Network PDF

AIX Version 7.
Network management
IBM
Note
Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on page
707.
This edition applies to AIX Version 7.3 and to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new
editions.
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2021.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with
IBM Corp.
Contents
About this document............................................................................................vii

Highlighting.................................................................................................................................................vii
Case-sensitivity in AIX................................................................................................................................vii
ISO 9000.....................................................................................................................................................vii
Network management........................................................................................... 1
What's new................................................................................................................................................... 1
Network and communication concepts.......................................................................................................1
Physical networks ..................................................................................................................................3
Network systems.................................................................................................................................... 3
Emulators................................................................................................................................................5
Common network commands................................................................................................................ 6
Mail management.........................................................................................................................................7
Mail user-agent programs...................................................................................................................... 8
Mail functions....................................................................................................................................... 10
Mail management tasks....................................................................................................................... 43
Mail aliases........................................................................................................................................... 44
Mail queue............................................................................................................................................ 46
Mail logging...........................................................................................................................................50
The sendmail Mail Filter API................................................................................................................ 53
Debug flags for sendmail..................................................................................................................... 96
Internet Message Access Protocol and Post Office Protocol..............................................................97
Mail management commands ...........................................................................................................101
Mail files and directories.................................................................................................................... 101
IMAP and POP commands................................................................................................................. 102
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ..................................................................................102
TCP/IP terminology............................................................................................................................ 103
Planning your TCP/IP network .......................................................................................................... 104
Installation of TCP/IP.........................................................................................................................105
Configuration of TCP/IP......................................................................................................................105
Authentication and the secure rcmds............................................................................................... 107
TCP/IP customization.........................................................................................................................109
Methods for communicating with other systems and users............................................................. 111
File transfers...................................................................................................................................... 115
Printing files to a remote system....................................................................................................... 119
Printing files from a remote system...................................................................................................121
Displaying status information............................................................................................................ 121
TCP/IP protocols................................................................................................................................ 122
TCP/IP local area network adapter cards..........................................................................................159
TCP/IP network interfaces................................................................................................................. 162
TCP/IP addressing..............................................................................................................................168
TCP/IP name resolution..................................................................................................................... 173
Planning and configuring for LDAP name resolution (IBM SecureWay Directory schema)............. 185
Planning and configuring NIS_LDAP name resolution (RFC 2307 schema).....................................187
TCP/IP address and parameter assignment - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol......................188
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6 ...............................................................................274
Preboot Execution Environment Proxy DHCP daemon .................................................................... 297
Boot Image Negotiation Layer daemon.............................................................................................334
TCP/IP daemons.................................................................................................................................368
TCP/IP routing.................................................................................................................................... 371
iii
Mobile IPv6........................................................................................................................................ 380
Virtual IP address...............................................................................................................................383
EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, Teaming.................................................................385
Internet Protocol over InfiniBand (IPoIB).........................................................................................406
iSCSI software initiator and software target..................................................................................... 409
Stream Control Transmission Protocol..............................................................................................415
Path MTU discovery............................................................................................................................420
TCP/IP Quality of Service................................................................................................................... 420
TCP/IP troubleshooting......................................................................................................................431
TCP/IP commands..............................................................................................................................440
File transfer commands..................................................................................................................... 443
Remote login commands................................................................................................................... 443
Status commands.............................................................................................................................. 443
Remote communication command................................................................................................... 443
Print commands................................................................................................................................. 443
TCP/IP daemons.................................................................................................................................444
Device methods..................................................................................................................................445
Request for comments.......................................................................................................................445
Basic Networking Utilities ...................................................................................................................... 445
How BNU works..................................................................................................................................446
BNU file and directory structure........................................................................................................ 446
Configuring BNU................................................................................................................................. 448
BNU maintenance.............................................................................................................................. 461
BNU path names................................................................................................................................ 464
BNU daemons.................................................................................................................................... 465
BNU security.......................................................................................................................................466
Communication between local and remote systems........................................................................468
File exchanges between local and remote systems......................................................................... 470
Command and file exchange status reports......................................................................................472
Command exchanges between local and remote systems...............................................................472
BNU troubleshooting..........................................................................................................................477
SNMP for network management............................................................................................................. 482
SNMPv3.............................................................................................................................................. 483
SNMPv1.............................................................................................................................................. 500
Network File System................................................................................................................................519
NFS services....................................................................................................................................... 520
NFS Access Control Lists support......................................................................................................521
Cache File System support................................................................................................................ 522
NFS mapped file support................................................................................................................... 523
NFS proxy serving.............................................................................................................................. 523
Types of NFS mounts......................................................................................................................... 524
NFS exporting and mounting............................................................................................................. 524
/etc/exports file..................................................................................................................................526
/etc/xtab file....................................................................................................................................... 527
/etc/nfs/hostkey file...........................................................................................................................527
/etc/nfs/local_domain file..................................................................................................................527
/etc/nfs/realm.map file...................................................................................................................... 527
/etc/nfs/princmap file........................................................................................................................ 527
/etc/nfs/security_default file............................................................................................................. 527
Remote Procedure Call Protocol........................................................................................................528
eXternal Data Representation Protocol.............................................................................................528
portmap daemon................................................................................................................................528
NFS applications and control.............................................................................................................528
NFS version 4 support........................................................................................................................531
NFS server grace period.....................................................................................................................531
NFS DIO and CIO support.................................................................................................................. 532
NFS replication and global namespace............................................................................................. 533
NFS server-client delegation............................................................................................................. 539
iv
STNFS short-term network file systems............................................................................................540
Checklist for configuring NFS.............................................................................................................541
Start the NFS daemons at system startup........................................................................................ 541
Configuring an NFS server..................................................................................................................541
Configuring an NFS client...................................................................................................................542
Identity mapping................................................................................................................................543
Exporting an NFS file system............................................................................................................. 543
Setting up a network for RPCSEC-GSS.............................................................................................. 544
Unexporting an NFS file system.........................................................................................................547
Changing an exported file system......................................................................................................547
Root user access to an exported file system.....................................................................................548
Mounting an NFS file system explicitly..............................................................................................548
Automount subsystem....................................................................................................................... 549
Establishing predefined NFS mounts................................................................................................ 551
Unmounting an explicitly or automatically mounted file system..................................................... 556
Removing predefined NFS mounts.................................................................................................... 556
PC-NFS............................................................................................................................................... 556
LDAP automount maps...................................................................................................................... 558
WebNFS.............................................................................................................................................. 559
Network lock manager....................................................................................................................... 559
NFS security....................................................................................................................................... 562
NFS troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................... 562
NFS files..............................................................................................................................................571
NFS commands.................................................................................................................................. 572
NFS daemons..................................................................................................................................... 572
NFS subroutines.................................................................................................................................574
SMB protocol........................................................................................................................................... 574
Server Message Block (SMB) file system.......................................................................................... 574
Server Message Block (SMB) client file system ................................................................................577
Asynchronous communications.............................................................................................................. 582
Non-POSIX line speeds......................................................................................................................583
Asynchronous adapters..................................................................................................................... 583
Asynchronous communications options........................................................................................... 584
Product selection considerations...................................................................................................... 585
Topology considerations.................................................................................................................... 588
Serial communication........................................................................................................................ 588
TTY terminal device........................................................................................................................... 594
Modems ............................................................................................................................................. 605
stty-cxma terminal options................................................................................................................625
Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol subsystem........................................................................... 628
Serial Line Internet Protocol..............................................................................................................631
Asynchronous Terminal Emulation....................................................................................................644
Dynamic screen utility........................................................................................................................658
Serial over Ethernet device driver......................................................................................................664
Generic data link control environment....................................................................................................668
GDLC criteria.......................................................................................................................................669
GDLC interface....................................................................................................................................669
GDLC data link controls......................................................................................................................670
GDLC interface ioctl entry point operations...................................................................................... 670
GDLC special kernel services............................................................................................................. 672
DLC device driver management......................................................................................................... 673
Communications and networks adapters reference.............................................................................. 675
PCI adapters.......................................................................................................................................675
Asynchronous adapters..................................................................................................................... 676
uDAPL (user-level Direct Access Programming Library)........................................................................ 699
uDAPL APIs supported in AIX............................................................................................................700
Vendor-specific attributes for uDAPL................................................................................................ 701
PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter support..................................................................................................... 701
v
AIX NIC + OFED RDMA.......................................................................................................................702
AIX RoCE............................................................................................................................................ 704
PCIe3 40 GbE RoCE adapter support..................................................................................................... 705
Notices..............................................................................................................707
Privacy policy considerations.................................................................................................................. 708
Trademarks.............................................................................................................................................. 709
Index................................................................................................................ 711
vi
About this document
This document provides application programmers with complete information about enabling applications
for globalization for the AIX® operating system. It also provides system administrators with complete
information about enabling networked environments for globalization for the AIX operating system.
Programmers and system administrators can use this document to gain knowledge of globalization
guidelines and principles. Topics include locales, code sets, input methods, subroutines, converters,
character mapping, culture-specific information, and the message facility.
Highlighting
The following highlighting conventions are used in this document:
Item Description
Bold Identifies commands, subroutines, keywords, files, structures, directories, and other
items whose names are predefined by the system. Also identifies graphical objects
such as buttons, labels, and icons that the user selects.
Italics Identifies parameters whose actual names or values are to be supplied by the user.
Identifies examples of specific data values, examples of text similar to what you
Monospace
might see displayed, examples of portions of program code similar to what you
might write as a programmer, messages from the system, or information you should
actually type.
Case-sensitivity in AIX
Everything in the AIX operating system is case-sensitive, which means that it distinguishes between
uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, you can use the ls command to list files. If you type LS,
the system responds that the command is not found. Likewise, FILEA, FiLea, and filea are three
distinct file names, even if they reside in the same directory. To avoid causing undesirable actions to be
performed, always ensure that you use the correct case.
ISO 9000
ISO 9000 registered quality systems were used in the development and manufacturing of this product.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2021 vii

