Introduction
The network databases are files that provide information needed to configure the network. The network databases are:
hosts
netmasks
ethers
bootparams
protocols
services
networks
As part of the configuration process, you edit the hosts database and the netmasks database, if your network is subnetted. Two network databases, bootparams and ethers, are used to configure machines as network clients. The remaining databases are used by the operating system and seldom require editing.
Although it is not a network database, the nsswitch.conf file needs to be configured along with the relevant network databases. nsswitch.conf specifies which name service to use for a particular machine: NIS, NIS+, DNS, or local files.
How Name Services Affect Network Databases
Your network database takes a form that depends on the type of name service you select for your network. For example, the hosts database contains, at minimum, the host name and IP address of the local machine and any network interfaces directly connected to the local machine. However, the hosts database could contain other IP addresses and host names, depending on the type of name service on your network.
The network databases are used as follows:
Networks that use local files for their name service rely on files in the /etc/inet and /etc directories
NIS+ uses databases called NIS+ tables
NIS uses databases called NIS maps
DNS uses records with host information
Note- DNS boot and data files do not correspond directly to the network databases.
| Network Database | Local Files | NIS+ Tables | NIS Maps |
| hosts | /etc/inet/hosts | hosts.ord_dir | hosts.byaddr |
| netmasks | /etc/inet/netmasks | netmasks.ord_dir | netmasks.byaddr |
| ethers | /etc/ethers | ethers.ord_dir | ethers.byname |
| bootparams | /etc/bootparams | bootparams.ord_dir | bootparams |
| protocols | /etc/inet/protocols | protocols.ord_dir | protocols.byname |
| services | /etc/inet/services | services.ord_dir | services.byname |
| networks | /etc/inet/networks | networks.ord_dir | networks.byaddr |
nsswitch.conf File - Specifying Which Name Service to Use
The /etc/nsswitch.conf file defines the search order of the network databases. The Solaris installation program creates a default /etc/nsswitch.conf file for the local machine, based on the name service you indicate during the installation process. If you selected the 'None' option, indicating local files for name service, the resulting nsswitch.conf file resembles the following example:
| nsswitch.conf for Networks Using Files for Name Service |
# /etc/nsswitch.files: # # An example file that could be copied over to /etc/nsswitch.conf; # it does not use any naming service. # # "hosts:" and "services:" in this file are used only if the # /etc/netconfig file contains "switch.so" as a # nametoaddr library for "inet" transports. passwd: files group: files hosts: files networks: files protocols: files rpc: files ethers: files netmasks: files bootparams: files publickey: files # At present there isn't a 'files' backend for netgroup; the # system will figure it out pretty quickly, # and won't use netgroups at all. netgroup: files automount: files aliases: files services: files sendmailvars: files |
The nsswitch.conf(4) man page describes the file in detail. Its basic syntax is:
database name-service-to-search
The database field can list one of many types of databases searched by the operating system. For example, it could indicate a database affecting users, such as passwd or aliases, or a network database. The parameter name-service-to-search can have the values files, nis, or nis+ for the network databases. (The hosts database can also have dns as a name service to search.) You can also list more than one name service, such as nis+ and files.
In the above example, the only search option indicated is files. Therefore, the local machine gets security and automounting information, in addition to network database information, from files located in its /etc and /etc/inet directories.
Changing nsswitch.conf
The /etc directory contains the nsswitch.conf file created by the Solaris installation program. It also contains template files for the following name services:
nsswitch.files
nsswitch.nis
nsswitch.nis+
If you want to change from one name service to another, you can copy the appropriate template to nsswitch.conf. You can also selectively edit the nsswitch.conf file, and change the default name service to search for individual databases.
For example, on a network running NIS, you might have to change the nsswitch.conf file on diskless clients. The search path for the bootparams and ethers databases must list files as the first option, and nis. The example below shows the correct search paths.
| nsswitch.conf for a Diskless Client on a Network Running NIS |
## /etc/nsswitch.conf:# . . passwd: files nis group: file nis # consult /etc "files" only if nis is down. hosts: nis [NOTFOUND=return] files networks: nis [NOTFOUND=return] files protocols: nis [NOTFOUND=return] files rpc: nis [NOTFOUND=return] files ethers: files [NOTFOUND=return] nis netmasks: nis [NOTFOUND=return] files bootparams: files [NOTFOUND=return] nis publickey: nis netgroup: nis automount: files nis aliases: files nis # for efficient getservbyname() avoid nis services: files nis sendmailvars: files |
bootparams Database
The bootparams database contains information used by diskless clients and machines configured to boot in the network client mode. You need to edit it if your network will have network clients. The database is built from information entered into the /etc/bootparams file.
