# SunRPC Protocol Agent

The Sun Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Protocol Agent assists the Engine, Layer 2 Engine, or IPS engine in Portmapper connections. It makes the handling of RPC program numbers used in the Access rules faster.

Only Portmapper connections going through the engine are assigned this Protocol Agent. This Protocol Agent is not intended for other communications.

The SunRPC Protocol Agent collects information about RPC services by interpreting the GET PORT and DUMP PORTS requests and their respective answers. All information it collects is stored in the Portmapper cache.

When the packet filter evaluates RPC matches, it checks the Portmapper cache to see if the destination of the packet has the appropriate service defined in the rule. If the cache does not have the requested information available, the packet under evaluation is not let through. A query is sent to the destination host for RPC information. The reply information is stored in cache.

There are no configurable parameters for this Protocol Agent.