viii AIX Version 7.3: Network management
Network management
This topic collections helps system administrators and users to perform a variety of network
communications tasks. System administrators can find information in this topic collection about how
to perform tasks such as configuring TCP/IP settings, improving network security, and monitoring your
system. You can find complete information about how to perform tasks such as using communications
applications and services for the operating system.
What's new in Network management

Read about new or significantly changed information for the Network management topic collection.
How to see what's new or changed

To help you see where technical changes have been made, the information center uses:
• The image to mark here new or changed information begins.
• The image to mark where new or changed information ends.
December 2021
The following information is a summary of updates made to this topic collection:
• Updated information about enhancements in SMB protocol 3.0.2 in the SMB client file system topic.
Network and communication concepts

This information is intended for system administrators, who are unfamiliar with general networking
principles. If you’re familiar with UNIX networking, you can skip this information.
A network is the combination of two or more computers and their connecting links. A physical network
is the hardware (equipment such as adapters, cables, and telephone lines) that makes up the network.
The software and the conceptual model make up the logical network. Different types of networks and
emulators provide different functions.
The complexity of modern computer networks results several conceptual models for explaining how
networks work. One of the most common of these models is the International Standards Organization's
Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model, also referred to as the OSI seven-layer model.
The seven layers of the OSI model are described as follows:
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2021 1

Comprises the applications that use
Data Layer 7: Application
the network
Network-independent
Ensures that the data is presented to
Data Layer 6: Presentation
the applications consistently
Data Layer 5: Session Manages the connections between applications
Segments Layer 4: Transport Ensures error-free data transmission
Manages the connections to other machines

Packets Layer 3: Network
on the network
Media-dependent
Provides reliable delivery of data across
Frames Layer 2: Data Link
the physical layer
comma14
Bits Layer 1: Physical Describes the physical media of the network
Figure 1. OSI Reference Model
Note: While the OSI Reference Model is useful for discussing networking concepts, many networking
protocols don’t closely follow the OSI model. For example, in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP), the Application and Presentation layer functions are combined, as are the Session and
Transport layers and the Data Link and Physical layers.
Networks allow several user and application communication functions, for example:
Send electronic mail (email)
You can send a message to another user. The two users can be on the same system, different systems
in different buildings, or even in different countries. The underlying layers of software, hardware, and
the physical network, allow a user to generate, send, receive, and process messages, letters, memos,
invitations, and data files. These communications can be to or from any other user who resides on the
physical network.
Emulate another terminal or log in to another computer
Through a communications network, a computer can emulate, or mimic, another and access
information as if it were a different type of computer or terminal. Remote login capabilities provide
users with an interactive command-line interface to log in to a remote system and access the same
programs and files as if they were using the machine locally.
Transfer data
You can transfer data from one system to another. Files, directories, and entire file systems can be
migrated from one machine to another across a network, enabling remote backup of data, as well
as assuring redundancy if the machine fails. Password protection is usually provided as part of the
protocol. Often a file transfer protocol includes functions for display and control so that users with
read/write access can display, define, or delete files and directories.
2 AIX Version 7.3: Network management

