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colemik
Asked: 2011-12-19 14:41:13 +0800 CST

What is the Microsoft Loopback Adapter used for?

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Why is Microsoft Loopback interface called _loopback_ inteface?

RFC3330 states that a loopback interface is an interface with an IP address in the 127.0.0.0/8 address range.

Yet, when I enter the 127.x.x.x address in Microsoft Loopback TCP/IP settings, Windows returns an error.

What is its purpose?

windows interface loopback

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    Because Microsoft is treating it like a loopback physical interface. On _loopback_ you can assign any protocol stack Windows works with, including IPX (up to certain Windows versions) which isn't a TCP/IP protocol at all. The TCP/IP concept of a loopback interfacce is a logical concept, and 127.0.0.0/8 addresses apply to the local machine entirely; I don't believe you can explicitly bind them on any Windows adapter.

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