[At the risk of starting a fire...]

CGD sez:

   ... and there's no
   reason somebody should have to have physical access to the machine to
   tell how it's configured, if that's at all reasonable to do in
   software.

...So what would be wrong with putting another something or other in
the kernel which would indicate which interface is actually connected?
Sounds like a short routine in the kernel to accommodate another byte
of data (possibly), and something added to ifconfig(8c).

   ... and, as previously noted, doing it they way that has been suggsted
   is unnecessarily different than all of the other ethernet drivers...

Well, how different would it be, really?  What if you have a combo card
on an intel box?  Or does that one require that you EISA-config it
under DOS first?  (I had a compecch that did that...)

Anyway, if you can config it from NetBSD without using the eisaconf utility
from DOG, you have much the same flexibility as you do with the Suns
and should probably provide for those same options.

It might appear to be hackery at first, but over time it could be worth
the effort.

Of course, one can argue "KERNEL BLOAT" and that's the end of that. :-)

   cgd



				--*greywolf;
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