Run programs that reside on a remote node
Several different protocols exist that allow users and applications on one system to invoke procedures
and applications on other systems. This can be useful for a number of environments, including the
offloading of many computer-intensive routines in engineering and scientific applications.
Data entry
Data entry consists of entering data directly into either local or remote data files. Increased accuracy
and efficiency are natural by-products of a one-step data transfer.
Data queries
Data queries entail searching data files for specified information. Data updating involves altering,
adding, or deleting data stored in local or remote files.
Remote batch entry
Remote batch entry consists of entering batches of data from a remote location, an activity often
performed at night or during periods of low system usage. Because of such diverse capabilities,
communications and networks are not only desirable but necessary.
Resource sharing
Sharing resources is another function of networks. Users can share data as well as programs, file-
storage space, and peripheral devices like printers, modems, terminals, and hard disks.
Data sharing
Sharing of system resources is cost effective because it eliminates the problems of keeping multiple
copies of programs and it keeps data consistent (in the case of program and file sharing).
Communication with other operating systems
Different types of computers can be connected on a network. The computers can be from different
manufacturers or be different models from the same manufacturer. Communication programs bridge
the differences in operating systems of two or more types of computers. Sometimes these programs
require that another program is installed on the network. Other programs might require that such
communications connectivity protocols as TCP/IP or Systems Network Architecture (SNA) exist on the
network.
Physical networks
The physical network consists of the cables (coaxial cable, twisted pair, fiber optic, and telephone lines)
that connect the different hardware residing on the network, the adapter used on computers connected to
the network (hosts), and any concentrators, repeaters, routers, or bridges used in the network.
Physical networks vary both in size and in the type of hardware used. The two common kinds of
networks are local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). A LAN is a network where
communications are limited to a moderately sized geographic area of 1 km to 10 km (1 to 6 miles), such
as a single office building, warehouse, or campus. A WAN is a network providing data communications
capability throughout geographic areas larger than those serviced by LANs, such as across a country
or across continents. An intermediate class of networks exists also, called metropolitan area networks
(MANs). This guide does not generally distinguish MANs; they are grouped with WANs.
LANs commonly use Standard Ethernet, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, or token-ring hardware for the physical
network, while WANs and asynchronous networks use communications networks provided by common
carrier companies. Operation of the physical network in both cases is usually controlled by networking
standards from organizations such as the Electronics Industry Association (EIA) or the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Network systems
All network communications involve the use of hardware and software. The network communication
support is determined by the hardware and the software necessary to run that hardware and interface
with the network.
Hardware consists of the physical equipment that is connected to the physical network. Software consists
of the programs and device drivers that are associated with the operation of a particular system. The
system hardware consists of adapter or other devices that provide a path or interface between the system
Network management 3
software and the physical network. An adapter requires an I/O card slot in the system. An adapter
prepares all inbound and outbound data; performs address searches; provides drivers, receivers, and
surge protection; supports different interfaces; and in general relieves the system processor of many
communications tasks.
The following terms are used throughout the network management information:
Protocols
Protocols are sets of semantics and syntactical rules that define how information is delivered, how it is
enclosed to reach its destination safely, and what path it follows. Protocols also coordinate the flow of
messages and their acknowledgments.
Addresses
A network domain is an administrative grouping of multiple computer networks or hosts within the
same infrastructure. Domains put the data processing resources in a network under a common
control.
For example, the structure of the internet illustrates how domains define the Internet Protocol (IP)
address. The internet is an extensive network that is made up of many different smaller networks.
To facilitate routing and addressing, internet addresses are hierarchically structured in domains, with
broad categories at the top such as com for commercial users, edu for educational users, and gov
for government users. Within the com domain are many smaller domains corresponding to individual
businesses; for example, ibm. Within the ibm.com domain are even smaller domains corresponding
to the internet addresses for various locations, such as austin.ibm.com or raleigh.ibm.com. At this
level, you can identify names of hosts. A host, in this context, is any computer that is connected to
the network. Within austin.ibm.com, there might be hosts with the names hamlet and lear, which are
addressed hamlet.austin.ibm.com and lear.austin.ibm.com.
Gateways and bridges
A wide variety of networks reside on the internet that often uses different hardware and runs different
software. Gateways and bridges enable these different networks to communicate with each other.
A bridge is a functional unit that connects two LANs that possibly use the same logical link control
(LLC) procedure, such as Ethernet, but different medium access control (MAC) procedures. A gateway
has a broader range than a bridge. It operates above the link layer and, when required, converts the
interface and protocol used by one network into those used by another distinct network. Gateways
allow data transfers across the various networks that constitute the internet.
Data routing
Using domain names for addressing and gateways for translation greatly facilitates the routing of the
data that is being transferred. Routing is the assignment of a path by which a message reaches its
destination. The domain name effectively defines the message destination. In a large network like the
internet, information is routed from one communications network to the next until that information
reaches its destination. Each communications network checks the domain name and based on the
domains with which that network is familiar, routes the information on to the next logical stop. In this
way, each communications network that receives the data contributes to the routing process.
Local and remote nodes
A physical network is used by the hosts that reside on that network. Each host is a node on
the network. A node is an addressable location in a communications network that provides host-
processing services. The intercommunication of these various nodes is defined as local or remote.
Local pertains to a device, file, or system accessed directly from your system, without the use of a
communications line. Remote pertains to a device, file, or system accessed by your system over a
communications line. Local files reside on your system, while remote files reside on a file server or
at another node with which you communicate by using a physical network, for example, Ethernet,
token-ring, or phone lines.
Client and Server
A server is a computer that contains data or provides facilities to be accessed by other computers on
the network. A client is a computer that requests services or data from a server. Common server types
are file servers, which store files; name servers, which store names and addresses; and application
servers, which store programs and applications; print servers, which schedule and direct print jobs to
their destination.

A client can request updated program code or the use of applications from a code server. To obtain
a name or address, a client contacts a name server. A client can also request files and data for data
entry, inquiry, or record update from a file server.
Emulators
An emulator is a software application that allows your system to function as if you were using a different
terminal or printer. A terminal emulator connects to a host system to access data or applications. Some
terminal emulators provide a facility to transfer files to and from the host. Others provide an application
programming interface (API) to allow program-to-program communication and automation of host tasks.
A printer emulator allows the host either to print files on a local printer or store them in printable form to
be printed or edited later.
TCP/IP commands for emulation

The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) software includes the telnet and rlogin
commands, which allow you to connect to and access a remote TCP/IP system.
Item Description
telnet Allows a user to log in to a remote host by implementing the TELNET
protocol. It is different from the rlogin command in that it is a trusted
command. A trusted command is one that meets all security levels configured
on your computer. Systems that require extra security should allow only trusted
commands. Standards for trusted commands, processes, and programs are set
and maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense.
tn Performs the same function as the telnet command.
rlogin Allows a user to log in to a remote host. It is different from the telnet command
in that it is a nontrusted command and can be disabled if your system needs
extra security.
For more information about TCP/IP, see “Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ” on page 102.
Note: The bterm command emulates terminals in bidirectional (bidi) mode.
BNU commands for emulation

The Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) software includes the ct, cu, and tip commands, which allow you
to connect to a remote system that uses the AIX operating system.
Item Description
ct Enables a user on a remote terminal, such as a 3161, to communicate with another
terminal over a telephone line. The user on the remote terminal can then log in and work
on the other terminal.
The ct command is similar to the cu command but not as flexible. For example, you
cannot issue commands on the local system while connected to a remote system through
the ct command. However, you can instruct the ct command to continue dialing until the
connection is established or to specify more than one telephone number at a time.
cu Connects your terminal to another terminal connected to either a UNIX or non-UNIX

system.
After the connection is established, you can be logged in on both systems at the same
time, executing commands on either one without dropping the BNU communication link.
If the remote terminal is also running under UNIX, you can transfer ASCII files between
the two systems. You can also use the cu command to connect multiple systems, and
commands can then be executed on any of the connected systems.
Item Description
tip Connects your terminal to a remote terminal and enables you to work on the remote
terminal as if logged in directly.
You can use the tip command to transfer files to and from the remote system. You can
use scripting to record the conversations you have with the tip command.
Note: You must have a login on the remote system to use the tip command.
For more information about BNU, see “Basic Networking Utilities ” on page 445.
Common network commands

Use the following commands to display basic information about the users, systems, and logging.
Table 1. Commonly used communication commands

Command Description
whoami Displays your login name.
uname Displays the name of your system if your system is on a network.
host system_name Determines whether your local system has access to the specified system.
# host system_name
If your system has the proper information, a display similar to the following
is returned:
<system_name> is 192.9.200.4 (300,11,310,4)
You can then send a message to the system. The address 192.9.200.4 is
used by the system to route the mail. If your system does not have the
information, a display similar to the following is returned:
<system_name>: unknown host

Table 1. Commonly used communication commands (continued)
Command Description
finger system_name| Displays the logged-on users on a specific system or host or information
user_name about a specific user.
# finger system_name
A display similar to the following is returned:
brown Console Mar 15 13:19

smith pts0 Mar 15 13:01
jones tty0 Mar 15 13:01
finger brown@<system_name>
or
finger brown
A display similar to the following is returned:
Login name: brown

In real life: Marta Brown
Directory:/home/brown Shell: /bin/ksh
On since May 8 07:13:49 on console
No Plan.
Several applications are available to allow your system to emulate other types of terminals.
Mail management
The mail facility provides a method for exchanging electronic mail (e-mail) with users on the same system
or on multiple systems connected by a network. The mail system, the standard mail user interface, the
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), and the Post Office Protocol (POP) are described here.
The mail system is an internetwork mail delivery facility that consists of a user interface, a message
routing program, and a message delivery program (or mailer). The mail system relays messages from one
user to another on the same host, between hosts, and across network boundaries. It also performs a
limited amount of message-header editing to put the message into a format that is appropriate for the
receiving host.
A mail user interface enables users to create and send messages to, and receive messages from, other
users. The mail system provides two user interfaces, mail and mhmail. The mail command is the
standard mail user interface available on all UNIX systems. The mhmail command is the Message
Handler (MH) user interface, an enhanced mail user interface designed for experienced users.
A message routing program routes messages to their destinations. The mail system message routing
program is the sendmail program, which is part of the Base Operating System (BOS) and is installed
with BOS. The sendmail program is a daemon that uses information in the /etc/mail/sendmail.cf
or /etc/mail/submit.cf configuration file, and the /etc/mail/aliases file to perform the
necessary routing.
Depending on the type of route to the destination, the sendmail command uses different mailers to
deliver messages.
Figure 2. Mailers used by the sendmail command
This illustration is a type of top-down organizational chart with Mail and MH at the top. Branching from
them are bellmail, BNU and SMTP. Underneath the previous level are local mailbox, UUCP link, and
TCP/IP link respectively. Beneath UUCP link is remote mailbox and under TCP/IP link is remote mailbox.
As the figure illustrates:
• To deliver local mail, the sendmail program routes messages to the bellmail program. The
bellmail program delivers all local mail by appending messages to the user's system mailbox, which
is in the /var/spool/mail directory.
• To deliver mail over a UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) link, the sendmail program routes
messages using Basic Network Utilities (BNU).
• To deliver mail routed through Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), the
sendmail command establishes a TCP/IP connection to the remote system then uses Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to transfer the message to the remote system.
Mail user-agent programs

Before you can use the mail system, you must select a user-agent program. You can choose a mail
program (mail), message handler (mh), or the bellmail command.
A user-agent program provides facilities for creating, receiving, sending, and filing mail. In addition,
you need a transport-agent program, sendmail, which distributes incoming mail from other systems or
packages and distributes each outgoing mail item and then transmits it to a similar program in one or
more remote systems.
Note: The mail and mh programs are incompatible in the way they store mail; you must choose
one mail handler or the other.
Mail program interface

The mail program provides you with a user interface to handle mail to and from both a local network user
and a remote system user.
A mail message can be text, entered using an editor, or an ASCII file. In addition to a typed message or a
file, you can send:
Item Description
system message Informs users the system has been updated. A system message is similar to
a broadcast message but is sent on the local network only.
secret mail Used to send classified information. A secret mail message is encrypted.
The recipient must enter a password to read it.
vacation message Informs users you are on vacation. When your system receives mail in your
absence, it sends a message back to the origin. The message states you are
on vacation. Any mail you receive while on vacation can also be forwarded.

When you receive mail using the mail subcommands, you can:
• Leave the mail in the system mailbox.
• Read and delete the mail.
• Forward the mail.
• Add comments to the mail.
• Store the mail in your personal mailbox (mbox).
• Store the mail in a folder you have created.
• Create and maintain an alias file or a distribution file, which directs the mail and mail messages.
The installation of sendmail is automatic.
For more information about the mail program, refer to “Mail functions” on page 10.
Message handler (mh)

