>> Personally, I am inclined to suspect the DEC box.
> Then you'd have to suspect my 486 box (with an SMC card) as well,
> since I see exactly the same symptoms.

Heh.  That does make my theory rather less plausible. :-)

> However, the RARP packet should be exactly the same the first and
> second times, anyway.  Why would the second RARP packet be smaller?
> The first one works.

Because the first one comes from the PROM, the second one from netboot,
is what I was thinking.  But since I sent my note, someone (you?)
remarked something about a protocol analyzer confirming that no RARP
packet was getting sent, and such a box is just about the last thing
that's going to be suffering from the disease I described.

Oh well.  My theory turned out to be wrong.  Sigh-shrug.

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu