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https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager

A bash program to automagically run commands in userspace on network connection and disconnection. Written to work with both WICD and Network-Manager
https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager

automation bash linux networking script

Last synced: 4 months ago
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A bash program to automagically run commands in userspace on network connection and disconnection. Written to work with both WICD and Network-Manager

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README 

          
# network-middle-manager

==================================



A bash program to automagically run commands in userspace on network connection and disconnection.  Written to work with both WICD and Network-Manager



This originally started with [this](http://ideatrash.net/2013/10/getting-auto-login-window-on-public.html) and has grown into something quite a big larger, and then totally rewritten in 2021 to be a LOT simpler and more effective.



I like this little octopus.  I imagine them being our manager. You cannot pronouce their name with a human tongue, sorry.



![network middle manager logo](https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager/blob/master/nmm-open-graph.png?raw=true "logo")



## Contents

 1. [About](#1-about)

 2. [License](#2-license)

 3. [Prerequisites](#3-prerequisites)

 4. [Installation](#4-installation)

 5. [Usage](#5-usage)

 6. [TODO](#6-todo)



***

 

## 1. About



`network-middle-manager`:

* is focused on running tasks on network change

* runs tasks *in userspace*, not as root

* assumes *all* networks are **untrusted** unless explictly configured otherwise

* works with both `network-manager` and `wicd`

* uses a simple "plugin" style system for you to define what tasks to do where

* uses YAD to provide an (optional) simple GUI to add tasks



You're traveling for the holidays.  You're at a coffeeshop.  And so on.  You connect 

to different networks, and want to spin up (or down) various processes depending 

on what network you've connected to, and whether or not you trust them.



That's what `network-middle-manager` does.



This is written in the spirit of [Cuttlefish](https://www.debugpoint.com/2015/02/cuttlefish-an-event-driven-ubuntu-app-that-realises-reflexes-on-your-computer/) 

was an ambitious (and needed!) automation driver for linux...which hasn't been 

updated for a decade and doesn't currently run/compile on my system. 



I had written a very kludgy, very awkward script that kind of handled that, but 

it was so bad and flaky that even I didn't use it much.  So I've rewritten it 

entirely. It's in BASH so that it hopefully is more resistant to bitrot and is 

easily hackable by others.



## 2. License



This project is licensed under the MIT license. For the full license, see `LICENSE`.



## 3. Prerequisites



### These may already be installed on your system.



* `network-manager` or `wicd`

* `curl`, `wget`, `awk`, `sed`, `sleep`, `grep`

* `arp`, `netstat` (From `net-tools` in Debian)

* `dig` (From `bind9-dnsutils` in Debian)

* `iwgetid` (From `wireless-tools` in Debian)

* `ip` (From `iproute2` in Debian)



### Optional



* [yad](https://smokey01.com/yad/) for GUI task setup, from `yad` in Debian



## 4. Installation



### For **both** Network Manager *and* WICD



* Clone or download the repository and place it in a directory of your choice.  

* Edit `02networkcontrol` (in the `emitters` directory) with the USERNAME to be used.  

* Edit `02networkcontrol` (in the `emitters` directory) with the full path to `network-middle-manager.sh`.  

* Put `02networkcontrol` in `/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/02networkcontrol`.  

* `sudo chown root:root /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/02networkcontrol`

* `sudo chmod +x /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/02networkcontrol`

* Edit `network-middle-manager.ini` (see below).  

* You can leave `network-middle-manager.ini` in the same directory or copy it to `$HOME/.config/network-middle-manager.ini`  

* Set up your automatic processes.  



### WICD only steps



* Put `up.sh`  (in the `emitters` directory) in `/etc/wicd/scripts/preconnect`

* Put `down.sh` (in the `emitters` directory) in `/etc/wicd/scripts/postconnect`

* `sudo chmod +x /etc/wicd/scripts/preconnect/up.sh`

* `sudo chmod +x /etc/wicd/scripts/preconnect/down.sh`



### OPTIONAL



* `50-disable-wireless-when-wired` : Does exactly what it says on the tin. If you 

wish to use this, copy it to `/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/` and then

* `sudo chown root:root /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/50-disable-wireless-when-wired`

* `sudo chmod +x /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/50-disable-wireless-when-wired`



### network-middle-manager.ini



The format is simple; all networks are considered **UN**trusted except for the 

ones you mark as trusted.  Therefore, the simplest setup is to leave everything 

under "Trusted" blank.



