Consistent Network Device Naming is a convention for naming Ethernet adapters in

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

. It was created around 2009 to replace the old naming scheme that caused problems on multihomed machines because the

network interface controller A network interface controller (NIC, also known as a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter and physical network interface) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network. Early network interface ...

s (NICs) would be named based on the order in which they were found by the kernel as it booted. Removing existing or adding new interfaces could cause the previously added ones to change names. An Engineering Change Request was submitted to the PCI SIG

firmware In computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, h ...

group on how system firmware can provide device naming to operating systems via the ACPI interface. __TOC__

Adoption

The convention was implemented for

Dell Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...

in a module called . Among the first major

Linux distribution A Linux distribution, often abbreviated as distro, is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro—if distributed on its own—is oft ...

s to adopt the module were Fedora 15 in May 2011 and

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a commercial Linux distribution developed by Red Hat. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server versions for x86-64, Power ISA, ARM64, and IBM Z and a desktop version for x86-64. Fedora Linux and ...

version 6.1. It was also released in

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) is a Linux-based operating system developed by SUSE. It is available in two editions, suffixed with Server (SLES) for servers and mainframes, and Desktop (SLED) for workstations and desktop computers. Its major ve ...

11 Service Pack 2 in February 2012. The newer Dell PowerEdge and

Dell Precision Dell Precision is a line of computer workstations for computer-aided design/architecture/computer graphics professionals . They are available in both desktop (tower) and mobile (laptop) forms. Dell touts their Precision Mobile Workstations are "op ...

models support the new names. An

open-source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

implementation is available, based on the

udev udev (userspace ) is a device manager for the Linux kernel. As the successor of devfsd and hotplug, udev primarily manages device nodes in the directory. At the same time, udev also handles all user space events raised when hardware devices ...

mechanism. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 started using

systemd systemd is a software suite that provides an array of system components for Linux operating systems. The main aim is to unify service configuration and behavior across Linux distributions. Its primary component is a "system and service manage ...

for networking.

Device naming rules

* Onboard interfaces at firmware index numbers * Interfaces at

PCI Express PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a high-speed standard used to connect hardware components inside computers. It is designed to replace older expansion bus standards such as Peripher ...

hotplug slot numbers * Adapters in the specified PCI slot, with slot index number on the adapter * If firmware information is invalid or rules are disabled, use traditional RHCSA & RHCE Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: Training and Exam Preparation Guide (EX200 and EX300), Third Edition Paperback – 27 Mar 2015 by Asghar Ghori

References

{{Reflist, 40em Ethernet Linux drivers