Re: Specifying names for tap interfaces

[Darren Reed <darrenr%netbsd.org@localhost>]

On 26/06/2012 4:29 AM, Manuel Bouyer wrote:
>>>> some where it is
>>>> output and some where it isn't.
>>>
>>> No: the interface name should always be used for output, not the label.
>>
>> This is a bad model. The same name should always be available
>> to be used with administration tools regardless if it is for
>> output or input. No ifs or buts. If that isn't possible then
>> something else new is needed.
> 
> But the same name is always availble, it's the name, precisely.
> You don't have to use labels if you don't want to.
> 
>>
>> What you're proposing is now sounding more like an alias, not
>> a label, because an alias is typically a one way mapping of
>> one name to another.
> 
> Yes, it's how I called it initially. But calling it 'alias' is
> confusing with address aliases. So I prefer "label".
> 
>>
>> To put some more light on this, what you're saying is that
>> the administration model would be like this:
>>
>> # ifconfig label,proxy 1.2.3.4
>> # netstat -nrf inet | grep wm6
>>
>> I can't see how NetBSD could accept that kind of administration
>> model for network interfaces. If you can rename interfaces then
>> the following is possible:
>>
>> # ifconfig proxy0 1.2.3.4
>> # netstat -nrf inet | grep proxy0
>>
>> and that is a whole lot more sensible.
> 
> But I don't want "proxy0". I want "proxy". Or some other name with
> more than 16 chars, in some case.

It doesn't work.

Network interfaces should have one name that is used by all of
the regular TCP/IP tools. That name needs to fit in with the
expectations of various tools that exist today. It also needs
to fit in with what administrators will expect to use but most
importantly, the name used is the same for both input and output.
Always.

Your idea of label or aliases for network interfaces is something
that should at best be supported by your shell environment. It
is the usual place for aliases. It is not something that should
be supported by the kernel.

Darren