Re: ethtool documentation

On Wed, Aug 07, 2002 at 07:18:17AM -0400, Richard B. Johnson wrote:
> 
> That capability is not permanent. If you let users write to the
> SEEPROM, permanently changing the IEEE Station Address, you have
> let users permanently break their network boards. I do protest
> when this capability is in the kernel.

Don't forget the old sun workstations that keep MAC addresses in
nvram, where it's setable via the boot prom.  I had one with a bad
battery that I had to reset the MAC address on by hand if I unplugged
it for too long.

They DID implement a check to make sure the first few bits were
correct for the product, though.  I couldn't pick completely random
MACs (though C0FFEE fit nicely at the end).

Given a working nvram, this change was "permanent", and the only tools
needed came with the system.

Erik

-- 
Ask not what your computer can do for you.  Ask what you can do for
  your computer.