Deprecating portreserve

[Matt Domsch]

On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 04:48:58PM +0100, Tim Waugh wrote:
> Now that systemd is used by default, I think it is time to deprecate
> portreserve.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with it, portreserve is a small utility which binds
> specific network ports early on during the boot process, so that
> services using those ports can claim them when they start.  The point is
> to avoid accidental clashes when services use random unbound privileged
> ports.
> 
> Currently portreserve has a SysV initscript.  It doesn't make a lot of
> sense to migrate it to a systemd service unit because of the fact that
> systemd avoids the problem.

Portreserve is also useful to reserve (not let the OS make use of)
ports that are needed by an embedded management controller that
intercepts delivery of packets to the port and delivers them to the
BMC (e.g. the PowerEdge 1955 BMC).  While we've done away with that
behavior in newer systems, such are still in production use.

-- 
Matt Domsch
Technology Strategist
Dell | Office of the CTO