Re: build: do not install ip{,6}tables.h

[Pablo Neira Ayuso <pablo@netfilter.org>]

Pablo Neira Ayuso wrote:
> Jan Engelhardt wrote:
>> commit 9fbe00d1a9c1977233011690e00bab26c9cd4798
>> Author: Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@medozas.de>
>> Date:   Mon Jul 28 18:50:28 2008 -0400
>>
>>     build: do not install ip{,6}tables.h
>>     
>>     These files do not contain anything that 3rd party modules could
>>     reasonably use.
>>     
>>     Signed-off-by: Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@medozas.de>
>> ---
>>  Makefile.am |    2 +-
>>  1 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
>> index 49edbf8..48561b7 100644
>> --- a/Makefile.am
>> +++ b/Makefile.am
>> @@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ man_MANS         := iptables.8 iptables-restore.8 iptables-save.8 \
>>                      ip6tables-save.8
>>  CLEANFILES       := iptables.8 ip6tables.8
>>  if ENABLE_DEVEL
>> -include_HEADERS  := include/xtables.h include/iptables.h include/ip6tables.h
>> +include_HEADERS  := include/xtables.h
> 
> Well, the same thing should apply for xtables.h. The iptables plugin API
> has not been stable over the time. If we export that header file, we'll
> have to get stuck to that API.

I just realized that iproute may use this, however, it does not since it
keeps their own internal copy of the header files. Anyway, we should not
break the ABI because that would break iproute's ipt - actually, I
remember that such thing happened long time ago.

So, apart from your addon thing, I don't see any other client for the
xtables.h and you can also keep an internal copy of it. The main point
of the discussion is that neither this header nor any other in iptables
- apart from libipq, of course - was designed to be exported.

-- 
"Los honestos son inadaptados sociales" -- Les Luthiers