[ On Sunday, November 4, 2001 at 00:20:59 (-0500), Mike Pelley wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: history, design, or both?
>
> There is often more than one file to edit or rename.  On my machine, for
> instance, there would be three, and it is just a home machine.  In many
> circumstances it would be advantageous to avoid editing any files
> (say, in a remote 3rd party data centre).

Same here.  On my home router, with three physical interfaces and at
least one virtual interface, the three files to edit are rc.conf,
ipf.conf, and ipnat.conf

I'd really like it if I could use some form of indirection in ipf.conf
to avoid having to muck in it....  Perhaps something along the lines of
"use the interface with this address".....

> It would be disconcerting to have higher numbered interfaces slide down
> when a card is removed (although this parallels hard drives).  Often
> replacing a defective ethernet card is time-critical, whereas removing
> an ethernet card rarely is.  I would rather see the shell access
> required for the less urgent situations.

This is a problem more related to hardware architecture and how device
drivers detect and attach to the desired device(s) than how devices are
named....  If your hardware is capable enough, and if you've wired down
your devices in your kernel configuration, then your interfaces won't
renumber when you pull a card or whatever.

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods@acm.org>     <woods@robohack.ca>
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