Bridging with tap

[Pete Jones]

Thanks for the reply,
I followed the instructions in the handbook for ethernet bridging. In 
Freebsd 6.1 release you could compile the bridge and tap modules into the 
kernel, then enable ethernet bridging and actually bridge two interfaces 
using sysctl.conf. I found that this brought a tap interface up at startup. 
This did not automatically happen for me using 6.2 release, I have since 
discovered however that  openvpn on startup brings up a tap interface, but 
of course at this point the sysctl.conf bridging entry had passed. I have 
since discovered that bridge has been superceded by if_bridge and that I 
should be able to bridge the two interfaces using rc.conf. I have entered 
the correct command, but how do know for sure that the two interfaces are 
bridged?

thanks in advance
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lowell Gilbert" <freebsd-questions-local at be-well.ilk.org>
To: "Pete Jones" <pete_sw at hotmail.com>
Cc: "FreeBSD-questions" <freebsd-questions at freebsd.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 12:56 AM
Subject: Re: Bridging with tap


> "Pete Jones" <pete_sw at hotmail.com> writes:
>
>> Does anyone know anything about ethernet bridging to a tap interface
>> in Freebsd 6.2. I have compiled the bridge option and the tap device
>> into the kernel, but the tap device has not appeared. I have tried
>> this on a virtual machine and a separate box with the same results,
>> yet it works with Freebsd 6.1. I used the same configuration in
>> sysctl.conf for both 6.1 and 6.2.
>>
>> Has anyone had the same problem, or any other problems with tap not
>> working?
>
> tap devices don't appear until you try to use them.  What are you
> actually trying that fails?
>
>
> My qemu-based testbed with a lot of tap devices has been working on
> -STABLE steadily since early in the 6.x lifetime (I haven't used it
> lately, but it definitely worked after 6.2 was released).
>