Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S933695AbXBYK1V (ORCPT ); Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:27:21 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S933696AbXBYK1U (ORCPT ); Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:27:20 -0500 Received: from quechua.inka.de ([193.197.184.2]:55837 "EHLO mail.inka.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S933695AbXBYK1U (ORCPT ); Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:27:20 -0500 To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: ipv4 and ipv6 stacks for new link layers? References: <200702231149.l1NBnlZD029626@moth.iki.fi> <200702241645.l1OGj3GV023299@moth.iki.fi> Organization: private Linux site, southern Germany From: Olaf Titz Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:27:13 +0100 Message-ID: Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 878 Lines: 22 > In current architecture, you have to patch kernel IPv6 and IPv4 > protocols when you add new link layer that they don't recognize. Which is right, because the IP layer is the place which knows how to map IP addresses to link layer addresses. IP must know its link layer. E.g. it needs a way to decide if the link layer is multicast capable at all. > I think that is worse than allow a new driver to provide a simple > service function which maps IPv4/6 multicast address into link layer > address, when asked. "Link layer address" is not a generic concept at all, even though too much code assumes everything is Ethernet. 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/