Bug#312095: netspeed: "Always monitor a connected device, if possible" - but not lo or dummy0

[Hans Ulrich Niedermann]

Lo=C3=AFc Minier <lool@dooz.org> writes:

> On mar, jun 07, 2005, Hans Ulrich Niedermann wrote:
>> It may be desirable to be able to set "non-lo and non-dummy" while
>> only "lo" and "dummy0" are up, though.
>
>  I don't understand what you mean.
>
>  I've talked about the new patch with the maintainer, and another user
>  which suggested a priority list should be used for interface names.

Current behaviour is that I select, say "eth0" from a list of "lo",
"dummy0" and "eth0". Now I "ifdown eth0" and netspeed will continue to
display eth0. I "ifup wlan0" and netspeed displays wlan0. I "ifdown
wlan0" again and netspeed shows the "--" for eth0 or wlan0.

The whole time netspeed ignored the lo and dummy0 interfaces. But if
the drivers for eth0 and wlan0 aren't loaded when netspeed starts,
netspeed doesn't list any interfaces but the lo and dummy0
interfaces.

So I now can choose from a list of "lo" and "dummy0". But I cannot get
netspeed into the "show any eth0 or wlan0 or whatever but not lo or
dummy0" mode without actually creating such an interface first.

So I was thinking of adding an option to the list like "any suitable
device but lo or dummy*".

>  When I've brought it up on the debian-devel list, I was pointed to the
>  fact that one can always rename interfaces.  Hence, the behavior is
>  probably plain wrong.

That is correct. Linux specific, and conceptually wrong. But it works
in 90% of cases.

>  My current proposal for the maintainer is to focus on the interface
>  which is the target of the "default" route -- if there's one -- or the
>  first UP interface.

Which will - in most cases - be the loopback interface. And the
loopback interface isn't all that interesting.

However, if I have multiple ethernet interfaces, I may still want to
monitor several of them, and not just the device with the default
route.

Oh, and BTW (now that we've started digging for unsolvable problems):
Default route in IPv4 or IPv6?

Gru=C3=9F,

Uli