Thirumalai Srinivasan wrote:
> softmac also needs to be able to handle vni

It needs to, or it _would_ need to if we were to get rid of DLPI between 
IP and the link-layer?  I assume you mean the latter.  Either way, why 
provide numerous layers of software to support a dummy driver that does 
almost nothing?

> cgtp or such other 
> virtual/pseudo drivers that are DLPI based.

We'll have to make sure CGTP works with Clearview UV anyway, but your 
point is valid, and I think is greater in scope than pseudo drivers.  Any 
DLPI driver for a MAC-Type that has no Nemo MAC-Type plugin cannot be 
supported by softmac.  As Erik mentioned, PPP is currently in that boat. 
  Also left-out are dinosaurs such as Token Ring and FDDI.

> Today  people can modinsert 
> a STREAMS module between the driver and IP, I don't know if it is 
> possible to achieve the equivalent with softmac after the initial setup 
> is done.

Yes.  The softmac driver is a Nemo MAC driver.  It does not affect how 
dld and IP talk to one-another using STREAMS or any other mechanism.  I 
think the general concern, however, is not related to the Clearview 
softmac, but with the ability to use ifconfig modinsert if there is no 
STREAMS queue between ip and dld.

> Unlike data paths, or TCP/IP socket plumbing, here there isn't any great 
> performance benefit and let us stick to a single plumbing mechanism for 
> IP, either DLPI or non-DLPI-nemo, but not have both mechanisms and a 
> fallback.

I would agree with you there.  Unless we stand to gain something such as 
code simplification in the ip module, there's no compelling reason to 
make such a drastic change at this point.  Regardless, it's simply not 
possible to do yet due to feature disparity.

-Seb
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