[lug] Networking question ...

[rm at mamma.varadinet.de]

Here's one for the network gurus on this list:

 I just logged into a friends network because
 his Linux gateway stops talking to the outside
 world every tree to four weeks. The whole thing
 is pretty mysterious, but anyway, while i was
 monitoring the traffic on the external interface
 (which connects to a CISCO router be means of
 fibre optic) i found some packets the ethereal
 labels 'Loop' which seem to originate from
 the CISCO as well as have the CISCO as their
 destination (i.e. sender and destination hw.
 adresses are the same). Any idea about the 
 purpose and the inner working of this?

   Ralf