Hello, I don't quite understand the comment, and the logic following it, in inet_select_addr() function. Specifically: 1. How is it guranteed that a loopback address is not chosen? (there is no check for 127.X.X.X addresses!) 2. Why is it important that the loopback interface be the first in the list. What would go wrong if the search starts from the second device in the list (i.e., skipping the loopback device). 3. And what does this test mean: (ifa->ifa_scope != RT_SCOPE_LINK && ifa->ifa_scope <= scope)? u32 inet_select_addr(const struct net_device *dev, u32 dst, int scope) { ... SNIP ... /* Not loopback addresses on loopback should be preferred in this case. It is importnat that lo is the first interface in dev_base list. */ read_lock(&dev_base_lock); read_lock(&inetdev_lock); for (dev=dev_base; dev; dev=dev->next) { if ((in_dev=__in_dev_get(dev)) == NULL) continue; read_lock(&in_dev->lock); for_primary_ifa(in_dev) { if (ifa->ifa_scope != RT_SCOPE_LINK && ifa->ifa_scope <= scope) { read_unlock(&in_dev->lock); read_unlock(&inetdev_lock); read_unlock(&dev_base_lock); return ifa->ifa_local; } } endfor_ifa(in_dev); read_unlock(&in_dev->lock); } read_unlock(&inetdev_lock); read_unlock(&dev_base_lock); return 0; } tx Andy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Runbox Mail Manager (free trial version - this tag is removed upon subscription) Try your own premium email account for free at http://111.runbox.com 100MB storage, no ads, fast webmail, access on any device, retrieve and filter email. - : send the line "unsubscribe linux-net" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html