*BSD News Article 44421


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
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From: clarence@beach.silcom.com (Clarence Gardner)
Subject: ifconfig alias problems
Message-ID: <D8oypu.G5F@beach.silcom.com>
Sender: usenet@beach.silcom.com
Organization: SB Communications - Public Access Internet
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 22:05:54 GMT
Lines: 28

I have installed FreeBSD 2.0-RELEASE #2.  A vital feature I
need in any unix is the ability to bind more than one IP address
to a network interface.  So I'm using the ifconfig .... alias command.

But, I have a problem.  The ifconfig gets this error:
	ifconfig: ioctl (SIOCAIFADDR): File exists
Even with the error, the new address is then functional, but only
from -other- systems.  I have seen this behavior on other systems, where
a followup 'arp -s' command made the address work from its own system
also, but that's not helping here.

Also, on the other system, after the ifconfig and trying to use the new
address, you would see something like this in an 'arp -a' output:
	? (the.new.ip.address) at (incomplete)
and then after the 'arp -s', it would change to
	? (the.new.ip.address) at the:same:old:boring:ethernet:address
This is the case on FreeBSD also, except that after 'arp -s', the address
is still not usable from that system.

Any info on this?

Thanks

--
Clarence Gardner
Silicon Beach Communications
Software Products and Services Division
clarence@silcom.com