Tails 4.19 rc1/b1 - Tor not working on 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro

It's been possible to use Tails on T2 chip Macs like the 2019 MacBook Pro (MacBookPro16,1) if you use an external keyboard & mouse (as indicated in Known Issues), a common USB-C to ethernet adapter for Internet, and a couple of 'quick fix' commands shared below.

However, I've tried 4.19 b1 and rc1, and both don't connect to Tor, even if 4.18 (or earlier) can.

Mini summary of this ticket: There are 4 issues with T2 chip devices (e.g. 16-inch MBP) in Tails 4.18/4.19rc1 - three on 4.18, three on 4.19rc1:

1. Both: In every scenario, NetworkManager needs a manual restart in Terminal (sudo service network-manager restart)
2. Both: lspci command is needed if ethernet (over USB-C) is not already connected before Tails boots
3. 4.18 only: Must do sudo service tor restart to additionally get Tor to connect (once ethernet is connected)
4. 4.19rc1 only: No way to get Tor Connection working (that I figured out so far), once ethernet is connected.

As the issues are quite interconnected and we're about to move to Tails 4.19, I'm combining these in one ticket. I'm wary that we will lose soon access to Tails 4.18 ISO for testing comparison.

Steps on Tails 4.18:

• Boot Tails stick (I have tested by adding modprobe.blacklist=thunderbolt boot parameter but it doesn't seem to affect these issues. However, subtle observations indicate it's always worth testing things with that parameter added vs. not added.)

• Start Tails (setting an admin password for testing)

• Don't connect the ethernet USB adapter yet

• Observe that 'Network' GNOME settings window doesn't contain anything. The pane just says: 'Oops, something has gone wrong. Please contact your software vendor. [\n\n] NetworkManager needs to be running.' I assume this is a bug in and of itself? (Whether upstream or just in Tails? I'm happy to test regular Debian Live 10/11 to help solve it. I know pinpointing a cause can be complex due to specific kernel choice, or other things.)

• A hack get it working thanks to this tip: in Terminal do sudo service network-manager restart. Then re-open 'Network' settings pane and it now loads as normal (e.g. VPN and Network Proxy settings show).

• Now connect the ethernet adapter. Nothing happens.

• For some reason, doing lspci in Terminal gets the Ethernet connected in GNOME. (Wait a few seconds.) I have to do lspci after I physically connect the ethernet adapter.

• Third issue: Tor still doesn't connect. But I can do sudo service tor restart. After about 30 seconds, Tor is finally connected and I can use Tails as normal.

Two more observations (which apply to both 4.18 and 4.19rc1):

1: lspci is not needed if you connect the adapter before Tails loads. However, it's sometimes desirable to physically block networking until you are fully in Tails (e.g. to prevent non-Linux software from possibly touching the Internet, or to use Tails offline for a while and then later connect). Ideally, a manual lspci should not have to be done by the user when connecting a new peripheral inside Tails.

2: Even if ethernet (adapter) is connected before Tails boots (and thus lspci not needed), you still need to do sudo service network-manager restart for the base Internet to actually get connected.

Steps on Tails 4.19rc1:

• I've tried all the above (including both modprobe.blacklist=thunderbolt added vs. not added), but Tor still doesn't connect.

• Manually opening the new 'Tor Connection` shortcut doesn't do anything (even though ethernet Internet is connected).

• sudo service tor restart seems the totally wrong command in the new 4.19.

Is there a different fix to force / reset the new 'Tor Connection' in this scenario? I have not explored the code of the new connector binary / script.

And then, what can we do to fix the NetworkManager bug?

Hope I've done the right thing to connect all these issues in the one ticket. They seem closely interconnected on this T2 hardware. Thanks.