Re: generating a Linux WWN?

Luben Tuikov
2007-10-03T19:44:19Z

--- Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org> wrote:
> Matthew Jacob wrote:
> >> The generation algorithm is whatever makes people happy. I would
> >> probably pick a fixed prefix like 0x6C 0x69 0x63 ("lin"), something that
> >> doesn't conflict with IEEE org ids for a long time to come. Then,
> >> get_random_bytes() or hash some useful machine characteristics for the
> >> rest of the bytes.
> >
> > The "probably" here is kind of amusing.
> >
> > Look, Linux development has the moolah (look at all the money IBM and
> > SGI and others have shoveled in)- why don't you get a Linux block of
> > OUIs from the IEEE and set up an RSS-like feed so the Open Source
> > community can get WWNs with that OUI and a incrementing serial number
> > as needed- that would be a *real* service. I've thought about doing
> > this, but I'd have to fork over at least 1700$USD to get an official
> > IEEE OUI and over the last ten years I've already spent far too much
> > of my own money on open source support.
> >
> > Heck, maybe even the IEEE would comp you on OUIs.
>
> Certainly, I would love for this to happen! Although my employer (Red
> Hat), SGI, IBM or whomever might be willing to tackle this, it might be
> more appropriate for the Linux Foundation.
>
> Anybody wanna volunteer to pursue this?

SAS WWN have nothing to do with Linux.

The kernel should not generate SAS WWN and assign them to SAS initiator
ports. SAS WWNs should be given to SAS initiator ports and SAS target
ports by a storage management application which maintains and configures
the storage domain, zoning, permissions, connectivity, etc.

What is needed is persistence, regardless of reboots of what OS
is running on the host CPU/system. SAS WWNs are properties of
the SAS target/initiator port, they are not properties of when
the host system was booted, or what OS is running on it.

Think about it this way: you don't change your name every morning
you wake up and MAC addresses are not generated by the kernel for
a network device which has none. Those are persistent across
reboots or type of host OS.

Luben