networking-nm-vs-wicked.xml

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  <info>
    <title>&nm; vs <command>wicked</command></title>
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    <meta name="maintainer" content="jsindelarova@suse.com" its:translate="no"/>
    <abstract>
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      <para>
        This section focuses on the difference between &nm; and
        <command>wicked</command>.
      </para>
    </abstract>
  </info>
  <para>
    &nm; is a program that manages the primary network connection and other
    connection interfaces. <command>wicked</command> is a network management
    tool that provides network configuration as a service and enables changing
    the network configuration dynamically.
  </para>
  <para>
    &nm; and <command>wicked</command> provide similar functionality; however,
    they differ in the following points:
  </para>
  <variablelist>
    <varlistentry>
      <term>&rootuser; privileges</term>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          If you use &nm; for network setup, you can easily switch, stop or
          start your network connection. &nm; also makes it
          possible to change and configure wireless card connections without
          requiring &rootuser; privileges.
        </para>
        <para>
          <command>wicked</command> also provides certain ways to switch, stop or
          start the connection with or without user intervention, like
          user-managed devices. However, this always requires &rootuser;
          privileges to change or configure a network device.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term>Types of network connections</term>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Both <command>wicked</command> and &nm; can handle network
          connections with a wireless network (with WEP, WPA-PSK, and
          WPA-Enterprise access) and wired networks using DHCP and static
          configuration. They also support connection through dial-up and VPN.
          With &nm;, you can also connect a mobile broadband (3G) modem or set
          up a DSL connection, which is not possible with the traditional
          configuration.
        </para>
        <para>
          &nm; tries to keep your computer connected at all times using the
          best connection available. If the network cable is accidentally
          disconnected, it tries to reconnect. &nm; can find the network with
          the best signal strength from the list of your wireless connections
          and automatically use it to connect. To get the same functionality
          with <command>wicked</command>, more configuration effort is
          required.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
      <term>&kube; integration</term>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Some &kube; plug-ins require &nm; to run and are not compatible with
          <command>wicked</command>.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>
</topic>