Index: libexec/rc/network.subr
===================================================================
--- libexec/rc/network.subr
+++ libexec/rc/network.subr
@@ -112,6 +112,15 @@
 	return $_cfg
 }
 
+ifconfig_description()
+{
+	local _ifconfig_descr
+	_ifconfig_descr=`get_if_var $1 ifconfig_IF_descr`
+	if [ -n "${_ifconfig_descr}" ]; then
+		${IFCONFIG_CMD} $1 description "${_ifconfig_descr}"
+	fi
+}
+
 # ifconfig_up if
 #	Evaluate ifconfig(8) arguments for interface $if and
 #	run ifconfig(8) with those arguments. It returns 0 if
@@ -121,7 +130,7 @@
 #
 ifconfig_up()
 {
-	local _cfg _ifconfig_descr _ipv6_opts ifconfig_args 
+	local _cfg _ipv6_opts ifconfig_args 
 	_cfg=1
 
 	# Make sure lo0 always comes up.
@@ -211,11 +220,6 @@
 	ifalias $1 link alias
 	ifalias $1 ether alias
 
-	_ifconfig_descr=`get_if_var $1 ifconfig_IF_descr`
-	if [ -n "${_ifconfig_descr}" ]; then
-		${IFCONFIG_CMD} $1 description "${_ifconfig_descr}"
-	fi
-
 	if wpaif $1; then
 		/etc/rc.d/wpa_supplicant start $1
 		_cfg=0		# XXX: not sure this should count
@@ -1603,6 +1607,21 @@
 	return 0
 }
 
+list_expanded_epair()
+{
+	if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
+		err 3 'USAGE: list_expanded_epair needs ONE argument (epair#)'
+		return 1
+	fi
+        case ${1#epair} in
+        [0-9]*[ab])     echo ${1} ;;
+        [0-9]*)		echo ${1}a ${1}b ;;
+	*)		return 1 ;;
+        esac
+
+	return 0
+}
+
 # list_net_interfaces type
 #	List all network interfaces. The type of interface returned
 #	can be controlled by the type argument. The type
@@ -1637,6 +1656,10 @@
 				else
 					_tmplist="${_tmplist} ${_if}"
 				fi
+			else
+				# All list type requests but 'skip' will re-
+				# define $_list, collect excluded $_if
+				_list="$_list${_list:+ }$_if"
 			fi
 		done
 		_tmplist="${_lo}${_tmplist# }"
@@ -1701,6 +1724,8 @@
 			fi
 		done
 	;;
+	skip) # !autoif() was collected in $_list
+	;;
 	*)
 		_list=${_tmplist}
 	;;
Index: libexec/rc/rc.d/netif
===================================================================
--- libexec/rc/rc.d/netif
+++ libexec/rc/rc.d/netif
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 
 netif_start()
 {
-	local _if
+	local _if _cmdifn _ifname
 
 	# Set the list of interfaces to work on.
 	#
@@ -75,6 +75,14 @@
 
 	# Rename interfaces.
 	ifnet_rename $cmdifn
+	# Adjust $cmdifn if defined (devd(8) etc.)
+	for _if in ${cmdifn}; do
+		_ifname=`get_if_var $_if ifconfig_IF_name`
+		_cmdifn="${_cmdifn}${_cmdifn:+ }${_ifname:-$_if}"
+	done
+	if [ -n "$_cmdifn" ]; then
+		cmdifn="$_cmdifn"
+	fi
 
 	# Configure the interface(s).
 	netif_common ifn_start $cmdifn
@@ -155,7 +163,7 @@
 #	an interface and then calls $routine.
 netif_common()
 {
-	local _cooked_list _tmp_list _fail _func _ok _str _cmdifn
+	local _cooked_list _fail _func _ok _str _cmdifn
 
 	_func=
 
@@ -166,36 +174,48 @@
 		shift
 	fi
 
-	# Set the scope of the command (all interfaces or just one).
-	#
-	_cooked_list=
-	_tmp_list=
-	_cmdifn=$*
-	if [ -n "$_cmdifn" ]; then
-		# Don't check that the interface(s) exist.  We need to run
-		# the down code even when the interface doesn't exist to
-		# kill off wpa_supplicant.
-		# XXXBED: is this really true or does wpa_supplicant die?
-		# if so, we should get rid of the devd entry
-		_cooked_list="$_cmdifn"
-	else
+	_cmdifn= # inherited from parent function
+	# Define _cmdifn from rest of $*
+	for _if in $*; do
+		# Expand epair if passed as argument
+		if [ ${_if#epair} != $_if ]; then
+			_ok="`list_expanded_epair $_if`"
+			if [ -n "$_ok" ]; then
+				_if="$_ok"
+			fi
+		fi
+		_cmdifn="$_cmdifn${_cmdifn:+ }$_if"
+	done
+	# Don't check that the interface(s) exist.  We need to run
+	# the down code even when the interface doesn't exist to
+	# kill off wpa_supplicant.
+	# XXXBED: is this really true or does wpa_supplicant die?
+	# if so, we should get rid of the devd entry
+	if [ -z "${_cmdifn# }" ]; then
 		_cooked_list="`list_net_interfaces`"
+		if [ X$_func = Xifn_start ]; then
+			# If interface description is configured, also process
+			# interfaces which are else skipped from auto config
+			# (NOAUTO), but only if $_func=ifn_start
+			for _if in `list_net_interfaces skip` ${_cooked_list# }
+			do
+				ifconfig_description $_if
+			done
+		fi
 	fi
-
-	# Expand epair[0-9] to epair[0-9][ab].
-	for ifn in $_cooked_list; do
-	case ${ifn#epair} in
-	[0-9]*[ab])	;;	# Skip epair[0-9]*[ab].
-	[0-9]*)
-		for _str in $_cooked_list; do
-		case $_str in
-		$ifn)	_tmp_list="$_tmp_list ${ifn}a ${ifn}b" ;;
-		*)	_tmp_list="$_tmp_list ${ifn}" ;;
-		esac
-		done
-		_cooked_list=${_tmp_list# }
-	;;
-	esac
+	# virtually else [ -z "${_cmdifn# }" ]
+	for _if in $_cmdifn; do 
+		# If interface description is configured (and $_func=ifn_start),
+		# here's the place to apply for all selectivly listed interfaces
+		if [ X$_func = Xifn_start ]; then
+			ifconfig_description $_if
+		fi
+		if ! autoif $_if; then
+			continue
+		elif [ -z "`ifconfig_getargs $_if`" ]; then
+			continue
+		fi
+		_cooked_list="$_cooked_list${_cooked_list:+ }$_if"
 	done
 
 	_dadwait=