linux-kernel - Re: Network Device Naming mechanism and policy

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Message-ID: <20090324170057.5d09d5f0@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Date:	Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:00:57 +0000
From:	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
To:	Dan Williams <dcbw@...hat.com>
Cc:	Patrick McHardy <kaber@...sh.net>,
	Matt Domsch <Matt_Domsch@...l.com>, netdev@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-hotplug@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Network Device Naming mechanism and policy

> If the MAC address isn't a UUID for the device, then *what* is?

MAC is technically per system if desired (eg old Sun boxes) and that is
quite valid by IEE802.3. In that case you need MAC + topology.

If you are running DECnet your system runs on assigned MAC addresses so
you also have to be careful to use the EPROM MAC (if one exists which is
99.9% of the time) + topology.

> Either people want (a) a name assigned to a specific device (which
> implies a UUID like a MAC address stored on that device somewhere
> accessible to the driver at plug/boot time), or they want (b) to assign
> a name to a *position* on the PCI or USB or firewire or whatever bus, or
> they (c) don't care about this at all.

I'd argue the fumdamental problem is that I can do this

	ln -s /dev/sda /dev/thebigdiskunderthefridge

but cannot ln -s /dev/eth0 /dev/ethernet/slot0

and the SIOCGIF/SIF BSD style ioctl interface doesn't do pathnames or
file handles of network devices.

Anyone feel up to putting all the network devices into dev space and
fixing the ioctls ;)
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