Commitment ================== Name: Brussels - enhanced network driver configuration via dladm Submitter: Sowmini Varadhan Owner: James Carlson Intern: Garrett D'Amore Interest: brussels-interest@sun.com Status: commitment scheduled 10/17/2007 Exposure: open Comment: SUMMARY ======= Dynamic configuration of network drivers on Solaris is done primarily via ndd(1M). This approach, and the general methods available for network driver configuration in Solaris, suffer from several problems: * changes made by ndd(1M) are not persistent across reboot/modunload. * There are too many ways to modify a given property, e.g., ndd, driver.conf(4) * each method has its own syntax and semantics, and it is easy to encounter conflicting semantics (e.g., CR 6504688) * Some of these methods are very complicated and inflexible. For example, driver.conf(4) is over-written on upgrade, and updates to driver.conf files require a reboot/update_drv of the driver. (See CR 6396173, CR 6430731). Project Brussels aims to fix these problem for GLDv3 drivers by providing a dladm based standardized interface. Specifically, this project will provides a cleaner solution by using the dld layer as the intermediary. ISSUES ======= jdc-1 Why does the release note say: "to be marked Obsolete in an [sic] future release"? Shouldn't users start using dladm as soon as it integrates? If so, then ndd is obsolete _now_. Same issue for ndd(1m) man page update: if users are supposed to switch now, then ndd for L2 admin is obsolete now, not later, and should be called out as obsolete. "Obsolete" means "still present in the system, but discouraged for use." ANSWER: AGREED by Project Team SUGGESTION: Create a fast-track to make a wrapper around ndd, to remove some of this from Nevada, command line call to ndd. ANSWER: Out of scope for this project. ged-05 What about power management of link interfaces? (e.g. switching down to 100Mbps when traffic conditions permit it.) This will require some new properties, and maybe changes to the proposed adv_xxx properties. ANSWER: The adv properties are known. We don't have power mgmt widely prevalent. Leave adv for auto-negotiations and add aditional set of variable such as for power mgmt so it will tell you what pm was avail at that time for the link. SUGGESTION: Defer separation of this until we need it. You and project team should talk about this more. Conclusion: TCA -command line interface should have separate configuration and obeservation, set/reset properties. gw - Are Auditing and priveleges orthoganal to the Wifi audit and authorization. Correct? sv - Yes. kb - Change docs to show NDD to configure network devices in obsolete. sv -The properties are in the design document. ==== Approve - Kais Belgaied, Glenn Skinner, Gary Winiger, Jim Carlson Deny - Abstain - Not Participating (NP) - THE NEXT STEP ============= The hardware checksum facilities are nice to have for future projects. TCA -command line interface should have separate set/reset properties. Garrett to write draft opinion.