Inconsistent handling of ethernet, wifi and blueooth
Machine: 2019 System 76 Darter Pro running Pop!_OS 19.04 in default configuration.
Current behavior:
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NetworkManager has full control of the wifi interface. I can disable wifi via the GUI, and the wifi interface disappears from the system. "ifconfig" reports only the local loopback interface remaining.
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NetworkManager seems to have only partial control of the wired ethernet interface. I cannot fully disable ethernet via the GUI, it remains in the ifconfig and active. If I remove the device from ifconfig (e.g. using ifup/down or ifconfig up/down) then it becomes unmanageable from the GUI.
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Disablng Wifi retains the wifi interface indicator menu, whereas disabling Bluetooth erases the bluetooth indicator menu. No indicator menu exists for wired ethernet unless activated AND connected, whereas wifi and bluetooth appear when interface is activated, regardless of connection state.
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Exiting airplane mode always re-enables all wireless interfaces regardless of last use state.
Expected behavior:
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When I disable ethernet via NetworkManager, I expect the interface to disappear completely from ifconfig. It should turn "off" all the way at the hardware level. However, NetworkManager GUI should retain the capacity to easily reverse this change, turning the interface back on again. Cable insertion should result in nothing while the hardware is deactivated in the GUI.
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With the hardware interface active, a. Cable insertion should result in a scan for compatible pre-configured connection profiles (much in the same way an active wifi adapter scans for available and pre-configured networks). b. Upon finding a compatible connection profile, the interface should connect IF the profile is configured to automatically connect.
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This means that we need to make a distinction between a. the hardware (de)activate switch and b. the ability to manually select which connection profile to use (analagous to selecting from an available wireless network in the wifi interface) and c. a "connect automatically" option for any valid (known) connection profile and perhaps d. a "prefer this profile" when more than one valid option exists.
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Software indicators/switches should exist for each hardware state: Deactivated (with option to activate), Active/Disconnected (with options to connect if connection are available, or deactivate).
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Bluetooth, Wifi and ethernet indicator menus should behave the same when enabling/disabling the interface (either all disappear or persist)
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Exiting "airplane mode" should restore interfaces to the state they were in upon entering airplane mode. E.g., if wifi was enabled and bluetooth disabled, exiting airplane mode should restore that previous state UNLESS airplane mode was exited indirectly by directly enabling a specific interface.