LANCE/ethernet problem. (original v9n179)

[Pete Mellor]

In v9n179, buengc!apollo at bu.edu (Douglas Chan) writes:

> We're getting a lot of the following pairs of error messages:
>  le0: Received packet with ENP bit in rmd cleared
>  le0: Received packet with STP bit in rmd cleared

> It doesn't seem to be causing any problems, it is just an annoyance...

Funny! I've been getting exactly the same thing ever since I started using
the Sun on a network. (Sun 3/50 running OS 3.5, but the 3/80's running
4.0.3 get similar messages.) It scared the heck out of me the first time I
saw it, but now I just ignore it.

In case it's relevant, I usually see a batch of 20 or more of these pairs
stacked up on the screen waiting for me in the morning, particularly on
Monday. (They appear on the screen while the machine is logged out.)
Strangely, they very rarely appear on the console window while I am using
the machine.

> I've called Sun about it and they say it is caused by other systems on the
> network generating packet sizes greater than 1515.  I've tried tracking
> down the source(s) w/ etherfind but it doesn't seem to find anything
> generating packets larger than 1515.

I don't wish to sound ignorant, but what's magic about 1515? I've done no
investigation at all, on the principle "If it's not broken, why fix it?",
but if any network wizard out there is willing to educate me, I'd like to
know what's going on, too!

Peter Mellor,
Centre for Software Reliability,
City University,
Northampton Square,
London EC1V 0HB

  Tel.: +44 (0)71-253-4399 Ext. 4162/3/1
  Fax.: +44 (0)71-253-3861
E-mail: p.mellor at uk.ac.city (JANET)