fbsd 6.2 pf starts -- but not on boot

[David DeSimone]

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Volker <volker at vwsoft.com> wrote:
>
> without seeing your pf.conf ruleset, I guess you're using a ppp
> connection to your upstream provider and firewalling on the tunX
> interface (using tun0 as $ext_if).
> 
> As FreeBSD boots up, this interface does not yet exist when pf is
> loaded.  As soon as ppp is loaded and interface tun0 has been created,
> pf will happily load your ruleset.

My understanding of PF is that it will happily load a configuration that
contains references to nonexistent interfaces, and when those interface
come around to existing later, it will happily enforce the policy
applied to them.  That is to say, I can't find any evidence that an
interface that doesn't exist causes policy loading to fail.

To test this, I added a couple of lines to my existing policy:

    pass out quick on gpx0 all

    pass in on asdfiawe934 from 1.2.3.4 to 4.3.2.1

PF did not complain one bit about these nonsensical interface names, and
"pfctl -sr" verifies that they do indeed remain in force, even though
they have no chance of matching anything.

- -- 
David DeSimone == Network Admin == fox at verio.net
  "It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no
   talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because
   by that time I was too famous.  -- Robert Benchley
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