In message <199602180754.CAA22863@ginger.cmf.nrl.navy.mil>you write:
> >> # General options for all PPP lines
> >> crtscts netmask 255.255.255.0 silent proxyarp
> >
> >This brings up something that's been nagging at me for quite a while:
> >does anyone know why NetBSD associates a netmask with POINTOPOINT
> >interfaces like PPP connections?  I can't think of anything useful a
> >netmask could mean for a POINTOPOINT interface.
> 
> Maybe it's just because there happens to be a netmask field in the interface
> structure, and _something_ has to go there.  I don't think it's using for
> routing in the case of POINTOPOINT interfaces.  You could always modify
> ifconfig not to print out the netmast for POINTOPOINT interfaces.

This is really annoying if you happen to be on a subnet an also happen to have 
a ppp sublink in that subnet, i.e. like me and my setup:

I have a local subnet with 4 actual machines on it an one ppp sublink.

193.100.14.16    193.100.14.21      UGS         0        0      -  ed0 =>
193.100.14.16    link#1             UC          0        0      -  ed0
193.100.14.20    8:0:0:0:11:96      UHL         6  9335504      -  ed0
193.100.14.21    0:0:c0:c:b4:24     UHL         7   264528      -  lo0
193.100.14.22    8:0:2b:14:d:ae     UHL         3  4136156      -  ed0

193.100.14.18-19 are currently down :)

193.100.14.17 is connected via ppp, and if it connects without any special 
help from gated it deletes the route to the net .16 and reconnects the route 
via the ppp interface.  So I was forced to install gated, because otherwise I 
also loose the route to my router @.20.

The real problem is, pppd does not accept the commonly used 255.255.255.255 
netmaskl for pointtopoint connections.  It should by default use this netmask, 
and not the netmask decision scheme currently employed, which is taking the 
netmask of a up non-p2p interface whithin the same subnet.


Gruesse
       Oskar

 ==============================================================================
 					Tragbar ist, was nicht herunterfaellt.
						    oskar@zappa.unna.ping.de
 ==============================================================================