niffd(8)niffd(8)NAMEniffd - 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 gener‐
ator 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 Man‐
agement (EVM) connection monitoring functions, and waits for activity
on the event connection. If a received event requires traffic genera‐
tion, 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 gener‐
ated. 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 disabled.
If the local machine generates an event, niffd generates network traf‐
fic 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 levels.
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 vari‐
ables. 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 broad‐
cast 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)
