Bug 794996

Summary: NetworkManager can't automatically connect to USB-as-Ethernet devices with random MAC address
Product: [Fedora] Fedora Reporter: Cong Ma <frigoris.ma>
Component: NetworkManagerAssignee: Dan Williams <dcbw>
Status: CLOSED WONTFIX QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity: unspecified Docs Contact:
Priority: unspecified    
Version: 16CC: dcbw
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: Unspecified   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: 2013-02-13 13:52:56 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:

Description Cong Ma 2012-02-18 15:42:38 UTC 
Description of problem:
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone as a USB tethering device to connect my computer to the Internet ( ref:https://support.google.com/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=168932 ).  When I activate USB tether from the phone, a network interface "usb0" can be successfully created and managed by NetworkManager.

The MAC address of usb0 interface is randomly generated with each activation of USB tether on the phone.  If you pull the cable and connect again, or switch USB tether off and on, the usb0 interface is re-created with a different MAC address.

NetworkManager is unable to handle it smoothly, because it seems to use MAC address to identify the connection.  Every time I restart USB tether, I have to open the "edit connection" dialogue from nm-applet, re-select the usb0 device, and save the change to get connection again.  If this is not done, the connection will not be listed in the left-click menu of nm-applet.

I'm not sure why the Android device always causes a random MAC address being generated on the Fedora host.  I'm not even sure whether this is an Android problem or a NetworkManager issue.  However, I'd certainly be grateful if NM can better handle such devices.  I guess other Android phones may cause a similar problem.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
NetworkManager-0.9.2-1.fc16.x86_64

How reproducible:
Always.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Connect phone to computer's USB slot.
2. Activate "USB tether" on the phone, and configure NM to use the connection via interface usb0.
3. Deactivate USB tether and activate it again (or pull and plug USB cable). NM now cannot pick up the connection, and you must edit the connection to get Internet.
  
Actual results:
Need to edit connection again each time.

Expected results:
NM should have identified the connection with something permanent rather than the random MAC address.  This could make tethering more convenient on Fedora.

Additional info:
The connection info box says the rndis_host kernel module is used.  The phone runs Android 4.0.2.
Comment 1 Fedora End Of Life 2013-01-16 13:11:21 UTC 
This message is a reminder that Fedora 16 is nearing its end of life.
Approximately 4 (four) weeks from now Fedora will stop maintaining
and issuing updates for Fedora 16. It is Fedora's policy to close all
bug reports from releases that are no longer maintained. At that time
this bug will be closed as WONTFIX if it remains open with a Fedora 
'version' of '16'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
plan to fix it in a currently maintained version, simply change the 'version' 
to a later Fedora version prior to Fedora 16's end of life.

Bug Reporter: Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that 
we may not be able to fix it before Fedora 16 is end of life. If you 
would still like to see this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it 
against a later version of Fedora, you are encouraged to click on 
"Clone This Bug" and open it against that version of Fedora.

Although we aim to fix as many bugs as possible during every release's 
lifetime, sometimes those efforts are overtaken by events. Often a 
more recent Fedora release includes newer upstream software that fixes 
bugs or makes them obsolete.

The process we are following is described here: 
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping
Comment 2 Fedora End Of Life 2013-02-13 13:53:07 UTC 
Fedora 16 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2013-02-12. Fedora 16 is 
no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further 
security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug.

If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of 
Fedora please feel free to reopen this bug against that version.

Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.