Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1752273AbXBXQ1f (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:27:35 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932841AbXBXQ1f (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:27:35 -0500 Received: from quechua.inka.de ([193.197.184.2]:43068 "EHLO mail.inka.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752273AbXBXQ1e (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:27:34 -0500 X-Greylist: delayed 1610 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:27:34 EST To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: ipv4 and ipv6 stacks for new link layers? References: <200702231149.l1NBnlZD029626@moth.iki.fi> Organization: private Linux site, southern Germany From: Olaf Titz Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:00:37 +0100 Message-ID: Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 854 Lines: 18 > This is a pity, because it would be so easy to make the both stacks > totally independent of the actual link layers. It only needs one (or > two) new function pointer in net_device. This function should do the > conversion from IPv4/IPv6 address into corresponding hardware > multicast/broadcast address. You mean, the link layer drivers should know of IP addressing modes? Sounds like a layering violation to me. The mapping from IP to MAC address is (for a good reason) part of the IP specs, not of the Ethernet, Token Ring etc. specs, so the right place to implement it is not the network drivers. Olaf - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/