Why do I see a device log entry for a cellular tethering configuration in Chrome OS?

[cybertrapped]

A few days ago, I began to notice Device Log shows an entry like the one below every-time I restart it:

Network Debug [2023/06/10 13:32:29.825898] shill_property_handler.cc:393 ManagerPropertyChanged: TetheringConfig = { "auto_disable": true, "band": "all-bands", "passphrase": "I_CHANGED_THE_ALPHANUMERIC_STRING", "randomize_mac_address": true, "security": "wpa2", "ssid": "I_CHANGED_THE_ALPHANUMERIC_STRING", "upstream_technology": "cellular" } 

I have not set this tethering configuration, and I am wondering:

• Is this tethering configuration a preset of Chrome OS (by preset I mean that the software developers have coded this, and all Chrome OS machines display this log entry)?
• If the answer to the previous question is yes, what is the purpose of having this preset configuration?

Regarding this particular machine (to prevent mistaken assumptions), I have never connected this Chromebook to any wireless technology, be it Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cell tethering. Since new, I toggled these off, and I have restricted this machine to connect to the internet only through a USB-C to Ethernet adapter wired to a cable modem that lacks wireless technology.

Thanx

[Jason Zhang]

Hi,
Thanks for the question!
We are currently adding the hotspot deature support for cellular-capable ChromeOS device. The log that you observed is the default hotspot configuration set in Shill.

> Is this tethering configuration a preset of Chrome OS (by preset I mean that the software developers have coded this, and all Chrome OS machines display this log entry)?

Yes, this is the default tethering configuration preset by the Chrome OS.

> what is the purpose of having this preset configuration?

This configuration will only be utilized when the user attempt to start hotspot/tethering.

One thing I want to confirm: is the Hotspot feature flag enabled on your device? If not, then I think we should not set the tethering config on the device, and we will need to investigate it.
 

[cybertrapped]

Thank you for your input Jason. 

In answer to your question "is the Hotspot feature flag enabled on your device?" I think you mean chrome://flags Hotspot? If yes, below I embedded a screenshot through which you can see the setting I found when I looked this up (I was not aware that such a setting existed). 

I am unsure of the meaning of your sentence "If not, then I think we should not set the tethering config on the device, and we will need to investigate it."

Do you mean, if this setting is OFF, the configuration SHOULD NOT BE SET?

Thank you

[Jason Zhang]

Hi,
Sorry for the confusion, I double checked with our engineers, and confirmed that it is intentional behavior.
This behavior(Setting the initial tethering config) does not harm the system, it's just because we need an initial value for the tethering config and this value will not be used/shown in the UI until the user turns on the hotspot feature flags in chrome://flags.

[cybertrapped]

Thank you Jason.

SO, if the chrome://flags "Hotspot" is ENABLED, I should see the PRESET tethering configuration through the Chromebook's settings panel? 

Have I understood you correctly?

[Jason Zhang]

Sorry for the late reply.
If the "Hotspot" under chrome://flags is enabled, and your chromebook hardware supports hotspot, then yes, you should be able to see the tethering configuration in OS Settings -> Network -> Hotspot.

[cybertrapped]

Thank you Jason