The bootparams(4) man page contains complete syntax for this database. Its basic syntax is:
machine-name file-key-server-name:pathname
For each diskless or network client machine, the entry might contain the following information: the name of the client, a list of keys, the names of servers, and path names.
The first item of each entry is the name of the client machine. Next is a list of keys, names of servers, and path names, separated by tab characters. All items but the first are optional. The database can contain a wildcard entry that will be matched by all clients. Here is an example:
| bootparams Database |
myclient root=myserver : /nfsroot/myclient \ swap=myserver : /nfsswap//myclient \ dump=myserver : /nfsdump/myclient |
In this example the term dump=: tells diskless hosts not to look for a dump file.
Wildcard Entry for bootparams
In most cases, you will want to use the wildcard entry when editing the bootparams database to support diskless clients. This entry is:
* root=server:/path dump=:
The asterisk (*) wildcard indicates that this entry applies to all clients not specifically named within the bootparams database.
ethers Database
The ethers database is built from information entered into the /etc/ethers file. It associates host names to their Ethernet addresses. You need to create an ethers database only if you are running the RARP daemon; that is, if you are configuring network clients or diskless machines.
RARP uses the file to map Ethernet addresses to IP addresses. If you are running the RARP daemon in.rarpd, you need to set up the ethers file and maintain it on all hosts running the daemon to reflect changes to the network.
The ethers(4) man page contains complete syntax information for this database. Its basic format is:
Ethernet-address hostname #comment
Ethernet-address is the Ethernet address of the host.
hostname is the official name of the host.
#comment is any kind of note you want to append to an entry in the file.
The equipment manufacturer provides the Ethernet address. If a machine does not display the Ethernet address when you power up, see your hardware manuals for assistance.
When adding entries to the ethers database, make sure that host names correspond to the primary names in the hosts database, not to the nicknames, as shown in the following example:
| Entries in the ethers Database |
8:0:20:1:40:16 fayoum 8:0:20:1:40:15 nubian 8:0:20:1:40:7 sahara # This is a comment 8:0:20:1:40:14 tenere |
Other Network Databases
The remaining network databases seldom need to be edited.
networks databaseDatabase
The networks database associates network names with network numbers, enabling some applications to use and display names rather than numbers. The networks database is based on information in the /etc/inet/networks file. It contains the names of all networks to which your network connects via routers.
The Solaris installation program sets up the initial networks database. The only time you need to update it is when you add a new network to your existing network topology.
The networks(4) man page contains full syntax information for /etc/inet/networks. Here is its basic format:
network-name network-number nickname(s) # comment network-name is the official name for the network. network-number is the number assigned by the InterNIC. nickname is any other name by which the network is known. #comment is any kind of note you want to append to an entry in the file.
It is particularly important that you maintain the networks file. The netstat program uses the information in this database to produce status tables. The example shows a sample /etc/networks file:
| /etc/networks File |
#ident "@(#)networks 1.4 92/07/14 SMI" /* SVr4.0 1.1 */ # # The networks file associates Internet Protocol (IP) network numbers with network names. The format of this file is: # # network-name network-number nicnames . . . # The loopback network is used only for intra-machine communication #loopback 127 # Internet networks # arpanet 10 arpa # Historical ucb-ether 46 ucbether # # local networks eng 193.9.0 #engineering acc 193.9.1 #accounting prog 193.9.2 #programming |
protocolsDatabase
The protocols database lists the TCP/IP protocols installed on your system and their numbers; the Solaris installation program automatically creates it. It is rare when this file requires administrative handling.
The protocols database contains the names of the TCP/IP protocols installed on the system. Its syntax is completely described in the protocols(4) man page. The example below shows an example of the /etc/inet/protocols file:
| /etc/inet/protocols File |
# # Internet (IP) protocols # ip 0 IP # internet protocol, pseudo protocol number icmp 1 ICMP # internet control message protocol tcp 6 TCP # transmission control protocol udp 17 UDP # user datagram protocol |
servicesDatabase
The services database lists the names of TCP and UDP services and their well known port numbers; it is used by programs that call network services. The Solaris installation automatically creates the services database; it generally requires no administrative handling.
The services(4) man page contains complete syntax information. The example below shows an excerpt from a typical /etc/inet/services file:
| /etc/inet/services File |
# # Network services # echo 7/udp echo 7/tcp discard 9/udp sink null discard 11/tcp daytime 13/udp daytime 13/tcp netstat 15/tcp ftp-data 20/tcp ftp 21/tcp telnet 23/tcp time 37/tcp timeserver time 37/udp timeserver name 42/udp nameserver whois 43/tcp nickname |
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