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)