[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Seeking input from the device-driver community as well! > > > ----- Forwarded message from [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- > > >> To: [email protected] >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:54:45 -0500 >> Subject: NIC administration desirables.. >> X-PMX-Version: 5.2.0.264296 >> X-Authentication-warning: quasimodo.East.Sun.COM: sowmini set sender to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] using -f >> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.13 (2007-01-26) >> Original-recipient: rfc822;[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> Has anyone noticed how there are periodic questions of the sort >> "how to configure property <foo> on nic <bar>?" Usually these >> questions are related to NIC customization for features like Jumbo >> Frames, and the questions demonstrate how painful it is to administer >> our NICs. >> >> We seem to adopt any (sometimes all :-() of the methods below on Solaris: >> >> (a) driver.conf(4) with the additional problem that the syntax >> for each driver is not standardized or documented >> (b) ndd(1M) with the drawback that ndd can only be used to set/get >> a subset of scalar parameters, and the settings are not persistent >> across >> reboot, >> (c) via obp on sparc, >> (d) kstat (1M) can be used to read existing configuration for some >> parameters >> >> All this makes NIC configuration a very confusing process >> even for internal developers. >> >> We are trying to come up with a user-friendly solution for this problem >> using some of the newer tools like dladm (which is being used for WiFi >> and Trunking configuration), and we are seeking feedback from customers. >> >> Any input you may have, including answers to the questions below, are >> welcome. >> >> - Please provide a short (1-2 line) overview of your networking environment. >> >> - do you frequently change or upgrade your network interface cards? Do >> you otherwise modify existing NIC configuration and/or tweak the tunables? >> If yes, how frequently do you do these tasks? >>
For 802.11 I do this frequently. As a driver author I do it semifrequently for testing, etc. >> - What tools/commands do you use to administer NICs? >> Are you currently satisfied with the existing tools? >> ndd, kstat's, and custom tools/interfaces supported by the drivers I wrote. >> - What do you like/dislike about existing methods? Please be as >> specific as possible. >> driver.conf is a pain in the neck to get to work with a specific NIC, primarily because instances are identified by the path to their parent. ndd is a pain because 1) it is not documented, 2) not all NICs support it, 3) by itself it isn't persistent. kstat's are nice, except that if you use GLD it is hard to add kstats that weren't planned for. For example, 802.11 stats aren't supported in GLDv2. (I've not looked at nemo's statistics facility yet.) >> - What are the typical NIC tunables/properties that you examine most of >> the time? Please indicate whether you merely 'get' (i.e., read-only >> info) existing values for the property, or tune it (i.e., read/write). >> link speed and mode, usually read only (for ethernet.) For 802.11, there are other tunables (SSID, WEP keys, etc.) I use non-standard methods... basically ioctls and a 3rd party link manager kernel module that supports read/write of ASCII configuration files (this solves a problem associated with link parameter setup at early boot ... as in before /usr is mounted.) As an author for a popular set of drivers, I rely on read access to a number of the kstats as well. >> - Do you have custom scripts executed at boot time that set ndd parameters? >> >> - Do you write custom device drivers? If yes, do you use the GLDv3 framework? >> Note that the Brussels project proposes the following: >> provide a simpler cleaner interface for GLDv3 drivers via dladm. The >> GLDv3 drivers will provide function pointers for setting/getting >> properties when they register with the GLDv3 framework. Subsequently, >> dladm can be used to send the appropriate system calls to trigger the >> registered set/get functions. >> More details are available at http://opensolaris.org/os/project/brussels/ >> Please provide any input you may have on the proposal above. >> >> - Do you use Link Aggregation ("Trunking") or WiFi? >> I use WiFi, and I've written WiFi drivers for Tadpole (using 802.3 emulation and GLDv2.) >> - Do you use dladm as a configuration tool, i.e., have you ever used >> the "dladm set-linkprop" feature? If yes, what do you >> like/dislike about this interface? >> Not yet. (Primarily because I still have to support pre-S10 releases of Solaris.) >> - Would you be interested in a GUI for dladm? What sort of features would >> you like to see in a GUI? >> A GUI is less interesting, but for some link parameters, particularly 802.11 link parameters it would be nice. -- Garrett _______________________________________________ driver-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/driver-discuss
