Subject: Re: Default netmask
To: None <bgrayson@marvin.ece.utexas.edu>
From: Phil Nelson <phil@steelhead.cs.wwu.edu>
List: tech-install
Date: 08/27/1998 11:57:40
> 1. Is there anyone in their right mind on a class A or B that
> _really_ wants broadcasts to go to _all_ machines, i.e., that
> doesn't subnet internally? If not, maybe the default
> should be 0xffffff00, to avoid boneheads like me. :)
> Or maybe a note should pop up for class A and B saying
> `most class A and B folks subnet internally, so the proper
> netmask is 0xffffff00. Do you want to use a netmask of
> 0xffffff00, or 0xff..0000?'
This is really hard to know what people do. Here at WWU, on our
class B network, I know of netmasks of 0xffffff00, 0xfffffc00,
and 0xffffff80. There may be more. For this reason, sysinst
gives the standard netmask for the class (or should).
> 2. In sysinst's net.c, it appears that the netmask for class C
> nets (192.* -- 223.*) is still set to 0xffff0000 --
> shouldn't that be 0xffffff00?
This is a bug and should be fixed. It may be a case of too much
cut and paste. Sorry.
--
Phil Nelson
phil@steelhead.cs.wwu.edu (NetBSD/pc532 machine)
phil@cs.wwu.edu (work)
http://www.cs.wwu.edu/~phil