Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 16 Dec 1999 10:45:28 +0100 | From | Helge Hafting <> | Subject | RE: disabling Intel PSN |
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> > > Sounds like a grand idea to me. > > > > Currently we disable the PSN at boot, always > > Is there any special reason we do this (by default)? We don't try to hide > MAC addresses. > MAC addresses are necessary for ethernet communications to work at all. The PIII serial number isn't necessary for anything at all - today. (PII's without the number works fine. Of course you can have a machine without a MAC address too, but no ethernet then. You'll use isdn, ppp, etc instead.)
A serious problem with the PII serial number is that the planned use for it has been tracking of network communications, which isn't popular. Of course that don't happen now, no protocols require this and many machines don't even have a serial number to offer.
But consider the problem if, say, some e-commerce protocol decides to use it. Development of stuff like that is hampered if they know it won't work on linux (and possibly other os'es.) Disabling the number may be too late the day it just means you kill your own connections to half of the internet sites.
MAC addresses aren't that problematic. They aren't sent all over the network, only to the nearest router. IPV6 may change that, but the V6 addresses with embedded MAC adresses are only one way of obtaining an IPV6 address. There are other ways. And you can easily get a card with a programmable MAC address anyway.
Helge Hafting
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