Peter Memishian wrote:
>  > Project Name: PF PACKET (pfpack)
>  > 
>  > Project Synopsis:
>  > 
>  > Implement PF_PACKET API for socket access to MAC layer.
>  > 
>  > Project Purpose:
>  > 
>  > The current method to send and receive packets from the MAC layer is to 
>  > use DLPI (STREAMS). No socket alternative exists. Linux provides a 
>  > special socket type, PF_PACKET for applications that wish to monitor 
>  > network traffic or inject packets directly onto the wire.
>  > 
>  > This project aims to provide an API that is both compatible with 
>  > existing socket applications using PF_PACKET and better performance that 
>  >   the DLPI. A prototype was built this summer (2008) using the newly 
>  > developed Volo framework. The intent here is to build an actual Volo 
>  > module that is feature complete and production quality.
> 
> Aye.
> 
> As a logistical matter, I presume that many of the applications that would
> use PF_PACKET also want to some packet filtering, ideally in the kernel,
> and presumably with BPF.  What's the current plan to integrate BPF and
> PF_PACKET?  I'm partially interested because ideally I'd like to see
> PF_PACKET and BPF remain decoupled (e.g, so that we could also provide BPF
> functionality via a STREAMS module for DLPI), but I don't see support in
> the current Volo architecture for filtering modules.
> 

I would hardly call it a plan, but the idea is just to call BPF from 
PF_PACKET when needed. I guess the question is, "What does BPF need to 
know about PF_PACKET?" I don't know enough about bpf to answer that 
question.  Darren is probably in a better position to say anything than 
I am. Building a general purpose filter API for kernel modules is 
certainly beyond that scope of this proposal.

donour
_______________________________________________
networking-discuss mailing list
[email protected]

Reply via email to