netd

netd is a replacement for the FreeBSD ifconfig(8) command and the rc(8)-based network configuration system. It is inspired by (but different to) Solaris's dladm(1M), and provides similar functionality as macOS's networksetup and Linux's NetworkManager.

netd's aims are:

• To make network configuration easier and less error-prone.
• To unify "running" and "boot" configuration, so that a single command changes the running configuration and applies the changes to the next boot.
• To simplify common configurations like laptops that move between wired and wireless networks.
• To behave like a native Unix utility with a simple and intuitive command-line interface.
• To configure what you want it to, and not configure what you don't want it to.

netd is currently in a pre-alpha state and doesn't do anything useful.

System requirements

• FreeBSD 15.0. It may work on older versions.
  • The intention is to eventually support all supported versions of FreeBSD.
• NETLINK support in the kernel (this is included in GENERIC).
• If running in a jail, only VNET jails are supported. (Running netd in a non-VNET jail probably doesn't make sense anyway.)

Build

# pkg install cmake-core ninja
% mkdir build
% cd build
% cmake -G Ninja ..
% ninja
# ninja install

Optionally, add -DSANITIZE=ON to the cmake command to enable Clang's sanitizers for development.

Run

Start netd.

Example

# netctl interface list
NAME            OPER      TX      RX
wg0             UP   9.1Mb/s 275kb/s
bridge0         UP    11Mb/s  45Mb/s
lo0             UP    295b/s  295b/s
ix1             DOWN    0b/s    0b/s
ix0             UP    11Mb/s  46Mb/s

Programmatic output

netctl supports parseable output in various formats using the libxo(3) library:

# netctl --libxo=json list-interfaces
{"interface-list": {"interface": [{"name":"wg0"}, {"name":"tap0"}, {"name":"bridge0"}, {"name":"alc0"}, {"name":"lo0"}, {"name":"ix1"}, {"name":"ix0"}]}}
# netctl --libxo=xml list-interfaces
<interface-list><interface><name>wg0</name></interface><interface><name>tap0</name></interface><interface><name>bridge0</name></interface><interface><name>alc0</name></interface><interface><name>lo0</name></interface><interface><name>ix1</name></interface><interface><name>ix0</name></interface></interface-list>

Development

To build with cc -Weverything:

% make WEVERYTHING=yes

Note that this disables a few warnings usually enabled by -Weverything.

To run clang-analyser:

% make lint

License

This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.

Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or distribute this
software, either in source code form or as a compiled binary, for any purpose,
commercial or non-commercial, and by any means.

In jurisdictions that recognize copyright laws, the author or authors of this
software dedicate any and all copyright interest in the software to the public
domain. We make this dedication for the benefit of the public at large and to
the detriment of our heirs and successors. We intend this dedication to be an
overt act of relinquishment in perpetuity of all present and future rights to
this software under copyright law.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF
CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE
SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

For more information, please refer to <https://unlicense.org>