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NetFS is a file system interface to the networking componets of an operating system.

It's platfrom independent and tries to unify exisiting APIs for easier network configuration.

Similar to process and kernel file systems, the network file system would represent the system's various networking components in a file structure that is represented by the following image.

By representing the Networking Subsystem through the File System NetFS provides:

· Fine Grained Access Control

· Uniform API

· Virtual Views using symbolic links

The main idea is to unifiy all the exisitng network control and configuration utilities under a unified API which is well-known to the user and already tested. It should also provide the ability to extend the control in the future without adding more unfamiliar utilities with different parameters. It must provide security but also flexibility - a simple user should be able to do some network configuration without posing risks to the system's integrity. The File System provides an easy to use and very efficient API for files manipulation. Re-using this API in an efficient way for our network control and configuration is the main goal of NetFS.