Why must clients exist when radius starts?

[Alan DeKok]

Douglas Phillipson <phillipd at oem.doe.gov> wrote:
> Is there a configuration option that will allow me to put a client IP in 
> the clients file without the client actually existing yet?  It seems 
> when radius starts, if a client doesn't exist the daemon dies.

  Huh?  It does that only if you put a hostname in, and the hostname
isn't resolvable to an IP address.

  The answer is to use IP addresses in the clients.conf file.  Since
IP addresses always exist, the serbver will always start.

> Also is it the case that when the log is rolled, the daemon re-reads the 
> config files and would die if it can't contact a client at this time?

  The server never contacts the clients.  The clients always start off
the RADIUS conversation by contacting the server.

  You can list 10,000 IP's in the clients.conf file, none of which are
real machines, and the server will *always* start.

  Alan DeKok.