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Date:      Wed, 16 Apr 1997 23:42:31 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Pete Carah <pete@ns.altadena.net>
To:        ghelmer@cs.iastate.edu (Guy Helmer)
Cc:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Subnets of all 0's/all 1's
Message-ID:  <199704170642.XAA11875@ns.altadena.net>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.HPP.3.96.970415104251.15425D-100000@sunfire.cs.iastate.edu> from Guy Helmer at "Apr 15, 97 10:50:30 am"

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> I'm helping a FreeBSD system administrator whose class C network is
> subnetted at 255.255.255.192.  He would dearly like to use the subnet with
> systems numbered x.x.x.1-63; I have held up RFC 950 to say "this isn't
> allowed", but the RFC doesn't say specifically why this wouldn't work. 

Most routers support it but require a specific request (default-override)
to do so.  (we use both Cisco and Wellfleet - aside; if anyone can tell
me how to get the "local-preference" set up to make IBGP work between a
cisco and a wellfleet can they please inform me?)
 
> Should FreeBSD be able to support a network with a subnet of all zeros or
> all ones?  If not, could someone give a short technical explanation as to
> why? 

Yes, it should.  I'm using several "zero-subnet" addresses currently on 2.1.7
and 2.2.1 boxes so it apparently works, at least for general users.  I don't
know what happens if you try to route with a box with more than one of
them.

The base problem is that the machine can't always tell between broadcast
requests for the subnet or class-c; if the entire installation is using
consistent subnet masks for the same net and NO_ONE_USES_RIP!!!, then
all should work.  YOU MUST NOT RUN ROUTED on a machine using 0-subnets
(unless routed finally supports rip-2 and noone uses the older one).
(we use gated/ospf for all fbsd-routing unless a livingston is on the net,
and we keep livingstons on their own segments (and class-c blocks) for
just that reason.  Even a livingston can handle static-routed 0-subnets,
but even at 3.5 they apparently can't handle a class-c that has more
then one subnet size.
 
-- Pete



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