Re: ipfilter(4) needs maintainer

In message <20130415195544.GY76816_at_FreeBSD.org>, Gleb Smirnoff writes:
>   Cy,
> 
>   good news that you volunteered to work on this!
> 
> On Mon, Apr 15, 2013 at 10:48:43AM -0700, Cy Schubert wrote:
> C> The initial plan was to import IP Filter 5.1.2 into HEAD. darrenr_at_ hadn't 
> C> done much with IPF while employed with Sun. Since then there has been some
>  
> C> development that is long overdue for HEAD.
> 
> The problem is that v5.1.2 is under GPL. I'm afraid we should update
> to v4.1.34 only, and then stick to it. So the nearest TODO list
> is smth like:
> 
> - update to v4.1.34
> - cleanse old kernel APIs (timeout(9) at least)
> - fix VIMAGE
> - review open PRs (some might should be closed)
> - since we do not expect more imports, may be cleanse non-FreeBSD stuff
>   from there?
> - maybe move it into sys/netpfil? Need to consult imp_at_ on that. License
>   is very closed to BSD, but has some additions.

A small step in the right direction is a good thing. I'll run the patches 
by you first.

The existing license isn't that BSD-friendly either, which is why it lives 
in contrib/. I think the 5.1.X GPLv2 is about the same friendliness as 
Darren's IPF 4.1.X license. As long as it's not in GENERIC should be fine. 
A person can always load it anyway.

> 
> C> I'm not sure if I'd MFC it into 9 or not.
> 
> This is up to you, but be adviced that head already differs from stable/9,
> for example network stack is entirely in network byte order. So merging
> would require a lot of attention and testing.
> 
> C> I did consider a port but given it would has to touch bits and pieces of 
> C> the source tree (/usr/src), a port would be messy and the decision was mad
> e 
> C> to work on importing it into base.
> 
> Port isn't an option. IPFilter is too close to many kernel APIs, that
> can change quickly.

Agreed. I looked at it a few months ago and determined that src is where it 
should be. (I put it aside, getting ACER WMI/ACPI working on my new Acer 
laptop was my priority at the time.)


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