Re: [PATCH] iproute2: hide devices starting with period by default

[David Miller <davem@redhat.com>]

From: David Ahern <dsa@cumulusnetworks.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2017 18:07:07 -0700

> On 2/23/17 5:30 PM, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
>> On Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:39:52 -0700
>> David Ahern <dsa@cumulusnetworks.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> On 2/23/17 12:50 PM, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
>>>> Some use cases create Linux networking devices which are not intended for use
>>>> by normal networking. This is an enhancement to ip command to hide network
>>>> devices starting with period (like files in normal directory).  Interfaces whose
>>>> name start with "." are not shown by default, and the -a (or -all) flag must
>>>> be used to show these devices.  
>>>
>>> Agree that some devices need to be hidden by default -- not just from
>>> users but also other processes.
>>>
>>> This solution is very narrow, only affecting iproute2 users. Any other
>>> programs that use netlink or /proc files will continue to see those devices.
>> 
>> I want solution that works broadly. And this works for sysfs already.
> 
> for 'ls' maybe, but not general walking of /sys. It does not hide
> devices from snmpd, from ifconfig, etc., etc.

I agree, that this is a pretty poor assumption.

And relying upon tool specific behavior to provide this facility
is even more special purpose.

This really need to be a fundamental facility, so that it transparently
works for NetworkManager, router daemons, everything.  Not just iproute2
and "ls".