Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!killer!rpp386!ditka!bucket!servio!penneyj
From: penneyj@servio.UUCP (D. Jason Penney)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Interaction of wildcard bind() with services database
Message-ID: <103@servio.UUCP>
Date: 16 Mar 89 01:40:41 GMT
Reply-To: penneyj@servio.UUCP (D. Jason Penney)
Organization: Servio Logic Development Corp.; Beaverton, OR
Lines: 25

I want some opinions whether or not what I have been seeing should
be regarded as a TCP/IP bug or a feature.

We have some entries in our services database that are above 1024 and
refer to services that are usually not in use.  When we call bind()
with the requested port INADDR_ANY, bind() *can*, upon occasion, actually
return a port that is listed in the services database.

I think it is bug.  Suppose a booting system invokes two different
services, both of which allocate both a predeclared port (from the
services database) and a wildcard port.  In theory, it might never
be possible for the system to boot properly because the wildcard
bind allocates the second service's predeclared port.

I have seen this problem on SunOS, VAX/VMS Wollongong (WIN) TCP/IP,
and an unnamed System V Unix derivative.

Is there any reason I shouldn't call up these vendors and tell them
it's a bug?

-- 
D. Jason Penney                  Ph: (503) 629-8383
Servio Logic Corporation       uucp: ...ogccse!servio!penneyj
15220 NW Greenbrier Parkway #100
Beaverton, OR 97006