Re: [PATCH net-next] sysfs: add entry to indicate networkinterfaces with random MAC address

From: David Miller
Date: Wed Jul 21 2010 - 14:48:42 EST


From: "Rose, Gregory V" <gregory.v.rose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:43:19 -0700

> Intel's view of things is that we don't use persistent MAC addresses
> in our VFs because the MAC address belongs to the VM and when it
> migrates it's going to want to use another VF with the same MAC
> address. If they're persistent I'm wondering how that can be done.
>
> This discussion has come about because some folks want to use the VF
> in the Host VMM. The original design goal for Intel was that VFs
> would be assigned to VMs and that VMM vendors would want to assign
> MAC addresses with their own assigned OUI's.

If the VM itself is the "physical entity" of the system, the logical
conclusion I come to is that some kind of key should be obtained
through the VM to uniquely give the device a persistent MAC.

You could do things like have the PF controller use the root filesystem
ID label to construct the VF's MAC address, or something like that.
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/