netdev - Re: [PATCH] Use firmware provided index to register a network interface

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Date:	Thu, 7 Oct 2010 19:44:57 +0530
From:	<Narendra_K@...l.com>
To:	<greg@...ah.com>
CC:	<netdev@...r.kernel.org>, <linux-hotplug@...r.kernel.org>,
	<linux-pci@...r.kernel.org>, <Matt_Domsch@...l.com>,
	<Charles_Rose@...l.com>, <Jordan_Hargrave@...l.com>,
	<Vijay_Nijhawan@...l.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Use firmware provided index to register a network
 interface

On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 10:03:36PM +0530, Greg KH wrote:
>    On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 09:20:57PM +0530, Narendra_K@...l.com wrote:
>    > > Now trying to change the kernel namespace itself seems like a bad hack
>    > > around this fact.
>    > >
>    >
>    > The patch does not change the existing kernel name space.
> 
>    You are "reordering it", right?
> 
>    > It adheres to the existing ethN name space with IFNAMSIZ length
>    > requirements. The patch only makes sure that eth0 always corresponds
>    > to what is labeled as 'Gb1' on server chassis, on systems where SMBIOS
>    > type 41 record is available. And removes the need for any renames for
>    > the interfaces which have a firmware index assigned by system
>    > firmware, as the very first name assigned by the kernel will be as
>    > expected and deterministic.
> 
>    And on systems with buggy firmware, what is going to happen here?  And
>    yes, there will be buggy BIOS tables, we can guarantee that, as this is
>    not something that Windows supports, right?
> 

It took some time to find out the details asked above. Right, windows
does not use SMBIOS type 41 record to derive names. But as a datapoint,
windows also has the same problem.

Yes, firmware and BIOS tables can be buggy. How about a command line
parameter 'no_netfwindex', passing which firmware index will not be
used to derive ethN names ? That would handle the scenario of buggy
firmware and names will be derived in the now existing way.

I will submit a patch shortly implementing this.

-- 
With regards,
Narendra K
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