Re: Loopback security...

[Grant Taylor <gtaylor@riverviewtech.net>]

On 04/22/08 11:50, Leonardo Rodrigues Magalhães wrote:
> I have to confess that i have almost none experience with other 
> network OSs different than Linux. But i really think that this idea of 
> loopback interface do NOT connects to real interfaces it not a linux 
> decision. It seems to me that this is basically the whole loopback idea: 
> a network interface that connects the machine to itself, thus allowing 
> TCP/IP to fully exist even if the machine is not connect to 'real' 
> networks.

I don't know for sure if the loopback network being isolated is limited 
to Linux or not.  I do know that Microsoft's TCP/IP implementation has a 
laughable loopback setup.  Other than that I can not say.

To me, the concept of the loopback interface is just a very unique 
network interface.  Personally I could be equally happy with an ethernet 
interface with a loopback plug in it used as the loopback interface with 
in the system.  I think the idea of having the interface always 
available is a good idea, but mainly there to remove the dependency on 
other network interfaces and drivers there for.

I can see why there is a logical isolation of the loopback interface 
from the rest of the network, however I wish that the isolation was 
optional, much like reverse path filtering.

> The loopback interface is not 'connected' to the network, i really 
> dont think that this would be possible to configure or tweak.

To me this is just a routing decision more so than any thing else.



Grant. . . .