2.4 Common Tasks
This section describes how to achieve common tasks with NetworkManager, like
switching off the network or setting a static IP address.
2.4.1 Switching Off the Network
If you are on a plane or in any other environment where wireless networking
is
not allowed, you can switch it off easily using the NetworkManager applet. You can
also
switch all network connections, both wired and wireless, off.
To switch off wireless networking in the KDE desktop, right-click the
KNetworkManager applet then select
.
To switch off all networking in the KDE desktop, right-click
the KNetworkManager applet then select
.
To disable networking in the GNOME desktop, right-click the GNOME
NetworkManager applet icon and uncheck . To disable wireless networking only, right-click
the applet icon and uncheck .
2.4.2 Setting Up a Static IP Address on an Interface
NetworkManager honors network interface settings made by YaST and
saved in the /etc/sysconfig/network
directory. If you want to use a static IP address with your network
card, set the address using the YaST.
To set up a static IP address, follow these steps:
-
Open YaST.
-
Choose
.
-
Choose
and click .
-
Select the network card to configure then click
.
-
In the tab, choose .
-
Set your IP address and click .
-
Click to finish and activate the static
IP address.
2.4.3 Using NetworkManager with VPN
NetworkManager supports several VPN technologies. To use them, first install
NetworkManager support for your VPN technology. You can select from:
- NovellVPN
- OpenVPN
- vpnc (Cisco)
VPN support is included in the packages
NetworkManager-novellvpn,
NetworkManager-openvpn,
and NetworkManager-vpns.
To configure a new VPN connection with NetworkManager, left-click the GNOME NetworkManager
applet
or KNetworkManager applet and follow these steps:
-
Choose .
-
Press and to start a
configuration wizard.
-
In the next dialog, choose the type of VPN connection to
create.
-
Name your configuration in .
-
Insert all required information for your type of connection.
For example, for an OpenVPN connection enter
and choose the way to authenticate from . Complete the other required options depending on
the connection chosen.
Alternatively, load settings from a saved configuration file
by pressing and
choosing your saved configuration file in a standard file dialog.
-
Press .
After the VPN is configured, you can select it from .
To close a VPN connection, click .
