Re: [PATCH qemu-kvm] Add raw(af_packet) network backend to qemu

Anthony Liguori
2010-01-26T20:50:34Z

On 01/26/2010 02:47 PM, Anthony Liguori wrote:
> On 01/26/2010 02:40 PM, Sridhar Samudrala wrote:
>> This patch adds raw socket backend to qemu and is based on Or Gerlitz's
>> patch re-factored and ported to the latest qemu-kvm git tree.
>> It also includes support for vnet_hdr option that enables gso/checksum
>> offload with raw backend. You can find the linux kernel patch to support
>> this feature here.
>> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/150308
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Sridhar Samudrala<sri@us.ibm.com>
>
> See the previous discussion about the raw backend from Or's original
> patch. There's no obvious reason why we should have this in addition
> to a tun/tap backend.
>
> The only use-case I know of is macvlan but macvtap addresses this
> functionality while not introduce the rather nasty security problems
> associated with a raw backend.

Not to mention that from a user perspective, raw makes almost no sense
as it's an obscure socket protocol family.

A user wants to do useful things like bridged networking or direct VF
assignment. We should have -net backends that reflect things that make
sense to a user.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori