# Network Management

This guide is for the setup and execution of the new interface management functionality within the WLAN Pi. WLAN Pi now has a centralised approach to managing connectivity via APIs. These APIs exist within the wlanpi-core package and they are updated periodically to introduce new features.

New interface management functionality is now in testing in the latest beta of wlanpi-core and implements the following:

1. The ability to configure wlan interfaces in managed or monitor modes.
2. Configure managed interfaces to connect to Wi-Fi Networks and keep that persistent through reboots
3. The ability to move wlan interfaces into their own ‘namespace’ for isolated use.
   1. A network namespace is an isolated networking domain which network interfaces can be moved in or out.
   2. An application can be instructed to run in a namespace and it will only find the adapters which have been made available in that namespace

### Managing Network Interfaces

Many applications can only connect to network via the default route. In the case of a WLAN Pi this can often be the ethernet interface.

One approach to managing the association between applications and the network interface they use is to group the applications with a network interface in what is known as a network namespace.

The example below illustrates how multiple network interfaces can be divided into namespaces, and applications setup to run in a namespace - forcing it to use the only adapter present.

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