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Use of Kernel Headers

DISCUSSION Jim Gifford 2 participants 3 messages Aug 17, 2004

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I have been asked this question a lot of times, and I think it should be asked here for an official answer.

It has been stated numerous times that userspace programs should not be compiled against raw kernel headers, but iptables does compile against userspace headers and breaks this rule. With the advent of the linux-libc-headers package, should iptables be compiled against the linux-libc-headers or the raw kernel headers since iptables is a user space program?

Should patch-o-matic update the headers in the proper location, /usr/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4 etc?

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Jim Gifford
[email protected]

#1 lore raw
Quoted 10 lines · Jim Gifford

I have been asked this question a lot of times, and I think it should be asked here for an official answer.

It has been stated numerous times that userspace programs should not be compiled against raw kernel headers, but iptables does compile against userspace headers and breaks this rule. With the advent of the linux-libc-headers package, should iptables be compiled against the linux-libc-headers or the raw kernel headers since iptables is a user space program?

Quoted 2 lines

Should patch-o-matic update the headers in the proper location, /usr/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4 etc?

Patch-o-matic is not the right way of doing this - this would be dealt with in a new version release of iptables.

P-o-M is for adding new features and functions (which are optional and not used by most iptables users) to netfilter; it couldn't sensibly be used to change the structure of how it compiles.

As for the answer to your question, I think that is one for the developers'
list. Some of them do read this list, but cannot be guaranteed to see all
posts or respond to them due to the volume.

Regards,

Antony.

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#2 lore raw
Quoted 21 lines · Antony Stone
Quoted 10 lines · Jim Gifford

I have been asked this question a lot of times, and I think it should be asked here for an official answer.

It has been stated numerous times that userspace programs should not be compiled against raw kernel headers, but iptables does compile against userspace headers and breaks this rule. With the advent of the linux-libc-headers package, should iptables be compiled against the linux-libc-headers or the raw kernel headers since iptables is a user space program?

Quoted 4 lines

Should patch-o-matic update the headers in the proper location, /usr/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4 etc?

Patch-o-matic is not the right way of doing this - this would be dealt with in a new version release of iptables.

Quoted 10 lines

P-o-M is for adding new features and functions (which are optional and not used by most iptables users) to netfilter; it couldn't sensibly be used to change the structure of how it compiles.

As for the answer to your question, I think that is one for the developers' list. Some of them do read this list, but cannot be guaranteed to see all posts or respond to them due to the volume.

Regards,

Antony.

Thanx Anthony, will do.

Signature · 3 lines
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Jim Gifford
[email protected]