Background

• Debug logs are essential for diagnosing issues with NetworkManager.

• Currently:

• • Persistent method: edit /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf manually and restart NM. This is error-prone and requires technical knowledge.

• • Runtime method: use nmcli general logging level <LEVEL> domains <DOMAINS>, which is lost on reboot or NM restart.

Problem

• Customers often forget to edit or revert the config file.

• Debugging requires logs from early boot, which runtime-only logging cannot capture.

• Manual steps lead to human errors and support delays.

Proposed Solution

Extend nmcli general logging with a persistent option.

New Syntax

• 1. Enable persistent debug logs*

nmcli general logging level TRACE domains ALL persistent yes

• 1. Enable temporary runtime logs (unchanged)*

nmcli general logging level TRACE domains ALL

• 1. Disable persistent logging (restore defaults)*

nmcli general logging persistent no

Behavior

• With persistent yes:

• • Updates /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf:

                           [logging]
                           level=TRACE
                          domains=ALL

• • Reloads NetworkManager (or schedules reload on reboot).

• With persistent no:

• • Removes or comments the [logging] section from NetworkManager.conf.

• • Reloads NetworkManager.

• With no persistent flag: current runtime-only behavior is preserved.

Benefits

• Ease of use: No manual config edits required.

• Consistency: Behavior matches other nmcli commands that can modify configs.

• Reliability: Debug logs are collected from boot when needed.

• Backward compatible: Existing nmcli general logging works as-is.