Interacting With Reactive Network Profiles From the Desktop

The Network Status notification icon, which is displayed on the desktop panel's notification area at all times is the primary method for viewing the status of your network and for interacting with automatic network configuration processes. The Network Status notification icon is also where informational messages about your network are displayed. The icon's contextual (right-click) menu enables quick access to essential network functionality. The icon's appearance indicates the overall condition of your network.

Checking the Status of Your Network Connection

The quickest way to obtain essential information about your network is to look at the Network Status notification icon that is displayed in the panel notification area of the desktop. The Network Status notification icon is the primary method for viewing the status of your currently enabled network connection and for interacting with reactive network configuration. The icon's appearance changes, depending on the status of the currently enabled network connection. Another way you can display information about your currently enabled network connection is to hover your mouse over the Network Status notification icon. To access the notification icon's context menu, right-click the icon. From here, you can change the currently enabled network interface and view more detailed information about the wireless network, if any, you are connected to.

The following table illustrates the Network Status icon's appearance, which changes to reflect the status of the network connections that are enabled on your system when a reactive profile is active.

Table 4-2 Network Status Icon's Appearance When a Reactive Profile Is Active

Icon Status Description Full connectivity Indicates that all manually enabled connections that are in the active network profile are online and that the required number of connections in the active profile group (if such a group exists) are online. The required number is as follows: One connection if the group is of the Exclusive priority type One or more connections if the group is of the Shared priority type All connections in the group if the group is of the All priority type For more information, see Working With Priority Groups. Partial connectivity Indicates that one or more manually enabled or priority group connections are offline. It also indicates that a connection is waiting for user input, such as the choice of an available wireless network to connect to or the input of a WEP/WPA key. No connectivity Indicates that the network has a configuration issue.

The following table illustrates the Network Status icon's appearance when a fixed network profile is active.

Table 4-3 Network Status Icon's Appearance When a Fixed Profile Is Active

Icon Status Description Full connectivity Indicates that all configured connections are online. Partial connectivity Indicates that one or more configured connections are offline. No connectivity Indicates that the network has a configuration issue.

For more information about reactive and fixed network profiles, see Managing Network Profiles.

How to Show Details About an Enabled Network Connection

1. Open the Network Preferences dialog and select Connection Status from the drop-down list, if required.

   You can open the Network Preferences dialog in one of the following ways:

   • Click the Network Status notification icon on the desktop panel.
   • Choose System → Administration → Network from the Main Menu bar on the desktop panel.
   • Right-click the Network Status notification icon to open its menu, then select Network Preferences.

     For wireless network connections, the IP address, signal strength, connection speed, connection status, and security type are displayed.

     If a fixed network profile is active, the list shows the status of all wired and wireless connections in the profile.

     If a reactive network profile is active, the list shows the status of all of the connections that are manually enabled.

2. To view or edit more properties of a specific network connection, double-click the connection in the list or select the connection from the Show drop-down menu that is located at the top of the dialog.

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   Note - The properties of specific network connections cannot be displayed when a fixed network profile is active using this method.

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Controlling Network Connections From the Desktop

By default, network configuration attempts to maintain a network connection at all times. If a wired network connection fails, an attempt is made to connect to one of your favorite wireless networks. If the attempt fails, other available wireless networks are tried, with your permission.

You can also manually switch between wired and wireless networks, as required.

You can control network connections from the desktop by using the network configuration in the following ways:

• Modify the default connection priority.

  By default, all wired network connections take priority over all wireless network connections. That is, a wireless network connection is only attempted if a wired connection cannot be established. If more than one wireless network is available at the current location, you are prompted to select which network to join. This behavior is defined by the Automatic network profile (a network profile in GUI is same as NCP), which is enabled by default. To enforce a different behavior, you must create and enable a different network profile.

  You can add a connection to a user-defined profile. This connection is enabled when the profile becomes active. To disable the connection, you can remove the connection from the profile. For more information about adding and removing connections, see Editing Network Profiles.

• Switch from a wired network to a wireless network.

  If the Automatic network profile is enabled, disconnect any network cables from all enabled wired interfaces.

  By default, if any of your favorite wireless networks are available, an attempt is made to join them in the order in which they appear in the favorites list. Otherwise, the Wireless Chooser dialog is displayed. In this dialog you can select which network to join.

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  Note - You can change the way wireless networks are joined on the Wireless tab of the Connection Properties view.

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  If a network profile other than the Automatic network profile is enabled, the method that you use to switch to a wireless network depends on the definition of that network profile.

  Choose one of the following methods:

  • Use the Connections submenu of the Network Status notification icon's contextual menu to disable the wired connection and then enable a wireless connection.

    Note that this method is only possible if both connections have the Manual activation type, and the active network profile is of the reactive type.

  • Edit the enabled network profile to enable the wireless connection and disable other connections, as required.

    Note that this method is only possible if the active network profile is of the reactive type.

  When the wireless connection is established, a notification message is displayed.

• Switch from a wireless network to a wired network.

  If the Automatic network profile is enabled, plug a network cable into an available wired interface.

  If a network profile other than the Automatic network profile is enabled, the method that you use to switch to a wired network depends on the definition of that network profile.

  Choose one of the following methods:

  • Use the Connections submenu of the Networks Status notification icon's contextual menu to disable the wireless connection and then enable a wired connection.

    Note that this method is only possible if both connections have the Manual activation type, and the active network profile is of the reactive type.

  • Edit the enabled network profile to enable the wired connection and disable the wireless connection.

    Note that this method is only possible if the active network profile is of the reactive type.

    When the wired connection is established, a notification message is displayed.

For other tasks that you can perform by using the network administration GUI, see the online help.