Subject: Re: /sbin/ifup
To: NetBSD Networking Technical Discussion List <tech-net@NetBSD.org>
From: Michael Richardson <mcr@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>
List: tech-net
Date: 08/13/2003 13:42:00
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>>>>> "Greg" == Greg A Woods <woods@weird.com> writes:
    Greg> [ On Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 11:27:26 (-0400), Michael Richardson wrote: ]
    >> Subject: /sbin/ifup
    >> 
    >> I think that people liked the code for /sbin/ifup, so I'd like to commit
    >> it. 

    Greg> It's not so much that I didn't like it -- I just don't see the need.

    Greg> Maybe it's because I'm a reasonably fast touch typist, but I don't
    Greg> see 
    Greg> why it's so hard to just "cat /etc/ifconfig.whatever" and then
    Greg> cut&paste 

  It gets harder as the contents of /etc/ifconfig.* get more complicated.
  It is also harder to educate junior admins about this.

    Greg> Do you really individually manipulate your network interfaces that
    Greg> much 
    Greg> during regular maintenance to require a teeny helper script like
    Greg> that? 

  During system setup, yes.

  We have routers with 5+ interfaces - we wind up adding/deleting aliases
on these interfaces for various reasons about once a week. If we do it with
"ifconfig", often we do not guarantee that it will occur again after a
reboot.

    >> There were requests to split /etc/rc.d/network into two files
    >> /etc/rc.d/interfaces   - just brings the interfaces up
    >> and   /etc/rc.d/network	     - does everything else

    Greg> What good are interfaces without the routes necessary to actually
    Greg> do any 
    Greg> real networking?  In very simple situations just having one
    Greg> interface up 
    Greg> and configured will suffice, but in those scenarios where the simple
    Greg> case is the only case then /etc/rc.d/network already does just
    Greg> exactly 
    Greg> what you need to do to use the network from single user mode.

  "single user mode"?

  The problem with /etc/rc.d/network is that one might be changing interfaces
while logged in over the network - not affecting the interface you are logged
in on.

    Greg> Maybe the ipv6 stuff should be separate, but it's all so interrelated
    Greg> I'm not sure there's any point.....

]      Out and about in Ottawa.    hmmm... beer.                |  firewalls  [
]   Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works, Ottawa, ON    |net architect[
] mcr@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/ |device driver[
] panic("Just another Debian/notebook using, kernel hacking, security guy");  [
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