Kernel Log: Consistent names for network interfaces

“Future distributions will use a consistent, predictable scheme
to name network interfaces, using names such as “em1” and “pci2#1”
instead of “eth0” and “eth1” to provide more transparency for
server administrators. As various new kernels have recently been
introduced, the Kernel Log will provide an overview of the most
important Stable and Longterm kernel series.

“For yearsPDF, Matt Domsch has advocated solutions which provide
reliable and predictable network port names – in systems with
multiple network sockets, the driver loading sequence and hardware
response times influence whether a certain port will be called eth0
or eth1. Now, the Dell technology strategist and DKMS contributor
seems to have taken a big step towards his goal. On his blog,
Domsch, who also contributes to the Fedora project, explains that
Fedora 15 – expected in May – will use a device naming
scheme that he helped develop, in which udev accesses
“biosdevname”, a program mainly developed by Dell employees, to
allocate network device names. The developer says that other
distributions are also likely to adopt this solution.

“This naming scheme will make udev allocate the device name
“em1” to the motherboard’s first network port, “em” being short for
“embedded”; network cards will be named according to the pattern
“pci#” (such as pci2#1), which should always make the ports on a
network card accessible under the same name as long as the card, or
a substitute, is inserted in the same slot. The sub-functions of
network cards that can be partitioned (NPAR) and the sub-functions
of cards with SR-IOV virtualisation support are given an added
underscore and a number. As before, vlan functions are separated by
a dot, and aliases by a colon.”

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