Problem receiving UDP broadcast packets.

[Grant Edwards]

On 2011-04-20, Roy Smith <roy at panix.com> wrote:
> In article <iol875$ah2$3 at reader1.panix.com>,
>  Grant Edwards <invalid at invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I'm trying to implement a device discovery/configuration protocol that
>> uses UDP broadcast packets to discover specific types of devices on
>> the local Ethernet segment.  The management program broadcasts a
>> discovery command to a particular UDP port.  All devices who get that
>> packet are expected to answer regardless of thier current IP address.
>
> Have you considered what will happen if you have, say, 1000 such 
> devices, and they all respond at the same time?

Yes.  Firstly, there will very rarely be more than a handful of such
devices.  Secondly, I plan on inserting a small, psuedo-random delay
before replying.  Thirdly, the management program typically repeats
the discovery process a few times in case any packets get dropped.



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