Consistent network device naming
Fedora 18 continues previous releases' use of biosdevname to set network device names in a deterministic manner. Ethernet ports embedded on server motherboards will be named em<port_number>
, while ports on PCI cards will be named p<slot_number>p<port_number>
, corresponding to the chassis labels. This feature may be disabled by passing "biosdevname=0"
on the kernel command line, in which case, behavior will revert to using ethX names.
better network security with firewalld
firewalld will be the default firewall solution for Fedora 18, replacing iptables. Using firewalldwill allow for application of policy changes without reloading, allowing connection states to stay unbroken when rules are changed. A D-BUS interface allows approved applications to communicate status and present complex or temporary needs to the firewall without requiring hand configuration by an administrator. This improves support for dynamic environments like libvirtd. Manual administration can be done with firewall-cmd. Documentation on firewalld can be found in the included manpages, firewall-cmd(1), firewalld(1), firewalld.conf(5), firewalld.icmptype(5), firewalld.service(5), firewalld.zone(5).
Team Driver improves NIC bonding
Fedora 18 includes Team Driver which provides a possibility to team multiple network interfaces together so they act like a single network interface. This extends teaming possibilities provided by existing bonding driver. It also provides userspace driven, modular alternative to bonding driver. Usage information can be found in man teamd.conf(5), man teamd(8), and man teamdctl(8).