--- linux-2.4.0-test1.orig/drivers/net/ethertap.c	Sat Jun  3 15:47:02 2000
+++ linux-2.4.0-test1/drivers/net/ethertap.c	Sat Jun  3 11:16:13 2000
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@
 
 #ifdef MODULE
 
-static int unit;
+static int unit = -1;
 MODULE_PARM(unit,"i");
 
 static struct net_device dev_ethertap =
@@ -349,13 +349,23 @@
 
 int init_module(void)
 {
-	dev_ethertap.base_addr=unit+NETLINK_TAPBASE;
-	sprintf(dev_ethertap.name,"tap%d",unit);
-	if (dev_get(dev_ethertap.name))
-	{
-		printk(KERN_INFO "%s already loaded.\n", dev_ethertap.name);
-		return -EBUSY;
+	if( unit == -1 ){	
+		/* if unit isnt manually set, alloc it dynamically */
+		int err=dev_alloc_name(&dev_ethertap,"tap%d");
+		if (err<0)
+			return err;
+		unit = err;
+	}else{	/* for backward compatibility */
+		sprintf(dev_ethertap.name,"tap%d",unit);
+		if (dev_get(dev_ethertap.name))
+		{
+			printk(KERN_INFO "%s already loaded.\n", dev_ethertap.name);
+			return -EBUSY;
+		}
 	}
+	dev_ethertap.base_addr=unit+NETLINK_TAPBASE;
+	if( dev_ethertap.base_addr > NETLINK_TAPEND )
+		return -ENFILE;
 	if (register_netdev(&dev_ethertap) != 0)
 		return -EIO;
 	return 0;
--- linux-2.4.0-test1.orig/include/linux/netlink.h	Sat Jun  3 15:46:23 2000
+++ linux-2.4.0-test1/include/linux/netlink.h	Sat Jun  3 11:17:16 2000
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #define NETLINK_ROUTE6		11	/* af_inet6 route comm channel */
 #define NETLINK_IP6_FW		13
 #define NETLINK_TAPBASE        16	/* 16 to 31 are ethertap */
+#define NETLINK_TAPEND         31
 
 #define MAX_LINKS 32