[SRU]Network Manager sets powersave off by default in xenial

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

So NM 1.1.93-0ubuntu1 includes the patch default_powersave_on.patch, which is pretty simple, it just modifies the NMSettingWireless code to default powersave to 1:

===================================================================
--- a/libnm-util/nm-setting-wireless.c
+++ b/libnm-util/nm-setting-wireless.c
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ nm_setting_wireless_get_hidden (NMSettin
 guint32
 nm_setting_wireless_get_powersave (NMSettingWireless *setting)
 {
- g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_SETTING_WIRELESS (setting), 0);
+ g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_SETTING_WIRELESS (setting), 1);

  return NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_GET_PRIVATE (setting)->powersave;
 }
@@ -885,6 +885,9 @@ verify (NMSetting *setting, GSList *all_
 static void
 nm_setting_wireless_init (NMSettingWireless *setting)
 {
+ NMSettingWirelessPrivate *priv = NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_GET_PRIVATE (setting);
+
+ priv->powersave = 1;
 }

 static void
@@ -1283,7 +1286,7 @@ nm_setting_wireless_class_init (NMSettin
  g_object_class_install_property
   (object_class, PROP_POWERSAVE,
    g_param_spec_uint (NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE, "", "",
- 0, G_MAXUINT32, 0,
+ 0, G_MAXUINT32, 1,
                       G_PARAM_READWRITE |
                       G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS));
 }

...unfortunately, the NM1.2 treats powersave=1 as IGNORE:

/**
 * NMSettingWirelessPowersave:
 * @NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DEFAULT: use the default value
 * @NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_IGNORE: don't touch existing setting
 * @NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DISABLE: disable powersave
 * @NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_ENABLE: enable powersave
 *
 * These flags indicate whether wireless powersave must be enabled.
 **/
typedef enum {
    NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DEFAULT = 0,
    NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_IGNORE = 1,
    NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DISABLE = 2,
    NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_ENABLE ...

Note, it looks like the problem is that the original patch fixes up the libnm-util version of nm-settings-wireless.c which has been deprecated. Instead the libnm-core version of nm-settings-wireless.c needs to be updated. I'm testing this now for a touch build and will report back here if it works.

A fix was released for Ubuntu touch. Please SRU for desktop Xenial.

Tony, is that right that it was fixed in the overlay version? If so why is Ubuntu left behind?

Bug #1579915 is for ubuntu touch.

seems like the fix was merged in the packaging vcs
https://git.launchpad.net/~network-manager/network-manager/+git/ubuntu/commit/?id=9f40397c

Aron, can you include that in the coming SRU maybe?

Added to Trello: https://trello.com/c/BwK47hP3/6-bug-1557026-network-manager-sets-powersave-off-by-default-in-xenial

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Hello Pilot6, or anyone else affected,

Accepted network-manager into xenial-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/network-manager/1.2.0-0ubuntu0.16.04.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

In Ubuntu Xenial, with the proposed packages (1.2.0-0ubuntu0.16.04.3), running with the laptop plugged I get:

$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 | grep "Power Management"
          Power Management:off

And with the laptop unplugged:

$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 | grep "Power Management"
          Power Management:on

This bug was fixed in the package network-manager - 1.2.0-0ubuntu0.16.04.3

---------------
network-manager (1.2.0-0ubuntu0.16.04.3) xenial; urgency=medium

  * cli-initialize-connection-list-in-do_device_connect.patch:
    Make sure connection list available for nmc_secrets_requested().
    (LP: #1595707).
  * Removing default_powersave_on.patch, and instead install config
    file that accomplishes the same (LP: #1557026)
  * Fix invalid nmcli option in bug report script
    debian/source_network-manager.py (LP: #1582803)

 -- Aron Xu <email address hidden> Tue, 05 Jul 2016 16:01:03 +0800

The verification of the Stable Release Update for network-manager has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

For those of us who have a regression in wireless performance due to this, but would rather WORKAROUND this issue instead of file a bug report to spin dev cycles, could someone advise where permanently disabling powersave_on is documented at wiki/help.ubuntu.com?

Christopher,

The problem is that there is no global setting for that. You can enable or disable PM in NM per connection. Global settings are possible if you are not using NM.

A perfect solution is to make that setting in NM config. It is very easy yo do.

Pilot6, thanks for the quick response. It is greatly appreciated.

To clarify, what would one do precisely in this case?

If a user have a reasonable number of connections, they can edit settings per connection manually.

Each connection has a config file in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/

They can add

powersave=0

to the [wifi] section of each file.

I did the reverse and had to add "powersave=1" before the fix of this bug.

As I said before there is no global setting in /etc/NetworkManager/networkManager.conf

From results on the forums I visit, this creates more issues than it solves