This explains how uml_net now automatically configures the tap device.

add-ons/yard/make-debian-X11/replacements/root/README-debian-X11

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-$Id$
+$Id: README-debian-X11,v 1.4 2001/11/08 06:16:29 freesource Exp $
 make_debian-X11 replacement
 
 Setting up the root filesystem
@@ -26,31 +26,28 @@ a uml ip of 192.168.1.2 and a tap device ip of 192.168.1.5.
 2. If you haven't already done this, you will want to edit the 
 /etc/network/interfaces file using vi.  This should be self-explanatory.
 
-3. Load any modules required by your host system.  If you decide to use 
-tap, do this: 
+3. You don't need to load any modules required by your host system, because
+uml_net will cause the modules to be loaded automatically - assuming your 
+kernel has kmod -  when it automatically configures the tap device interface 
+for ethertap.  But if you want or need to do it manually from your host 
+system, you could do something like this:
 
  modprobe ethertap
  modprobe netlink_dev
-
-4. Configure the device on your host system.  Here the tap device is being
-set to 192.168.1.5 and then routed to the host 192.168.1.4:
-
  ifconfig tap0 192.168.1.5
  route add -host 192.168.1.4 gw 192.168.1.5
 
-5. The next time you start the uml kernel and boot the root_fs you will want 
+4. The next time you start the uml kernel and boot the root_fs you will want 
 to give it options like this where  HWaddr (see ifconfig) belongs to your 
 network device:
 
  ubd0=/root_fs_debian_x11 root=/dev/ubd0 eth0=ethertap,tap0,HWaddr,192.168.1.5 mem=64M
 
-Hint: An easier way to do this would be to use the UML box in gbootroot from
-your host computer.  No ..  uml doesn't work within uml. :)
-
-6. At this point you should be able to ping 192.168.1.4.
+5.  At this point you should be able to ping 192.168.1.4.
 
 Hint:  Check to make sure that uml_net came bundled with the uml kernel,
-because this is what enables networking.
+because this is what enables networking, and make sure it is setuid root
+(chmod 4755).
 
 6.  Run startx.  It will ask for your host ip number.