Return-path: Received: from mail-ob0-f176.google.com ([209.85.214.176]:46852 "EHLO mail-ob0-f176.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1755314Ab3DRHDb (ORCPT ); Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:03:31 -0400 Received: by mail-ob0-f176.google.com with SMTP id wd20so2164820obb.7 for ; Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:03:30 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: <1366236369-543-1-git-send-email-bzhao@marvell.com> <1366236590.8217.64.camel@jlt4.sipsolutions.net> <516F8F4B.1000504@lri.fr> Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:03:30 -0700 Message-ID: (sfid-20130418_090351_006141_D0CDBC6E) Subject: Re: [PATCH] net-sysfs: Add entry for nl80211 interface type From: Paul Stewart To: Marcel Holtmann Cc: Nicolas Cavallari , Johannes Berg , Bing Zhao , linux-netdev@vger.kernel.org, linux-wireless , LKML Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Sender: linux-wireless-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: The original reason to request this change was simple: to figure out what type of interface we are looking at, since now some wireless drivers can simultaneously create managed, p2p and ap interfaces. Knowing that, from a simple front-end (let's even say a shell script) we can decide what arguments to use with wpa_supplicant (or indeed if we want to start it on this interface). wpa_supplicant, of course, knows how to manipulate the device further using nl80211. I thought it was a bit onerous to force userspace all the way through nl80211 just to get this trivial piece of information, but apparently this doesn't seem to be the common point of view. -- Paul On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 11:43 PM, Marcel Holtmann wrote: > Hi Nicolas, > >>>> Add a "wireless/nl80211_iftype" entry in the net device sysfs >>>> file structure to indicate the mode of the wireless device so >>>> it can be discovered easily from userspace. >>> >>> What's wrong with "iw dev", i.e. netlink/nl80211? >> >> "Do NOT screenscrape this tool, we don't consider its output stable." >> >> So if you are in a shell script, you're basically screwed. > > if you are in a shell script, you are screwed no matter what. So what is your point? > > Regards > > Marcel > >