Dear FRR Development Community,

I am writing to propose a solution for an issue regarding the order of IP addresses on interfaces when using FRR, specifically when configuring loopback interfaces.

Issue Description

Currently, when IP addresses are assigned to an interface using vtysh, they are installed in the order specified. However, once the configuration is saved, the order of IP addresses in the configuration file is rearranged in ascending order. This reordering can be problematic in scenarios where a specific IP address order is necessary. For example, a loopback interface might have both public and private IP addresses, and it is desirable for the public IP to be the first in order to facilitate standard system operations such as updates.

Proposed Solution

To address this issue, I propose adding a new command to the FRR CLI that allows users to set the order of IP addresses explicitly. This command, set_order position(int), would enable users to specify the desired position of each IP address on an interface.

Implementation Details

New CLI Command:
- set_order position(int): This command will allow users to specify the position of an IP address on an interface.

2. Usage Example:

```
interface lo
  ip address 192.0.2.1/32
  ip address 198.51.100.1/32
  set_order 198.51.100.1/32 1
```
In the example above, the IP address 198.51.100.1/32 is set to be the first IP address on the loopback interface lo.
Behavior:
- When the set_order command is used, the specified IP address will be positioned accordingly in the running configuration.
- Upon saving the configuration, the order specified by the user will be preserved.
Benefits:
- This feature provides users with greater control over the IP address configuration on their interfaces.
- It avoids the complications associated with reordering IP addresses, particularly for systems relying on a specific address being primary.

Conclusion

I believe this enhancement will significantly benefit users who need precise control over IP address order on interfaces, particularly for loopback interfaces with multiple IP addresses. I am willing to contribute to the development and testing of this feature and would appreciate the community's feedback and support.

Thank you for considering this proposal. I look forward to your feedback and am happy to discuss this further.

SANTHOSH M

Software Engineer

MSys Technologies

smuruganantham@msystechnologies.com

+91 9361040479

www.msystechnologies.com

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