Switch from ConnMan to NetworkManager for edge-agent compatibility

[mihai-chiorean]

Summary

EdgeOS currently uses ConnMan for network management, but the edge-agent WiFi implementation requires NetworkManager's DBus interface. This incompatibility prevents the edge-agent from managing WiFi connections on EdgeOS devices.

Problem

The edge-agent's WiFi management implementation (in the NetworkManager.swift module) specifically uses NetworkManager's DBus API:

• Connects to org.freedesktop.NetworkManager DBus service
• Uses NetworkManager-specific interfaces like:
  • org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Device.Wireless
  • org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.AccessPoint
  • org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Connection.Active
• Implements WiFi operations through NetworkManager's AddAndActivateConnection method

This is incompatible with ConnMan, which uses different DBus interfaces (net.connman.*).

Current State

• EdgeOS: Uses ConnMan (connman package in meta-edgeos/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-edgeos-base.bb:14)
• edge-agent: Hardcoded to use NetworkManager DBus API for WiFi management

Proposed Solution

Replace ConnMan with NetworkManager in EdgeOS to ensure compatibility with edge-agent:

# In packagegroup-edgeos-base.bb
RDEPENDS:${PN} = " \
    packagegroup-core-boot \
    packagegroup-base-extended \
    coreutils \
    libstdc++ \
    util-linux \
-   connman \
+   networkmanager \
    tzdata \
    zstd \
    iproute2 \
    vim \
    edgeos-identity \
    edgeos-user \
    "

Implementation Checklist

• Replace connman with networkmanager in packagegroup-edgeos-base.bb
• Add NetworkManager systemd service enablement
• Configure NetworkManager for USB gadget compatibility (192.168.7.1)
• Update any ConnMan-specific configuration files
• Test WiFi scanning/connection via edge-agent
• Verify USB gadget networking still works
• Update documentation

Benefits

1. Full edge-agent compatibility: WiFi commands will work out of the box
2. Richer API: NetworkManager provides more comprehensive DBus interface
3. Better enterprise support: WPA2-Enterprise, 802.1x authentication
4. Active development: NetworkManager has broader adoption and support
5. Consistent with edge-agent design: No need to maintain dual network manager support

Testing Required

• USB gadget Ethernet (192.168.7.1) must continue working
• WiFi operations through edge-agent CLI
• Boot time impact measurement
• Memory usage comparison

Alternative Approaches Considered

1. Modify edge-agent to support ConnMan: Would require significant Swift code changes and maintaining two code paths
2. Add abstraction layer: Complex and adds maintenance burden
3. Make configurable: Would complicate both projects

Switching to NetworkManager is the cleanest solution that aligns with the edge-agent's existing implementation.

References

• Edge-agent NetworkManager implementation: NetworkManager.swift
• Current ConnMan usage: /meta-edgeos/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-edgeos-base.bb:14