[X-Unix] Networking when booting OS X in text mode

[William H. Magill]

On 07 Oct, 2004, at 02:21, Alexandre Gauthier wrote:
> As most of you already know, you can use OS X in almost pure 
> frambuffered console mode by doing a few nasty tweaks and typing 
> >console as the username in the login prompt. This should dump you in 
> pure text mode, no graphical window server whatsoever.
>
> However, my concern is the following.
>
> *** The Wrong:
> Apparently, OS X seems to initialize networking for, say, airport in 
> my case, only when a graphical session is started.
> It seems that all adapters are brought up, but they don't seem to 
> follow the profile currently applied. They just stand there, 
> basically, in "unknown" state. Following this logic, they only seem to 
> work when you are _logged in_ as well. I don't think networking is 
> fully operational (at least in the case of 802.11b) until you have 
> started a session. At least in my case.
> I understand why that would happen, since profiles and the airport 
> manager seem to only apply inside your session since the airport 
> applet is only launched then.
>
> *** The what:
> Well, I would like to know if there is a way to enable networking 
> while in full text-mode-only-we-like-framebuffered-consoles mode.
> So far, ifconfig returns the interface (ne1), but it is in the state 
> "unknown".
>
> *** The why:
> Don't ask why I want to do this ;) I just feel like it. It has to do 
> with me being easily distracted when programming bash (I tend to do 
> everything in perl, whenever I can. As for if that is a good or a bad 
> habit... ;P), and a strange, utterly immoral fondness for text 
> environnements.

The answer is actually "simple."

There are some configurations which are "system wide" and some which 
are dependent upon the individual user.

Each user can configure their own "location" profile, which includes 
which network interfaces are being used, and how.

The "system" can configure certain interfaces by way of the Sharing 
panel. However, if nothing is "shared" (file sharing, Ftp, remote 
login, etc.) then nothing is configured which would require a 
networking interface. (One assumes it will use the location profile of 
the Admin user, but I don't know.)

My iMac runs remote login and web sharing, and is accessible via 802.11 
independent of anyone being logged in on the head.

One assumes that you are using your userid (not root) to login via 
 >console.
You will note that you are running the same environment as you get via 
Terminal (less .MacOSX/environment.plist).
I happen to have multiple userids configured on my box, so >console 
gives one a classic login prompt. I don't know how this would change if 
there is only one userid on the box.

My box comes up (in >console) with the 802.11 interface fully 
configured and operational.

BTW, I wouldn't call it a "frame buffered," but rather "character cell."

I haven't tested this, but it is also quite possible that immediately 
after a reboot, and logging in via >console, things will be inactive. 
However, in my case, I have accessed the various activated services 
immediately following a reboot, never having logged in via the head.

Note also, since I use the iMac exclusively via 802.11, I have 
eliminated the other interfaces from "active" status in the Admin 
user's profile. Given Apple's "Smart Networking," it is possible that 
this is why interfaces would be in an "unknown" state. But again, I 
would assume that the activation of say, the remote login service, when 
that daemon (sshd) initializes, it would trigger the "smart networking" 
code during boot.

T.T.F.N.
William H. Magill
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