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== Feedback ==
== Feedback ==
<!-- Summarize the feedback from the community and address why you chose not to accept proposed alternatives. This section is optional for all change proposals but is strongly suggested. Incorporating feedback here as it is raised gives FESCo a clearer view of your proposal and leaves a good record for the future. If you get no feedback, that is useful to note in this section as well. For innovative or possibly controversial ideas, consider collecting feedback before you file the change proposal. -->
<!-- Summarize the feedback from the community and address why you chose not to accept proposed alternatives. This section is optional for all change proposals but is strongly suggested. Incorporating feedback here as it is raised gives FESCo a clearer view of your proposal and leaves a good record for the future. If you get no feedback, that is useful to note in this section as well. For innovative or possibly controversial ideas, consider collecting feedback before you file the change proposal. -->
One of the proposed alternatives is to leave `net.ifnames=0` in the kernel command line to remain consistent between releases. Although RHEL allows for `net.ifnames=0` for KVM instances, it is [https://access.redhat.com/solutions/2435891|strongly recommended not to use it] with OpenStack or RHV environments. Fedora Cloud images are used for multiple types of clouds, including public clouds and private clouds.
This approach is less disruptive, but it pushes off the consistent device naming change until a later date and causes cloud images to operate differently than other Fedora deployments.


== Benefit to Fedora ==
== Benefit to Fedora ==

Revision as of 19:49, 18 March 2024

Enable Consistent Device Naming in Cloud Images

Important.png
This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

This proposal aims to remove the net.ifnames=0 kernel command line entry from the Fedora cloud kickstarts so that consistent device naming is enabled for cloud instances.

Owner

Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora Linux 41
  • Last updated: 2024-03-18
  • [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> devel thread]
  • FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Fedora cloud images currently set net.ifnames=0 on the kernel command line during the kickstart process. This disables consistent device naming and ensures that ethernet devices retain the old-style names of eth0, eth1, eth2, and so on.

Removing the net.ifnames=0 configuration allows Fedora cloud instances to use consistent device names for network devices. This brings Cloud images in line with Fedora Server, Workstation, and CoreOS.

Feedback

One of the proposed alternatives is to leave net.ifnames=0 in the kernel command line to remain consistent between releases. Although RHEL allows for net.ifnames=0 for KVM instances, it is recommended not to use it with OpenStack or RHV environments. Fedora Cloud images are used for multiple types of clouds, including public clouds and private clouds.

This approach is less disruptive, but it pushes off the consistent device naming change until a later date and causes cloud images to operate differently than other Fedora deployments.

Benefit to Fedora

Scope

  • Proposal owners:
  • Other developers:
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Alignment with Community Initiatives:

Upgrade/compatibility impact

How To Test

User Experience

Upgrades: Users who are upgrading to the next Fedora release will not notice a change in their instances since the net.ifnames=0 change is only applied during the kickstart process. Their instances will continue using the old network names.

New deployments: If a user has older Fedora deployments and they deploy a new Fedora release with this change applied, their network devices will use consistent network names instead of the old eth0 and eth1 style names. Although this won't impact software like cloud-init, it will impact users who have deployment scripts (Terraform or Ansible, for example) that need to set network configuration based on the network adapter's name. They will need to adjust the name of the network device in their deployment scripts.

Dependencies

Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No


Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes