diff --git a/code/hardware/if_eth.c b/code/hardware/if_eth.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b7e9298
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/hardware/if_eth.c
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+/*
+ *	code extrait des bas-fonds de l'internet obscur !
+ *
+ *			DON'T TRUST IT !
+ *
+ */
+
+#include  <stdio.h>
+#include  <unistd.h>
+#include  <string.h>
+#include  <stdlib.h>
+#include  <sys/types.h>
+#include  <sys/stat.h>
+#include  <fcntl.h>
+#include  <sys/ioctl.h>
+#include  <net/if.h>
+
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------- */
+int get_if_flags(char *ifname, short *p_flags)
+{
+int			fd;
+int			retcode;
+struct	ifreq		req;
+
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+fprintf(stderr, ">>> %s \"%s\" to %p\n", __func__, ifname, p_flags);
+#endif
+
+/* Sanity check */
+if ( strlen(ifname) > (IFNAMSIZ-1) )
+	{
+	fprintf(stderr, "name %s to long\n", ifname);
+	abort();
+	}
+
+fd = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
+if (fd < 0)
+	{
+	perror("socket bla...");
+	return -2;
+	}
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+fprintf(stderr, "fd socket bla... = %d\n", fd);
+#endif
+
+/* populate the struct for the request */
+memset(&req, 0, sizeof(req));
+strcpy(req.ifr_name, ifname);
+
+/* do the call */
+retcode = ioctl(fd, SIOCGIFFLAGS, &req);
+if (retcode < 0)
+	{
+	perror("ioctl SIOCGIFFLAGS");
+	close(fd);
+	return -1;
+	}
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+fprintf(stderr, "ioctl -> %d\n", retcode);
+#endif
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+/* display the result */
+fprintf(stderr, "flags = 0x%04x\n", req.ifr_flags);
+#endif
+
+close(fd);
+
+*p_flags = req.ifr_flags;
+return 0;
+}
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------- */
+int get_if_up_or_down(char *ifname)
+{
+int		foo;
+short		flags;
+
+foo = get_if_flags(ifname, &flags);
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+fprintf(stderr, "get flags -> %d\n", foo);
+#endif
+if (foo < 0)		/* got an error ? */
+	return -1;
+return (flags & IFF_UP) ? 1 : 0;
+}
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------- */
+int get_if_running(char *ifname)
+{
+int		foo;
+short		flags;
+
+foo = get_if_flags(ifname, &flags);
+#if DEBUG_LEVEL
+fprintf(stderr, "get flags -> %d\n", foo);
+#endif
+if (foo < 0)		/* got an error ? */
+	return -1;
+return (flags & IFF_RUNNING) ? 1 : 0;
+}
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------- */
+