Subject: wiconfig and rc.d/network
To: None <tech-userlevel@netbsd.org>
From: Brook Milligan <brook@biology.nmsu.edu>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 02/23/2001 09:13:12
Given that wiconfig should presumably be run to configure wireless
network adapters prior to ifconfig, it might make sense to include
some mechanism in the start-up scripts to do this.  One possibility is
a separate script (rd.d/wiconfig?) upon which rc.d/network depends.
Perhaps a better idea is to modify rc.d/network to do this early on.

One scheme is to invent a new config file (/etc/wi.conf?) which would
include lines of the following form:

	<wi_interface> <wiconfig_option> <wiconfig_option> ...

If the file exists, each line would be simply used as the command line
arguments to wiconfig.  Thus, a single file could be used for
configuring all wi* interfaces.

Implementing this could be based on something quite similar to what is
already in rc.d/network for the ifconfig.* files.

Another scheme could follow the lead of getting the right ifconfig
arguments.  There could be wi_interfaces, wiconfig_wi* variables and
/etc/wiconfig.wi* files.  This is more general and fits the other
pattern nicely, but it might be overkill.

Are there any comments on the desirability of doing something like
this or on possible means of implementing it?

Cheers,
Brook