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binh 2008-01-05 17:36:26 +00:00
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LDP/guide/docbook/Linux-Networking/Overview.xml
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@ -20,64 +20,54 @@ with a protocol stack that was superior to existing protocol stacks.
</para>
<para>
<screen>
The original volunteer to lead development of the kernel network code
was Ross Biro <biro@yggdrasil.com>. Ross produced a simple and
incomplete but mostly usable implementation set of routines that were
complemented by an ethernet driver for the WD-8003 network interface
card.This was enough to get many people testing and experimenting
with the software and some people even managed to connect machines in
this configuration to live internet connections. The pressure within
the Linux community driving development for networking support was
building and eventually the cost of a combination of some unfair
pressure applied to Ross and his own personal commitments outweighed
the benefit he was deriving and he stepped down as lead developer.
Ross's efforts in getting the project started and accepting the
responsibility for actually producing something useful in such
controversial circumstances were what catalyzed all future work and
were therefore an essential component of the success of the current
product.
Ross Biro originally implemented the first ethernet driver for the
WD-8003 network interface card which led to an increase in pressure
among the open source community for the development of more complete
networking support. However, due to increased personal commitments he
was unable to continue to do so and soon after left this project
having formed a crucial base for the development of better networking
support under Linux.
</para>
<para>
<screen>
Orest Zborowski <obz@Kodak.com> produced the original BSD socket
programming interface for the Linux kernel. This was a big step
forward as it allowed many of the existing network applications to be
ported to linux without serious modification.
</screen>
</para>
Somewhere about this time Laurence Culhane <loz@holmes.demon.co.uk>
developed the first drivers for Linux to support the SLIP protocol.
These enabled many people who did not have access to Ethernet
networking to experiment with the new networking software. Again, some
people took this driver and pressed it into service to connect them to
the Internet. This gave many more people a taste of the possibilities
that could be realized if Linux had full networking support and grew
the number of users actively using and experimenting with the
networking software that existed.
<para>
Soon after Laurence Culhane developed the first Linux drivers
to support the SLIP protocol which meant that an increasing
number of people were able to access the Internet from Linux.
It also led to a greater number of people who understood the
implications of what full networking support meant for Linux
which meant there was an increasing community of people who
went on to experiment with this software and further develop it.
</para>
One of the people that had also been actively working on the task of
building networking support was Fred van Kempen
<waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org>.After a period of some uncertainty
following Ross's resignation from the lead developer position Fred
offered his time and effort and accepted the role essentially
unopposed. Fred had some ambitious plans for the direction that he
wanted to take the Linux networking software and he set about
progressing in those directions. Fred produced a series of networking
code called the `NET-2' kernel code (the `NET' code being Ross's)
which many people were able to use pretty much usefully. Fred formally
put a number of innovations on the development agenda, such as the
dynamic device interface, Amateur Radio AX.25 protocol support and a
more modularly designed networking implementation.Fred's NET-2 code
was used by a fairly large number of enthusiasts, the number
increasing all the time as word spread that the software was working.
The networking software at this time was still a large number of
patches to the standard release of kernel code and was not included in
the normal release.The NET-FAQ and subsequent NET-2-HOWTO's
described the then fairly complex procedure to get it all working.
Fred's focus was on developing innovations to the standard network
implementations and this was taking time. The community of users was
growing impatient for something that worked reliably and satisfied the
80% of users and, as with Ross, the pressure on Fred as lead developer
rose.
<para>
Eventually Fred van Kempen took over the task of leading the
development of networking support under Linux. The primary
difference between himself and his former predecessors was that he
was far more ambitious in his desire to expand the Linux networking
code. He laid the plans for the development of a dynamic device
interface, Amateur Radio AX.25 protocol support and a more abstract
and modular networking implementation. Obviously, like his predecessor
there was increasing pressure on him to deliver a product that was
both reliable and satisfied the requirements of most users.
</para>
<para>
This issue was resolved by Alan Cox who eventually debugged the code
so that it was reliable enough to use in the general community.
</para>
<para>
<screen>
Alan Cox <iialan@www.uk.linux.org> proposed a solution to the problem
designed to resolve the situation. He proposed that he would take
Fred's NET-2 code and debug it, making it reliable and stable so that