On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 5:19:30 PM UTC-4, herrman...@gmail.com wrote:   
   > I am working on getting some diskless Sun machines running again.   
   >    
   > At one point in booting, the host broadcasts to a server using   
   255.255.255.255.   
   > Specifically, this is contacting the bootparamd server.   
   >    
   > Compiling bootparamd on either FreeBSD or Linux, it does not    
   > receive such requests. Compiling on OS X, it does.   
   >    
   > I have rarp, tftp, and nfsd running on FreeBSD just fine, but    
   > can only complete the boot with bootparamd on OS X.   
   >    
   > In more detail, it works like this:   
   >    
   > Client broadcasts (not using IP) to an RARP server,   
   > to ask for its IP address.   
   >    
   > RARP server unicasts the reply (again, not IP).   
   >    
   > Client unicasts using UDP to a tftp server, using the   
   > server address of the replying RARP server. Using   
   > TFTP, it downloads the boot program.   
   >    
   > Boot program runs, and uses RARP to again ask for   
   > its IP address. (It isn't passed through from above.)   
   >    
   > Client broadcasts to UDP/IP address 255.255.255.255   
   > for a bootparamd server.    
   >    
   > Using the callbootd test program, I can verify that the   
   > server responds to unicast requests on both FreeBSD   
   > and Linux.     
   >    
   > I use the same C source, and same /etc/bootparams file   
   > on all hosts, though with changes in #include file names   
   > that are system specific.  (Such as the directory for rpc.h.)   
   >    
   > Are all hosts supposed to accept UDP broadcasts to 255.255.255.255?   
   >    
   > thanks,   
   >    
   > -- glen   
      
   All hosts should accept incoming IPv4 packets with a destination address of   
   255.255.255.255, the Limited Broadcast Address, if they receive it.  Packets   
   sent to this address will not pass through routers, so if there is a router   
   between the sender and    
   your intended recipient, the recipient isn't receiving it.  You can verify   
   this with tcpdump.   
      
   Ron   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)