Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next] sysfs: add entry to indicate network interfaces with random MAC address

From: Casey Leedom <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:34:27 -0700

| From: Andy Gospodarek <[email-masked]>
| Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 08:07 am
| 
| Agreed.  The subtle difference between a locally assigned address that
| is persistent and one that is random would be helpful.

  And just to point out that this case _does_ exist: the igb/igbvf drivers use 
random_ether_addr() to generate a random, locally assigned MAC address for the 
PCI-E SR-IOV Virtual Function MAC Addresses while the cxgb4/cxgb4vf drivers use 
a persistent, non-random locally assigned MAC Addresses.

  Note that I am neither arguing for nor against the proposal.  I'm just 
pointing out an existence case for the distinction.  And yes, bit 1 being set in 
the first octet of a MAC address for locally assigned MAC Addresses is part of 
the IEEE 802 specification just as bit 0 being set in the same octet indicates 
that it's a multi-station address.

Casey