Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:42:07 +0100 (CET)
From:      Oliver Fromme <olli@lurza.secnetix.de>
To:        freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG, fcash@ocis.net
Subject:   Re: Desired behaviour of "ifconfig -alias"
Message-ID:  <200702131842.l1DIg7EX016708@lurza.secnetix.de>
In-Reply-To: <200702130922.01746.fcash@ocis.net>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Freddie Cash wrote:
 > Oliver Fromme wrote:
 > > If asked what "-alias" does, I would reply that it is an
 > > alias for "delete" or "remove", which removes an IP address
 > > from an interface.  According to the docs, the IP address
 > > to be removed must be specified.  The docs don't mention
 > > what happens if none is specified, so the behaviour is
 > > undefined and should not be relied on.  It just happens
 > 
 > [insert tongue into cheek]
 > Hmmm, so if the behaviour is undefined, and should not be relied upon,
 > why is everyone arguing to keep it as they rely upon it?  :)

Good question.  Personally I use that "feature" only at the
shell prompt (interactively) because it saves typing and
potentially reduces typing errors.  And I see imemdiately
if it fails or produces unexpected results.

In scripts I always use the documented syntax, so there's
no danger.

 > If no one should be relying upon this undefined behaviour, then why
 > not fix it and  make it reliable?

Exactly.  That's what I'm suggesting.  Fix the manual page,
so the behaviour isn't undefined anymore, thus make it
reliable.  ;-)

Best regards
   Oliver

-- 
Oliver Fromme, secnetix GmbH & Co. KG, Marktplatz 29, 85567 Grafing b. M.
Handelsregister: Registergericht Muenchen, HRA 74606,  Geschäftsfuehrung:
secnetix Verwaltungsgesellsch. mbH, Handelsregister: Registergericht Mün-
chen, HRB 125758,  Geschäftsführer: Maik Bachmann, Olaf Erb, Ralf Gebhart
Any opinions expressed in this message are personal to the author and may
not necessarily reflect the opinions of secnetix GmbH & Co KG in any way.
FreeBSD-Dienstleistungen, -Produkte und mehr:  http://www.secnetix.de/bsd

"I started using PostgreSQL around a month ago, and the feeling is
similar to the switch from Linux to FreeBSD in '96 -- 'wow!'."
        -- Oddbjorn Steffensen



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?200702131842.l1DIg7EX016708>