[Cerowrt-devel] atomic route updates?

[Dave Taht <dave.taht@gmail.com>]

iproute2's ip/iproute2.c code has a function called iproute_modify,
which to a blurring eye appears to be capable of doing an atomic route
update via it's netlink interface.

"        if (matches(*argv, "change") == 0 || strcmp(*argv, "chg") == 0)
                return iproute_modify(RTM_NEWROUTE, NLM_F_REPLACE,
                                      argc-1, argv+1);
        if (matches(*argv, "replace") == 0)
                return iproute_modify(RTM_NEWROUTE, NLM_F_CREATE|NLM_F_REPLACE,
                                      argc-1, argv+1);"

The babel  native daemon and the quagga-re code, however, does a
delete/add, which results in packets dropping on the floor when a
route changes.

Everyone that's tried to make this code do atomic updates has failed.

Juliusz thinks this section of the codebase is cursed, and I
personally, gave up, because dave miller had spent most of the last 3+
years eliminating the linux kernel route cache, (which was finally
eliminated a few kernel versions back (3.6?)) and I figured all
attempts at doing anything fancy with routing during that phase was
going to break in odd ways until the new cache-free-linux-kernel
routing code stabilized.

OK, so, like, it's kernel 3.8 time now, and ...  I find myself too
scarred by previous attempts to give it a go myself, but I know that
out there are intrepid explorers out there, just dying to delve into
the gnarly details of netlink programming to keep a few more streams
going full throttle in the face of a routing change! Yes? Anyone? So
take a look at iproute2 and the relevant netlink code here:

git://github.com/Quagga-RE/quagga-RE.git
git://github.com/jech/babeld.git

I note that I have a few other ideas for netlink-related changes to
cero. Two of the big ones is that I'd like to be able to have a
userspace daemon get back more details as to when *fq_codel drops a
packet (e.g, send a multicast to a listener of the dropped the packet,
and why), and get some sort of ongoing bandwidth estimate when it
starts dropping, etc.

I also have some hope for multi-prefix multi-homed routing too...

but I find netlink really intimidating. It has an interface that only
a bit-banger would love.

-- 
Dave Täht

PS: I have a build of 3.8.8 at the moment that uses the new PROCD
replacement for init that I'm losing a battle on, too. Also toke has
got cero mostly independently buildable now.

Fixing bufferbloat with cerowrt: http://www.teklibre.com/cerowrt/subscribe.html