Re: What does "NAT: dropping untracked packet" mean?

dmeyer
2001-02-01T23:20:15Z

In article <20010201151717.D5706@emma1.emma.line.org> you write:
> On Thu, 01 Feb 2001, Nils Rennebarth wrote:
> > Feb 1 12:58:56 obelix kernel: NAT: 0 dropping untracked packet
> ce767600 1 129.69.22.21 -> 224.0.0.2
>
> It means that your box drops multicast administrative packets on the
> floor.

I'm getting the occasional

Feb 1 13:17:08 yendi kernel: NAT: 0 dropping untracked packet
c3ea4da0 1 146.188.249.73 -> 209.220.232.240

syslog message. What exactly does it mean? 146.188.249.73 isn't my
machine at all, and 209.220.232.240 is my firewall. I assume I'm
dropping someone's packets on the floor, but what can cause a packet
to get dropped like that?

--
Dave Meyer
dmeyer@dmeyer.net