Unable to configure static IP address

robnicholson · March 27, 2026, 10:53am

Currently evaluating Rockstor in a VMware Workstation virtual machine. Works fine with DHCP but wanted to change to static. All I’ve done is create a data pool. This is the configuration:

When I click submit, an error is thrown: ‘NetworkConnection’ instance needs to have a primary key value before this relationship can be used.

Full traceback:

            Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/rest_framework_custom/generic_view.py", line 40, in _handle_exception
    yield
  File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/storageadmin/views/network.py", line 534, in put
    return Response(NetworkConnectionSerializer(nco).data)
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 571, in data
    ret = super().data
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 249, in data
    self._data = self.to_representation(self.instance)
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 525, in to_representation
    attribute = field.get_attribute(instance)
                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/fields.py", line 437, in get_attribute
    return get_attribute(instance, self.source_attrs)
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/fields.py", line 104, in get_attribute
    instance = getattr(instance, attr)
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/storageadmin/models/network_interface.py", line 81, in ctype
    if self.ethernetconnection_set.count() > 0:
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/django/db/models/manager.py", line 87, in manager_method
    return getattr(self.get_queryset(), name)(*args, **kwargs)
                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/django/db/models/fields/related_descriptors.py", line 718, in get_queryset
    raise ValueError(
ValueError: 'NetworkConnection' instance needs to have a primary key value before this relationship can be used.

robnicholson · March 27, 2026, 12:59pm

The workaround was to use nmcli from the shell. Some supplemental information, after I’d tried to change to static in the GUI twice, I ended up with multiple connections in a very confused state! I restored the VM snapshot before using nmcli.

Hooverdan · March 28, 2026, 7:34pm

@robnicholson welcome to the Rockstor community. It looks like you ran into similar problems as have been reported on the forum previously.

There is an open issue for this particular challenge, especially when using the /24 address format, I believe.

Take a look here:

And there is a corresponding issue on github, which, unfortunately, has not been resolved yet.:

github.com/rockstor/rockstor-core

[testing] Error thrown when changing network adapter properties

opened 05:06PM - 31 Mar 25 UTC

Hooverdan96

Thanks to user [franao68](https://forum.rockstor.com/u/franao68), reporting on a…n issue related to network adapter changes: https://forum.rockstor.com/t/help-error-config-network-ip-dhcp-rockstor-web-gui/10520. I was able to reproduce the issue on 5.0.15-0 - Create a new network connection against an existing adapter using docker network and dhcp, name "JustANewOne" - completed - enter existing connection (which is now based on the docker adapter - Switch from dhcp to manual - add valid docker IP address, dns, etc. <img width="745" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/003a3ecc-16d6-4965-ab8d-b2d0965377bf" /> - select submit - Error message is thrown. Traceback: ``` Traceback (most recent call last): File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/rest_framework_custom/generic_view.py", line 40, in _handle_exception yield File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/storageadmin/views/network.py", line 449, in put device = nco.networkdevice_set.first().name ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'name' ``` Interestingly enough it seems to retain the DNS server I entered, even when doing a hard re-load of the browser (using developer tools). <img width="470" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f4adab5e-1b36-4272-a04e-b0b0618978a5" /> While in here, when switching back to `dhcp` and trying to submit, error message is again/still being thrown But also, no member device is shown on the top-level: <img width="1087" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f7865319-41ff-4383-9dfa-b0b154733568" /> though a hard reload rectifies the situation. I am able to delete the connection. Using an existing "real" ethernet connection and switching it from dhcp to manual, updating appropriate fields: <img width="785" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cbf149e2-581f-4b2c-9060-7c102ebceab6" /> A different error is thrown: ``` Traceback (most recent call last): File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/rest_framework_custom/generic_view.py", line 40, in _handle_exception yield File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/storageadmin/views/network.py", line 534, in put return Response(NetworkConnectionSerializer(nco).data) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 571, in data ret = super().data ^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 249, in data self._data = self.to_representation(self.instance) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/serializers.py", line 525, in to_representation attribute = field.get_attribute(instance) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/fields.py", line 437, in get_attribute return get_attribute(instance, self.source_attrs) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/rest_framework/fields.py", line 104, in get_attribute instance = getattr(instance, attr) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/src/rockstor/storageadmin/models/network_interface.py", line 81, in ctype if self.ethernetconnection_set.count() > 0: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/django/db/models/manager.py", line 87, in manager_method return getattr(self.get_queryset(), name)(*args, **kwargs) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ File "/opt/rockstor/.venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/django/db/models/fields/related_descriptors.py", line 718, in get_queryset raise ValueError( ValueError: 'NetworkConnection' instance needs to have a primary key value before this relationship can be used. ``` And, then it becomes very strange. Another "hard" reload of the network page: <img width="1093" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cdbc2908-ed1b-4b73-b31d-797c6778529e" /> it now shows "docker type" IP info. When going into the connection (change mode), I am presented with this: <img width="766" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c4b6430e-45c8-4cb1-b393-21232f503f8e" /> Soooo, not entirely sure what's going on. In the devtools I saw an internal server error 500 that seems to be thrown by jquery, but I did not look into too much detail there.

So using nmcli or 'nmtui is currently probably the best choice in that space for now.