>> I can't think of anything useful a netmask could mean for a
>> POINTOPOINT interface.
> What size of a network to route through the link - by default.  You
> use the netmask on a P2P link to determin what netmask to install in
> the routeing table.

> ie.
> 	ifconfig ppp0 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

> *should* install a route of 2.2.2.0/24 (I believe).

It's not, in my experience.  I used tun1, not ppp0, but when I brought
it up with

ifconfig tun1 132.206.78.129 132.206.78.130 netmask 255.255.255.248

the only thing that happened to my routing table was the addition of

132.206.78.130   132.206.78.129     UH          0        0      -  tun1

which is entirely correct.  It has no business assuming there is any
network on the other end, and if there is it has no call to think it's
132.206.78.128/255.255.255.248.  All it knows is there's a host
132.206.78.129 there, and that's all the route it installed.  And short
of a routing protocol running over the link, or human help in the form
of a config file or something, that's all it can do.

I suppose the "netmask 255.255.255.248" counts as human help.  In that
case, the problem is that it defaults wrong: when I bring an p2p link
up without specifying a netmask, it gets the natural netmask of the
net, not 255.255.255.255.

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu