Bug#1032383: loopback interface (lo) no longer ignored

[Didier 'OdyX' Raboud]

Package: network-manager
Version: 1.42.2-2
Severity: normal

Hello there,

the loopback interface seems no longer ignored by NetworkManager by
default;

$ LANG=C nmcli | grep -A5 ^lo
lo: connected (externally) to lo
"lo"
loopback (unknown), 00:00:00:00:00:00, sw, mtu 65536
inet4 127.0.0.1/8
inet6 ::1/128

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/-/commit/e8618f03d7d8735946a82de8ce4257dd92328b20

This is apparently a new feature of NM 1.42, but I'm arguing that in
most usual cases, having 'lo' appear (as it appears in KDE's Plasma NM
applet for example) is quite confusing to most users who will never
customize anything with regards to the 'lo' interface.

I'd propose that src:network-manager adds a conffile with that content:

[keyfile]
unmanaged-devices=interface-name:lo

This would let the loopback interface be ignored, while allowing experts
needing this to get the new 'lo' managed interface.

Best,

OdyX

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 12.0
APT prefers buildd-unstable
APT policy: (500, 'buildd-unstable'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (1, 'buildd-experimental'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 6.1.0-5-amd64 (SMP w/16 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=fr_CH.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_CH.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=fr_CH:fr
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages network-manager depends on:
ii adduser 3.131
ii dbus [default-dbus-system-bus] 1.14.6-1
ii libaudit1 1:3.0.9-1
ii libbluetooth3 5.66-1
ii libc6 2.36-8
ii libcurl3-gnutls 7.88.1-2
ii libglib2.0-0 2.74.6-1
ii libgnutls30 3.7.9-1
ii libjansson4 2.14-2
ii libmm-glib0 1.20.4-1
ii libndp0 1.8-1
ii libnewt0.52 0.52.23-1+b1
ii libnm0 1.42.2-2
ii libpsl5 0.21.2-1
ii libreadline8 8.2-1.3
ii libselinux1 3.4-1+b5
ii libsystemd0 252.6-1
ii libteamdctl0 1.31-1
ii libudev1 252.6-1
ii policykit-1 122-3
ii polkitd 122-3
ii udev 252.6-1

Versions of packages network-manager recommends:
ii dnsmasq-base [dnsmasq-base] 2.89-1
ii libpam-systemd 252.6-1
ii modemmanager 1.20.4-1
ii ppp 2.4.9-1+1.1+b1
ii wireless-regdb 2022.06.06-1
ii wpasupplicant 2:2.10-12

Versions of packages network-manager suggests:
ii iptables 1.8.9-2
pn libteam-utils <none>

Versions of packages network-manager is related to:
ii isc-dhcp-client 4.4.3-P1-1.1

-- no debconf information

[Michael Biebl]

Hi

Am 05.03.23 um 16:38 schrieb Didier 'OdyX' Raboud:

> This is apparently a new feature of NM 1.42, but I'm arguing that in
> most usual cases, having 'lo' appear (as it appears in KDE's Plasma NM
> applet for example) is quite confusing to most users who will never
> customize anything with regards to the 'lo' interface.

GNOME and nm-applet do not present the loopback device in the UI.
Maybe plasma-nm should do the same?

I'm perfectly fine with it being shown in nmcli, fwiw.

Michael