Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > linux.debian.kernel > #87964 > unrolled thread

Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation

Back to article view | Back to linux.debian.kernel

Contents

  Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> - 2025-06-13 12:30 +0200
    Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Luca Boccassi <bluca@debian.org> - 2025-06-13 12:50 +0200
      Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> - 2025-06-13 14:30 +0200
    Processed: Re: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip  route delete" documentation "Debian Bug Tracking System" <owner@bugs.debian.org> - 2025-06-13 12:50 +0200
    Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Bjørn Mork <bjorn@mork.no> - 2025-06-13 18:40 +0200
      Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> - 2025-06-13 20:00 +0200
        Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation Bjørn Mork <bjorn@mork.no> - 2025-06-13 20:10 +0200

#87964 — Bug#1107739: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation

Package: iproute2
Version: 6.15.0-1
Severity: normal

The documentation of "ip route delete" in the ip-route(8) man page is
incorrect. The man page says:

  ip route delete
    delete route
    ip  route  del  has the same arguments as ip route add, but their
    semantics are a bit different.

    Key values (to, tos, preference and table) select  the  route  to
    delete. If optional attributes are present, ip verifies that they
    coincide with the attributes of the route to delete.  If no route
    with the given key and attributes was found, ip route del fails.

But the behavior is unclear when several routes match the argument.
Above, the singular is used, so I assume that a single route will
be deleted (this is what I can observe). However, in such a case,
it should say "a route", not "the route", because the route is not
completely identified. Or better, say which route will be deleted.

Note that the vpnc-script script of vpnc-scripts for VPNC and
OpenConnect assumes that "ip route del ..." will delete all the
matching routes:

  https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1107738

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 13.0
  APT prefers unstable-debug
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable-debug'), (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable-security'), (500, 'stable-debug'), (500, 'proposed-updates-debug'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 6.12.32-amd64 (SMP w/16 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=C.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=C.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages iproute2 depends on:
ii  debconf [debconf-2.0]  1.5.91
ii  libbpf1                1:1.5.0-3
ii  libc6                  2.41-8
ii  libcap2                1:2.75-8
ii  libcap2-bin            1:2.75-8
ii  libdb5.3t64            5.3.28+dfsg2-9
ii  libelf1t64             0.192-4
ii  libmnl0                1.0.5-3
ii  libselinux1            3.8.1-1
ii  libtirpc3t64           1.3.6+ds-1
ii  libxtables12           1.8.11-2

iproute2 recommends no packages.

Versions of packages iproute2 suggests:
ii  python3  3.13.4-1

-- debconf information:
  iproute2/setcaps: false

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Pascaline project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#87966

Control: close -1

Please report such issues directly upstream on netdev, preferably with
a patch. There is no point in opening downstream bugs about manpages
that are just shipped as-is, it's just churn and noise. Thanks.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#87968

On 2025-06-13 11:43:46 +0100, Luca Boccassi wrote:
> Please report such issues directly upstream on netdev, preferably with
> a patch. There is no point in opening downstream bugs about manpages
> that are just shipped as-is, it's just churn and noise. Thanks.

OK, I've sent a mail to the netdev list. For the reference:

https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20250613120711.GA237002@qaa.vinc17.org/T/

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Pascaline project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#87967 — Processed: Re: iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation

Processing control commands:

> close -1
Bug #1107739 [iproute2] iproute2: ip-route(8) man page: incorrect "ip route delete" documentation
Marked Bug as done

-- 
1107739: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1107739
Debian Bug Tracking System
Contact owner@bugs.debian.org with problems

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#87970

Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> writes:

> The documentation of "ip route delete" in the ip-route(8) man page is
> incorrect. The man page says:
>
>   ip route delete
>     delete route
>     ip  route  del  has the same arguments as ip route add, but their
>     semantics are a bit different.
>
>     Key values (to, tos, preference and table) select  the  route  to
>     delete. If optional attributes are present, ip verifies that they
>     coincide with the attributes of the route to delete.  If no route
>     with the given key and attributes was found, ip route del fails.
>
> But the behavior is unclear when several routes match the argument.

Please demonstrate that.


Bjørn

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#87971

On 2025-06-13 18:15:55 +0200, Bjørn Mork wrote:
> Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> writes:
> 
> > The documentation of "ip route delete" in the ip-route(8) man page is
> > incorrect. The man page says:
> >
> >   ip route delete
> >     delete route
> >     ip  route  del  has the same arguments as ip route add, but their
> >     semantics are a bit different.
> >
> >     Key values (to, tos, preference and table) select  the  route  to
> >     delete. If optional attributes are present, ip verifies that they
> >     coincide with the attributes of the route to delete.  If no route
> >     with the given key and attributes was found, ip route del fails.
> >
> > But the behavior is unclear when several routes match the argument.
> 
> Please demonstrate that.

What should happen if one has

192.134.164.161 via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 src 192.168.1.13 metric 100 
192.134.164.161 via 192.168.1.1 dev wlp0s20f3 src 192.168.1.14 metric 600 

and "ip route del 192.134.164.161" is done?

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent@vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Pascaline project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#87972

Vincent Lefevre <vincent@vinc17.net> writes:

> What should happen if one has
>
> 192.134.164.161 via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 src 192.168.1.13 metric 100 
> 192.134.164.161 via 192.168.1.1 dev wlp0s20f3 src 192.168.1.14 metric 600 
>
> and "ip route del 192.134.164.161" is done?

Thanks.  That is indeed interesting.  The routes appear to be sorted in
that order regardless of which order they are added, and the first one
is deleted.

Yes, it would be nice to have this documented.  Let's hope the netdev
gurus have an answer


Bjørn

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | linux.debian.kernel

csiph-web