From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S965526AbXCTRHU (ORCPT ); Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:07:20 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S965529AbXCTRHU (ORCPT ); Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:07:20 -0400 Received: from mx1.redhat.com ([66.187.233.31]:41856 "EHLO mx1.redhat.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S965526AbXCTRHS (ORCPT ); Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:07:18 -0400 Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:01:02 -0400 From: Bill Nottingham To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: new sysfs layout and ethernet device names Message-ID: <20070320170102.GA16341@nostromo.devel.redhat.com> Mail-Followup-To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.14 (2007-02-12) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org I was fiddling with the 'new' (no CONFIG_SYSFS_DEPRECATED) layout and ethernet device names, and noticed that the new layout effectively restricts the availability of certain device names. By making a directory for the ethernet device name in the parent device, you no longer can use any name that is used in sysfs for the parent device type - for PCI devices this would be 'resource0', 'power', 'enable', etc. For USB, it would be a different set of names that are no longer available. If you *do* try to use one of these names, the rename will succeed... partway. The link in /sys/class/net is renamed, the directory is not (as it obviously can't rename on top of whatever is already there.) Various networking tools then break in assorted ways due to the naming disconnect. Going back to the deprecated layout makes these names available again - it's possible (although not necessarily likely) that the new layout will break someone's device configuration if they upgrade kernels, even if the rest of their tools are updated for the new layout. Bill