This allows to monitor carrier on/off transitions and detect link
flapping issues:
 - new /sys/class/net/X/carrier_changes
 - new rtnetlink IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES (getlink)
Tested:
  - grep . /sys/class/net/*/carrier_changes
    + ip link set dev X down/up
    + plug/unplug cable
  - updated iproute2: prints IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES
  - iproute2 
20121211-2 (debian): unchanged behavior
Signed-off-by: David Decotigny <decot@googlers.com>
Signed-off-by: David S. Miller <davem@davemloft.net>
 
        atomic_long_t           rx_dropped;
        atomic_long_t           tx_dropped;
 
+       /* Stats to monitor carrier on<->off transitions */
+       atomic_t                carrier_changes;
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_WIRELESS_EXT
        /* List of functions to handle Wireless Extensions (instead of ioctl).
         * See <net/iw_handler.h> for details. Jean II */
 
        IFLA_NUM_RX_QUEUES,
        IFLA_CARRIER,
        IFLA_PHYS_PORT_ID,
+       IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES,
        __IFLA_MAX
 };
 
 
 }
 static DEVICE_ATTR_RO(operstate);
 
+static ssize_t carrier_changes_show(struct device *dev,
+                                   struct device_attribute *attr,
+                                   char *buf)
+{
+       struct net_device *netdev = to_net_dev(dev);
+       return sprintf(buf, fmt_dec,
+                      atomic_read(&netdev->carrier_changes));
+}
+static DEVICE_ATTR_RO(carrier_changes);
+
 /* read-write attributes */
 
 static int change_mtu(struct net_device *net, unsigned long new_mtu)
        &dev_attr_duplex.attr,
        &dev_attr_dormant.attr,
        &dev_attr_operstate.attr,
+       &dev_attr_carrier_changes.attr,
        &dev_attr_ifalias.attr,
        &dev_attr_carrier.attr,
        &dev_attr_mtu.attr,
 
               + nla_total_size(4) /* IFLA_NUM_RX_QUEUES */
               + nla_total_size(1) /* IFLA_OPERSTATE */
               + nla_total_size(1) /* IFLA_LINKMODE */
+              + nla_total_size(4) /* IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES */
               + nla_total_size(ext_filter_mask
                                & RTEXT_FILTER_VF ? 4 : 0) /* IFLA_NUM_VF */
               + rtnl_vfinfo_size(dev, ext_filter_mask) /* IFLA_VFINFO_LIST */
            (dev->qdisc &&
             nla_put_string(skb, IFLA_QDISC, dev->qdisc->ops->id)) ||
            (dev->ifalias &&
-            nla_put_string(skb, IFLA_IFALIAS, dev->ifalias)))
+            nla_put_string(skb, IFLA_IFALIAS, dev->ifalias)) ||
+           nla_put_u32(skb, IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES,
+                       atomic_read(&dev->carrier_changes)))
                goto nla_put_failure;
 
        if (1) {
        [IFLA_NUM_TX_QUEUES]    = { .type = NLA_U32 },
        [IFLA_NUM_RX_QUEUES]    = { .type = NLA_U32 },
        [IFLA_PHYS_PORT_ID]     = { .type = NLA_BINARY, .len = MAX_PHYS_PORT_ID_LEN },
+       [IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES]  = { .type = NLA_U32 },  /* ignored */
 };
 
 static const struct nla_policy ifla_info_policy[IFLA_INFO_MAX+1] = {
 
        if (test_and_clear_bit(__LINK_STATE_NOCARRIER, &dev->state)) {
                if (dev->reg_state == NETREG_UNINITIALIZED)
                        return;
+               atomic_inc(&dev->carrier_changes);
                linkwatch_fire_event(dev);
                if (netif_running(dev))
                        __netdev_watchdog_up(dev);
        if (!test_and_set_bit(__LINK_STATE_NOCARRIER, &dev->state)) {
                if (dev->reg_state == NETREG_UNINITIALIZED)
                        return;
+               atomic_inc(&dev->carrier_changes);
                linkwatch_fire_event(dev);
        }
 }