On Fr, 2017-03-03 at 07:02 +0100, Michal Kubecek wrote: > On Thursday, 2 March 2017 8:19 Roger Oberholtzer wrote: > > I have just updated my previously working RI 3 to the latest kernel > > for openSUSE 42.2 > > > > It seems that the device now generates a unique MAC address on the > > wired Ethernet connection each time it is powered on. Could this > > happen? If so, how can I change it back to use a fixed MAC address? > > I seem to remember someone complaining about problem like this once. > IIRC the result of the discussion was it was a cool (well, authors > thought so) feature of some userspace tool (NetworkManager?).
How about informing yourself before ranting? Obviously each ethernet device needs a unique MAC address. Asthe RPIs USB ethernet MAC/PHY fails to provide one, U-Boot or the kernel has to make up an address, it uses a "locally assigned" MAC address, clearly visible by the 02:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx flag bit in the address. Failure to store the MAC address permanently inside some secondary storage (file system, EEPROM, nonvolatile memory in the SoC) ofteh leads to changing MAC addresses, if the address is not derived from some other *unique* ID. Failure to create/store a permanent (but still, "locally assigned") address *may* be the fault of either U-Boot or the kernel, or their cooperation. U-Boot had some changes regarding how to store the MAC address in the recent past, also deriving the address from the SoCs serial number changed. Regarding the randomization of MAC addresses even for devices which *do* have a unique address, as e.g. done by NetworkManager: The reasons therefor and the scope are clearly described in e.g. https: //blogs.gnome.org/lkundrak/2016/01/18/networkmanger-and-tracking- protection-in-wi-fi-networks/ Its by no way specific to NetworkManager (its e.g. also done by MacOS and Windows 10). Violating the privacy of users unknowing to them and by default is not acceptable. The randomization only applies to WiFi, and it only applies to the scanning phase. Regards, Stefan
