This page documents how to configure network manager to automatically start Babeld when it connects to a reseaulibre.ca wireless ad-hoc hotspot.

Connecting your laptop to the mesh then becomes as simple as choosing the network connection.

This is designed for Wireless connections, but can also be adapted to wired connections.

Adhoc network manager configuration

This assumes you have already tried connecting to a ad-hoc cell named relais.reseaulibre.ca. If that is not your case, try to find one and connect to it as a regular hotspot - it will fail but at least it will be in your list of networks.

1. Right-click on the network-manager icon
2. Choose Edit connections (can also be launched through nm-connection-editor)
3. Choose the Wireless tab
4. Click on relais.reseaulibre.ca in the list and then Edit...
5. Choose the IPv4 Settings
6. Choose Link-Local Only
7. Click Save...
8. Click Close

This will make sure Network Manager will not try to get an IP using DHCP on the ad-hoc network.

Automatically starting babeld

Network Manager has ways to automatically run scripts after a connection is configured, in /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/.

Debian-specific

In Debian, there is a single hook that calls the "ifup" scripts defined in /etc/network/if-up.d, but this could be adapted to a network-manager-only setup.

Place the following script in /etc/network/if-up.d/reseaulibre-babel:

#!/bin/sh -e

if iwgetid -m | grep -q Ad-Hoc && iwgetid | grep -q reseaulibre; then
    babeld -D -g 33123 "$IFACE"
fi

Place the following in /etc/network/if-post-down.d/reseaulibre-babel:

#!/bin/sh -e

if [ -e /var/run/babeld-reseaulibre.started ] ; then
    kill `cat /var/run/babeld.pid`
    rm /var/run/babeld-reseaulibre.started
fi

Note: the above scripts could probably merged in one and ported to the dispatcher.d configuration... Patches welcome.