1 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
3 menu "UML Network Devices"
8 bool "Virtual network device"
10 While the User-Mode port cannot directly talk to any physical
11 hardware devices, this choice and the following transport options
12 provide one or more virtual network devices through which the UML
13 kernels can talk to each other, the host, and with the host's help,
14 machines on the outside world.
16 For more information, including explanations of the networking and
17 sample configurations, see
18 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html>.
20 If you'd like to be able to enable networking in the User-Mode
21 linux environment, say Y; otherwise say N. Note that you must
22 enable at least one of the following transport options to actually
23 make use of UML networking.
25 config UML_NET_ETHERTAP
26 bool "Ethertap transport"
29 The Ethertap User-Mode Linux network transport allows a single
30 running UML to exchange packets with its host over one of the
31 host's Ethertap devices, such as /dev/tap0. Additional running
32 UMLs can use additional Ethertap devices, one per running UML.
33 While the UML believes it's on a (multi-device, broadcast) virtual
34 Ethernet network, it's in fact communicating over a point-to-point
37 To use this, your host kernel must have support for Ethertap
38 devices. Also, if your host kernel is 2.4.x, it must have
39 CONFIG_NETLINK_DEV configured as Y or M.
41 For more information, see
42 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html> That site
43 has examples of the UML command line to use to enable Ethertap
46 If you'd like to set up an IP network with the host and/or the
47 outside world, say Y to this, the Daemon Transport and/or the
48 Slip Transport. You'll need at least one of them, but may choose
49 more than one without conflict. If you don't need UML networking,
53 bool "TUN/TAP transport"
56 The UML TUN/TAP network transport allows a UML instance to exchange
57 packets with the host over a TUN/TAP device. This option will only
58 work with a 2.4 host, unless you've applied the TUN/TAP patch to
61 To use this transport, your host kernel must have support for TUN/TAP
62 devices, either built-in or as a module.
68 The slip User-Mode Linux network transport allows a running UML to
69 network with its host over a point-to-point link. Unlike Ethertap,
70 which can carry any Ethernet frame (and hence even non-IP packets),
71 the slip transport can only carry IP packets.
73 To use this, your host must support slip devices.
75 For more information, see
76 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html>.
77 has examples of the UML command line to use to enable slip
78 networking, and details of a few quirks with it.
80 The Ethertap Transport is preferred over slip because of its
81 limitations. If you prefer slip, however, say Y here. Otherwise
82 choose the Multicast transport (to network multiple UMLs on
83 multiple hosts), Ethertap (to network with the host and the
84 outside world), and/or the Daemon transport (to network multiple
85 UMLs on a single host). You may choose more than one without
86 conflict. If you don't need UML networking, say N.
89 bool "Daemon transport"
92 This User-Mode Linux network transport allows one or more running
93 UMLs on a single host to communicate with each other, but not to
96 To use this form of networking, you'll need to run the UML
97 networking daemon on the host.
99 For more information, see
100 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html> That site
101 has examples of the UML command line to use to enable Daemon
104 If you'd like to set up a network with other UMLs on a single host,
105 say Y. If you need a network between UMLs on multiple physical
106 hosts, choose the Multicast Transport. To set up a network with
107 the host and/or other IP machines, say Y to the Ethertap or Slip
108 transports. You'll need at least one of them, but may choose
109 more than one without conflict. If you don't need UML networking,
116 This User-Mode Linux network transport allows one or more running
117 UMLs on a single host to communicate with each other and also
118 with the rest of the world using Virtual Distributed Ethernet,
119 an improved fork of uml_switch.
121 You must have libvdeplug installed in order to build the vde
124 To use this form of networking, you will need to run vde_switch
127 For more information, see <http://wiki.virtualsquare.org/>
128 That site has a good overview of what VDE is and also examples
129 of the UML command line to use to enable VDE networking.
131 If you need UML networking with VDE,
135 bool "Multicast transport"
138 This Multicast User-Mode Linux network transport allows multiple
139 UMLs (even ones running on different host machines!) to talk to
140 each other over a virtual ethernet network. However, it requires
141 at least one UML with one of the other transports to act as a
142 bridge if any of them need to be able to talk to their hosts or any
145 To use this, your host kernel(s) must support IP Multicasting.
147 For more information, see
148 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html> That site
149 has examples of the UML command line to use to enable Multicast
150 networking, and notes about the security of this approach.
152 If you need UMLs on multiple physical hosts to communicate as if
153 they shared an Ethernet network, say Y. If you need to communicate
154 with other IP machines, make sure you select one of the other
155 transports (possibly in addition to Multicast; they're not
156 exclusive). If you don't need to network UMLs say N to each of
160 bool "pcap transport"
163 The pcap transport makes a pcap packet stream on the host look
164 like an ethernet device inside UML. This is useful for making
165 UML act as a network monitor for the host. You must have libcap
166 installed in order to build the pcap transport into UML.
168 For more information, see
169 <http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.net/old/networking.html> That site
170 has examples of the UML command line to use to enable this option.
172 If you intend to use UML as a network monitor for the host, say
173 Y here. Otherwise, say N.
176 bool "SLiRP transport"
179 The SLiRP User-Mode Linux network transport allows a running UML
180 to network by invoking a program that can handle SLIP encapsulated
181 packets. This is commonly (but not limited to) the application
182 known as SLiRP, a program that can re-socket IP packets back onto
183 the host on which it is run. Only IP packets are supported,
184 unlike other network transports that can handle all Ethernet
185 frames. In general, slirp allows the UML the same IP connectivity
186 to the outside world that the host user is permitted, and unlike
187 other transports, SLiRP works without the need of root level
188 privleges, setuid binaries, or SLIP devices on the host. This
189 also means not every type of connection is possible, but most
190 situations can be accommodated with carefully crafted slirp
191 commands that can be passed along as part of the network device's
192 setup string. The effect of this transport on the UML is similar
193 that of a host behind a firewall that masquerades all network
194 connections passing through it (but is less secure).
196 To use this you should first have slirp compiled somewhere
197 accessible on the host, and have read its documentation. If you
198 don't need UML networking, say N.
200 Startup example: "eth0=slirp,FE:FD:01:02:03:04,/usr/local/bin/slirp"