I'm need to set up a dummy IP interface on a Debian LiNode, and am failing at step one. I think I know what to do once I get past step one, but till I solve this, I'm stuck.

When I do:

# ifconfig dummy
dummy: error fetching interface information: Device not found

Same with dummy0

I think I need to do an insmod dummy, but when I try:

# insmod dummy
insmod: dummy: no module by that name found

And then I'm at the end of my linux knowledge. There doesnt appear to be a file like *dummy* in the filesystem. Where / how do I get this driver thing, and where do I put it? Is there a more permanent way of telling the kernel to load the driver on boot, or do I just stick the insmod command in the network startup?

Thanks.

You could use tuntap, which is compiled into the UML kernels:

# install uml-utilities, which has the "tunctl" admin app:
apt-get install uml-utilities

# make the dev node, and make it world read/write-able, for non-root users (adjust to suit)
mkdir /dev/net/
mknod /dev/net/tun c 10 200
chmod 666 /dev/net/tun

Example usage:

li-20:~# tunctl --help
tunctl: invalid option -- -
Create: tunctl [-u owner] [-t device-name] [-f tun-clone-device]
Delete: tunctl -d device-name [-f tun-clone-device]

li-20:~# tunctl -u caker -t caker0
Set 'caker0' persistent and owned by uid 1000

li-20:~# ifconfig caker0 192.168.1.2
li-20:~# ifconfig caker0
caker0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:FF:C9:2A:40:FC  
          inet addr:192.168.1.2  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::2ff:c9ff:fe2a:40fc/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:3 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)

li-20:~#

-Chris

Giving it a go now.

How much of this stuff is persistent?

(this does look like strange voodoo...)

You will want to edit your init scripts to create and ifconfig the tap device on startup. The other stuff is run-once...

-Chris