I am looking for a Graphical Newtork Configuration tool for FreeBSD. However, my attempts to find one are unsuccessful.

KDE’s “Network Settings” tool

So, KDE on FreeBSD has a network configuration tool.  However, it doesn’t appear to work. PC-BSD has a working network management tool, that looks different.

I don’t have PC-BSD installed, but instead my own desktop build on FreeBSD, so I dont’ have a PC-BSD screen shot, but here is the screen shot from KDE’s regular Network Settings.

It flashes a little box that says, detecting platform and then the screen is empty of network cards.

I am on FreeBSD 8.1 64 bit.

I have these ports installed:

[jared@slc-jab ~]$ pkg_info |grep kde
akonadi-1.4.0_1     Storage server for kdepim
kde4-4.5.2          The “meta-port” for KDE
kde4-icons-oxygen-4.5.2 The Oxygen icon theme for KDE
kde4-shared-mime-info-1.0 Handles shared MIME database under ${KDE_PREFIX}
kde4-xdg-env-1.0    Script which hooks into startkde and helps KDE pick up XDG
kdeaccessibility-4.5.2 Accessibility applications for KDE4
kdeadmin-4.5.2      KDE Admin applications
kdeartwork-4.5.2    KDE Artworks Themes
kdebase-4.5.2       Basic applications for the KDE system
kdebase-runtime-4.5.2 Basic applications for the KDE system
kdebase-workspace-4.5.2 Basic applications for the KDE system
kdebindings-smoke-4.5.2 SMOKE bindings for Qt/KDE
kdeedu-4.5.2        Collection of entertaining, educational programs for KDE
kdegames-4.5.2      Games for the KDE integrated X11 desktop
kdegraphics-4.5.2   Graphics utilities for the KDE4 integrated X11 desktop
kdehier4-1.0.6      Utility port that creates hierarchy of shared KDE4 director
kdelibs-4.5.2       Base set of libraries needed by KDE programs
kdemultimedia-4.5.2 KDE Multimedia applications
kdenetwork-4.5.2    KDE Network applications
kdepim-4.4.6        Libraries for KDE-PIM applications
kdepim-runtime-4.4.6 Libraries for KDE-PIM applications
kdepimlibs-4.5.2    Libraries for KDE-PIM applications
kdeplasma-addons-4.5.2 Extra plasmoids for KDE4
kdesdk-4.5.2        KDE Software Development Kit
kdetoys-4.5.2       Collection of entertaining programs for KDE
kdeutils-4.5.2      Utilities for the KDE4 integrated X11 Desktop
kdeutils-printer-applet-4.5.2 Printer system tray utility for KDE4
kdevelop-4.0.0      Opensource IDE based on KDevPlatform, KDE and Qt libraries
kdevelop-php-1.0.0  PHP support for KDevelop
kdevelop-php-docs-1.0.0 PHP documentation for KDevelop
kdevplatform-1.0.0  KDE development platform
kdewebdev-4.5.2     Comprehensive html/website development environment
py26-kdebindings-kde-4.5.2 Python bindings for KDE
py26-kdebindings-pykdeuic4-4.5.2 An enhanced version of pyuic4
ruby18-kdebindings-4.5.2 Ruby bindings for Qt/KDE
system-config-printer-kde-4.5.2 KDE4 frontend for system-config-printer

So there according to the README in subversion for KDE’s network settings, this is supposed to work on FreeBSD. Maybe it doesn’t actually work.  I can configure my network from the command line, so it doesn’t affect me, it just affects me trying to get new users who don’t know how to configure the network from the command line.

Looks like no one has maintained this feature on the FreeBSD platform and it is not working.

PC-BSD’s “System Network Configuration” tool

PC-BSD has their Network Management tool available as a port it appears. /usr/ports/net/pcbsd-netmanager

However, when I installed it on FreeBSD, it didn’t really work either. Again, I am not on PC-BSD, just my own Xorg and KDE build on FreeBSD. It did work on PC-BSD when I was testing PC-BSD.

When I installed it to FreeBSD, it added a different network configuration option to the KDE System Settings called “System Network Configuration” which is different than the default one called “Network Settings”.

I sort of wish that instead of writing a new tool, the PC-BSD team had just worked with KDE to make the regular one work, but maybe there is a reason I am not aware of that made this a necessity. Anyway, that is besides the point, the GUI network configuration tool from PC-BSD didn’t work when installed to FreeBSD either.

It shows the network devices, physical, wireless, and virtual, but while it displays them, right-clicking and choosing the Configure option does absolutely nothing.

Any one know if GNOME has a GUI Network Configuration?

I didn’t check out GNOME’s options.  I don’t have GNOME installed and installing it is a bigger chore than I was planning on trying for finding a GUI network configuration tool

Conclusion

If you are running PC-BSD, the graphical System Network Configuration tool works.

If you are running FreeBSD, you may be out of luck using your own network configuration tool.

Options

The options seem to be these.

1. We can contact the folks at PC-BSD and the folks at KDE and see if either have plans to make their tool work.
2. We could step in and help either PC-BSD or KDE and fixing this ourselves and contributing our code.
3. Write our own tool.

I like option 1 or 2. I guess I will contact PC-BSD and see what I can do to help.