Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 00:41:12 -0800 From: Josef Grosch <jgrosch@superior.mooseriver.com> To: questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: hostid equals Ethernet address or IP address ? Message-ID: <19980219004112.26662@mooseriver.com>
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Maybe someone can explain this for me... Gethostid(3) says
"Sethostid() establishes a 32-bit identifier for the current
processor that is intended to be unique among all UNIX systems
in existence. This is normally a DARPA Internet address for the
local machine. "
The first sentence says that the identifier "is intended to be unique
among all UNIX systems in existence", ie. an Ethernet address. The
second sentence seems to contradict the first in that, for the local
machine, the hostid is based on the machines IP address. AFAIK, an
Ethernet address is guaranteed to be unique but an IP address is not
guaranteed. Of course, I mean all UNIX machines not just those connected
to a given network
Should the hostid be based on an Ethernet address or an IP address?
Any pointers to revelant documents would be helpful.
Josef
--
Josef Grosch | Another day closer to a | FreeBSD 2.2.5
jgrosch@MooseRiver.com | Micro$oft free world | UNIX for the masses
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