "workaround" above does not work for me since my provider has some bogus DHCP server which will give me a wrong IP address. So after creating a connection different from "auto eth0", after rebooting "auto eth0" will be activated again, and my second connection will not have any effect.

[Rob Glenn (glennra)]

After reboot, it seems to pop back to using "Auto eth0" and the default settings (dynamic IP, automatic MTU, etc.) no matter what I've tried. I added another connection ("manual eth0") and set it to "connect automatically" (and unchecked "connect automatically" in "Auto eth0"), yet when I rebooted the machine it still came up on "Auto eth0" with the dynamic IP. I can manually reselect "manual eth0" and then it's OK, but that's not really acceptable, it needs to come up right after boot without extra user interaction. Furthermore, the automatic MTU it comes up with is wrong! The value I see is 576, instead of 1500, which causes the vpnc program to fail. This happened on two completely different pieces of hardware. Completely deleting the "Auto eth0" connection also did not fix the problem, it just pops pack after reboot.

[mfpost (mfpost)]

I am also seeing this problem. I created a second connection but when I reboot it always defaults to the original one. I can then select the new one and it works but I would like it to just remember which one I wanted.

[Emad William (emadwilliam)]

I think this is a big issue, it's not a security vulnerability but a lot of users use static IP, and many do host webserver on their desktop pc. This should be fixed as soon as possible and be provided in the updates.

[Martin Mai (mrkanister-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

I heard about this being fixed in the final release of network-manager 0.7 (Intrepid is shipping a kind of pre-final). Could someone please test this with Jaunty (since Jaunty is shipping the final)? Thanks in advance.

[troutmask (mjgatford)]

I have exactly the same problem. I have created a separate connection, other than auto eth0. If I select this manually it is fine but on a reboot the dhcp auto eth0 is connected as default. I want to know how to configure the network settings so that my manually created connection is the default and not auto eth0. It is not acceptable to have to manually select the interface. Note: Martin Mai's last comment (2009-01-14) says that this is fixed in the final release of network-manager 0.7 but that this is not shipping with release 8.10. I don't want to have to upgrade to solve this issue.

[Nukeador (nukeador)]

I can confirm this bug on three different Ubuntu 8.10 desktop computers and one 8.10 server (which is extremely annoying). It seem that debain-based distros need a workaround on NM code to allow this feature works.

In meantime I found this user-oriented solutions:

http://linhost.info/2008/11/how-to-set-a-static-ip-on-ubuntu-810/

[giant_trunade (altairlage)]

Hi guys...

I can confirm this bug in 8.10 intrepid in various hardwares...

I've atualized (ubuntu atualizations) and was listed network-manager in this atualization (I've atualized just by this bug hehehe) and if was'n fixed..

In the page http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/NetworkManager/0.7/?C=M;O=A I downloaded the file NetworkManager-0.7.0.98.tar.bz2 and the problem continue...

I need thsi solution for clients in various types of networks...

[Nukeador (nukeador)]

For wired connections I solved with a workaround:

Delete the default connection and create a new one with a custom name, the settings for that connection are correctly saved. No luck with wireless connections.

[giant_trunade (altairlage)]

it don't works here...

and the worst: if I edit the /etc/network/interfaces and set the configurations, when reboot all the conections is lost and a message saying that "this conection isn't manageable". So the network and internet don't work...

[troutmask (mjgatford)]

I'm afraid I've ditched Ubuntu and gone back to Fedora 9. Fedora 9 network configuration works fine and, although the VPN client is not quite as easy to use as that on the Ubuntu gnome network-manager it always works with eth0 configured to a static address. On a differeet issue, cron also always works on Fedora 9 which it doesn't on Ubuntu 8.04/8.10

[Brian Pitts (bpitts)]

Another confirmation here. I selected "auto etho" and used "edit connections" it to change it from dhcp to a static ip address. When I told network-manager to reconnect it properly assigned the static address.

I then rebooted. I expected that, since the "system connection" box was checked, my static ip address would be assigned before I logged in. However, I checked and found that my interface was configured using dhcp. I then logged in to gnome and found that it was still configured using dhcp. When I went to "edit connections" in network-manager there was no sign of the changes I had made to "auto etho"

[giant_trunade (altairlage)]

Above is some topics of the Brazilian Ubuntu forum...

this bug is turning a block if working with clients... and i'm forced to change to windows... unhapply...

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=973410

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=974382

http://linhost.info/2008/11/how-to-set-a-static-ip-on-ubuntu-810/

http://ubuntuforum-br.org/index.php/topic,42160.0.html

http://ubuntuforum-br.org/index.php/topic,42457.0.html

[Paolo Sammicheli (xdatap1)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to look at all reported bugs in a timely manner.

There have been many changes in Ubuntu since that time you reported the bug and your problem may have been fixed with some of the updates. It would help us a lot if you could test it with the current Ubuntu version (10.04).

[Paolo Sammicheli (xdatap1)]

I just try to reproduce the bug and with Ubuntu Desktop 10.04 i386 and it's working.

In a fresh installation I added a new cable connection called "static ip". I filled it with a static ip, netmask and default gateway. I also selected "connect automatically" and "available to all users".

Then I edited the "Auto Eth0" connection and I de-selected "connect automatically". Rebooting it connect with the "static ip" connection.

Could you possibly try to do the same and comment here if Ubuntu 10.04 it's affected?

Thanks in advance

[Yusef Maali (usef)]

I have done some test with Kubuntu 9.10 x86_64 / 10.04 x86 / 10.04 x86_64 inside a VirtualBox
environment.

The bug is 100% reproducible.

Reading your last message, I have noticed that in Kubuntu there isn't a way to edit the "Auto Eth0"
connection (as you do).
It is shown by knetworkmanager and by plasma-widget-networkmanagement as available, but if you go
to the "Manage Connection" panel only the custom connections are shown. The "Auto Eth0" is hidden.
I have attached a screenshot.

After I create my static connection, the "Auto eth0" remains alive and I can't de-select the
"connect automatically" item.
I suppose it takes priority over the other connections.
If this is true (and I think so), the only way to use network-manager in Kubuntu is only through
dhcp...

This is definitely a Kubuntu/Kde bug, not a network-manager bug.
I'm going to open a new bug.

[Yusef Maali (usef)]

I have filed a new bug report: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/591024

[Paolo Sammicheli (xdatap1)]

Can anyone confirm if UBUNTU 10.04 is affected from this bug? In case I would close this bug, having the kubuntu issue already reported elsewhere.

[TomasHnyk (sup)]

Could not reproduce it so closing down as fixed released.