New ZeroConf Spec

[Dan Kegel]

On 7/24/06, Bruno Abinader <brunoabinader at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't know if this is the right place to post it but, anyway, how about
> UPnP? As for thousand of router users (that have a shared internet
> connection at home) like me it is just a boreness to configure every
> computer with a proper port for gaim, amule, and others. What about UPnP
> embedded inside network-manager?

This is a good place to discuss it.
Googling around at random, I ran into a comparison of UPnP and Zeroconf at
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2002/12/20/zeroconf.html
The comments are interesting:
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/user/view/cs_msg/12753
mentions how one guy's laptop was rooted via upnp on a Linksys router!

http://upnp.sourceforge.net/ has links to a couple of UPnP implementations
for Linux.  Offhand they don't look as lively as Zeroconf/Avahi, but I
wouldn't know.

Me, I really dislike the idea of supporting UPnP, at least by default,
just as I dislike the idea of supporting Zeroconf by default;
both open up potentially gaping new security holes.
But I like the idea of supporting them for those who know what they're
doing and are willing to take the risk, or if we can somehow secure them
using IPSec in some way that feels natural and easy to the average home user.
- Dan