Re: Time to retire some ancient network pseudo-interfaces?

[John Nemeth <jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost>]

On Sep 13,  5:12pm, Maxime Villard wrote:
} Re-reading Jason's email:
} > > On Jul 12, 2018, at 6:39 PM, Ryota Ozaki <ozaki-r%netbsd.org@localhost> wrote:
} > > Removing a component, even if it's small, is still useful for developers of
} > > networking stuffs.  We're sometimes annoyed by old, unmaintained codes
} > > when we need to touch every network components because such codes
} > > are often written in old fashion and difficult to touch (one noticeable
} > > example is sys/dev/pci/if_lmc.c).  Also if we want to turn NET_MPSAFE
} > > on by default, all network components have to be taken care, so reducing
} > > the number of components just makes the goal close.
} >
} > Yes, that's exactly my point.  There is a ton of dead wood in there that
} > just needs to go.  if_lmc.c is another perfect example.
} 
} I would vote for removing lmc.
} 
} > Other examples off the top of my head:
} >
} > - The Midway ATM driver and the associated netnatm stack.
} > - The RoadRunner HIPPI driver and associated if_hippisubr (even though that
} >   one is near and dear to my heart).
} > - We still have Matt Thomas's original "de" Tulip driver, which was long
} >   ago supplanted by if_tlp.c (which supports more device flavors and more
} >   bus attachments)
} 
} Then why do we keep "de" exactly? Since there is already a replacement.
} 
} > - There are some ISA Ethernet drivers that don't support even basic
} >   features required by modern network protocols (e.g. the "eg" driver that
} >   doesn't support multicast, for example).
} 
} I'm a bit confused here. I don't see any kern conf that has "eg". Unless I'm
} missing something, it looks like dead code that has never been enabled.

     You didn't look very hard.  Check i386/conf/GENERIC (and
various others).  You'll find most ISA drivers there.

}-- End of excerpt from Maxime Villard