Howl is a cross platform implementation of the Zeroconf zero configuration networking standard. It includes daemons and a client side SDK for registering, browsing, and resolving network services, and assigning link local IP addresses without a DHCP server. On Windows 2000/XP, it includes a sidebar in Internet Explorer that allows users to browse zeroconf-enabled Web and FTP servers. This release fixes a broken Makefile.am and a compilation error on FreeBSD. Elsewhere, Apple has recently released Technology Preview 3 of Rendezvous for Windows.
Howl 0.9.10 Released
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Has the memory usage been reduced?
On my FC3 system mDNSresponder
uses 14MB of virtual memory.
This seems exagerated.
PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND
2865 nobody 17 0 14188 1004 584 S 0.0 0.3 0:00.00 mDNSResponder
this zeroconf things should be on all computers, it can make all local area network stuff just work. if the linux comunity get behind this standard properly it would be very cool. your printing setup tool would find all the shared printers on the network. you could ssh by name to a machine even if it picked up a new ip from dhcp every day. instant messenger client would find everyone on the network. all the webservers in you browser. no more typing in 192.168.whatever.
a very good thing^tm
for home networking. ZeroConf is perfect to get all computers to be able to interoperate seamlessly by just plugging them in.. but MS seems to think they need CIFS.
VIRT = SWAP + RES
14188 = X + 1004
14188 – 1004 = 13184 <- all swapped out.
Howl is going to be used by GNOME, and KDE 3.4 will use Apple mDNSResponder. Now when I run a GNOME apps under KDE I’ll have to have two implementations of zeroconf running.
It is looking more and more like distros are going to have to start making the choice to support either GNOME *or* KDE but not both since they are making different decisions about fundamental things that won’t play nice with each other, so it will become an either or thing in the near future. Let the balkanization of Linux begin.
Back to zerocinf, it has done nothing but cause problems for me since it was first introduced and it was one of the first things I disable on install. It interferes with DNS name resolution and just is not as smooth as it should be.
It is designed for small networks without infrastructure to just work when
plugged in, but the problem is that most networks, including small ones, have infrastructure. zeroconf is really only valuable when all machines are the same or close, internet connection sharing is done through a machine on the network and there is no infrastructure, and I know of no networks like that.
Even small home networks have routers, DHCP and DNS services. It’s a great concept if everybody is using it, but there is too much inertia with the existing infrastructure to make adoption widespread I fear.
@ssam: this zeroconf things should be on all computers, it can make all local area network stuff just work. if the linux comunity get behind this standard properly it would be very cool. your printing setup tool would find all the shared printers on the network. you could ssh by name to a machine even if it picked up a new ip from dhcp every day. instant messenger client would find everyone on the network. all the webservers in you browser. no more typing in 192.168.whatever.
This can already be done through DNS, or if you have an all Windows network, WINS. You’re confusing ZeroConf with a naming service. ZeroConf lets you automatically find out what kind of network services other machines on your network are able to respond to.
@modman: for home networking. ZeroConf is perfect to get all computers to be able to interoperate seamlessly by just plugging them in.. but MS seems to think they need CIFS.
Same for you. CIFS/SMB is a file and printer sharing protocol. It (CIFS) has some stuff built into it that allows your machine to report to other Windows or SAMBA enabled *nix boxes on your network about it’s file shares, but the primary function of the protocol is not for discovery of different network services. The closest Microsoft developed technology to ZeroConf is Universal Plug n Play.
-G
Howl/Rendezvous = ZeroConf plus Service Discovery.
ZeroConf more of a marketing term, it actually contains several technologies
1) Automatic assignment of IP-Addresses
2) Automatic name resolution (DNS)
3) Automatic Service Discovery
To be more clear
Rendezvous is
1) Automatic assigment of IP address WITHOUT DHCP Server
2) Automatic Name Resolution WITHOUT DNS Server
3) Automatic Service Discovery WITHOUT Directory Server
The main focus is running WITHOUT servers.
There is a huge differences between having and not having servers. Other similar technology UPnP and Jini.
Thought that was obvious, but you’re right
Unfortunately, Howl’s connection with the APSL makes it non-Free software:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=289856
Sorry to rain on the parade