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Date:      Mon, 27 Aug 2001 10:07:03 -0700
From:      "Kevin Oberman" <oberman@es.net>
To:        chad@dcfinc.com
Cc:        reader@newsguy.com, freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Frustrating network problem - need diagnotic help 
Message-ID:  <200108271707.f7RH73R23446@ptavv.es.net>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 27 Aug 2001 09:29:34 PDT." <200108271633.JAA18022@freebie.dcfinc.com> 

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> From: "Chad R. Larson" <chad@freebie.dcfinc.com>
> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 101 09:29:34 -0700 (MST)
> Sender: chad@freebie.dcfinc.com
> 
> >> "Kevin Oberman" <oberman@es.net> writes:
> > If you tweak the software to assign a MAC address to the something
> > else that is locally administered (different from setting the MAC to
> > the globally unique address of some older interface that failed), the
> > hex would be: a:0:2b:3f:a5:15 (not that anyone does this any longer
> > and there is no reason to assume that any part of the hardware MAC
> > would be used if you are using a locally administered MAC).
> 
> Actually, once you've set the second bit (mask 0x04), the other 46 bits
> can be anything you want them to be =and= you assume the responsibility
> for assuring they are unique within your collision domain.
> 
> And, I don't recall a rule that says you can't have a multicast
> source address (though my 802.3 book is at the office).  So, I'd
> agree that the source address he's reporting is most probably
> borked, but if that first byte were 0x03 (vs 0x01) he'd probably be
> legal.  But that's also probably not what he wants...

Chad,

I'm afraid not. I do have my 802.3 handy and the source address field
is not interpreted at all. The I/G bit (individual/group) bit is
ALWAYS interpreted in a destination address, so setting the "locally
admin" bit does not over-ride this functionality. The import is that
many devices (including switches) make forwarding decisions based on
the setting of this bit.

In any case, a hardware MAC address that has the group address bit set
is clearly broken.

R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer
Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
E-mail: oberman@es.net			Phone: +1 510 486-8634

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