[macos] Virtual network interface in Mac OS X

What do you mean by

"but it will not act as a real fully functional interface (if the original interface is inactive, then the derived one is also inactive"

?

I can make a new interface, base it on an already existing one, then disable the existing one and the new one still works. Making a second interface does however not create a real interface (when you check with ifconfig), it will just assign a second IP to the already existing one (however, this one can be DHCP while the first one is hard coded for example).

So did I understand you right, that you want to create an interface, not bound to any real interface? How would this interface then be used? E.g. if you disconnect all WLAN and pull all network cables, where would this interface send traffic to, if you send traffic to it? Maybe your question is a bit unclear, it might help a lot if rephrase it, so it's clear what you are actually trying to do with this "virtual interface" once you have it.

As you mentioned "alias IP" in your question, this would mean an alias interface. But an alias interface is always bound to a real interface. The difference is in Linux such an interface really IS an interface (e.g. an alias interface for eth0 could be eth1), while on Mac, no real interface is created, instead a virtual interface is created, that can configured and used independently, but it is still the same interface physically and thus no new named interface is generated (you just have two interfaces, that are both in fact en0, but both can be enabled/disabled and configured independently).

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