On Tue, Jul 20, 1999 at 12:39:28AM +0200, Jens A Nilsson wrote:
> Darren Reed <darrenr@reed.wattle.id.au>,wrote on Jul 20, 1999 at 08:24 +1000: 
> > In some email I received from Jens A Nilsson, sie wrote:
> > > 
> > > I don't understand "ifconfig lo0 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xffff0000"
> > > changes the netmask correctly.
> > 
> > Why should changing the netmask require you to specify the IP# ?
> 
> Because the netmask belongs to that IP address, but if you don't
> expect an interface to have more than one IP address I can see your
> point. Ifconfig should not discard a command such as
> "ifconfig lo0 netmask 0xffff0000", it should either complain or
> change the netmask of the primary IP address.

There is no "primary IP address".  The IP addresses are stored in a hash
table; there's some old code that still thinks there's a "primary IP address"
but it's deceived by a hack.

-- 
Thor Lancelot Simon	                                      tls@rek.tjls.com
	"And where do all these highways go, now that we are free?"