Network Configuration Procedures

Network software installation takes place along with the installation of the operating system software. At that time, certain IP configuration parameters must be stored in appropriate files so they can be read at boot time.

The procedure is a matter of creating or editing the network configuration files. How configuration information is made available to a machine’s kernel depends on whether these files are stored locally (local files mode) or acquired from the network configuration server (network client mode).

Parameters supplied during network configuration are:

IP address of each network interface on every machine
Host names of each machine on the network. You can type the host name in a local file or a name service database.
NIS, NIS+, or DNS domain name in which the machine resides, if applicable
Default router addresses. You supply this only if you have a simple network topology with only one router attached to each network, or your routers don’t run routing protocols such as the Router Discovery Server Protocol (RDISC) or the Router Information Protocol (RIP). (See “Routing Protocols” for more information about these protocols.)
Subnet mask (required only for networks with subnets)

This chapter contains information on creating and editing local configuration files. See the Solaris Naming Administration Guide for information on working with name service databases.

Network Configuration Task Map

Table 6-3 Network Configuration Task Map

How to Configure a Host for Local Files Mode

Use this procedure for configuring TCP/IP on a machine that runs in local files mode.

How to Set Up a Network Configuration Server

Become superuser and change to the root directory of the prospective network configuration server.
Turn on the in.tftpd daemon by creating the directory /tftpboot:
```
# mkdir /tftpboot
```
This configures the machine as a TFTP, bootparams, and RARP server.
Create a symbolic link to the directory.
```
# ln -s /tftpboot/. /tftpboot/tftpboot
```
Enable the tftp line in intetd.conf.

Check that the /etc/inetd.conf entry reads:
```
tftp dgram udp wait root /usr/sbin/in.tftpd in.tftpd -s /tftpboot
```
This prevents inettftpd() from retrieving any file other than one located in /tftpboot.
Edit the hosts database, and add the host names and IP addresses for every client on the network.
Edit the ethers database, and create entries for every host on the network to run in network client mode.
Edit the bootparams database.

See “bootparams Database”. Use the wildcard entry or create an entry for every host that run in network client mode.
Reboot the server.

Information for setting up install servers and boot servers can be found in Solaris Advanced Installation Guide.

Configuring Network Clients

Network clients receive their configuration information from network configuration servers. Therefore, before you configure a host as a network client you must ensure that at least one network configuration server is set up for the network.

How to Configure Hosts for Network Client Mode

Do the following on each host to be configured in network client mode:

How to Specify a Router for the Network Client

If you have only one router on the network and you want the network configuration server to specify its name automatically, ensure that the network client does not have a /etc/defaultrouter file.
To override the name of the default router provided by the network configuration server:
1. Create /etc/defaultrouter on the network client.
2. Type the host name and IP address of the machine you have designated as the default router.
3. Add the host name and IP address of the designated default router to the network client’s /etc/inet/hosts.
If you have multiple routers on the network, create /etc/defaultrouter on the network client, but leave it empty.

Creating /etc/defaultrouter and leaving it empty causes one of the two dynamic routing protocols to run: ICMP Router Discovery protocol (RDISC), or Routing Information Protocol (RIP). The system first runs the program in.rdisc, which looks for routers that
are running the router discovery protocol. If it finds one such router, in.rdisc continues to run and keeps track of the routers that are running the RDISC protocol.

If the system discovers that routers are not responding to the RDISC protocol, it uses RIP and runs the daemon in.routed to keep track of them.