Hi,

I am looking at implementing a bridge between two networks and tunneling
Ethernet frames over IP.


(Ethernet) ---- NetBSD ----- (IP) ----- NetBSD ---- (Ethernet)


It looks like this might be possible with OpenBSD (see below) but
(obviously) I would prefer to use NetBSD.


From the gif(4) OpenBSD man page:
http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=gif

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Finally, the gif interface may be used as a bridge(4) member.  Ethernet
 frames forwarded by the bridge to the gif interface are encapsulated in-
 side an IPv4 or IPv6 header (depending on how the interface is config-
 ured), with transport protocol number 97 (etherip).  IPv4 or IPv6 packets
 carrying transport protocol 97 are delivered to the gif interface whose
 "physical" addresses match the source/destination addresses of the packet
 (the source address of the packet must match the destination "physical"
 address, and vice versa).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately it seems that the bridge and gif counterparts in NetBSD are
more limited in this respect.

So my questions are:

Has anyone tried anything like this before?

Are there any plans for Ethernet encapsulation in IP for NetBSD?

Or is it already there and I have missed it completely?

Is this sort of thing better done in userland?


Of course I am probably trying to drive a tack with a sledgehammer...


Best Regards,
Patrick Mackey

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    "You can't take the sky from me"
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