Subject: Re: stability problems with NetBSD/sparc 1.3.2
To: Charles M. Hannum <root@ihack.net>
From: Andrew Gillham <gillhaa@ghost.whirlpool.com>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 10/23/1998 11:00:25
Charles M. Hannum writes:
> 
[...]
> Regarding rarpd, I asked a very specific question, and it would have
> been nice if you had simply said:
> 
>   `Yes, I'm using the release version, and it doesn't add ARP
>   entries.'
> 
[...]

My NetBSD/i386 1.3.2 server exhibits unusual rarpd behavior.  The
output of 'ident /usr/sbin/rarpd':
rarpd:
     $NetBSD: crt0.c,v 1.28 1997/10/20 13:49:45 mycroft Exp $
     $NetBSD: rarpd.c,v 1.21.2.2 1998/05/08 08:50:13 mycroft Exp $
     $NetBSD: mkarp.c,v 1.1 1997/11/24 18:43:14 is Exp $

Output of uname -smr: NetBSD 1.3.2 i386

The problem I've seen is very similar to "doesn't add ARP entries", but
actually is more of the "ARP entries become stale or something".. :)

Basically if I want to do "boot net" from my SparcStation 10 with ROM rev
2.12, I have to stop rarpd, arp -d myhost, and start rarpd again.
This seems to be necessary even if my machine has been active on the
network and the arp entries are/were(*) all fresh and correct.

* I say are/were because the arp is correct and active, until I actually
  try to netboot the Sparc. Then it becomes "xxxxx (x.x.x.x) at (incomplete)"

The symptom on the Sparc is "Timeout wating for ARP/RARP packet", the
output of tcpdump is:
    tcpdump ether host 08:00:20:1d:c8:a5
    tcpdump: listening on de0
    10:27:44.232947 rarp who-is 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5 tell 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5
    10:27:52.297581 rarp who-is 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5 tell 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5
    10:28:04.386565 rarp who-is 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5 tell 8:0:20:1d:c8:a5

Stopping and restarting rarpd doesn't have any effect.  Deleting the
arp entry (incomplete) without stopping rarpd appears to work correctly
after 30-60 seconds or more.  Stopping rarpd, deleting the incomplete
entry, and starting rarpd up again appears to work everytime. 

So, my guess is that rarpd gets confused or the mkarp() doesn't do
the right thing.

-Andrew
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Andrew Gillham                            | This space left blank
gillham@whirlpool.com                     | inadvertently.
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