How do I use NetworkManager at the login prompt (in gdm) ?

Created by Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
Keywords:
network-manager gdm ldap

Here is how you can quickly and easily enable NetworkManager in the GDM login screen on Lucid and later releases:

cp /etc/xdg/autostart/nm-applet.desktop /usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow/

The goal is to have a .desktop file to start NetworkManager, in the /usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow/ directory. You can then use NetworkManager to start VPN or other types of connections required in order to complete authentication. For example, if you need to use a VPN or a specific WiFi network before logging in with LDAP credentials.