Re: Clash between 'netinet/if_ether.h' and 'linux/if_ether.h'

[Abdoulaye Walsimou GAYE <awg@embtoolkit.org>]

On 10/09/2012 01:33 AM, Rich Felker wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 09, 2012 at 12:45:17AM +0200, Abdoulaye Walsimou GAYE wrote:
>> Hello,
>> While trying to compile busybox-1.20.2, the following issue raised:
>>
>>    CC      networking/ifplugd.o
>> In file included from /home/walsimou/embtoolkit.git/sysroot-armel-linux-arm920t/usr/include/net/ethernet.h:10:0,
>>                   from networking/ifplugd.c:41:
>> /home/walsimou/embtoolkit.git/sysroot-armel-linux-arm920t/usr/include/netinet/if_ether.h:75:8: error: redefinition of 'struct ethhdr'
>> /home/walsimou/embtoolkit.git/sysroot-armel-linux-arm920t/usr/include/linux/if_ether.h:127:8: note: originally defined here
>>
>> Note that uClibc strategy here is to include linux/if_ether.h
> It's a bug to be including linux/if_ether.h, and there's no way to
> work around this without depending on kernel headers, which musl will
> not do for two reasons:
>
> 1. We can't control conformance issues and/or breakage if they expose
> crap into the namespace that they shouldn't be exposing, and this
> tends to vary by version.
>
> 2. It makes it so you can't build or use musl without kernel headers.
>
> It should be a one-line patch to fix ifplugd.
>
> Rich


Hi Rich,

I understand your point to not pollute the namespace, but there is others files
under linux/ doing #include <linux/if_ether.h>.

linux/ethtool.h:17:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/if_tun.h:20:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/if_bonding.h:48:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/virtio_net.h:31:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/netfilter_bridge.h:8:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/bpqether.h:9:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/netdevice.h:29:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/if_fddi.h:12: *        if_fddi.h is based on previous if_ether.h and if_tr.h work by
linux/if_arcnet.h:20:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/atmlec.h:13:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/if_pppox.h:24:#include <linux/if_ether.h>
linux/if_ether.h:8: * Version:    @(#)if_ether.h    1.0.1a 02/08/94
linux/netfilter_bridge/ebtables.h:17:#include <linux/if_ether.h>


Does it means all these files should not be used in userspace application beside netinet/if_ether.h?
Or does it means that these files should not be exported to userspace headers or should include
<netinet/if_ether.h> instead?
If yes, then It's a bug and should be reported to upstream kernel network maintainers.

AWG,