GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 601527
Easier management of two NICs, e.g. with both WAN and LAN
Last modified: 2014-07-21 00:52:01 UTC
A common configuration especially with laptops is to have two network cards, one connected to the internet and another to a local network. Routing needs to be configured to make this work, but the procedure is much too complicated for most users. At present the process is: Right-click gnome-applet -> Edit connections -> Wired tab -> select a connection -> Edit... -> IPv4 Settings -> Routes... -> Check "Use this connection only for resources on its network". Easy...but only when you know how. For someone who has never done it before - completely impossible to work out without help. When NM detects two NICs this option should be highly visible.
I'd somewhat dispute that it's a common config on laptops, but certainly it is on some desktops. I'm not entirely sure how to make this more visible but still retain usability at the same time by not bashing the user over the head with options. Perhaps something like a notification that it's unclear which device is supposed to be the one connected to the Internet, and give the user directions on what to do in that case...
I guess this works when you use the IPv4 connection sharing feature.