netdev - Re: PATCH: Network Device Naming mechanism and policy

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Message-ID: <20091012174528.GB22736@nostromo.devel.redhat.com>
Date:	Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:45:28 -0400
From:	Bill Nottingham <notting@...hat.com>
To:	Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>
Cc:	Matt Domsch <Matt_Domsch@...l.com>,
	Stephen Hemminger <shemminger@...tta.com>,
	netdev@...r.kernel.org, linux-hotplug@...r.kernel.org,
	Narendra_K@...l.com, jordan_hargrave@...l.com
Subject: Re: PATCH: Network Device Naming mechanism and policy

Greg KH (greg@...ah.com) said: 
> > Today, port naming is completely nondeterministic.  If you have but
> > one NIC, there are few chances to get the name wrong (it'll be eth0).
> > If you have >1 NIC, chances increase to get it wrong.
> 
> That is why all distros name network devices based on the only
> deterministic thing they have today, the MAC address.  I still fail to
> see why you do not like this solution, it is honestly the only way to
> properly name network devices in a sane manner.
> 
> All distros also provide a way to easily rename the network devices, to
> place a specific name on a specific MAC address, so again, this should
> all be solved already.

No, it's not solved. Even if you have persistent names once you install,
if you ever re-image, you're likely to get *different* persistent names;
the first load will always be non-detmerministic.

The only way around this would be to have some sort of screen like:

  Would you like your network devices to be enumerated by

  [ ] MAC address
  [ ] PCI device order
  [ ] Driver name
  [ ] Other

which is just all sorts of fail in and of itself. Especially since
once you get to the point where you can coherently ask this in a
native installer, the drivers have already loaded.

Bill
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