[pkg-fso-maint] Bug#591604: uboot-envtools: fw_setenv refuses to set ethaddr, even though it can be set via uboot directly

[Loïc Minier]

On Wed, Aug 04, 2010, Daniel Kahn Gillmor wrote:
> when i try to use fw_setenv for the ethaddr variable on a Marvell
> guruplug, i get this error (mac address is anonymized):
> 0 root at moo:~# fw_setenv ethaddr 00:f0:43:XX:XX:XX
> Can't overwrite "ethaddr"
> 1 root at moo:~# 

 I'm not sure why that's the case, but the latest version of the code in
 u-boot seems to be enforcing that you can't change this, nor serial#.
 This might be to protect users from shooting themselves in the foot by
 destroying potentially valuable data?

        /*
         * Delete any existing definition
         */
        if (oldval) {
                /*
                 * Ethernet Address and serial# can be set only once
                 */
                if ((strcmp (name, "ethaddr") == 0) ||
                        (strcmp (name, "serial#") == 0)) {
                        fprintf (stderr, "Can't overwrite \"%s\"\n", name);
                        errno = EROFS;
                        return -1;
                }

 in which case, maybe we need a force flag

-- 
Loïc Minier