network interface in userland?

[r***@reedmedia.net]

What needs to be done to support network interfaces in userland?

I am mostly curious about this for developing and testing without
rebooting kernels.

If this has been discussed before, please point me to it.

By the way, I have a USB-based internal wireless interface I want
supported:

port 6 addr 3: high speed, power 500 mA, config 1,
RTL8187B_WLAN_Adapter(0x8197), Realtek(0x0bda), rev 2.00, serial
00e04c000001

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[Antti Kantee]

Post by r***@reedmedia.net
What needs to be done to support network interfaces in userland?
I am mostly curious about this for developing and testing without
rebooting kernels.
If this has been discussed before, please point me to it.
By the way, I have a USB-based internal wireless interface I want

I haven't really given it thought, but some ramblings:

You need to access the hardware somehow. For this you probably need a
userspace "port" of bus_space and bus_dma, although I don't know how
exactly that would work. You also need to tap into the interrupts,
for which polling might be a better (easier) solution.

You should be able to hack interfacing with the kernel networking stack
with tap(4). Not really perfect, but should work.

For wireless need to run net80211 in userspace also.

So, not really "compile & go" for the time being.

[der Mouse]

Post by Antti Kantee
You should be able to hack interfacing with the kernel networking
stack with tap(4). Not really perfect, but should work.

Only if the interface is sufficiently Ethernet-like.

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[Joerg Sonnenberger]

Post by Antti Kantee

Post by r***@reedmedia.net
By the way, I have a USB-based internal wireless interface I want

You need to access the hardware somehow. For this you probably need a
userspace "port" of bus_space and bus_dma, although I don't know how
exactly that would work. You also need to tap into the interrupts,
for which polling might be a better (easier) solution.

libusb provides that specifically for USB devices. That doesn't solve
the problem of having a 802.11 stack, but at least the hardware access
is easy.

Joerg

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[Masao Uebayashi]

Post by r***@reedmedia.net
I am mostly curious about this for developing and testing without
rebooting kernels.

If what you need is trying a new driver without reboot, LKM *should
be* the way to go.

(I say *should be* because I have never tried that. :)

Masao

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[Ermal Luçi]

DragonflyBSD has done some kernel 'virtualisation' in userland.
Meaning running kernel and network interface drivers in userland,
maybe take a look at that.
It would be nice to have that ability in FreeBSD/NetBSD too.

Post by Masao Uebayashi

Post by r***@reedmedia.net
I am mostly curious about this for developing and testing without
rebooting kernels.

If what you need is trying a new driver without reboot, LKM *should
be* the way to go.
(I say *should be* because I have never tried that. :)
Masao

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[Thomas E. Spanjaard]

Post by Ermal Luçi
DragonflyBSD has done some kernel 'virtualisation' in userland.
Meaning running kernel and network interface drivers in userland,
maybe take a look at that.
It would be nice to have that ability in FreeBSD/NetBSD too.

Except that doesn't do what the OP wants. VKernels don't support direct
hardware access to devices on the host system.

Cheers,