support debian network/interfaces

[markus2330]

Suggested from user "fork" at http://www.pro-linux.de/news/1/23981/comm/1/show-all-comments.html

• [ ] Parser for /etc/network/interfaces (might use https://github.com/dggreenbaum/debinterface)
• [ ] Specification for valid values: ip-addr/networks (network plugin), are they consistent?

[markus2330]

@reox Can you take a look at https://github.com/dggreenbaum/debinterface and write the python plugin that reads/write from interfaces?

[megabert]

I did only a quick search for a parser for /etc/network/interfaces and found debinterface. I would assume there are at least some more parsers available for that. If I find another projects I'll note them here as comment.

[megabert]

There are a few projects parsing /etc/network/interfaces:

• Augeas-Lens "Interfaces": https://github.com/hercules-team/augeas/blob/master/lenses/interfaces.aug Augeas is a bigger framerwork like libelektra. Maybe the code helps
• some AWK Script for parsing: https://github.com/JoeKuan/Network-Interfaces-Script
• A python library: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/network_interfaces/0.1.5

[markus2330]

@megabert thanks for the investigation! Augeas is already integrated in Elektra. Unfortunately it only provides a very low abstraction, i.e. the tree it yields is nearly unusable:

$ kdb mount /etc/network/interfaces system/network/interfaces augeas lens=Interfaces.lns
$ kdb ls system/network/interfaces
system/network/interfaces
system/network/interfaces/#comment[1]
system/network/interfaces/#comment[2]
system/network/interfaces/#comment[3]
system/network/interfaces/allow-hotplug[1]
system/network/interfaces/allow-hotplug[1]/1
system/network/interfaces/allow-hotplug[2]
system/network/interfaces/allow-hotplug[2]/1
system/network/interfaces/auto[1]
system/network/interfaces/auto[1]/1
system/network/interfaces/auto[2]
system/network/interfaces/auto[2]/1
...

@megabert Any idea which of the python libraries is better?

[megabert]

I'll may have a look into it.

I'd like to point out, that /etc/network/interfaces is actually a little more complex than it might be expected:

• Bridging
• Bonding
• VLAN
• Wireless
• DNS-Settings
• Subdirectory /etc/network/interfaces.d/

[markus2330]

I'll may have a look into it.

Thanks, we appreciate your feedback.

I'd like to point out, that /etc/network/interfaces is actually a little more complex than it might be expected

Do the libraries and the augeas lens provide all the features?

Subdirectory /etc/network/interfaces.d/

We work on a multi-file resolver #728 to support this.

[megabert]

Seems that are a lot Extensions to interfaces:

man interfaces

...
OPTIONS PROVIDED BY OTHER PACKAGES
This manual page documents the configuration options provided by the ifupdown package.
However, other packages can make other options available for use in /etc/network/inter‐
faces. Here is a list of packages that provide such extensions:

arping, avahi-autoipd, avahi-daemon, bind9, bridge-utils, clamav-freshclam, controlaula,
epoptes-client, ethtool, guidedog, hostap-utils, hostapd, htpdate, ifenslave, ifmetric,
ifupdown-extra, ifupdown-multi, ifupdown-scripts-zg2, initscripts, isatapd, linux-wlan-ng,
lprng, macchanger, miredo, nslcd, ntpdate, openntpd, openresolv, openssh-server, openvpn,
openvswitch-switch, postfix, resolvconf, sendmail-base, shorewall-init, slrn, slrnpull,
tinc, ucarp, uml-utilities, uruk, vde2, vlan, vzctl, whereami, wide-dhcpv6-client, wire‐
less-tools, wpasupplicant.

...

[megabert]

I got the hint, that /etc/network/interfaces may be replaced in some of the next releases by systemd-network:

https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.network.html

Seems it may good to do a bit more research before investing work in stuff which is being deprecated soon.

[markus2330]

ifupdown2 was also developed recently (mostly same syntax). And there is also the option of using NetworkManager. It does not seem that there will be a single networking tool anytime soon.

[markus2330]

Closed because of low priority, will be reevaluated after 1.0