Re: [bug-gnulib] Incomplete getaddrinfo module

[Derek Price]

Yoann Vandoorselaere wrote:

>I think these flags are part of POSIX. Quote from the POSIX manpage:
>  
>

I'm not arguing that.  I'm simply stating that if the GNULIB module is
going to *ignore* these POSIX specified flags, as you said your app
does, then the reasons for this and any potential dangers involved in
doing so should be well-documented.

>As an example, libprelude will break with GnuLib getaddrinfo due to the
>usage of the AI_ADDRCONFIG option (if available), and AI_PASSIVE.
>  
>

I understand that.  I was simply stating that, while I believe a more
complete implementation of getaddrinfo would be wonderful, many
applications get along just fine with the current, incomplete
implementation.   I just wanted to be sure that the phrasing of Bruno's
statement about GNULIB modules being complete "if possible" didn't imply
that incomplete modules should be removed when so many apps get along
without the missing functionality.

If the getaddrinfo module doesn't get completed, documentation of the
missing functionality would probably be nice so that no one else is so
surprised when getaddrinfo fails.  I came up with the attached patch,
but perhaps a shorter note in the modules file like, "* Incomplete - see
lib/getaddrinfo.c." would be better.  The extra notes my patch adds to
modules/getaddrinfo could then be added to lib/getaddrinfo.c, then, but
I think they would be superfluous.

2005-09-15  Derek Price  <address@hidden>

    * modules/getaddrinfo: Document shortcomings of this module.


Regards,

Derek

-- 
Derek R. Price
CVS Solutions Architect
Ximbiot <http://ximbiot.com>
v: +1 717.579.6168
f: +1 717.234.3125
<mailto:address@hidden>

Index: modules/getaddrinfo
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/gnulib/gnulib/modules/getaddrinfo,v
retrieving revision 1.4
diff -u -p -r1.4 getaddrinfo
--- modules/getaddrinfo 13 Sep 2005 04:15:15 -0000      1.4
+++ modules/getaddrinfo 15 Sep 2005 15:36:02 -0000
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 Description:
-getaddrinfo() function: Get address information.
+getaddrinfo() function: Get address information.  This implementation is
+currently incomplete.  It supports returning basic connection information for
+outgoing IPV4 & IPV6 udp & tcp connections, and only supports AI_CANONNAME in
+hints->ai_flags.  It returns what are hoped to be useful error codes when
+unsupported functionality is requested.
 
 Files:
 lib/getaddrinfo.h