-=> /* Quoting Stewart Buckingham to Frank Sexton */ <=-
 -> -> For those that don't know how...  it's done like this...
 -> -> rem Set the LOCAL LOOPBACK address
 -> -> ifconfig lo 127.0.0.1
 -> -> Everyone should do this. A lot of software *assumes* that
 -> -> your system is set up this way right out of the box.  Warp 4
 -> -> isn't.
 ->
 -> SB> I didn't know that. Why do we need to do this?
 -> To do a loopback test (grin).
 ->
 -> The local loopback verifies the fact that the TCP/IP stack
 -> is loaded correctly and that your NIC is operating
 -> properly.
 SB> So what happens if the LOOPBACK address is not set?
The world as we know it will cease to exist... not really!
 SB> And presumably, when set, all this Loopback testing is
 SB> done unbeknownst to the user and it will report some
 SB> kind of error, if an error occurs. Right? Is the error
 SB> an intrusive error (like pops up on the screen) or is
 SB> it simply recorded in a log file somewhere? Or is it
 SB> simply that if an error occurs, you cannot properly
 SB> connect to your isp? In other words.. what to expect?
To answer your questions... It depends, it depends, it
depends and it depends. (grin).
It depends on each specific app.  I've personally only seen
a problem with one app if it wasn't set.  But many network
gurus/programers are used to always having it set and
sometimes don't realize that it's not on by default.
-Frank
(fsexton@ibm.net - http://www.concentric.net/~fsexton)
--- Blue Wave/OS2 v2.30
---------------