the need for raw-network-sockets in BSD nowadays?

[Pieter de Boer]

Hummel Tom wrote:

> after reading someones's worries about SYN-DOS' with spoofed
> IP-addresses using WindowsXP as a consumer OS having raw network
> sockets, i wonder what's the need for it on BSD systems?
> 
> ...with time going by i perceive linux to become more and more of a more
> consumer OS, i could imagine to make Berkeley-sockets an opt-in there.
> 
> How about BSD? For what do you use raw network sockets these days?
For any protocol that's not handled by the kernel or for sending
self-crafted packets. Ping uses raw sockets, so does nmap. 

Raw sockets are simply very useful. I like to be able to run nmap against my
systems. I like to be able to build tunnels using userland tools, etc. 

In my opinion it's silly to not provide the API anymore, because if you have
root on a *nix box, or administrator privileges on Windows, you still will
have the capability to send all kinds of packets, even if there's no raw
socket API. The only thing ripping out the API does, is coding tools
harder.

-- 
Pieter