Re: ipfilter(4) needs maintainer

In message <A2450361-D9E9-498F-AD44-846563EF04CB_at_yahoo.com>, Scott Long 
writes:
> 
> On Apr 15, 2013, at 11:48 AM, Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert_at_komquats.com> wrote:
> 
> > In message <18DF99B0-6E66-4906-A233-7778451B8A92_at_felyko.com>, Rui Paulo 
> > writes:
> >> 2013/04/15 9:55$B!"(BCy Schubert <Cy.Schubert_at_komquats.com> $B$N%a%C%;!<%8
> (B:
> >> 
> >>> I've been planning on taking on IP Filter for quite some time. 
> >>> Unfortunately I've left my src commit bit lapse (my ports commit bit is 
> >>> alive and well though) thus I'm looking for a mentor. In addition I'm 
> >>> working on an ACER WMI/ACPI kld. One mentor would be preferred but two 
> >>> would be fine too.
> >> 
> >> What are your plans regarding ipfilter? I remain unconvinced that it shoul
> d b
> >> e in the base system. Perhaps you can work on it as a port?
> > 
> > The initial plan was to import IP Filter 5.1.2 into HEAD. darrenr_at_ hadn't 
> > done much with IPF while employed with Sun. Since then there has been some 
> > development that is long overdue for HEAD.
> > 
> > I'm not sure if I'd MFC it into 9 or not.
> > 
> > I did consider a port but given it would has to touch bits and pieces of 
> > the source tree (/usr/src), a port would be messy and the decision was made
>  
> > to work on importing it into base.
> > 
> >> 
> >> Why do you want to work on something that people have been trying to remov
> e s
> >> ince 2005?
> > 
> > I and others have been using it in FreeBSD for over decade. For the longest
>  
> > of time we'd use a common set of rules across a FreeBSD and Solaris farm 
> > (using ipfmeta, makefiles, rsync, rdist, and a local CVS repo). 
> > Interoperability with other systems which use IP Filter is a plus. If 
> > there's a maintainer, it only makes FreeBSD richer. Losing IP Filter would 
> > be a loss.
> > 
> 
> 
> If you're committed to maintaining IPFilter, that's great.  However, it can't
>  be
> left to stagger along in a  zombie state with nothing more than good intentio
> ns
> from well meaning people.  What is your timeline for getting it back into sha
> pe
> and re-integrating yourself into the committer community?

I would think this would be my top priority right now. I'd like to see it 
at the latest level in HEAD. I would like to MFC to 9-STABLE at some point.

Given that IPF already lives in src/contrib and src/sys/contrib, would the 
change in License from Darren Reed's own not so BSD friendly IPF license to 
GPLv2 be of concern. I recall there was a lot of concern over IPF's license 
change at the time. (FreeBSD moved it to contrib while OpenBSD removed it 
completely and wrote PF -- I'm not sure what NetBSD did).


-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert_at_komquats.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy_at_FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org