Subject: Re: [PATCH v7 10/33] net: dummy - set name assign type

From: Bjørn Mork <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:31:29 +0200

Tom Gundersen <[email-masked]> writes:

> A fixed number of indistinguishable dummy devices are allocated at module init time,
> the names are therefore PREDICTABLE rather than ENUM.

OK?  So if I go do

 modprobe dummy numdummies=2
 ip link add type dummy
 ip link add type dummy

then I'd have dummy0 and dummy1 with NET_NAME_PREDICTABLE, but dummy2 and
dummy3 with NET_NAME_ENUM (from your rtnetlink patch).

I think this just demonstrates that there aren't that many different
name types.  There is no real difference between your NET_NAME_ENUM and
NET_NAME_PREDICTABLE, resulting in arbitrary choices like this one.

The same goes for NET_NAME_USER and NET_NAME_RENAMED. These are the same
from a kernel point of view.  If userspace wants to keep track of device
name history then it is free to do so without any need for a RENAMED
type.

Bjørn