Re: Bits from the Release Team - Kicking off Wheezy

[Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>]

On Tue, Apr 05, 2011 at 06:34:18PM +0300, Andrew O. Shadoura wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> On Tue, 5 Apr 2011 13:30:53 +0100
> Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk> wrote:
> 
> > Why is that necessary?  So far as I can see, the purpose of the state
> > files is:
> > - Let ifup refuse to reapply a configuration (even if it failed to
> >   apply it in the first place)
> > - Allow ifdown to take shortcuts, which often don't work
> 
> Don't know what do you mean when you say 'shortcuts' and how they don't
> work. You can use multiple configurations in your config file, and do
> 
>   $ ifup eth1=home
> 
> Then state file will have a record eth1=home, so ifdown eth1 will know
> which configuration to use to take the interface down.

ifdown should not *need* to know how the interface was brought up.
And given that many people apparently like ifup because they can
change the active configuration without it interfering, it would be
a good thing if ifdown could cope with that too.  (It can do, within
some limits.  But in general, it cannot.)

> > They don't even provide the useful feature of copying the
> > configuration that was applied, in case it is subsequently changed or
> > removed in /etc/network/interfaces.
> 
> They don't have to.

So I just imagined that ifdown completely fails if this is done?

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking.
                                                              - Albert Camus