# Title Kernel export metric change can delete a route and leave a forwarding blackhole until the next kernel scan # Description When a kernel-exported route changes `krt_metric`, BIRD may perform the update as delete-old plus add-new instead of an atomic replace. If the add operation fails, BIRD's source route and export view still show the route as exported, but the Linux FIB is missing the route until the next kernel protocol scan repairs it. This creates a transient RIB/FIB divergence and forwarding blackhole. # Version Reproduced with: ```text BIRD 2.18+branch.master.f0f859c26cf9 ``` # How to reproduce 1. Create a single-router Linux namespace or VM with one tested interface. ```text 10.100.0.1/24 +---------------+ | r1 | | | | eth0 | +---------------+ ``` 2. Configure a BIRD static blackhole source route, then rewrite it in the kernel export filter into a direct route with an interface, preferred source, and metric: ```bird protocol static static_src { ipv4; route 198.51.100.0/24 blackhole; } protocol kernel krt_export { ipv4 { export filter { ifname = "eth0"; krt_prefsrc = 10.100.0.1; krt_metric = 110; accept; }; }; scan time 2; } ``` 3. Confirm the route is installed in the Linux FIB: ```bash ip route show 198.51.100.0/24 ``` 4. Remove address `10.100.0.1/24` so that a later route add using `krt_prefsrc = 10.100.0.1` fails: ```bash ip addr del 10.100.0.1/24 dev eth0 ``` 5. Reconfigure the export filter so that the route metric changes from `110` to `210`, without otherwise changing the source route. 6. Observe BIRD's source route and export view, then inspect the Linux FIB before the next kernel scan: ```bash birdc show route for 198.51.100.0/24 all birdc show route export krt_export for 198.51.100.0/24 all ip route show 198.51.100.0/24 ``` 7. Restore the address and wait for the kernel scan to confirm that the route is repaired later: ```bash ip addr add 10.100.0.1/24 dev eth0 sleep 3 ip route show 198.51.100.0/24 ``` # Expected behavior BIRD should not leave the forwarding plane without the route while its control-plane/export view says the route should be exported. If the metric-changing update cannot be installed, BIRD should either preserve the old route, retry immediately when possible, or otherwise keep the control plane and FIB from diverging until the next periodic scan. # Actual behavior After the metric-changing reconfiguration, before the next kernel scan: ```text bird_source_present=True bird_export_present=True bird_export_final_metric=True bird_export_prefsrc=True kernel_present=False addr_present=False ``` The route is absent from the Linux FIB even though BIRD still reports that it should be exported. After the address is restored and the kernel protocol scan runs, BIRD installs the route again: # Additional context The suspected source path is in `sysdep/linux/netlink.c`. ` nl_allow_replace()` disallows an atomic replace when the old and new ` EA_KRT_METRIC` values differ under kernel protocol metric handling. ` krt_replace_rte()` then performs delete-old followed by add-new. If add-new fails, BIRD clears synchronization state but does not immediately recover the missing FIB route; recovery waits for the next kernel scan.