The mh program is a collection of commands that enables you to perform each mail processing function
directly from the command line.
These commands provide a broader range of function than the subcommands of mail. Also, because the
commands can be issued at any time the command prompt is displayed, you gain power and flexibility in
creating mail and in processing received mail. For example, you can read a mail message, search a file or
run a program to find a particular solution, and answer the message, all within the same shell.
The mh program enables you to create, distribute, receive, view, process, and store messages using the
following commands:
Item Description
ali Lists mail aliases and their addresses.
anno Annotates messages.
ap Parses and reformats addresses.
burst Explodes digests into messages.
comp Starts an editor for creating or modifying a message.
dist Redistributes a message to additional addresses.
dp Parses and reformats dates.
folder Selects and lists folders and messages.
folders Lists all folders and messages in the mail directory.
forw Forwards messages.
inc Incorporates new mail into a folder.
mark Creates, modifies, and displays message sequences.
mhl Produces a formatted listing of messages.
mhmail Sends or receives mail.
mhpath Prints full path names of messages and folders.
msgchk Checks for messages.
msh Creates a mail handler (mh) shell.
next Shows the next message.
packf Compresses the contents of a folder into a file.
pick Selects messages by content and creates and modifies sequences.
Item Description
prev Shows the previous message.
refile Moves files between folders.
repl Replies to a message.
rmf Removes folders and the messages they contain.
rmm Removes messages from active status.
scan Produces a one-line-per-message scannable listing.
send Sends a message.
show Shows messages.
sortm Sorts messages.
vmh Starts a visual interface for use with mh commands.
whatnow Starts a prompting interface for draft disposition.
whom Manipulates mh addresses.
bellmail command
The bellmail command is the original AT&T UNIX mail command, which handles mail for users on the
same system and also for users on remote systems that can be accessed by means of Basic Network
Utilities (BNU), sometimes known as the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP).
These programs support only networks of systems connected by dialup or leased point-to-point
communication lines. The command opens a shell whose subcommands allow you to:
• Take data from standard input (typed in or redirected from an existing file), add one or more addresses
(supplied as arguments to the command itself) and a timestamp, then append a copy to each
addressee's system mailbox file (/var/spool/mail/UserID).
• Read mail items from your system mailbox file.
• Append mail items to your personal mailbox file ($HOME/mbox) or to a specified file.
• Send mail using BNU to a user on another system.
• Automatically redirect all mail from your system mailbox to one on another system by adding a .forward
statement to the beginning of your system mailbox file.
However, you must have some skill as a UNIX user before you can make full use of this mail handler. For
more information, refer to the bellmail command.
Mail functions
The features of the mail program are introduced here.
The mail program enables you to receive, create, and send mail to users on a local or remote system.
Mail storage
Mail is stored in different ways, depending on the specific situation.
When mail is sent to your address, it is stored in a system directory that is specifically for mail. This
system directory contains a file for every user on the local system. This directory holds your mail until you
do something with it.

System mailbox
The system mailbox is similar to a post office box: the post office delivers letters addressed to the person
who owns that box.
Similarly, the system mailbox is a file where messages are delivered to a particular user. If the file does
not exist when mail arrives, it is created. The file is deleted when all messages have been removed.
System mailboxes reside in the /var/spool/mail directory. Each system mailbox is named by the user
ID associated with it. For example, if your user ID is karen, your system mailbox is:
/var/spool/mail/karen
Default personal mailbox

Your personal mailbox is similar to an in-basket in an office. You put mail in the in-basket after you have
received it, but before you have filed it.
Each user has a personal mailbox. When you read mail from the system mailbox, and if it is not marked
for deletion or saved to a file, it is written to your personal mailbox, $HOME/mbox ($HOME is your login
directory). The mbox file exists only when it contains a message.
dead.letter file for incomplete messages

If you need to interrupt a message you are creating to complete other tasks, the system saves incomplete
messages in the dead.letter file in the $HOME directory.
If the dead.letter file does not exist, the file is created. Later you can edit the file to complete your
message.
Attention: Do not use the dead.letter file to store messages. The content of this file is
overwritten each time an interrupt is issued to save a partial message to the dead.letter file.
Mail folders
Folders enable you to save messages in an organized fashion. Using the mail program, you can put a
message into a folder from the system mailbox, a personal mailbox, or another folder.
Each folder is a text file. Each folder is placed in the directory you specify in your .mailrc file with
the set folder option. You must create this directory before using folders to store messages. When the
directory exists, the mail program creates the folders in that directory as needed. If you do not specify a
directory in your .mailrc file, folders are created in the current directory. See “Organizing mail” on page
17.
Note: Several programs are available to send and receive mail, including Message Handler
(MH) and the bellmail program. Which program you use depends on what is installed and
configured on your system. For information on your system configuration, contact your system
administrator.
Mail handling and receiving

The mail program enables you to examine each message in a mailbox and then delete or file a message
in a personal mail directory.
The command shell notifies you that mail has arrived. The notification is displayed before the next
prompt, provided that the MAIL environment variable is set and provided that the interval specified by
MAILCHECK has elapsed since the shell last checked for mail. The notification message is the value of
the MAILMSG environment variable. Depending on which shell you are using (bourne, korn, or C shell), the
notification is similar to the following:
YOU HAVE NEW MAIL
Mailbox startup
Use the mail command to read and remove messages from your system mailbox.
Do not use the system mailbox to store messages. Store messages in your personal mailbox and in mail
folders.
Checking your system mailbox for mail

Use the mail command to check your system mailbox for mail.
At your system command line prompt, enter the mail command:
mail
If there is no mail in your system mailbox, the system responds with a message:
No mail for YourID
If there is mail in your mailbox, the system displays a listing of the messages in your system mailbox:
Mail Type ? for help.

"/usr/mail/lance": 3 messages 3 new
>N 1 karen Tue Apr 27 16:10 12/321 "Dept Meeting"
N 2 lois Tue Apr 27 16:50 10/350 "System News"
N 3 tom Tue Apr 27 17:00 11/356 "Tools Available"
The current message is always prefixed with a greater-than symbol (>). Each one-line entry displays the
following fields:
Item Description
status Indicates the class of the message.
number Identifies the piece of mail to the mail program.
sender Identifies the address of the person who sent the mail.
date Specifies the date the message was received.
size Defines the number of lines and characters contained in the message (this includes the
header).
subject Identifies the subject of the message, if it has one.
The status can be any of the following:
Ite Description
m
N A new message.
P A message that will be preserved in your system mailbox.
U An unread message. This is a message that was listed in the mailbox the last time you used the
mail program, but the contents were not examined.
* A message that was saved or written to a file or folder.
A message without a status indicator is a message that has been read but has not been deleted or saved.
Checking your personal mailbox or mail folder for mail

You can use the mail command to check your personal mailbox or mail folder for mail.
At your system command line prompt, you can use the mail command in the ways shown in the following
steps:
1. To display a listing of the messages in your personal mailbox, $HOME/mbox, enter:

mail -f
If there is no mail in your personal mailbox, the system responds with a message similar to the
following:
"/u/george/mbox": 0 messages
or
A file or directory in the path name does not exist
2. To display a listing of the messages in the dept folder, enter:
mail -f +dept
If there is no mail in your mail folder, the system responds with a message similar to the following:
A file or directory in the path name does not exist
Mailbox content display options

From the mailbox prompt, you can enter mailbox subcommands to manage the contents of the mailbox.
Prerequisites
1. The mail program must be installed on your system.

