Re: deleteTCB in the TCP-MIB

[Steve Moulton <moulton@snmp.com>]

On Monday, February 25 2002, Juergen Schoenwaelder <schoenw@ibr.cs.tu-bs.de> wr
ote:

> 
> The TCP-MIB (RFC 2012) as well as RFC1213-MIB (RFC 1213) define the
> writable enumerated value deleteTCB(12) for tcpConnState as follows:
> 
>      If a management station sets this object to the value
>      deleteTCB(12), then this has the effect of deleting the TCB
>      (as defined in RFC 793) of the corresponding connection on
>      the managed node, resulting in immediate termination of the
>      connection.
> 
> Can people on this list who have implemented a writable deleteTCB(12)
> on their boxes please send a note to either this list or privately to
> me or Bert Wijnen? It would also be useful to know if there are
> management applications that actually use deleteTCB(12) to terminate
> TCP connections.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> /js


Hello, Juergen,

We support this operation on operating systems where an API
is present to do it.  That is to say, we don't go messing
around in others' TCP stacks to do this.

I did a quick check across 46 different os/version/platform combinations
and found three operating systems (all embedded) where we support 
sets to tcpConnState.  Details to private email, if desired.

Three observations

.  Doing this is a violation of the TCP spec.  I'm not sure that
   a MIB document should endorse such a thing, useful though it
   may be.

.  We do have a management application that uses this (a command
   line tool to do sets).

.  Why is RFC 2012 resurfacing now?  Practically speaking, shouldn't 
   it have been republished or perished by now?  I've not seen any
   signs of interest.

	- Steve
---
Steve Moulton        SNMP Research, Inc            voice: +1 865 573 1434
Sr Software Engineer 3001 Kimberlin Heights Rd.    fax: +1 865 573 9197
moulton@snmp.com     Knoxville, TN 37920-9716 USA  http://www.snmp.com