From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Wed, 8 Aug 2001 04:42:06 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Wed, 8 Aug 2001 04:41:55 -0400 Received: from sunrise.pg.gda.pl ([153.19.40.230]:42952 "EHLO sunrise.pg.gda.pl") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Wed, 8 Aug 2001 04:41:46 -0400 From: Andrzej Krzysztofowicz Message-Id: <200108080841.KAA26569@sunrise.pg.gda.pl> Subject: Re: How does "alias ethX drivername" in modules.conf work? To: rhw@MemAlpha.CX (Riley Williams) Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 10:41:09 +0200 (MET DST) Cc: mra@pobox.com (Mark Atwood), linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org (Linux Kernel) In-Reply-To: from "Riley Williams" at Aug 08, 2001 07:40:56 AM Reply-To: ankry@green.mif.pg.gda.pl X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL2] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org "Riley Williams wrote:" > > If I build a system with several identical (other than MAC) > > FooCorp PCI ethernics, they will number up in order of ascending > > MAC address. > > > > I take the same system, replace the FooCorp cards with BarInc > > NICs, they will number up in reverse MAC address. > > > > Replace them instead with Baz Systems NICs, and I get them in > > bus scan order (at which point I'm dependent on the firmware > > version of my PCI bridge too!). > > > > And if I elect to use Frob Networking NICs, I instead get them > > in the *random* order that their oncard processors won the race > > to power up. > > > > Gods and demons help me if I try putting several of all four > > brands in one box, or the firmware on my NICs or in my PCI > > bridges changes! > > I dealt with this problem in a previous email, but will repeat it for > your benefit. The ONLY provisos I will use are the following two: > > 1. All ethernet interfaces in your machine have distinct MAC's. > > 2. If the firmware in your NIC's changes, the MAC's do not. > > Providing both of these are met, the enclosed BASH SHELL SCRIPT > implements the `ifconfig` command with the port name replaced by its > MAC address. 1. NFS-root needs to have RARP/NFS servers on eth0. How can you deal with it if you have two boards supported by a single driver and, unfortunately, the one you need is detected as eth1 ? Assume that you cannot switch them as they use different media type... > With this change, it doesn't actually matter what port name a > particular interface is given, because ALL of the other network config > tools refer to the interface by its assigned IP address, not its port > name. As a result, if its port name changes between boots, the routing > automatically changes with it. 2. ipfwadm / ipchains / iptables may use interface names, 3. dhcpd may need interface names to be provided, 4. you may want to pass an interface name argument to tcpdump... In 2.2+ you can deal with 2.-4. changing interface names using ip from iproute2. But I doubt whether ifconfig based scripts would work properly then. And problem 1. is still valid ... -- ======================================================================= Andrzej M. Krzysztofowicz ankry@mif.pg.gda.pl phone (48)(58) 347 14 61 Faculty of Applied Phys. & Math., Technical University of Gdansk