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In-Reply-To: <200512022253.19029.a1426z@gawab.com>
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Subject: Re: [RFC] ip / ifconfig redesign
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:38:11 -0500
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.61.0512021527090.11277@chaos.analogic.com>
Thread-Topic: [RFC] ip / ifconfig redesign
Thread-Index: AcX3gE/hLEcCezUVQkOda6woLI5pVQ==
References: <200512022253.19029.a1426z@gawab.com>
From: "linux-os \(Dick Johnson\)" <linux-os@analogic.com>
To: "Al Boldi" <a1426z@gawab.com>
Cc: <netdev@vger.kernel.org>, <linux-net@vger.kernel.org>,
       "Linux kernel" <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Reply-To: "linux-os \(Dick Johnson\)" <linux-os@analogic.com>
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On Fri, 2 Dec 2005, Al Boldi wrote:

> The current ip / ifconfig configuration is arcane and inflexible.  The reason
> being, that they are based on design principles inherited from the last
> century.
>
> In a GNU/OpenSource environment, OpenMinds should not inhibit themselves
> achieving new design-goals to enable a flexible non-redundant configuration.
>
> Specifically, '#> ip addr ' exhibits this issue clearly, by requiring to
> associate the address to a link instead of the other way around.
>
> Consider this new approach for better address management:
> 1. Allow the definition of an address pool
> 2. Relate links to addresses
> 3. Implement to make things backward-compatible.
>
> The obvious benefit here, would be the transparent ability for apps to bind
> to addresses, regardless of the link existence.
>

A link needs to exist for it to have an address.

> Another benefit includes the ability to scale the link level transparently,
> regardless of the application bind state.
>

That doesn't make any sense. Multiple applications can bind to the
same address. Then can't bind to the same port because they won't
get all their data.

> And there may be many other benefits... (i.e. 100% OSI compliance)
>
What does Open Source Initiative have to do with this at all???
You are just spewing stuff out.

> --
> Al

Also, how does this involve the kernel? The interface to the kernel
for hardware configuration is via ioctl(). For logic, sockets.

If the user-level tools suck, then they should be fixed. It
really doesn't have anything to do with the kernel.

Cheers,
Dick Johnson
Penguin : Linux version 2.6.13.4 on an i686 machine (5589.44 BogoMips).
Warning : 98.36% of all statistics are fiction.
.

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