Subject: Re: increasing UT_HOSTSIZE for IPv6?
To: None <tech-net@netbsd.org>
From: Christos Zoulas <christos@zoulas.com>
List: tech-net
Date: 07/23/1999 17:59:13
In article <13459.932744143@coconut.itojun.org>,
<tech-userlevel@netbsd.org> wrote:
> UT_HOSTSIZE (/usr/include/utmp.h) is set to 16. This is not possible
> to put IPv6 numeric address into ut_host[].
> IPv6 numeric is usually fit into 40 bytes, in worst case 46 bytes
> including "\0". Worst case is like follows:
> 1111:2222:3333:4444:5555:123.123.123.123
>
> Queestion: is it possible for us to raise UT_HOSTSIZE to 46, or 40?
>
> I suspect backward compatibility is the problem. utmp files does not
> have no file format version number info in it, so old and new version
> of file cannot coexist. Also, some of third-party application may
> hardcode UT_HOSTSIZE, and they may have trouble parsing utmp files.
> If UT_HOSTSIZE is decided in any of standards like POSIX
> I should try to change the definition in that document first.
> Let me know your opinions.
Yes, that is the problem. Please note that we did not change utmp, even
when that we allowed > 8 chars user names. Another interesting consideration
is to have a flag day and add all the svr4 gunk in it.
christos