014.01.34.3. What is the main disparity mentioned in the text regarding network configuration elements existing in different network layers, and how does this impact the management of networking in Linux systems?
The disparity is that network configuration elements are present in each of the different network configuration layers, a consequence is that the software responsible for making networking happen is in several parts of the kernel and user-space tools, written and maintained by different developers. In Linux, there is a general agreement not to share config files among seperate tool suites or libraries because changes made for one tool could break another.
The issue highlighted is that when it comes to making the internet work on a Linux computer, different teams handle different layers. Some work on the core system, while others work on specific tools. The challenge is that these different layers don't always work together seamlessly. Linux avoids using the same setup files for different tools to prevent changes made for one tool from causing problems for another. This decentralized approach makes it a bit tricky to manage network settings smoothly across the entire system.