# router_enable and aliases



## BlueCoder2 (Sep 1, 2012)

Just upgraded my firewall to 9.0 with a fresh install and slightly larger drive. At the same time I though I'd try jails on that box but I ran across a problem.

When I have *router_enable="YES"* in rc.conf the first alias command fails.

I get a "file open" error message.

If I wait a couple seconds and choose a completely different IP to alias it will succeed but the original first IP address will continue to fail with the same "file open" error message.

Any thoughts?


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## SirDice (Sep 1, 2012)

BlueCoder2 said:
			
		

> When I have *router_enable="YES"* in rc.conf the first alias command fails.


That because it's

```
gateway_enable="YES"
```


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## BlueCoder2 (Sep 2, 2012)

I have gateway_enable="YES". That allows routing between different networking interfaces. router_enable="YES" (aka routed="YES") runs a RIP daemon that will transparently configure routing tables.

The problem in my original post is a very strange "bug", I'm just trying to isolate it. It only happens on this one machine.

The error:


> ifconfig: ioctl (SIOCAIFADDR): File exists"



Happens when I login and enter an

[CMD="ifconfig bridge0 192.168.1.50/32 alias"]
[/CMD]

But only the first or so time. Then it works with other IP's.

When I get the error message the IP's have successfully been put in the routing table and I can delete them to then successfully run the ifconfig alias command manually.

But when I run

[CMD="/etc/rc.d/jail start testjail"]
[/CMD]

it again gives the above error message for it's scripted ifconfig alias command. But again it only happens when "routed" is running. My gut is telling me it's a timing issue(I'm running the firewall on an old P4 celeron). That routed is doing something that stops the alias command from completing. That when the processor is doing "work" such as disk operations the "alias operation" gets preempted and routed does something that blocks when it gets preempted itself and the processor switches back to the "alias operation" and it can't complete what it was doing. Playing around I have had instances where the jail script would work but 99 percent of the time it fails.

It's just an unusual issue. I would appreciate any thoughts anyone can offer.


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