<HTML ><HEAD ><TITLE >Why iproute2?</TITLE ><META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.7"><LINK REL="HOME" TITLE="Linux Advanced Routing & Traffic Control HOWTO" HREF="index.html"><LINK REL="UP" TITLE="Introduction to iproute2" HREF="lartc.iproute2.html"><LINK REL="PREVIOUS" TITLE="Introduction to iproute2" HREF="lartc.iproute2.html"><LINK REL="NEXT" TITLE="iproute2 tour" HREF="lartc.iproute2.tour.html"></HEAD ><BODY CLASS="SECT1" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#840084" ALINK="#0000FF" ><DIV CLASS="NAVHEADER" ><TABLE SUMMARY="Header navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TH COLSPAN="3" ALIGN="center" >Linux Advanced Routing & Traffic Control HOWTO</TH ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="lartc.iproute2.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="80%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom" >Chapter 3. Introduction to iproute2</TD ><TD WIDTH="10%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="bottom" ><A HREF="lartc.iproute2.tour.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ></TABLE ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"></DIV ><DIV CLASS="SECT1" ><H1 CLASS="SECT1" ><A NAME="LARTC.IPROUTE2.WHY" ></A >3.1. Why iproute2?</H1 ><P >Most Linux distributions, and most UNIX's, currently use the venerable <B CLASS="COMMAND" >arp</B >, <B CLASS="COMMAND" >ifconfig</B > and <B CLASS="COMMAND" >route</B > commands. While these tools work, they show some unexpected behaviour under Linux 2.2 and up. For example, GRE tunnels are an integral part of routing these days, but require completely different tools.</P ><P >With <SPAN CLASS="APPLICATION" >iproute2</SPAN >, tunnels are an integral part of the tool set.</P ><P >The 2.2 and above Linux kernels include a completely redesigned network subsystem. This new networking code brings Linux performance and a feature set with little competition in the general OS arena. In fact, the new routing, filtering, and classifying code is more featureful than the one provided by many dedicated routers and firewalls and traffic shaping products.</P ><P >As new networking concepts have been invented, people have found ways to plaster them on top of the existing framework in existing OSes. This constant layering of cruft has lead to networking code that is filled with strange behaviour, much like most human languages. In the past, Linux emulated SunOS's handling of many of these things, which was not ideal. </P ><P >This new framework makes it possible to clearly express features previously beyond Linux's reach.</P ></DIV ><DIV CLASS="NAVFOOTER" ><HR ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH="100%"><TABLE SUMMARY="Footer navigation table" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="lartc.iproute2.html" ACCESSKEY="P" >Prev</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="index.html" ACCESSKEY="H" >Home</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="lartc.iproute2.tour.html" ACCESSKEY="N" >Next</A ></TD ></TR ><TR ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" >Introduction to iproute2</TD ><TD WIDTH="34%" ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" ><A HREF="lartc.iproute2.html" ACCESSKEY="U" >Up</A ></TD ><TD WIDTH="33%" ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" >iproute2 tour</TD ></TR ></TABLE ></DIV ></BODY ></HTML >