dhcp sends hostname when 'Use DHCP Hostname' option unchecked

[Martin Dluhos]

By default, preferences of every detected network in wicd have the option 'Use DHCP hostname' unchecked. When wicd runs dhcpcd, however, it seems to ignore this option since it does send the hostname to the dhcp server every time regardless of the value of the option.

Wicd version: 1.7.2.4
Distro: Arch Linux, reproduced on Debian squeeze

Log:

2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: Running DHCP with hostname turing
2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: /usr/sbin/dhcpcd -h turing --noipv4ll wlan0
2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: dhcpcd[14411]: version 5.6.2 starting
2013/01/12 15:48:54 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: sending IPv6 Router Solicitation
2013/01/12 15:48:54 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: sendmsg: Cannot assign requested address
2013/01/12 15:48:54 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:54 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: broadcasting for a lease
2013/01/12 15:48:54 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:55 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: offered 192.168.1.7 from 192.168.1.1
2013/01/12 15:48:55 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:55 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: acknowledged 192.168.1.7 from 192.168.1.1
2013/01/12 15:48:55 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:55 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: checking for 192.168.1.7
2013/01/12 15:48:55 ::
2013/01/12 15:48:55 :: iwconfig wlan0
2013/01/12 15:48:57 :: iwconfig wlan0
2013/01/12 15:48:58 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: sending IPv6 Router Solicitation
2013/01/12 15:48:58 ::
2013/01/12 15:49:00 :: iwconfig wlan0
2013/01/12 15:49:00 :: dhcpcd[14411]: wlan0: leased 192.168.1.7 for 86400 seconds
2013/01/12 15:49:00 ::
2013/01/12 15:49:00 :: dhcpcd[14411]: forked to background, child pid 14452
2013/01/12 15:49:00 ::
2013/01/12 15:49:00 ::
2013/01/12 15:49:00 :: DHCP connection successful

[David Paleino (dpaleino)]

Hello Martin,

here I am, after having looked at the code.

Really the message given in the log is misleading. What WICD does is:

- is the option checked? Send to the DHCP server the hostname specified in the textbox
- is the option unchecked? Send to the DHCP server the hostname of the system (/etc/hostname or `uname -n`)

I guess the latter is harmless. Maybe I should clarify the log message?

Kindly,
David

[Martin Dluhos (ub71a5bwcb7kuu1-martin-b69y0hv8hgzdev3)]

I would prefer not to have any hostname sent at all. Could this option be added as well?

I think it might even be appropriate to clarify what the default is in network preferences instead of just the log. What do you think?

[David Paleino (dpaleino)]

On Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:30:55 -0000, Martin Dluhos wrote:

> I would prefer not to have any hostname sent at all. Could this option
> be added as well?

On Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:19:28 -0500, Richard Stallman wrote:
> It is not harmless! It helps networks keep track of people!
> We are working hard to defend anonymity on the Internet, and this
> feature defeats it totally.
>
> I suspect that major ISPs will keep track of the hostnames and mac addresses
> of machines taht connect to them through all the nets that they run.

Even though this reasoning seems a bit paranoid to me, you've convinced me that,
at least, WICD should be coherent, and if the user doesn't tick the box, it
shouldn't send any hostname.
The starting points are different, but it seems that the outcome is the same.

> Would you please change WICD so the default is to send no host name
> info? If people want to send a host name, they can enable it
> by clicking the box.

Hopefully that's now fixed in r869 [0], and will be present in WICD 1.7.3.

  [0]: http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~wicd-devel/wicd/experimental/revision/869

I must still test that code, but I believe it's not buggy.

> Also, for a feature suggestion, how about adding a box to the general
> Preferences to run macchanger each time it brings up an interface?
> Currently the only way to do this to the wifi device is to put it in
> as a script for EACH interface separately.

Could you please open a separate bugreport for that?

Thank you,
David

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[David Paleino (dpaleino)]

On Sat, 02 Feb 2013 08:07:40 -0500, Richard Stallman wrote:

> Thanks for fixing that problem. I think that resisting surveillance
> is very important.
>
> > Also, for a feature suggestion, how about adding a box to the general
> > Preferences to run macchanger each time it brings up an interface?
> > Currently the only way to do this to the wifi device is to put it in
> > as a script for EACH interface separately.
>
> Could you please open a separate bugreport for that?
>
> If it can be done by email, I will. What is the address?
> Otherwise I will have to ask someone else to do it.

It's only doable [0] if your e-mail address is linked to some account in
Launchpad, which I guess is not.

 [0]: https://help.launchpad.net/Bugs/EmailInterface

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