FreeBSD TCP/IP stacks update to newer version possible?

FreeBSD TCP/IP stacks update to newer version possible?

[Max Seidenstuecker]

Hello everyone,

for a research project our company is aiming to use eCos on the target
hardware. The major requirement is a working IPv6 implementation and
TLS/SSL. In eCos there is a FreeBSD-based TCP/IP stack and an OpenSSL
implementation available.

I see so many changes in the KAME project (FreeBSD IPv6 base) that I
am wondering if the version in eCos is stable enough. Has anyone got a
summary of the changes between 2001 and 2006 where the project
concluded? So we can see if an update is needed or worth doing.

What would the tasks be to update an already ported stack? I would
rate myself as a rookie in the area of network and OS related
programming. But from what I saw in the code it seems like there is an
compatibilty layer (eCos wrapper) provided for easy updates to the
code. Would a copy/paste job and some minor adjustments to the code do
the trick then?

Sincerely,
Max

Re: FreeBSD TCP/IP stacks update to newer version possible?

[Lambrecht Jürgen]

On 03/28/2013 05:03 PM, Max Seidenstuecker wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> for a research project our company is aiming to use eCos on the target
> hardware. The major requirement is a working IPv6 implementation and
> TLS/SSL. In eCos there is a FreeBSD-based TCP/IP stack and an OpenSSL
> implementation available.
Why not LwIP? It also has IPv6.
Mark, we are also still using freeBSD, and I still have to evaluate LwIP 
against our needs..
>
> I see so many changes in the KAME project (FreeBSD IPv6 base) that I
> am wondering if the version in eCos is stable enough. Has anyone got a
> summary of the changes between 2001 and 2006 where the project
> concluded? So we can see if an update is needed or worth doing.
>
> What would the tasks be to update an already ported stack? I would
> rate myself as a rookie in the area of network and OS related
> programming. But from what I saw in the code it seems like there is an
> compatibilty layer (eCos wrapper) provided for easy updates to the
> code. Would a copy/paste job and some minor adjustments to the code do
> the trick then?
I think it will be more than that..
I don't know really the Kame project, but it was also for FreeBSD, a PC 
network stack. So it must be adapted to embedded use.
Here for example 2 issues that I discovered in the eCos freeBSD port 
that you don't see on a PC:
- by default the maximum fragmented packet size is 9kB (instead of 64kB)
- at ARP request timeout, only 1 packet is buffered. So if you are doing 
network bandwith testing with UDP messages, you will loose packets every 
5 minutes (default ARP timeout)

I was also thinking of doing something like that, but only to add VLAN 
tagging support to eCos.
But I can also use our switch chip to add VLAN tags as workaround. So 
that task is not so urgent anymore...

I am interested in helping, but I have only limited time.

Kind regards,
Jürgen
>
> Sincerely,
> Max


-- 
Jürgen Lambrecht
R&D Associate
Tel: +32 (0)51 303045    Fax: +32 (0)51 310670
http://www.televic-rail.com
Televic Rail NV - Leo Bekaertlaan 1 - 8870 Izegem - Belgium
Company number 0825.539.581 - RPR Kortrijk