[pkg-lxc-devel] Bug#908050: lxc: Please drop recommends on bridge-utils

[Pierre-Elliott Bécue]

Hi,

Le mercredi 05 septembre 2018 à 15:36:01+0200, Andreas Henriksson a écrit :
> Source: lxc
> Version: 1:2.0.9-6
> Severity: wishlist
> 
> Dear Maintainer,
> 
> I've tried investigating why lxc has a Recommends: bridge-utils, but
> unfortunately haven't found anything information why it's there or
> why it was added initially.

Because it's a quite classic thing to use a bridge to bind a container on
the host's physical interface in order to provide it some network access,
although there's other solutons.

> I can only find usage of the 'brctl' command in:
> 1: ./templates/lxc-gentoo.in
> 2: ./src/tests/lxc-test-usernic.in
> 
> The second one seems to only conditionally be installed on ubuntu
> according to src/tests/Makefile.am, so not relevant. I'm not sure how
> relevant the first one is either, but I'll include a trivial (untested)
> patch you can drop into debian/patches if you'd like it to use bridge
> (from iproute2) instead.
>
> I hope this means bridge-utils can be dropped (or replaced by iproute2
> if needed). If you know of any reason not to drop bridge-utils I'd like
> to hear about it!

.-(0:38:20)-(~)---------------------------------------------------------------------(peb at pimeys)-
`--[255]-> sudo ip l add toto type bridge

.-(0:38:29)-(~)---------------------------------------------------------------------(peb at pimeys)-
`---> sudo ip l set dev toto up

.-(0:38:49)-(~)---------------------------------------------------------------------(peb at pimeys)-
`---> sudo bridge link show
[nothing]
.-(0:38:52)-(~)---------------------------------------------------------------------(peb at pimeys)-
`---> sudo brctl show
bridge name bridge id       STP enabled interfaces
br0     8000.000000000000   no
toto    8000.000000000000   no

bridge link remains a mistery to me, and I failed to use it in any relevant
way.

That said, you're right, one could use iproute2, as ip link show type bridge
works perfectly fine to list bridges, and ip link is actually able to manage
bridges as well as brctl.

That said, I'm not sure at all that removing any recommendation to
bridge-utils is a fine idea. The number of people not aware of the fact that
ip link does the same job is quite high.

I'm open to discussion on it, of course. I added iproute2 as a
Recommend for lxc 3.0.2-1~exp+3 (3.0.2-1~exp+2 is in experimental for now,
+3 will follow at some point), but without removing bridge-utils yet.

-- 
Pierre-Elliott Bécue
GPG: 9AE0 4D98 6400 E3B6 7528  F493 0D44 2664 1949 74E2
It's far easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
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