ME(4)

📦 version 12.2, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 ME(4) — encapsulating network device 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the me page, manual section 4, kernel interfaces energy, and yes we're doing the whole thing, no skimming, no cap 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

so if you wanna compile this driver into the kernel, you drop this line into your kernel configuration file:

device me

orrrr, if you'd rather load it as a module at boot time instead, you put this lil guy in loader.conf(5):

if_me_load="YES"

both valid, pick your fighter 💅

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

the me network interface pseudo device encapsulates datagrams into IP. those encapsulated datagrams get routed to a destination host, and over there they get decapsulated and then further routed to their final destination. it's giving little tunnel glow-up ✨

me interfaces are dynamically created and destroyed with the ifconfig(8) create and destroy subcommands. so like, they're not just sitting there, they're born and they go, main character lifecycle fr fr.

this driver corresponds to RFC 2004. datagrams are encapsulated into IP with a shorter encapsulation. the original IP header is modified, and the modifications are inserted between the so modified header and the original payload. and the protocol number 55 is used for the outer header. iconic little number, iykyk.

🎀 NOTES 🎀

for correct operation, the me device needs a route to the decapsulating host that does not run over the tunnel, as this would be a loop. 🚨

like bestie please, do not route the tunnel through the tunnel, that's the ouroboros of networking and it will not slay, it will just spin forever 😭

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Andrey V. Elsukov <ae@FreeBSD.org> — thank you for the tunnel, king 🫡💜

and that's the whole page, periodt. this one shipped with Debian, dated November 7, 2014, filed under ME(4) in section 4. go make a tunnel bestie, but keep that route out of it 🌈💖

📦 where this page comes from