> On Jun 11, 2025, at 2:23 AM, Guy Harris <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> On Jun 10, 2025, at 4:22 PM, Carlos Pignataro <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> 
>> 6. Descriptions:
>> Many descriptions are changed (streamlined) from [TCPDUMP]. 
>> Quite a number of them start like this:
>>     Description  Reserved for […]
>> 
>> Is the “Reserved for” really meaningful and important when putting this in 
>> an RFC? I would remove all the “Reserved for “.
> 
> Those are values assigned to the purpose in question, but for which we don't 
> have a good reference and don't have a good detailed description to turn into 
> a page on tcpdump.org. The description is lacking either because 1) it'd take 
> some work to look at code, both tcpdump/Wireshark dissection code and code 
> that generates the packets or 2) the packets require some ugly hacks to 
> interpret them, as they're platform-dependent (PF packet filter logging has 
> entered the chat).

Sorry I think I was not clear. My comment is only regarding the preface 
“Reserved for “ and not the entire value. For example, why not directly:

Name LINKTYPE_PRONET
Number 4
Description Reserved for Proteon PRONet Token Ring
Name LINKTYPE_CHAOS
Number 5
Description Reserved for MIT Chaosnet
Reference [AIM-628]


> 
>> Also, how are some of the replacements chosen? E.g.,
>> LINKTYPE_ENC 109     Encapsulated packets for IPsec.
>> vs.
>> Description  Reserved for OpenBSD IPSEC encapsulation
> 
> Chosen with a goal to indicate what it's for without giving details we don't 
> have yet.
> 
> The idea is that those can be filled in later with a subsequent I-D/RFC.
> 
>> Also: “IPsec" capitalization
> 
> Fixed in the Editor's Copy.
> 
>> These seem to come from the code itself:
>> #define LINKTYPE_ENC         109             /* OpenBSD IPSEC enc */
>> #define LINKTYPE_HIPPI               111             /* NetBSD HIPPI */
>> 
>> I guess overall question — has there been an exhaustive comparison / review 
>> of the Descriptions?
> 
> No.

Looking briefly at code vs. web page vs. I-D, there’s a few discrepancies.

That said, Michael Richardson is requesting not to overthink — so I won’t check 
for those and make some suggestions.

> 
>> Like, 208:
>> /*
>>  * 208 is reserved for an as-yet-unspecified proprietary link-layer
>>  * type, as requested by Will Barker.
>>  */
>> 
>>    Name  Reserved
>>    Number  208
>>    Description  Reserved for an unspecified link-layer type
>> 
>> The name does not start with LINKTYPE_
> 
> The email that resulted in that assignment was
> 
>       https://marc.info/?l=tcpdump-workers&m=119626256708614&w=2
> 
> "In addition is it acceptable to have one further value defined for our own 
> proprietary encapsulation type?"
> 
> The rest of the story was in the thread, but, rereading it, it sounds as if 
> he wanted the assignment before they figured out what packets would look 
> like. He spoke of contributing a dissector to Wireshark but this did not 
> happen, so here we are.
> 
> This would be another candidate for the "don't assign this, don't use it" 
> list.

I agree.

However, just on the name and not the meaning. The I-D says:
   *  LinkType Name: Indicates the symbolic name for this LinkType.  The
      name is prefixed with "LINKTYPE_" (i.e., LINKTYPE_something).

But this number is “Reserved” and not “LINKTYPE_RESERVED” 

   Name  Reserved
   Number  208
   Description  Reserved for an unspecified link-layer type

Just a nit...

> 
>> Or 
>>    Name  LINKTYPE_WIHART
>>    Number  223
>>    Description  Reserved for Wireless HART (Highway Addressable Remote
>>       Transducer)
>> 
>> Has a Reference:
>> /*
>>  * WirelessHART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer)
>>  * From the HART Communication Foundation
>>  * IEC/PAS 62591
> 
> I provided references for some of the "Reserved for"; perhaps those should be 
> omitted, and only added in a followup I-D/RFC giving either the reference or 
> a pointer to a LINKTYPE_ page on tcpdump.org explaining the relationship 
> between the relevant part of the standard and the format in the capture file.
> 
>> And, is this one missing?
>> 32   DLT_REDBACK_SMARTEDGE   Redback SmartEdge 400/800.
> 
> It's missing the phrase "Reserved for". :-)

:-)

> 
> It's also missing from the map of regions of the FCFS space.
> 
> There might be enough code in the Wireshark dissector to be able to generate 
> a LINKTYPE_REDBACK_SMARTEDGE.html page.

Thanks.

> 
>> Which one is 201:
>>  LINKTYPE_IPMB_LINUX 209
>>  LINKTYPE_I2C_LINUX 209
> 
> 201 is LINKTYPE_BLUETOOTH_HCI_H4_WITH_PHDR, not either of them.

Sorry — my typo. I meant “Which one is 209?”

> 
> 209 is LINKTYPE_I2C_LINUX; LINKTYPE_IPMB_LINUX is a legacy name in the code 
> for it. They're just two names for he same thing.
> 
>> Nits:
>> 
>> 1. Mis-indentation on the paragraph describing the DLTs.
> 
> As in "it's indented"?

Yes, as in “it’s indented, without a preface explanation for the indentation"

> 
> Michael, is that to set it apart as an FYI note?
> 

Thanks,

Carlos.

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