How can I use NetworkManager in GDM?

Question

I need to connect to a specific wireless network before being able to successfully connect to my user account, since it needs access to a secured LDAP server.

The same applies when I am outside of the office, where I need to connect to a VPN before I can log in.

Answer 1

Turns out it's pretty simple; just need to add a .desktop file in the directory:

/usr/share/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow/

A quick way to do this is to copy the nm-applet.desktop file from /etc/xdg/autostart:

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