Quote:
Originally Posted by qmemo
why a big company like SUN have not ported it to Solaris?
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All anyone here can do is guess.
But if reality is any indication, look at the lag in PF versions found in both FreeBSD & NetBSD. Even though the network stacks are
similar, porting PF is not a trivial matter, & I suspect that this is the general answer to your question -- very few engineers exist who have the knowledge, time, & desire to port it.
Secondly, it is important to focus on the tight binding between PF & the network stack. FreeBSD & NetBSD are at least
close in fundamental structure in network stacks to OpenBSD. Solaris has long diverged from its FreeBSD roots. I suspect
(but this is conjecture as well...) that it would be
very difficult to shoehorn PF onto Solaris' network stack. Again, someone would have to possess the knowledge, time, & desire to port PF.
The other side of tight binding is that PF & OpenBSD's network stack are evolving/melding together more & more. Who is the say that PF's structure would be efficient on another network stack? I suspect
(& this is conjecture too...) that the optimum packet filtering functionality for a network stack is specific to
that stack. Yes, code can be written to be generic, but performance will likely degrade as a result.
Lastly, Sun is no longer. Oracle is calling the shots, & I suspect there is still upheaval going on following the merger. What is the value of having PF on Solaris? If porting is not likely to generate measurable sales, I suspect
(again, conjecture...) there is little desire to port PF.