checking hardware type automatically

[Matthew Palmer]

On Wed, 8 Aug 2001, Jens Ruehmkorf wrote:

> using lspci is probably a better idea. grep'ing in /proc/pci does nothing
> else, but the database linux/drivers/pci/pci.ids might be too old when
> using 2.2-kernels for the installation.

That's why you don't use 2.2 kernels.  2.4 is much nicer.

> If I get Roland right he uses a setup where he doesn't know the MACs in
> advance but rather assigns IPs within a specific range using dhcp.

If machines need to be identified specifically, then some unique identifier
needs to be found.  The MAC address is the best way of determining that, in
a general sense.

> So it's just a question which vendor Roland's NICs are from. But besides
> that I don't know a better solution than using lspci.

The problem with that, as specified by Roland, is that two separate vendors
are using the same PCI component.  I'm assuming that there isn't another
component which is specific to each vendor, either, otherwise he would
(presumably) be using that.  Having a MAC->machine mapping of some sort
could work.

Another idea, which I just thought of, is using 'lspci -n' and hoping that the
different vendors (which use the same brand of PCI component) are using
different revisions of the same component.


-- 
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#include <disclaimer.h>
Matthew Palmer
mjp16 at ieee.uow.edu.au