[Bug 1382600] [NEW] Installing biosdevname should warn about required network configuration

[Nelson Minar]

Public bug reported:

Installing biosdevname can result in a system that will not have working
networking on reboot. I think there should be a warning / dialog when
the package is installed that warns users they need to do further system
configuration after installation.

biosdevname creates a udev rule /lib/udev/rules.d/71-biosdevname.rules.
This can override any existing udev naming for an ethernet device,
particularly one in /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules that comes
from a legacy install. In practice, what this means is that after
installing biosdevname the Ethernet device may be named something like
/dev/p4p1 instead of /dev/eth0. After installation the user has to
manually edit /etc/network/interfaces to have a working network on
reboot.

I believe the code is all working correctly, but it'd be a kindness if
the biosdevname installer detected the potential system breakage and
warned the user. I don't believe there's any warning at all that
installing this package can break the system at reboot.

(My story: I upgraded a working Ubuntu 10.10 system to 14.04 via do-
system-upgrade. Then I stupidly and blindly installed biosdevname
because some other Ubuntu 14.04 new install I had had that package. When
I rebooted, I could no longer access my Ubuntu box over the network.
Since the system was 1500 miles away and without a network console, that
was a bit awkward.)


$ lsb_release -rd
Description:	Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS
Release:	14.04

$ apt-cache policy biosdevname | grep Installed
  Installed: 0.4.1-0ubuntu6.1


See also: https://bugs.launchpad.net/serverguide/+bug/1312785

** Affects: biosdevname (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1382600

Title:
  Installing biosdevname should warn about required network
  configuration

Status in “biosdevname” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Installing biosdevname can result in a system that will not have
  working networking on reboot. I think there should be a warning /
  dialog when the package is installed that warns users they need to do
  further system configuration after installation.

  biosdevname creates a udev rule
  /lib/udev/rules.d/71-biosdevname.rules. This can override any existing
  udev naming for an ethernet device, particularly one in
  /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules that comes from a legacy
  install. In practice, what this means is that after installing
  biosdevname the Ethernet device may be named something like /dev/p4p1
  instead of /dev/eth0. After installation the user has to manually edit
  /etc/network/interfaces to have a working network on reboot.

  I believe the code is all working correctly, but it'd be a kindness if
  the biosdevname installer detected the potential system breakage and
  warned the user. I don't believe there's any warning at all that
  installing this package can break the system at reboot.

  (My story: I upgraded a working Ubuntu 10.10 system to 14.04 via do-
  system-upgrade. Then I stupidly and blindly installed biosdevname
  because some other Ubuntu 14.04 new install I had had that package.
  When I rebooted, I could no longer access my Ubuntu box over the
  network. Since the system was 1500 miles away and without a network
  console, that was a bit awkward.)

  
  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS
  Release:	14.04

  $ apt-cache policy biosdevname | grep Installed
    Installed: 0.4.1-0ubuntu6.1

  
  See also: https://bugs.launchpad.net/serverguide/+bug/1312785

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