No support for key indexes

[GonzO]

Hello. I've been testing NetworkManager now with a new Thinkpad that my work bought for me. It works really great at work.

At home, I have a typical wireless setup: 64-bit WEP key, WRT54G router. This router allows one to set up 4 different WEP keys, and then assign which one is chosen by default.

My only key at home was key 4 - slots 1, 2, and 3 were blank. Of course, key 4 was the default. NM didn't connect - DHCP would fail, and then it would ask me for my key again. When I changed the router to select key 1 by default (copying key 4 to slot 1), NM connected just fine.

There is currently no way to tell NM which key slot to use, whereas every other wireless GUI I've seen allows this. In my humble opinion, this breaks NM considerably. (Changing my router is a workaround, and one I don't like).

Note: the original reporter indicated the bug was in package 'nm-applet'; however, that package was not published in Ubuntu.

[Slammer (slammer-o2)]

Hi.
I think this bug should also be assigned to the KDE's knetworkmanager, as it lacks the feature as well.
Additionaly here are my thoughts on the subject:

Some ingenious admins use the key index as an added "protection" to their wireless environments. However rare the situations are, every graphical operating system from Microsoft (including Windows Mobile on PocketPCs) provides a way to set it in the wireless configuration dialogs.
In Ubuntu this could come as an Advanced suboption.
P.S. I am aware that it is not impossible to configure this setting, for example one can follow instructions given in http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=293444 , but doing it in other way than through GUI disintergrates the feel of the operating system and adds a great deal of a hassle especially when one switches between network frequently (as the last post on the given forum thread from an annoyed user Oblivionvlad proves).
After all, for me this seems to be the only missing wireless config that non geek may be required to use, and also it should not be hard at all to implement.

[André Lemos (alemos)]

Perhaps this can be closed?

The NM in Intrepid (0.7) already supports this.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

fixed in NM 0.7