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Date:      Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:28:21 +0000
From:      Lee Johnston <lee@wildcard.net.uk>
To:        freebsd-net@freebsd.org
Subject:   FreeBSD Router : ARP who-has requests
Message-ID:  <6.1.0.6.0.20041220191713.019eff38@mail.wildcardinternet.co.uk>

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Hi there,

We are using a FreeBSD machine as a router in one of our PoPs (using Quagga 
for BGP support). Today I've noticed a sudden increase in the amount of 
ether broadcast traffic on the network. This seems to boil down to the rate 
the router is issuing ARP who-has requests.

The machine has about 10 local subnets connected to it via one interface 
(ranging in size up to /26's, totalling about a /23). I'm using device 
polling on the network adapters, and have the following option in the 
kernel: 'options HZ=1000'.

The requests are only for IPs not in use (presumably because the ones in 
use are cached). I'm seeing the same who-has request for the same IP about 
3-4 times a second.

We've had the machine configured the same way for about a month, normal 
broadcast traffic is around 2kbps, but suddenly today it's increased 10 
fold to about 20kbps.

Does any one have any ideas on this? Could the kernel option (options HZ) 
which we use for dummynet/polling effect the rate in which ARP requests are 
issued?

I had planned to place each subnet in a VLAN, and looks like this will have 
to be done fairly quickly. But I just don't understand the sudden increase. 
My only other though is that some could be port scanning, or someone has 
just been exploited.

Appreciate any feedback.


Thanks,
Regards,
Lee.




Lee Johnston, Wildcard Internet

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