Preferences: Network - add Restart networking button (with supporting logic)

[dcatt]

Sometimes in order to get a network connection working again, you have to stop/restart net_server as a simple disable/re-enable of a selected network interface/device doesn't do the job.

I am suggesting that a Restarting networking button (bottom right of window?) with logic to stop/restart net_server, much like what we do with the Restart media services button found in the Media preferences window. This suggested feature would be similar to that of BeOS and its Network preferences window.

[dcatt]

Darn I wish I could re-edit the description... I meant Restart networking button (in the description, 2nd paragraph).

[pulkomandy]

What about we fix the problem instead so it is not needed to do that?

[dcatt]

Well the Enable / Disable button doesn't necessarily bode confidence that it's doing anything beyond enabling (or disabling) the network interface/device in question (based on the wording alone). If it's more appropriate to be part of the logic supporting the Enable / Disable button, then I'll leave that up to you to decide. For me, it's just really important to recover when things go awry (without requiring a reboot) and BeOS was pretty good about giving you such options to do just that like these Restart... buttons.

[vidrep]

This has been an issue for years. There are a couple of tickets for the same issue already open. #11938 and #12300

[dcatt]

vidrep, I opened this ticket an enhancement and only because I discovered that stopping/restarting net_server solves network issues (most of the time) and figured since BeOS have the user an easy way to do restart networking via the Network preferences window, that Haiku should follow suit.

[pulkomandy]

We don't always blindly follow BeOS. Such quirks shouldn't be needed and we should fix the underlying problem instead of adding "restart" buttons everywhere.