niffd(8)						      System Manager's Manual							  niffd(8)

NAME

       niffd - Network Interface Failure Finder daemon

SYNOPSIS

       /usr/sbin/niffd [-d debug-level] [-f] [-l logfile] [-a] [-n] [-p] [-r] [-t tries] [-w time]

OPTIONS

       Sets the debug level as follows: Logs NIFF errors only Logs NIFF events and errors Logs NIFF caches, events, and errors

	      By default, all messages are written to /var/tmp/niffd.log, but can be overridden with the -l option.  Warnings and errors are still
	      sent to syslog(3) as well.  Foreground mode.  In this mode, niffd does not run as a daemon.  All messages are  written  to  standard
	      error  (stderr),	although warnings and errors are still sent to syslog(3) as well.  Sends debugging information to logfile, instead
	      of the  default  location  /var/tmp/niffd.log.   Disables  Address  Resolution  Protocol	(ARP)  request	messages.   Disables  ICMP
	      ECHO_REQUEST  (ping)  subnet  broadcast  messages.   Disables all ICMP ECHO_REQUEST messages.  Disables Routing Information Protocol
	      (RIP) messages.  Directs niffd to generate network traffic tries times per event.  The default is 3 tries.  Directs  niffd  to  wait
	      time seconds between traffic generation cycles.  The default is 5 seconds.

DESCRIPTION

       The Network Interface Failure Finder daemon, niffd, is a traffic generator for network interfaces that have been classified inactive by the
       kernel Traffic Monitor Thread (TMT). The purpose of niffd is to get the interface packet counters to increment, signifying the interface is
       still alive and well.

       The  niffd daemon subscribes to a class of events, using the Event Management (EVM) connection monitoring functions, and waits for activity
       on the event connection.  If a received event requires traffic generation, niffd continues to generate traffic  until  it  receives  a  new
       event that overrides the old event, or until the maximum number of retries has been reached.

       Different  events  cause different types of network traffic to be generated.  Each type can be selectively disabled with the -a, -n, -p, or
       -r options.  Caution should be taken when disabling a specific type of network traffic because it could result in no traffic being sent	at
       all.  It  is recommended that you leave all methods of traffic generation enabled unless your specific environment requires that it be dis-
       abled.

       If the local machine generates an event, niffd generates network traffic based on the alert level of the event as  follows:  Sends  an  ARP
       request	message  to  various  machines on the same subnet Sends either an ICMP ECHO_REQUEST message (ping) to various machines on the same
       subnet or a RIP message to the subnet broadcast address Sends an ICMP ECHO_REQUEST message to the subnet broadcast address

       If niffd receives an alarm for an interface that is not on the local machine, niffd tries to ping the suspect interface at all  alert  lev-
       els. For example, another machine detected a problem and it was forwarded to niffd through EVM.

       By  default,  niffd  does  not start during system boot.  However, if you specify the NIFFD and NIFFC_FLAGS variables in the /etc/rc.config
       file, niffd starts during system boot. You use rcmgr to specify these variables. See the rcmgr(8) reference page for further information.

       During system boot, init reads the /sbin/init.d/niffd file. First  the  niffconfig  command  runs  with	the  arguments	specified  in  the
       NIFFC_FLAGS variable. Then, niffd starts.

EXAMPLES

       To  enable  niffd  startup and specify that it monitor the tu interface with the default values, enter: # rcmgr set NIFFD "YES" # rcmgr set
       NIFFC_FLAGS "-a tu0"

	      See the niffconfig(8) reference page for further information.  If you are running in a TruCluster  environment,  the  previous  step
	      will  have  to be repeated for all cluster members as actual network interface configurations on each member may vary.  See rcmgr(8)
	      for information on how to do this.  To start niffd with additional options, set the NIFFD_FLAGS variable accordingly.  For  example,
	      to  start niffd with ICMP ECHO_REQUEST subnet broadcast messages disabled, enter: # rcmgr set NIFFD_FLAGS "-n" To prevent niffd from
	      starting automatically during system boot, enter the following command: # rcmgr set NIFFD "NO"

FILES

       Specifies the command path Default log file when debugging is enabled

SEE ALSO

       Commands: evmd(8), niffconfig(8), ping(8), rcmgr(8)

       Protocols: arp(7)

       Information: EVM(5), nifftmt(7)

																	  niffd(8)