Bug#1101764: systemd: networkd largely useless without resolved

[Kevin Otte]

Package: systemd
Version: 257.4-3
Severity: important

systemd-networkd retrieves DNS configuration from automatic sources: DHCP(v6) and RDNSS. It also allows the specification of DNS configuration in its .network files. However, this gathered information is *only* provided to systemd-resolved. I can find no mechanism to make systemd-networkd provide this information to any other DNS resolution service on the system.

In light of the decision to remove systemd-resolved (#1098914), I propose that systemd-networkd should also be dropped. While it is theoretically possible to use systemd-networkd to configure all other aspects of the network and require DNS to be manually configured, I think this is a disservice to us users. Also given that maintainer burnout was listed as a primary rationale in the bug listed above, this would further reduce the number of components of systemd being maintained.

Now, I have just migrated a number of bookworm machines to using systemd-resolved for many of the benefits it provides for managing DNS. I do not use or care about mDNS, but apparently I am in the minority on this. Nevertheless, I do hope that systemd-resolved is restored so it can continue to be used. If this happens, I propose that systemd-networkd be built as a separate package so that it can list a Depends (or at the very least a Recommends) on systemd-resolved for the reasons listed above.