Re: [Qemu-devel] using -net dump with tap networking

[Paolo Bonzini]

Il 21/02/2013 15:41, Markus Armbruster ha scritto:
> Trouble is the user interface is as confusing as ever.  Worse, in a way,
> because we now have to explain how "vlan" and the hubport netdev relate.
> 
> Permit me a brief rant.  Have you read the manual page on -netdev and
> -net recently?  Have you tried to explain setting up QEMU networking to
> a neophyte?  Were you able to keep a straight face?  If yes, congrats,
> you got a great future ahead of you.
> 
> We have so many ways to do the same thing, complicating our docs
> enormously.  Just one of them makes sense for almost all uses, but I
> doubt mortal users could guess which one just from the docs.
> 
> Can we do for the docs what Stefan did for the code, i.e. get "vlans"
> out of the way?
> 
> Specifically, what's missing to let us deprecate -net completely?

Less important: the fact that "-net dump" is quite useful and requires
vlans. ("-net socket" has some usecases too: "-net bridge" helps placing
a VM's network on a bridge, but adding a bridge still requires root
privileges).

More important: the fact that qdev and -device really only works for ISA
and PCI devices.  Boards whose NICs are sysbus devices can only add
networking with "-net nic".

Paolo