2. The mail program must be started.
3. There must be mail in your mailbox.
Ranges of messages
Use the h subcommand to view a message contained within a list of messages that you determine so that
you do not have to browse through all your messages.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the h subcommand in the ways shown in the following examples:
Item Description
h Approximately 20 messages are displayed at a time. The actual number displayed is determined
by the type of terminal being used and the set screen option in your .mailrc file. If you enter
the h subcommand again, the same range of messages is displayed.
h 21 Message 21 and subsequent messages, up to and including message 40 (if you have that
number of messages in your mailbox), are displayed. Continue typing the h subcommand with
the subsequent message number until all messages have been displayed.
h1 To return to the first group of 20 messages, enter any number within the range of 1-20.
Mailbox scrolling
Use the z subcommand to scroll through your mailbox.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the z subcommand in the ways shown in the following examples:
Ite Description
m
z Approximately 20 messages are displayed at a time. The actual number displayed is determined
by the type of terminal being used and the set screen option in your .mailrc file. enter the z
subcommand again to scroll to the next 20 messages.
Ite Description
m
z + The plus sign (+) argument scrolls to the next 20 messages. Message 21 and subsequent
messages, up to and including message 40 (if you have that number of messages in your mailbox),
are displayed. Continue typing the z+ subcommand until all messages have been displayed. The
system will respond with the following message:
On last screenful of messages.
z The minus sign (-) argument scrolls to the previous 20 messages. When you reach the first set of
- messages, the system will respond with the following message:
On first screenful of messages.
Message filtering for specific information

At your mailbox prompt, you can use the f subcommand in the ways shown in the following examples to
filter messages according to the information that you want.
Item Description
f Displays header information for the current message.
f 1 4 7 Displays header information for the specific messages 1, 4, and 7.
f 1-10 Displays header information for a range of messages 1 through 10.
f * Displays all messages.
f ron Messages, if any, from user ron are displayed. The characters entered for an address do
not need to exactly match the address; therefore, the request for address ron in either
uppercase or lowercase letters matches all of the following addresses:
RoN
ron@topdog
hron
rOn
fmeet Messages, if any, where the Subject: field contains the letters meet are displayed. The
characters entered for a pattern do not need to exactly match the Subject: field. They must
only be contained in the Subject: field in either uppercase or lowercase letters; therefore,
the request for subject meet matches all of the following subjects:
Meeting on Thursday
Come to meeting tomorrow
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
Current message numbers

The = subcommand displays message numbers.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the = subcommand in the way shown in the following example:
Ite Description
m
= The current message number is displayed.
Total number of messages in your mailbox

Use the folder subcommand to check how many messages are in your mailbox.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the folder subcommand in the way shown in the following
example:

Item Description
folder Lists information about your folder or mailbox. The system will respond similarly to the
following:
"/u/lance/mbox": 29 messages.
Reading mail options

You can read your mail in several ways. Examples of each method are described here.
Choose the method you are most comfortable with, and use it to read your mail. Before attempting to
read your mail, make sure the following conditions are true:
3. There must be mail in your system mailbox.
Reading messages in your mailbox

Use the t or p subcommand to read messages in your mailbox.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the t or p subcommands in the ways shown in the following
examples:
Item Description
3 If you use the number of the message, by default, the text of the message is displayed.
t If you use the t subcommand, by default, the text of the current message is displayed.
t3 The text of message 3 is displayed.
t2 4 9 The text for messages 2, 4, and 9 is displayed.
t 2-4 The text for the range of messages 2 through 4 is displayed.
t If you use the p subcommand, by default, the text of the current message is displayed.
p3 The text of message 3 is displayed.
p2 4 9 The text for messages 2, 4, and 9 is displayed.
p 2-4 The text for the range of messages 2 through 4 is displayed.
Reading the next message in your mailbox

Use the n subcommand to read the next message in your mailbox.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the (n)ext or plus sign (+) subcommand in the way shown in the
following example:
Item Description
n or + Displays the text of the next message, and this message becomes the current message.
You can also press the Enter key to display the text of the next message.
Reading the previous message in your mailbox

Use the - subcommand to read the previous message.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the - subcommand in the way shown in the following example:
Ite Description
m
- The text of the previous message is displayed.
Deleting mail
When deleting a message, you can delete the current message, delete a specific message, or delete a
range of messages.
You can also delete the current message and display the next message by combining subcommands.
Ensure that the following conditions are met:
Deleting messages
Use various forms of the d subcommand to delete messages.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the (d)elete subcommand in the ways shown in the following
examples:
Item Description
d The current message is deleted.
dp or dt The current message is deleted and the next message is displayed. This also can be
accomplished by including the set autoprint option in the .mailrc file, which will set
the d subcommand to function like the dp or dt subcommand combination.
d4 Deletes the specific message 4.
d 4-6 Deletes a range of messages 4 through 6.
d 2 6 8 Deletes messages 2, 6, and 8.
Undeleting messages
Use the u subcommand for undeleting messages.
At your mailbox prompt, you can use the u subcommand in the ways shown in the following examples:
Item Description
u The current message is undeleted.
u4 Undeletes the specific message 4.
u 4-6 Undeletes a range of messages 4 through 6.
u2 6 8 Undeletes messages 2, 6, and 8.
Exiting mail
Ensure that the following requirements are met before exiting the mail program.
Exiting mail and saving changes

Use the q subcommand to exit mail and save changes.
If you are exiting the system mailbox:

Item Description
q The q subcommand leaves the system mailbox and returns to the operating system. When
you leave the mailbox, all messages marked to be deleted are removed from the mailbox
and cannot be recovered. The mail program saves the messages you read in your personal
mailbox (mbox). If you did not read any of your mail, the messages remain in the system
mailbox until acted upon.
If you are exiting your personal mailbox or a mail folder:
Item Description
q When using the q subcommand in your personal mailbox or a mail folder, messages read
and not read will remain in your personal mailbox or in a mail folder until acted upon.
Exiting mail without saving changes

Use the x or ex subcommand to exit mail without making mailbox changes.
Item Description
x or ex The x or ex subcommand allows you to leave the mailbox and return to the operating
system without changing the original contents of the mailbox. The program ignores any
requests you made prior to the x request; however, if you did save a message to another
folder, the save will occur.
Organizing mail
Use folders to save messages in an organized fashion.
You can create as many folders as you need. Give each folder a name that pertains to the subject matter
of the messages it contains, similar to file folders in an office filing system. Each folder is a text file that
is placed in the directory you specify in your .mailrc file with the set folder option. You must create
this directory before using folders to store messages. When the directory exists, the mail program creates
the folders in that directory as needed. If you do not specify a directory with the set folder option in
your .mailrc file, the folder is created in your current directory. Using the mail program, you can put a
message into a folder from the system mailbox, a personal mailbox, or another folder.
You can add the contents of a message to a file or folder using the s or w subcommands. Both of these
subcommands append information to an existing file or create a new file if it does not exist. Information
currently in the file is not destroyed. If you save a message from your system mailbox to a file or folder,
the message is deleted from your system mailbox and transferred to the file or folder specified. If you
save a message from your personal mailbox or folder to another file or folder, the message is not deleted
from your personal mailbox but is copied to the specified file or folder. When using the s subcommand,
you can read the folder like a mailbox because the messages and the header information are appended
at the end of the folder. When using the w subcommand, you can read the folder like a file because the
message is appended without header information at the end of the file.
Before organizing mail, ensure that the following requirements are met:
2. There must be mail in your system mailbox, personal mailbox, or a folder you have defined.
Creating a letters mailbox directory to store messages in folders

