ifcfg script (package IPRoute2) needs arping and rdisc to work properly, but these applications are not in the LFS

[Gabriel Negreira Barbosa]

I noticed that ifcfg script, "member" of IPRoute-2 package, needs arping, but arping is not built in LFS. Additionally, rdisc is used by ifcfg too.

This script is not used in the book (procedures and LFS bootscripts), so it doesn't affect the compilation of LFS. But this is a "broken application" in LFS, and if someone needs to use it, probably it won't work properly.

I think this need to be fixed in order to maintain the system stable and with no broken applications.

Both arping and rdisc are in the iputils package (​http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Net:Iputils / ​http://www.skbuff.net/iputils), so I think the best solution is to install at least these 2 iputils' applications needed by ifcfg script: arping and rdisc. This could be in 6.41 section (IPRoute2) because iputils will be installed just to make ifcfg run properly.

IPRoute's ip command can be used to manage IP address, but using ifcfg (that uses ip command internally) for this purpose can be a much better ifconfig's replacement, because: "It not only adds addresses, but also carries out Duplicate Address Detection, sends unsolicited ARP to update the caches of other hosts sharing the interface, adds some control routes and restarts Router Discovery when it is necessary." (IPRoute2-2.6.20-079313 documentation: ip-cref.tex file)

I didn't built LFS-SVN, but quickly digging into this version of the book, I noticed that the "problem" described here also happens.

[bdubbs@…]

I'm not sure how to handle this. The arping and rdisc programs are in a package iputils-ss020927.tar.gz (118K 27-Sep-2002). This package also provides sevaral other utilities: clockdiff, ipg, ping, ping6, rarpd, tftpd, tracepath, tracepath6, and traceroute6.

In my opinion, the ping in iputils is superior to the one in inetutils.

This is an LFS ticket, but iputils would need to go into BLFS, probably in System Utilities.

Building iputils, the Makefile says it requires the kernel source, but it doesn't use it.

We could put a comment in IPRoute2 that the ifcfg script requires arping and rdisc from the iputils package and a link (either to the iputils source or BLFS).

Comments?

[Gabriel Negreira Barbosa]

I think it's a good solution. I think another important thing is to install iproute2 without ifcfg by "default". So the LFS user will read about ifcfg by the comment and will know the iputils dependence. Users that don't read the comments will end in a good iproute2 installation beacause the ifcfg won't be installed.

Just a suggestion: I don't know, but of course there is a reason to avoid ifconfig installation at chapter 6.40 ("Inetutils-1.5"). But most linux distributions use ifconfig to set IP... maybe LFS can install it.

[bdubbs@…]

ifconfig is in net-tools and that is in BLFS. The reason for iproute2 is better ipv6 support.

[bdubbs@…]

Added a note to the ifcfg script description in iproute2 that it requires external programs.

Fixed in revision 8689.