[mod.protocols.tcp-ip] 127.0.0.1

hwb@GW.UMICH.EDU (07/18/86)

How come I when I am resolving addresses that I am gettin domain replies
with a source address of 127.0.0.1? I think I saw that in response to
requests sent to Seismo (10.0.0.25), but may be from other's, too.
Telnet to Seimo works fine and does not use 127.0.0.1 on the way back.
I just sent domain requests specifically to Seismo, and the problem is
easily reproducable. I am posting this to this list since I am not sure
whether it was *only* Seismo or others, too.
 
	-- Hans-Werner Braun
-------

dennis@SH.CS.NET.UUCP (07/18/86)

Hans, everybody,

There's a bug (*not* a feature!) in the 4.2 network code that assigns the
source address of a packet to be some single IP interface on that machine
(in fact, it binds the local address too early, before the packet or
connection has been routed).  For incoming TCP connections, there is no
problem; the local address is specified by the host that initiates the
connection.  For outgoing UDP packets, the first interface in the interface
list (given by netstat -i) is usually used (although the loopback interface
{which uses 127.0.0.1 as its address} is most often the last listed
interface).

CSNET requires that X25net sites install this fix; during installation and
checkout, we most often do not tell our kernel how to reach a site's local
network.  This causes TCP connections from our new site to the Internet fail
while connections from the Internet to the new site work.

There are fixes for this available from BRL (at least, that's where I got
them).  Mike?  Are they in anonymous FTP?

Dennis Rockwell
CSNET Technical Staff

rick@SEISMO.CSS.GOV (Rick Adams) (07/18/86)

but seismo is running 4.3bsd where it is supposedly fixed.