"Chris G. Demetriou" <cgd@cs.cmu.edu> writes:

>This is a mostly-bogus objection.  The same problem existed for SCSI
>busses, and the same solution can be used.  This can all be handled
>using the existing autoconfiguration machinery.

Chris,

I thought Bill was suggesting eliminating the existing names
completely.  If so, then there's a difference from SCSI I care about a
*lot*.  Reordering SCSI devices on a bus doesn't change the user-level
names.  Reordering cards on a PCI bus *does* change the user-level name.

I just don't find the idea of having that happen on my firewall box
acceptable.  Wearing my security-weenie hat, I don't even like the
idea of having to get two levels of naming right (the pci-level, and
lan* level) in order to tie specific IP addresses and filter rules to
the right bulkhead ports.  It's just something else that might go
wrong.  Or am I misunderstanding Bill's suggestion again?

That said, neither of us particularly likes this idea, so I suppose the
point is moot.