RHBA-2011:1608 - Bug Fix Advisory

Topic

An updated biosdevname package that fixes several bugs and adds various
enhancements are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Description

The biosdevname package contains an optional convention for naming network
interfaces; it assigns names to network interfaces based on their physical
location. The package is disabled by default, except for a limited set of Dell
PowerEdge, C Series and Precision Workstation systems.

The biosdevname package has been upgraded to upstream version 0.3.11, which
provides a number of bug fixes and enhancements over the previous version.
(BZ#696203)

This update fixes the following bugs:

• When NPAR (NIC Partitioning) is enabled, the partition number should be

appended as a suffix to the interface name. Previously, biosdevname did not add
partition numbers to interface names, for example, instead of naming an
interface "em3_1", the interface was named "em3". Consequently, partitioned
network interfaces were missing the suffix necessary to describe the partition.
Now, biosdevname correctly recognizes the VPD (Vital Product Data) suffix and
full interface names are created correctly. (BZ#700248)

• When biosdevname ran in a guest environment, it suggested names to new network

interfaces as if it was in a host environment. Consequently, affected network
interfaces were incorrectly renamed. Now, biosdevname no longer suggests names
in the described scenario. (BZ#700251)

• When biosdevname was reading VPD information to retrieve NPAR-related data,

the read operations failed or became unresponsive on certain RAID controllers.
Additionally, biosdevname sometimes attempted to read beyond the VPD boundary in
the sysfs VPD file, which also resulted in a hang. This bug has been fixed and
biosdevname now performs the read operation correctly in the described
scenarios. (BZ#729591)

• Previously, the "--smbios" and "--nopirq" command-line parameters were missing

in the biosdevname binary. Consequently, consistent network device naming could
not be enabled because biosdevname exited without suggesting a name. This update
adds support for these parameters and enables the device naming. (BZ#739592)

• Previously, NICs (Network Interface Cards) on biosdevname-compatible machines

were given traditional "eth*" names instead of "em*" or "p*p*" names. This bug
has been fixed and biosdevname now provides correct names for the NICs.
(BZ#740532)

This update adds the following enhancements:

• With this update, "--smbios" and "--nopirq" command-line parameters have been

added to biosdevname. (BZ#696252)

• The biosdevname man page has been updated to explain the functionality of the

"--smbios" and "--nopirq" command-line parameters. (BZ#736442)

Users of biosdevname are advised to upgrade to this updated package, which fixes
these bugs and adds these enhancements.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure all previously-released errata
relevant to your system have been applied.

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to
use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at
https://access.redhat.com/kb/docs/DOC-11259

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 6 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - Extended Life Cycle Support 6 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 6 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 6 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Scientific Computing 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server from RHUI 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server from RHUI 6 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - Extended Life Cycle Support 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 6 x86_64

Fixes

CVEs

(none)

References

(none)