network-manager-applet - should ModemManager be recommended ?

[ken@…]

Trying to do a reasonably-full build of the parts of gnome which are in the sysv book, network-manager-applet failed to configure. It wanted mm-glib which is from ModemManager.

We already use

--without-team

so either we should use

--without-wwan

or else we should promote ModemManager to recommended.

[bdubbs@…]

Since we already have ModemManager in the book, just promote it to recommended.

My understanding is the MM is for connections with mobile phones, but I don't understand how those connections are used (I don't have, or want, a mobile phone).

[ken@…]

Replying to bdubbs@…:

Since we already have ModemManager in the book, just promote it to recommended.

My understanding is the MM is for connections with mobile phones, but I don't understand how those connections are used (I don't have, or want, a mobile phone).

I have a similar view of it (I do have a mobile, but I don't connect to it via my computers), but I have no idea how useful wwan is. I figure the applet is for laptops, most of which have their own wifi connection.

[Douglas R. Reno]

I will note that ModemManager seems to be useful for other things to. If you have it configured properly, it will also take advantage of a 56k or slower dial-up modem that is installed in a PCI slot or a RS-232C Serial Port. This is extremely useful for those in rural areas where people don't have anything more than dial-up internet access (I used to live in an area when I first started doing my first LFS build in 2012... that was painful, but I made it work).

[Pierre Labastie]

Actually, the ModemManager page in the sysv book is somewhat weird, because it enables a systemd service... We should create an init.d script (or use an already provided one). Or we could just add a revision="systemd" attribute to the faulty paragraph and instruction. But I guess we would lose most of the usefulness of the page...

[bdubbs@…]

I tool a look at this. I built with --with-systemdsystemunitdir=no, but it stll installs /usr/share/dbus-1/system-services/org.freedesktop.ModemManager1.service

[D-BUS Service]
Name=org.freedesktop.ModemManager1
Exec=/usr/sbin/ModemManager
User=root
SystemdService=dbus-org.freedesktop.ModemManager1.service

I suppose we could create a sysV init script, but when I run ModemManager from the command line I get:

ModemManager[9641]: <info>  ModemManager (version 1.6.2) starting in system bus...
ModemManager[9641]: <info>  Couldn't check support for device at '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:19.0': not supported by any plugin
ModemManager[9641]: <info>  Couldn't check support for device at '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.7/0000:08:00.0': not supported by any plugin

AFAICS we don't have the HW or the expertise to have MM in the book. I'm not sure about systemd, but I lean toward removing it from at least the sysV version of the book.

Opinions?

[Douglas R. Reno]

If you want to remove it from sysv, go ahead. It is required for GNOME on systemd.

I have the hardware to test this. Use a RS232-C dial up modem like I do.

Several things still install D-Bus services. Look at NetworkManager in general, along with Pulseaudio and D-Bus itself.

[bdubbs@…]

Replying to renodr:

I have the hardware to test this. Use a RS232-C dial up modem like I do.

OK, you have a modem plugged into a serial port and, I suppose, a phone line plugged into the modem. How do you test MM?

[Douglas R. Reno]

mmcli -e --set-allowed-modes=4G
mmcli --cdma-activate=Sprint
mmcli --messaging-create-sms=[number=2247172005,message="test"]

[bdubbs@…]

Promoted MM to recommended in network-manager-applet at revision 18067.

[bdubbs@…]

Milestone renamed