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Source address selection

When a host creates an IP packet, it must select some source address. Correct source address selection is a critical procedure, because it gives the receiver the information needed to deliver a reply. If the source is selected incorrectly, in the best case, the backward path may appear different to the forward one which is harmful for performance. In the worst case, when the addresses are administratively scoped, the reply may be lost entirely.

Linux-2.2 selects source addresses using the following algorithm:


next up previous contents
Next: Proxy ARP/NDISC Up: ip-cref Previous: Bibliography   Contents