Description of problem: Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): NetworkManager-0.6.4-1.fc5 How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Change an interface name to one containing an hyphen, either by editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-XXX or by using the GUI. 2. Reboot. 3. Check that the interface has correctly been renamed. 4. Try to connect to a network with NetworkManager Actual results: NetworkManager fails while trying to kick dhclient into action. From /var/log/messages (the interface is wifi-netgear): Activation (wifi-netgear/wireless) Stage 2 of 5 (Device Configure) successful. Connected to access point 'Fifi.Org'. Activation (wifi-netgear) Stage 3 of 5 (IP Configure Start) scheduled. Activation (wifi-netgear) Stage 3 of 5 (IP Configure Start) started... Activation (wifi-netgear) Beginning DHCP transaction. NetworkManager: <WARNING> nm_dhcp_manager_begin_transaction (): nm_dhcp_manager_begin_transaction(): Couldn't allocate the dbus message Activation (wifi-netgear) failure scheduled... Activation (wifi-netgear) Stage 3 of 5 (IP Configure Start) complete. Activation (wifi-netgear) failed for access point (Fifi.Org) Activation (wifi-netgear) failed. Expected results: Association should work. Additional info: I've traced it to a DBus issue. When activating an interface via DBus, the interface name ends up in the DBus message path. DBus only allows [a-z0-9_], no hyphen. Interfaces names should be limited to this character set, or DBus should be fixed.
Does anyone know what are the allowed characters for interface names?
The kernel (last I checked) doesn't do any enforcing aside from not allowing '/'. Whitespace tends to screw up most tools and scripts, but the kernel takes it. Aside from that, anything goes.
Well if you want to use NetworkManager, you're limited to [_a-zA-Z][_a-zA-Z0-9]*
Notting also says that the special filenames '.' and '..' are not permitted as interface names.
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