Forum OpenACS Q&A: Re: unwanted spam from my server... help.

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14: Re: unwanted spam from my server... help. (response to 1)
Posted by your treat on 07/22/05 02:13 PM
Sorry, but I had to share this bit of conversation with you. It reflects that ALL AROUND confusion about 0.0.0.0, which I've just described as not only being the Network, the Servers' Network Card's Default Address, but also your own default address at startup, and also after startup, EVEN THOUGH 127.0.0.1 or a range of IP;s would have been enough (for at least many folks.), rather than the idiotic and now accepted standard that 0.0.0.0 can be you or it COULD BE the entire network, just as in a Broadcast to 255.255.255.255.

So get a kick out of this bit of conversation I located at another site, in which the exact same question about 0.0.0.0. was posed, and you'll note that from the VERY FIRST response, there is ALREADY a hint of what is to come, and it just gets worse! (Before I paste it here for yuour amusement, let me just say that it's been my experience that 0.0.0.0 could be you or could be a broadcast to the entire Network. There is NO DEFINITIVE ANSWER to the question of what 0.0.0.0 (I would suggest/argue), as the MEANING AND USE of 0.0.0.0 IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT upon what context you are seeing it being used.) So, for the thread starter, whom runs a Server, and was attempting to post stuff out to the Net, but sent garbage out to 0.0.0.0, YOU would need to make as assumption, or better yet, a somewhat informed guess, that the mail was NOT being sent between ports in his machine. A last bit of info.... 0.0.0.0 as an address that MAY IN SOME CONTEXTS mean your PC, IS ALSO USED AS THE ADDRESS OF THE ORIGIN OF POSTS that are NOT, I repeat ARE NOT IN FACT MADE TO THE ENTIRE NETWORK!!! And that is yet one more thing that "bugs" me about the geniouses that came up with most of the stuff about the net, but that's my own personal bias. 1 Last tidbit on two very good sites with very knowledgable people running them:
check out Castle Cops, and also Wilders or it might be Wilder's Web Sites. They are highly knowledgeable, and if you can get a Mode or Admin to respond to a question, you'll get a really good answer in all the cases I've seen. The focus of these sites is on Security, HOWEVER, to do that, they all understand the details about various Port Numbers, and common addresses that any spy or hacker would want to take advantage of, and they know plenty more. Both are free sites, and the best I've found, but don't assume that the members are as knowledgable as those that run the Site, as that is far from being true all the time. Anyways as promised, here's an amusing exchange from another site that I just found about the exact same topic of 0.0.0.0:
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SiliconJonFebruary 7th, 2005, 07:27 PM
I learned something new today.

0.0.0.0 is the IP address for the internet

255.255.255.255 is THE broadcast address (no matter what your network address).

I wonder if I will remember is tomorrow...better write it down.

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GroundZero3February 7th, 2005, 07:31 PM
where did you learn this?

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[Neo770]February 7th, 2005, 07:35 PM
Sounds abit far fetched to me.

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GroundZero3February 7th, 2005, 07:38 PM
i found this

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/178550/EN-US/

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mazdarx7-64February 7th, 2005, 07:38 PM
255.255.255.255 is the broadcast address, but only for your network or subnet, not for the whole internet.

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RedwolfFebruary 7th, 2005, 07:39 PM
http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=0.0.0.0
http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=255.255.255.255

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[Neo770]February 7th, 2005, 07:40 PM
I thought the braodcast for say 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 would be 192.168.255.255 and all 255's would be an not useable. Or do I need to go back to my CISCO books :)

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mazdarx7-64February 7th, 2005, 07:42 PM
neo you are right, my bad.

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Gait_KeeperFebruary 7th, 2005, 07:55 PM
all alien to me.......but I'm learning

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SiliconJonFebruary 8th, 2005, 05:19 PM
I didn't mean the whole internet on the 255 one...but rather a usable broadcast address for your own network segment despite whatever accurate broadcast address may be appropriate for your network address.

My machine doesn't have a conflict with 0.0.0.0 (Server 2003 & XP Pro), but seems to be using this address for the merky cloud of the internet. Or so class is teaching me.

Ah, RFC3330 (http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3330.html)...

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SiliconJonFebruary 8th, 2005, 05:22 PM
0.0.0.0/8 "This" Network

0.0.0.0/8 - Addresses in this block refer to source hosts on "this"
network. Address 0.0.0.0/32 may be used as a source address for this
host on this network; other addresses within 0.0.0.0/8 may be used to
refer to specified hosts on this network [RFC1700, page 4].

Hmmm...RFC1700 (http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1700.html)...