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From: gavron@alpha.sunquest.com (Ehud Gavron)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Reply to Ethernet Address Uniqueness...
Message-ID: <8601@sunquest.UUCP>
Date: 5 Oct 90 19:10:33 GMT
References: <5A0A050B012801FE-MTAEMR1*fillmore@emrcan>
Sender: news@sunquest.UUCP
Reply-To: gavron@alpha.sunquest.com
Organization: Sunquest VMS Internals, Tucson AZ
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News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4

In article <5A0A050B012801FE-MTAEMR1*fillmore@emrcan>, fillmore@emrcan.BITNET writes...
#In the DEC VAX environment the unique Ethernet address on each board is
#overridden by DECNET when it starts to use that board.  The address is set
#to four bytes of a constant value plus two bytes which contain the DECNET
#area and node numbers.  Lots of opportunity for duplication!
#Does anyone know why DEC chose this scheme?

	On one ethernet, the duplication only occurs if two
	nodes have the same DECnet address -- which is not
	only a no-no but since both would have terrible
	problems, this condition would not persist long.

	There is therfore not "lots of opportunity for
	duplication."  It also is completely immaterial
	why DEC chose this scheme.  Suffice to say that
	the next major DECnet release (now targeted for
	'92) will be completely different.

# 
#  - Bob Fillmore     FILLMORE@EMRCAN.BITNET
                                      ^^^^^^

	Ehud

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