jel@tuura.UUCP (Jerry Lahti) (07/27/90)
Two weeks ago I posted a question which other Unix systems have equivalent facilities for Ethernet MAC layer access as those provided by SunOS NIT. I got only two replies but they seem to cover the field pretty well. Many other systems seem to have similar facilities but the interfaces seem to be somewhat different. The 4.3Bsd/CMU packet filter may be the most common approach in Bsd based systems. I have appended the original replies since they provide quite a lot of details. Many thanks to Doug and Jonathan! Jerry Lahti Nokia Data Systems Oy, Workgroup Systems/LAN Domains: jel@tuura.data.nokia.fi ================ From tut!relay.EU.net!ico!dougm Wed Jul 18 12:53:17 1990 System V.3 has an interface referred to by several names (LLI, DLPI, LPI, etc). Sysetm V.4 has DLPI (Data Link Provider Interface) which is a refined superset of the V.3 stuff. Ultrix has a DLI (Data Link Interface) available as a configurable option. It lets you use sockets to get at the link interface. Note that these are link level interfaces and not MAC level. MAC level implies talking directly to the hardware and not doing the link level multiplexing that you probably mean. Doug McCallum Interactive Systems Corp. dougm@ico.isc.com ================== From tut!comp.vuw.ac.nz!jonathan Mon Jul 16 01:26:34 1990 HP-UX on series 300s and I assume 400s (since they're 300s that also run Apollo's Domain) and 500s (f you have such a dinosaur), have something called lan(4) that gives one access to either or both of 802 LLC or Xerox/Intel/DEc Ethernet. Ethernet packets are demultiplexed on input by Ethernet packet type, with little regard for the sender ; 802 enforces a virtual-circuit interface, where an SSAP and DSAP are specified once per open file, and then a specific remote host selected. Only packets from the selected host are delivered to an open file, though datagram service can be obtained by changing the selected host. HP supports reciept of multicasts on some, but not all, Ethernet interfaces. The CMU packet filter provides similar functionality for stock 4.3bsd: it's shipped as part of the user contributed software. i have ported it locally to HPs running 4.3-tahoe from Mt. Xinu: it wasn't hard. My port includes multicast support, through my port of Stanford's IP multicasting. I don't think any others do. Van Jacobsen is rumoured to be contributing an improved version, with functionality similar to but better than NIT, to 4.4BSD, but I don't know if that made it into 4.3-reno; I suspect not. I think the packet filter source should slide fairly easily into Ultrix on a Vax, with the 4.3 drivers, provided you dont mind losing Decnet-ULTRIX and/or LAT. DEC apparently changed the ethernet interface to support their own protocols. --Jonathan Stone Organization: Comp Sci, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. =========== END ==