loop back address?

[bbaliner]

Hi all,

What exactly does loop back address 127.0.0.1 mean?

Is this a local connection masquarading as remote connection? What is it good for?

Thanks

[d94dsj]

First I thought I should write an explanation of my own, but I found a good and accurate one on the Internet for you:

"Loopback is used for testing or debugging problems. Loopback simply means that data sent out will be delivered back to the source (usually without actually going across a network). Either protocol software or network hardware can provide loopback, depending on what one needs to test. For example, pinging address 127.0.0.1 causes the IP software to test loopback by handing the datagram back to ICMP on the same machine.

One advantage of loopback is that it allows one to configure protocol software and test device drivers even if the computer is not connected to a real network."

The loopback address (or "network", since it's the entire 127.x.x.x range) is a part of the TCP/IP protocols and is implemented in all TCP/IP stacks, regardless of platform (to my knowledge).

Hope this clarifies,

Daniel