[virt-tools-list] RFC: virt-manager: removing interface object UI

[Cole Robinson]

Hi all,

I'd like to remove the <interface> object UI from virt-manager. This is 
Edit->Connection Details->Interfaces, the bits that allow 
starting/stopping/deleting/creating host network interface 
configurations like bridges, bonds, vlans, and ethernet/wifi configs

https://imgur.com/a/iyYXawV
https://imgur.com/a/lGO4QZ0

Long story short 1) I don't think this UI makes sense to have in 
virt-manager, 2) no one seems to be using it.

Most of this UI was added about 8.5 years ago to virt-manager. It has 
mostly been unchanged since. At the time it seemed kind of compelling 
that we could use the UI to create a host bridge device. However this 
never quite 'just worked' often due to interference with NetworkManager 
which really only learned to handle bridges in 2014ish (even now I don't 
think it 'just works'). Since that time nm-connection-editor provides a 
much more advanced UI for configuring host network interfaces of all types.

virt-manager's UI supports a lot more than just creating bridges though, 
basically covering the entire <interface> schema in libvirt: so 
configuring ipv4 and ipv6, various bond modes, etc. However no one uses 
it. I'd bet good money that there's been 0 non-virt-developer users of 
the 'Create Interface' wizard for something other than bridge creation. 
The UI for starting/stopping interfaces may have had more usage but I'm 
fine telling people to go to the command line if they need to change 
host interface state. These types of things are not virt specific in any 
way and have little to specifically do with virt, besides bridges.

Also as a side point, I don't think any major libvirt users are actually 
using the libvirt interface APIs aside from maybe listing existing 
interfaces. I thought vdsm/rhev/ovirt had some interface usage at one 
point but I looked recently and don't see any...

virt-manager will still use interface APIs behind the scenes, to get 
lists of host interfaces for enumerating bridges for example, but that's 
really all I see for virt-manager going forward

Comments?

Thanks,
Cole