diff --git a/man/systemd.special.xml b/man/systemd.special.xml index 3409203e4e..c9f320935d 100644 --- a/man/systemd.special.xml +++ b/man/systemd.special.xml @@ -948,20 +948,29 @@ network.target - This unit is supposed to indicate when network - functionality is available, but it is only very weakly - defined what that is supposed to mean, with one exception: - at shutdown, a unit that is ordered after - network.target will be stopped before - the network — to whatever level it might be set up then — - is shut down. It is hence useful when writing service files - that require network access on shutdown, which should order - themselves after this target, but not pull it in. Also see - Running - Services After the Network is up for more - information. Also see - network-online.target described - above. + This unit is supposed to indicate when network functionality is available, but it is only + very weakly defined what that is supposed to mean. However, the following should apply at + minimum: + + + At start-up, any configured synthetic network devices (i.e. not physical ones + that require hardware to show up and be probed, but virtual ones like bridge devices and + similar which are created programmatically) that do not depend on any underlying hardware + should be allocated by the time this target is reached. It is not necessary for these + interfaces to also have completed IP level configuration by the time + network.target is reached. + + At shutdown, a unit that is ordered after network.target + will be stopped before the network — to whatever level it might be set up by then — is shut + down. It is hence useful when writing service files that require network access on shutdown, + which should order themselves after this target, but not pull it in. Also see Running Services After + the Network is up for more information. + + + It must emphasized that at start-up there's no guarantee that hardware-based devices have + shown up by the time this target is reached, or even acquired complete IP configuration. For that + purpose use network-online.target as described above.