Network configuration scripts proved insufficient in modern environments. NetworkManager has been too focused on desktop and laptop usage. Alternative projects including netifd, netcfg, connman, wicd and wicked are not production-ready for servers either. It is possible to have a single network management daemon serving desktops, laptops, servers and virtualization hosts alike? What features should it support? What are the expectations of the community? Can network configuration in Linux distributions suck less? Bring your own questions, too.
This talk will cover current networking problems from kernel to the administrators and users, as well as the current development in this field with the focus on NetworkManager's ongoing transition from a wireless connection configurator to a full-fledge operating system deamon. One of the main topics will be about the reasons to have a network configuration daemon at all and about decisions that affect its usability for various use cases.
It's purpose is not only to inform the open source community but also to gather the community to a larger-scale networking round table. We already tried to do this on a smaller scale and it proved good. I expect follow-up discussions to evolve and to contribute to the effort to make network-related projects more community-oriented.
Linux network management is already changing. Your choice is whether to participate on the change and influence it, or just wait for the results.
Speakers: Pavel Šimerda