[systemd-devel] Fwd: [PATCH] Add support for detecting NIC partitions on Dell Servers

[Lennart Poettering]

On Tue, 10.11.15 11:12, Jordan Hargrave (jharg93 at gmail.com) wrote:

> >>>> The patch will also decode SMBIOS slot number for NIC, and store in the variable
> >>>> ID_NET_NAME_SMBIOS_SLOT.  Systemd does not have a method for naming
> >>>> ports on a multi-port card plugged into a slot.
> >>>
> >>> Again, I don't think systemd should carry an SMBIOS parser.
> >>>
> >>> Sorry,
> >>> Kay
> >>
> >> From a customer usability standpoint, having the slot numbers as part
> >> of systemd would be a very useful feature.
> >
> > Sure, but I think Kay's point was that the needed info should be
> > exposed from the kernel in a sysattr, not be parsed from udev. Any
> > reason this cannot be done that way?
> 
> The pci kernel maintainer was reluctant to put it in the kernel and
> said systemd should parse it.  So a bit of circular argument here.
> I agree, it would be better for it to be a kernel sysfs attr.

There's really no point in placing SMBIOS parsers to userspace *and*
kernelspace. There's one in the kernel already, and it is already used
to attach metadata to network devices. Hence, please, extend that
existing parser and add what you need there, and we can then hook up
whatever you parse out of that with udev.

The kernel will always be better in making sense of SMBIOS, hence it's
really the place this should be done.

Lennart

-- 
Lennart Poettering, Red Hat