Messages can be saved in a mailbox directory folder using the set folder subcommand.
Use the following procedure to store messages in folders:
1. To check if the set folder option has been enabled in the .mailrc file, enter the following
subcommand at the mailbox prompt:
set
The set subcommand displays a list of the enabled mail options in your .mailrc file.
If the set folder option has been enabled, the system responds with a message similar to the
following:
folder /home/george/letters
In this example, letters is the directory in which mail folders will be stored.
2. If the set folder option has not been enabled, add a line similar to the following in the .mailrc
file:
set folder=/home/george/letters
In this example, /home/george is George's home directory and letters is the directory in which
mail folders will be stored. The set folder option enables you to use the plus sign (+) shorthand
notation at your mailbox prompt to save messages in your letters directory.
3. You must create a letters directory in your home directory. In your home directory at the system
command line prompt, type:
mkdir letters
Saving messages with headers

The s subcommand saves messages with headers.
Use the s subcommand in the following ways:
Item Description
s 1-4 notes Saves messages 1, 2, 3 and 4 with their header information to a folder called
notes in the current directory.
The mail program responds with the following message:
"notes" [Appended] 62/1610
s +admin Saves the current message to an existing folder called admin in your folder
directory.
If the folder directory is defined as /home/george/letters in your .mailrc file,
the system responds with:
"/home/george/letters/admin" [Appended] 14/321
s 6 +admin Saves message 6 to an existing folder called admin in your folder directory.
If the folder directory is defined as /home/george/letters in your .mailrc file,
the system responds with:
"/home/george/letters/admin" [Appended] 14/321
Saving messages without headers

Use the w subcommand to save a message as a file instead of as a folder.
To read or edit a file saved with the w subcommand, you must use vi or some other text editor. At your
mailbox prompt, you can use the w subcommand in the following ways:

Item Description
w 6 pass Saves only the text of message 6 to a file called pass in the current
directory.
If the pass file does not already exist, the system responds with the
following message:
"pass" [New file] 12/30
If the pass file exists, the system responds with the following message:
"pass" [Appended] 12/30
w 1-3 safety Saves only the text of the specific messages 1, 2, and 3 to a file called
safety in the current directory.
The text of the messages in this example will be appended one after the
other into one file. If the safety file does not already exist, the system
responds with the following message:
"safety" [New file] 12/30
Determining the current mailbox or folder

Use the folder subcommand to determine the current mailbox or folder.
Although the mail command displays the name of the current mailbox when it starts, you might lose
track of which mailbox you are in. At your mailbox prompt, you can use the folder subcommand shown
in the following example:
Item Description
folder Finds the name of your current mailbox or folder.
If the current mailbox is /home/lance/mbox, the following is displayed:
/home/lance/mbox: 2 messages 1 deleted
This message indicates that /home/lance/mbox is the current mailbox you are in, it
contains two messages, and one of those messages will be deleted when you finish
with this mailbox.
Changing to another mailbox

Changing to another mailbox is like quitting a mailbox or folder.
Any messages that you marked to be deleted are deleted when you leave that mailbox. The deleted
messages cannot be recovered. At your mailbox prompt, you can use the file or folder subcommand
shown in the following example:
Item Description
folder +project After the mail program is started with one mailbox, use the file or
folder subcommands to change to another mailbox.
If you change from the mbox file to the mbox folder and you have
deleted all the messages in the mbox file, the mail program displays:
/home/dee/mbox removed
+project: 2 messages 2 new
followed by a list of the messages in the project folder.
Creating and sending mail
You can use the mail program to create, send, reply, and forward messages to other users or to send
ASCII files to other users.
An ASCII file might, for example, be a document you have written using a preferred editor or a source file
for a program.
You can send messages and files to a user on your local system, on your network, or to a user on another
connected network. The recipient does not need to be logged on to the system when you send the
information. Mail is sent to a user's address.
Addressing mail
Mail is sent to a user's address. The address, containing the login name and system name, directs the
delivery of the mail message.
Generally, to send a message to another user, you must enter the mail command and the address as
follows:
mail User@Address
The format of the Address parameter depends upon the location of the recipient. The concept is similar
to how you might address a note to a fellow worker in an office. To send a note to Ryan, who works in a
small department of six to eight people, you might write the name on an envelope and put it in the office
mail system. However, if Ryan is in another department, you might have to provide more information on
the envelope:
Ryan
Payroll
If Ryan is in another geographic location, you might need even more information to ensure that the
message reaches him:
Ryan
Payroll
Gaithersburg
To send mail electronically, use a similar addressing progression:

Item Description
mail ryan To send mail to a user on your local system, the login name is the only part
of the address required.
mail ryan@tybalt To send mail to a user on your local network, enter the full system (node)
address.
mail To send mail to a user on another connected network, enter the full system
ryan@mars.aus.dbm.co address and network address.
m
mail dept71 You can send mail to a specific group of people by using an alias or
distribution list. To do so, you must create an alias or distribution list in
your .mailrc file. If you need information on creating aliases, see “Aliases
and distribution lists” on page 35.
Addressing mail to more than one user

To address mail to more than one user at the same time, separate each user name with a space.
For example:
ryan@tybalt suemc@julius dmorgan@ophelia

Addressing mail to users on your local system
To send a message to a user on your local system (to someone whose login name is listed in your /etc/
passwd file), use the login name for the address.
At your system command line prompt, you can use the mail command shown in the following example:
mail LoginName
Item Description
mail ryan If Ryan is on your system and has the login name ryan, this command activates the mail
program, enables you to create a message, and tries to send the message to a local login
name of ryan. If the message is delivered successfully, you receive no notification. If
Ryan is not on your system, the mail system immediately returns an error message and
returns the unsent message to your system mailbox.
Addressing mail to users on your network

Use the mail command to send a message to users on your network. Include the user's login name and
system name in the address.
To send a message through a local network to a user on another system, at the command line, type:
Item Description
mail LoginName@SystemName For example, if Ryan is on system zeus, use the following
command to create and send a message to him:
mail ryan@zeus
This command activates the mail program, enables you

to create a message, and tries to send the message to
login name ryan on system zeus. If the message is
delivered successfully, you receive the system prompt with
no notification. If the mail address is incorrect, you receive
an error message.
Note: To send a message through a local network to a user on another system, you must
know the login name and the name of the other system. For more information about displaying
information that identifies users, see “Common network commands” on page 6.
Addressing mail to users on a different network

If your network is connected to other networks, you can send mail to users on the other networks.
The address parameters differ depending on how your network and the other networks address each
other and how they are connected. Depending on how your network configuration, take one of these
actions:
• If you are using a central database of names and addresses, use the mail command shown in the
following example:
mail LoginName@SystemName
If the networks use a central database of names, you do not need any additional information to send
mail to users on the connected networks. Use the same addressing format as for users on your local
network.
This type of addressing works well when the nature of the network allows a central database of names
to be maintained.
• If your network uses domain name addressing, use the mail command shown in the following example:
mail LoginName@SystemName.DomainName
For networks that span large, unrelated networks in widespread locations, a central database of names
is not possible. The DomainName parameter defines the remote network, relative to your local network,
within the defined structure for the larger group of interconnected networks.
For example, if you enter the following command:
mail kelly@merlin.odin.valryanl
your mail is sent to user kelly on the system merlin, which is on a local network named odin that is
connected to a second network whose domain is called valryanl.
Mail addresses over a BNU or UUCP link