Trusted networks can be identified either by the SSID or the MAC address of 

the gateway.  `wan_detect.sh` will give you that information for the **first** 

connected network.  (Network Manager will connect to both a wired and wireless 

connection at the same time unless you use the optional `50-disable-wireless-when-wired`.)  

The gateway MAC address should not change, even if you have a VPN running.  



`latency` is used for a delay when you're *switching* networks - say from wireless 

to wired - so that the up commands do not conflict with the down commands. Default 

is 10 seconds.



**IMPORTANT** Do not have any lines that START with `SSID=` or `MAC=` and nothing 

after the equals sign for security reasons.  



```

[DEFAULT]

latency=10



[Trusted]

SSID=mySSIDisboring

MAC=1a:2b:3c:4d:5e:6f

```



### Set up actions



This part requires `YAD`, or manually editing files. 



![setup screenshot](https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager/blob/master/setup_screeshot.png?raw=true "screenshot")



All actions are designed to happen in *userspace*.  Run `setup-function.sh` in 

the directory where you placed `network-middle-manager`.  Put the full path to 

the command you wish to run, any arguments on the next line, and use the dropdown 

to determine whether the command should be run on a *trusted* network, an *untrusted* 

network, or upon **any** network disconnect.



For example, I use [Private Internet Access](http://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/buy-a-vpn/1218buyavpn?invite=U2FsdGVkX1-SlyUtdYwtLcS0OJw83in87Dz9uyrKJUg%2CrHt7_wHO3z0c-uDZrCuQPIxALTo) (referral link).  



I am going to only use it with untrusted networks, so my first setup task is: 



```

Task: /usr/local/bin/piactl

Args: connect

ActionType: untrusted

```



![setup screenshot 1](https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager/blob/master/setup_1.png?raw=true "Setup 1")



My second is 



```

Task: /usr/local/bin/piactl

Args: disconnect

ActionType: disconnect

```

![setup screenshot 2](https://github.com/uriel1998/networkcontrol-wicd-networkmanager/blob/master/setup_2.png?raw=true "Setup 2")



This creates the plugins using the `template.txt` file and puts them in the right 

directory.  If you decide to manually create these, BASENAME is the basename of 

the command, TASKNAME and TASKARGS are hopefully obvious, and they should be 

copied into the appropriate plugin directory.



### Multiple instances of the same command per network condition



This *will* fail if you have multiple commands with the same command for the 

same network condition.  That is, you cannot have two "trusted" actions with the 

command `/bin/bash`.  



In that case, making (or using) a script that has the commands you want with the 

same base command name.  It's all in your userspace, so hack away!



Likewise, if you have a script that you need to run as another user (or root), 

(such as my [script for UFW](https://uriel1998.github.io/ufw-iptables-archer/)), 

contain that inside another script as well.  



### Note about PIA



Note: PIA requires either the applet running or for you to have the daemon running 

by issuing the command `/usr/local/bin/piactl background enable` beforehand. 



## 5. Usage



Restart network-manager to make sure that network-manager or wicd is aware of the new 

scripts. `network-middle-manager` will run the commands you told it to on network 

connection or disconnection as the user you defined. 



You may see `nmm_up.pid` and `nmm_down.pid` briefly appear in the application directory.



You *will* see `nmm_status` appear in the application directory. This is because 

of the way `network-manager` handles connection changes (e.g. when you plug an 

ethernet cable into a system that's running on wireless).



### Utilities



There are two additional utility scripts that are used with `network-middle-manager` that 

can be used standalone as well:



* `network_detect.sh`:  Checks if you're connected to a network with the defined 

properties and both returns an exit code of 0 (success) or 99 (fail) and emits success|fail to STDOUT.



`network_detect.sh --[match|unmatch] [MAC address|SSID|html file]`



Example:  

```

network_detect.sh --match "http://10.10.1.5/default.html"  

network_detect.sh --unmatch MySSID

```

    

* `wan_detect.sh`: Gives you information quickly about active interfaces. It checks for 

the first active interface, LAN ip4 address, and WAN ip4 address.  It also checks 

the WAN address multiple ways if others fail.



```

 -q : No headers on output.

 -s : Only the WAN ip, and exit code 99 if fail, 0 if success

 -v : Only the exit code 99 if fail, 0 if success

```

Example: `result=$(./wan_detect.sh -v; echo $?); if [ $result -eq 0 ];then ... ; fi`



## 6. Todo



 * Have wan_detect be able to deal with multiple simultaneous connections.

 * the .keep files are literally so the empty directories exist in the repo.