Infix advertises itself via the mDNS-SD and LLDP discovery protocols. mDNS-SD has good client support in Windows, macOS and on Linux systems. More on these protocols later.
An even simpler method is available when directly attached to an Infix device:
.----. Ethernet .-------.
| PC +---------------------+ Infix |
'----' if1 e1 '-------'
With IPv6 you can ping the all-hosts address (ff02::1), the device's link-local IPv6 address is then seen in the response. In the following example, the PC here uses tap0 as if1, Infix responds with address fe80::ff:fec0:ffed.
linux-pc:# ping -6 -L -c 3 ff02::1%tap0
PING ff02::1%tap0(ff02::1%tap0) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from fe80::ff:fec0:ffed%tap0: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.558 ms
64 bytes from fe80::ff:fec0:ffed%tap0: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.419 ms
64 bytes from fe80::ff:fec0:ffed%tap0: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.389 ms
--- ff02::1%tap0 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2043ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.389/0.455/0.558/0.073 ms
linux-pc:#
Tip
The -L option ignores local responses from the PC.
This address can then be used to connect to the device, e.g., using SSH.
Notice the syntax username@address%interface:
linux-pc:# ssh admin@fe80::ff:fec0:ffed%tap0
admin@fe80::ff:fec0:ffed%tap0's password: admin
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:~$
Infix supports LLDP (IEEE 802.1AB). For a device with factory default settings, the link-local IPv6 address can be read from the Management Address TLV using tcpdump or other sniffing tools1:
linux-pc:# tcpdump -i tap0 -Qin -v ether proto 0x88cc
tcpdump: listening on tap0, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), snapshot length 262144 bytes
15:51:52.061071 LLDP, length 193
Chassis ID TLV (1), length 7
Subtype MAC address (4): 02:00:00:c0:ff:ee (oui Unknown)
Port ID TLV (2), length 7
Subtype MAC address (3): 02:00:00:c0:ff:ee (oui Unknown)
Time to Live TLV (3), length 2: TTL 120s
System Name TLV (5), length 14: infix-c0-ff-ee
System Description TLV (6), length 91
Infix by KernelKit Linux 5.19.17 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Jun 7 08:47:23 CEST 2023 x86_64
System Capabilities TLV (7), length 4
System Capabilities [Bridge, WLAN AP, Router, Station Only] (0x009c)
Enabled Capabilities [Station Only] (0x0080)
Management Address TLV (8), length 24
Management Address length 17, AFI IPv6 (2): fe80::ff:fec0:ffed
Interface Index Interface Numbering (2): 2
Port Description TLV (4), length 4: eth0
Organization specific TLV (127), length 9: OUI IEEE 802.3 Private (0x00120f)
Link aggregation Subtype (3)
aggregation status [supported], aggregation port ID 0
Organization specific TLV (127), length 9: OUI IEEE 802.3 Private (0x00120f)
MAC/PHY configuration/status Subtype (1)
autonegotiation [none] (0x00)
PMD autoneg capability [unknown] (0x8000)
MAU type Unknown (0x0000)
End TLV (0), length 0
^C
1 packet captured
linux-pc:#
If the device has an IPv4 address assigned, it is shown in an additional Management Address TLV.
Note
The Management Addresses shown by LLDP are not necessarily associated with the port transmitting the LLDP message.
In the example below, the IPv4 address (10.0.1.1) happens to be assigned to eth0, while the IPv6 address (2001:db8::1) is not.
linux-pc:# sudo tcpdump -i tap0 -Qin -v ether proto 0x88cc
tcpdump: listening on tap0, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), snapshot length 262144 bytes
15:46:07.908665 LLDP, length 207
Chassis ID TLV (1), length 7
Subtype MAC address (4): 02:00:00:c0:ff:ee (oui Unknown)
Port ID TLV (2), length 7
Subtype MAC address (3): 02:00:00:c0:ff:ee (oui Unknown)
Time to Live TLV (3), length 2: TTL 120s
System Name TLV (5), length 14: infix-c0-ff-ee
System Description TLV (6), length 91
Infix by KernelKit Linux 5.19.17 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Jun 7 08:47:23 CEST 2023 x86_64
System Capabilities TLV (7), length 4
System Capabilities [Bridge, WLAN AP, Router, Station Only] (0x009c)
Enabled Capabilities [Station Only] (0x0080)
Management Address TLV (8), length 12
Management Address length 5, AFI IPv4 (1): 10.0.1.1
Interface Index Interface Numbering (2): 2
Management Address TLV (8), length 24
Management Address length 17, AFI IPv6 (2): 2001:db8::1
Interface Index Interface Numbering (2): 3
Port Description TLV (4), length 4: eth0
Organization specific TLV (127), length 9: OUI IEEE 802.3 Private (0x00120f)
Link aggregation Subtype (3)
aggregation status [supported], aggregation port ID 0
Organization specific TLV (127), length 9: OUI IEEE 802.3 Private (0x00120f)
MAC/PHY configuration/status Subtype (1)
autonegotiation [none] (0x00)
PMD autoneg capability [unknown] (0x8000)
MAU type Unknown (0x0000)
End TLV (0), length 0
^C
1 packet captured
2 packets received by filter
0 packets dropped by kernel
linux-pc:#
The LLDP service can be disabled using the following commands.
