Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!purdue!bu-cs!kwe
From: kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England))
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Proteon's behaviour
Summary: Keep the test alive
Message-ID: <22924@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 26 May 88 15:44:54 GMT
References: <880519-134446-6569@Xerox> <2773@umd5.umd.edu>
Reply-To: kwe@buit13.bu.edu (Kent England)
Followup-To: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Organization: Boston Univ. Information Tech. Dept.
Lines: 27

In article <2773@umd5.umd.edu> hans@umd5 (Hans Breitenlohner) writes:
>In article <880519-134446-6569@Xerox> Burrell.osbunorth@Xerox.COM, castillo.osbunorth@Xerox.COM writes:
>>
>>It seems that the Proteon does some self testing of both of its Ethernet
>>interfaces and other internal hardware by sending small trash packets to itself
>>every so often through both interfaces.
>
>Two packets are sent out every 3.5 to 4 seconds.  While this can be annoying
>in many respects, it is hard to see how this could consume much bandwidth.
>
>You can order the software with this feature ("maintenance feature") disabled,
>on a per interface basis.  
>You should know that, if you do so, you lose the ability of the gateway to
>determine if the attached ethernet works.  As a result it may RIP-advertise
>reachability of attached subnets when they are actually down.


	If the router does not have a hardware interface test
capability, it's a pain when the interface doesn't work.  Without a
test, it can't even detect a missing xcvr cable.  I think you should
value the interface test.  What Proteon has done is essentially the
ONLY way to do a thorough test of an Ethernet interface that can't
listen to its own transmissions.  All software based tests are only
indicators.  If you disable the test, you have a black hole until you
manually disable the interface.

	Kent England, Boston University