Re: eth0 and ifconfig problems with 2.1.72

Geoff Hoff (ghoff@math.utk.edu)
Mon, 15 Dec 1997 11:27:24 -0500


Tuomas suggest using bootp built into the kernel. This does work, but is not
the issue. I'm not booting a nfsroot machine. I have my own disks and just
happen to get ip information over bootp, as well as a couple of other things
that the kernel wouldn't know what to do with. The point is, as far as I know,

ifconfig eth0 0.0.0.0 netmask 0.0.0.0 broadcast 255.255.255.255

is a valid request. It has worked all through 2.0 and also 2.1 up until about
2.1.66. Is there some tweak that I need to make in the /proc directory, or
is this feature just no longer going to be usable? If I'm wrong about this
then
correct me or flame me or tell me something.

Tuomas Heino <tbittih@xgw.fi> wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Dec 1997, Geoff Hoff wrote:
>
> > Posted this before, got ignored.
> >
> > I use bootp to get my address. Under 2.1.66 I could do
> > ifconfig eth0 0.0.0.0 broadcast 255.255.255.255 netmask 0.0.0.0
> > run bootp, get my address, and re-ifconfig to the proper address.
> >
> > Now since 2.1.68, when I do a:
> >
> > ifconfig eth0 0.0.0.0 broadcast 255.255.255.255 netmask 0.0.0.0
> >
> > it returns:
> >
> > SIOCSIFNETMASK: Cannot assign requested address
> > SIOCSIFBRDADDR: Cannot assign requested address
> >
> > What's going on? I just want it to work. Flame me or something, I just do
> n't
> > want to be ignored <grin>.
> >
> --- from Documentation/Configure.help: ---
> IP: kernel level autoconfiguration
> CONFIG_IP_PNP
> This enables automatic configuration of IP addresses of devices and
> of the routing table during kernel boot, based on either information
> supplied at the kernel command line or by BOOTP or RARP protocols.
> You need to say Y only for diskless machines requiring network access
> to boot (see CONFIG_ROOT_NFS for more information about root volume
> mounted via NFS), because all other machines configure the network in
> their startup scripts.
>
> BOOTP support
> CONFIG_IP_PNP_BOOTP
> If you want your Linux box to mount its whole root filesystem from
> some other computer over the net via NFS and you want the IP address
> of your computer to be discovered automatically at boot time using
> the BOOTP protocol (a special protocol designed for doing this job),
> say Y here. In case the boot ROM of your network card was designed
> for booting Linux and does BOOTP itself, providing all necessary
> information on the kernel command line, you can say N here. If
> unsure, say Y. Note that in case you want to use BOOTP, a BOOTP
> server must be operating on your network. Read
> Documentation/nfsroot.txt for details.
> --- --- ---
> Hmm don't have time to explain it more, gotta report bugs ;)