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/> configure
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> no lldp
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> leave
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/>
DNS-SD/mDNS-SD can be used to discover Infix devices and services. By
default, Infix use the .local domain for advertising services. Some
networks use .lan instead, so this configurable:
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/> configure
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> edit mdns
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/mdns/> set domain lan
Other available settings include limiting the interfaces mDNS responder acts on:
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> set interfaces allow e1
or
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> set interfaces deny wan
The allow and deny settings are complementary, deny always wins.
In Linux, tools such as avahi-browse or mdns-scan2 can be used to search for devices advertising their services via mDNS.
linux-pc:# avahi-browse -ar
+ tap0 IPv6 infix-c0-ff-ee SFTP File Transfer local
+ tap0 IPv4 infix-c0-ff-ee SFTP File Transfer local
+ tap0 IPv6 infix-c0-ff-ee SSH Remote Terminal local
+ tap0 IPv4 infix-c0-ff-ee SSH Remote Terminal local
= tap0 IPv4 infix-c0-ff-ee SFTP File Transfer local
hostname = [infix-c0-ff-ee.local]
address = [10.0.1.1]
port = [22]
txt = []
= tap0 IPv4 infix-c0-ff-ee SSH Remote Terminal local
hostname = [infix-c0-ff-ee.local]
address = [10.0.1.1]
port = [22]
txt = []
= tap0 IPv6 infix-c0-ff-ee SFTP File Transfer local
hostname = [infix-c0-ff-ee.local]
address = [fe80::ff:fec0:ffed]
port = [22]
txt = []
= tap0 IPv6 infix-c0-ff-ee SSH Remote Terminal local
hostname = [infix-c0-ff-ee.local]
address = [fe80::ff:fec0:ffed]
port = [22]
txt = []
^C
linux-pc:#
Tip
The -t option is also very useful, it stops browsing automatically
when a "more or less complete list" has been printed. However, some
devices on the LAN may be in deep sleep so run the command again if
you cannot find the device you are looking for.
Additionally, avahi-resolve-host-name can be used to verify domain name mappings for IP addresses. By default, it translates from IPv4 addresses. This function allows users to confirm that addresses are mapped correctly.
linux-pc:# avahi-resolve-host-name infix-c0-ff-ee.local
infix-c0-ff-ee.local 10.0.1.1
linux-pc:#
Thanks to mDNS we can use the advertised name instead of the IP
address for operations like ping and ssh as shown below:
linux-pc:# ping infix-c0-ff-ee.local -c 3
PING infix-c0-ff-ee.local (10.0.1.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.852 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=1.12 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.35 ms
--- infix-c0-ff-ee.local ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2003ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.852/1.105/1.348/0.202 ms
linux-pc:# ssh [email protected]
([email protected]) Password:
.-------.
| . . | Infix -- a Network Operating System
|-. v .-| https://kernelkit.org
'-'---'-
Run the command 'cli' for interactive OAM
linux-pc:#
To disable mDNS/mDNS-SD, type the commands:
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/> configure
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> no mdns
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> leave
Each Infix deviuce advertise itself as infix.local, in addition to its full hostname (e.g., infix-c0-ff-ee.local or foo.local). This alias works seamlessly on a network with a single Infix device, and makes it easy to connect when the exact hostname is not known in advance. The examples below show how the alias can be used for actions such as pinging or establishing an SSH connection:
linux-pc:# ping infix.local -c 3
PING infix.local (10.0.1.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.751 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=2.28 ms
64 bytes from 10.0.1.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.42 ms
--- infix.local ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2003ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.751/1.482/2.281/0.626 ms
linux-pc:# ssh [email protected]
([email protected]) Password:
.-------.
| . . | Infix -- a Network Operating System
|-. v .-| https://kernelkit.org
'-'---'-
Run the command 'cli' for interactive OAM
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:~$
When multiple Infix devices are present on the LAN the alias will not uniquely identify a device; infix.local will refer to any of the Infix devices, likely the one that first appeared.
Note
When multiple Infix devices are present on the LAN, use the full name, e.g., infix-c0-ff-ee.local or foo.local rather than the alias infix.local to deterministically connect to the device.
Another mDNS alias that all Infix devices advertise is network.local.
This is a web service which basically runs avahi-browse and displays a
table of other Infix devices and their services.
With multiple Infix devices on the LAN, one will take the role of your portal to access all others, if it goes down another takes its place.
To disable the netbrowse service, and the network.local alias, the following commands can be used:
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/> configure
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/> edit web
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/web/> no netbrowse
admin@infix-c0-ff-ee:/config/web/> leave