Re: which UDP Broadcast address

"Patrick Schaaf" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "Dave" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> >If I am writing a program to communicate over a LAN using UDP broadcasts,
do
> >I need a directed broadcast or a flooded broadcast? ie should I be using
> >255.255.255.255, an address based on the network address ie
xxx.yyy.255.255
> >or calculating the address by taking into account the subnet mask?
>
> Use 255.255.255.255. Forget that directed broadcast exists, except when
> you are a network _administrator_ with the job to secure your
infrastructure
> (by making damn sure directed broadcasts WON'T work)
>
> Directed broadcasts are practically never used.  They make nice toys for
> network admins, until they are misused for the first time by some bozo.
> Then, they'll set their routers to block & drop them. As a consequence,
> except maybe in some highly controlled environments, directed broadcast
> is never used, because it just won't work.

How can a directed broadcast be misused ?