Overview of CyNetwork

CyNetwork is the network monitor and host-file config panel. It watches the interfaces the OS already has, and when you Apply it writes the files that host already understands.

Open this book from Help Books as "CyNetwork", or:

cyhelp --book CyNetwork --topic overview

The Applications page lists it as: Network panel.

What It Does

CyNetwork is a Motif panel with three faces:

Monitor -- live traffic graph and per-interface meters from system tools (netprobe). Always real counters, even in Demo.
Link -- link-layer status (carrier, speed, duplex). Read-only; no bonding or team config.
Configure -- Wi-Fi / addressing / DHCP edits that stage OS-native files (wpa_supplicant, dhcpcd or dhclient, ifconfig, rc fragments)

Demo mode (the default) stages under /tmp/cynetwork-<uid>/ and never touches /etc. Live Apply runs a fixed-argv helper (cynetwork-apply) through doas or sudo -- not a general root shell from the GUI.

If NetworkManager, or something in that family, already owns the machine, CyNetwork says so and blocks Live host writes. A tray readout of real state is fine. Owning the stack for a blinking light is not.

What It Is Not

Not NetworkManager, connman, or a second stack that owns the NIC
Not a VPN panel, firewall, or captive-portal browser
Not a replacement for editing host conf by hand when you prefer that

In This Book

Using CyNetwork -- Monitor, Demo vs Live, tray, Wi-Fi day to day
Command Line -- panel flags, probe/scan, headless WPA
Copyright