Bug#855834: linuxptp: default startup argument "-i eth0" should be removed

[Lange Norbert]

Hello,

ptp4l can find the fitting ptp device (without eth tool), this doesnt seem to be a problem.

The only time where you don`t have to specify a ethernet device might be if you have only one (cant test this now).
I can attest that it will complain if you have a single one that would be PTP capable, but have multiple others as well.

Kind regards, Norbert

 >-----Original Message-----
 >From: Tino Mettler [mailto:tino.mettler at tikei.de]
 >Sent: Mittwoch, 22. Februar 2017 14:32
 >To: Felipe Sateler; 855834 at bugs.debian.org
 >Cc: Lange Norbert
 >Subject: classified SPAM:Re: Bug#855834: linuxptp: default startup argument "-i
 >eth0" should be removed
 >
 >EXTERNAL EMAIL, please exercise caution
 >
 >
 >On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 09:51:25 -0300, Felipe Sateler wrote:
 >
 >[...]
 >
 >> The readme suggests ptp4l can detect appropiate devices by itself. If
 >> that is true, then there is no problem to be solved :).
 >
 >Hi,
 >
 >do you mean this?
 >
 >---------------------------------------------------------------------
 >   If the ethtool ioctl is available, then the ptp4l program will use
 >   it in order to discover the proper PHC device.
 >---------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 >This means that ptp4l can find the proper PHC device (/dev/ptpX) that
 >belongs to a certain ethernet interface (like eth0).  Before that, the
 >user had to specify both the ethernet interface (-i) and the PHC device
 >(-p) to use.
 >
 >The ethernet interface still has to be specified either on the command
 >line (-i option) or in the config file.
 >
 >From the manual page:
 >
 >--------------------------------------------------------------------
 >       -i interface
 >              Specify  a PTP port, it may be used multiple times. At
 >              least one port must be specified by this option or in
 >              the configuration file.
 >--------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 >
 >>
 >> If that is not true, I suggest the following:
 >>
 >> 1. Convert ptp4l into a template unit, ptp4l at .service
 >> 2. Change the device to be the instance:
 >> ExecStart=ExecStart=/usr/sbin/ptp4l -f /etc/linuxptp/ptp4l.conf -i %i
 >> 3. Do not enable the unit.
 >> 4. Add a udev rule that starts the (properly instanced) service when
 >> it is detected.
 >>
 >> You can see the ifupdown package for a similar approach: there is
 >> ifup at .service, a udev rule, and a helper program (ifupdown-hotplug)
 >> that determines if an instance should be started for the given device.
 >
 >Thanks. I don't fully understand 4. What exactly should be detected,
 >and how?
 >
 >> While I looked at the service files, I noticed you order them after
 >> chrony, ntpdate and other time services. Systemd defines a standard
 >> place for that, so you can replace all those alternatives with
 >> `time-sync.target`.
 >
 >Thanks for the suggestions. Currently, I just look how Fedora sets up
 >the services and do the same, so I'm always open for suggestions how to
 >improve them.
 >
 >Regards,
 >Tino


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