You can send messages to users on another system over a Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) or UNIX-to-
UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) link.
To send a message to a user on another system connected to your system by the BNU or another version
of UUCP, you must know:
• The login name
• The name of the other system
• The physical route to that other system
The person responsible for connecting your system to other systems should be able to provide routing
information to address the other system.
When Your Computer Has a BNU or UUCP Link: At your system command line prompt, use the mail
command as shown in the following examples:
Item Description
mail UUCPRoute!LoginName If your local computer has a BNU or UUCP connection
that can be used to reach the remote system, use the
format in this example to address a message. The variable
LoginName is the login name on the remote system for
the message recipient. The variable UUCPRoute describes
the physical route the message must follow along the
UUCP network. If your system is connected to the remote
system without any intermediate UUCP systems between,
this variable is the name of the remote system.
mailarthur!lancelot!merlin!ken If your message must travel through one or more
intermediate UUCP systems before reaching the desired
remote system, this variable is a list of each of the
intermediate systems. The list starts with the nearest
system and proceeds to the farthest system, separated
by an exclamation mark (!). You can follow this example,
if the message must travel through systems arthur and
lancelot (in that order) before reaching merlin.
mail merlin!ken If your local system has a UUCP link to a system called
merlin and there are no other UUCP systems between
your system and merlin, you can send a message to ken
on that system.
When the BNU or UUCP Link Is on Another Computer: In a local or wide area network environment, one
of the systems on the network may have a BNU or other type of UUCP connection to a remote system. You
can use that UUCP connection to send a message to a user on that remote UUCP system. At your system
command line prompt, use the mail command as shown in the following example:
mail @arthur:merlin!ken
Sends mail to ken on UUCP system merlin from the Internet system arthur. The delimiter @ is for
the internet addressing, the delimiter ! is for the UUCP addressing, and the delimiter : connects the

two addresses. Notice that in this format you are not sending mail to a user at any of the intermediate
systems, so no login name precedes the @ in the domain address.
mail @arthur:odin!acct.dept!kelly
Sends mail to kelly on UUCP system acct.dept through system odin from the Internet system
arthur.
mail@odin.uucp:@dept1.UUCP:@dept2:bill@dept3
Sends mail to bill@dept3 over odin and dept1 UUCP links and then over the local network link
between systems dept2 and dept3. The /etc/sendmail.cf file must be configured accordingly to
use this type of UUCP address notation. See your system administrator for information.
If you often send mail to users on other networks, creating aliases that include the users' addresses can
save you time. See “Aliases and distribution lists” on page 35.
Starting the mail editor

The mail program provides a line-oriented editor for creating messages.
This editor enables you to type each line of the message, press the Enter key to get a new line, and type
more text. You cannot change a line after you have pressed the Enter key. However, before pressing the
Enter key, you can change information on that one line by using the Backspace and Delete keys to erase.
You can also use mail editor subcommands to enter a full-screen editor and change the message.
When you create mail with the mail editor, the date: and from: fields are automatically completed by the
system. You have the option to complete the subject: and cc: fields. These fields are similar to the body of
a standard business letter.
The mail editor includes many control subcommands that enable you to perform other operations on a
message. Each of these subcommands must be entered on a new line and must begin with the special
escape character. By default, the escape character is a tilde (~). You can change it to any other character
by including the set escape option in your .mailrc file.
At your system command line prompt or your mailbox prompt, you can use the mail command as shown
in the following examples:
Item Description
mail User@Address Issue this command from the command line prompt. The message is
addressed to User@Address. The Address parameter depends upon the
location of the recipient.
mUser@Address Issue this subcommand from the mailbox prompt. The message is addressed
to User@Address. The Address parameter depends upon the location of the
recipient.
The mail editor is also activated, if you use the R or r subcommands to reply to a message. For more
information on how to reply to a message, see “Sending mail” on page 28 and “Replying to mail” on page
29.
Message editing
While in your mailbox, you can add information to an existing message by typing the (e)dit or (v)isual
subcommand at the mailbox prompt.
While in the mail editor, you cannot change information on a line after you have pressed the Enter key
and gone on to the next line. You can change the content of your message before sending it by editing the
message with another editor.
Before editing a message in another editor, make sure the following conditions are true:
2. The alternate editor must be defined in the .mailrc file with:
set EDITOR=PathName
This defines the editor you activate with the ~e subcommand. The value of PathName must be
the full path name to the editor program that you want to use. For example, the definition set
EDITOR=/usr/bin/vi defines the vi editor for use with the ~e subcommand.
3. To add information to a message in your mailbox, you must have started the mail command to read
mail in the system mailbox, other mailbox, or folder.
4. To start an alternate editor while creating a message, you must be in the mail editor prompt.
Adding information to a specific message in your mailbox

To add information to a message in your mailbox, enter the e subcommand or the v subcommand,
followed by the message number.
At the mailbox prompt, you can use either the e subcommand or the v subcommand as shown in the
following examples:
Item Description
e 13 To add a note to message 13 using the e editor (or whatever editor is defined in the .mailrc
file).
v 15 To add a note to message 15 using the vi editor (or whatever editor is defined in the .mailrc
file).
If you do not specify a message number, the mail command activates the editor using the current
message. When you leave the editor, you return to the mailbox prompt to continue processing the
messages in the mailbox.
Changing the current message while in the mail editor

At the beginning of a line while in the mail editor, you can use either the ~e subcommand or the ~v
subcommand as shown in these examples.
Ite Description
m
~e Activates the e editor or other editor that you define in the .mailrc file.
~v Activates the vi editor or other editor that you define in the .mailrc file.
This enables you to edit the text of the current message. When you leave the different editor, you return to
the mail editor.
Displaying lines of a message while in the mail editor

Use the ~p subcommand to display message lines while in the mail editor.
2. To display a message while in the mail editor, you must have started the mail editor. If you need
information on this, see “Starting the mail editor” on page 23.
At the beginning of a line while in the mail editor, use the ~p subcommand as shown in the following
example:
Ite Description
m
~p The editor displays the contents of the message including the header information for the message.
The text scrolls up from the bottom of the display. The end of the message is followed by the mail
editor's (Continue) prompt.
If the message is larger than one screen and you have not set the page size for your terminal by using
the stty command, the text scrolls off the top of the screen to the end. To look at the content of

large messages, use the mail editor subcommands to view the message with another editor. If you need
information on this, see “Message editing” on page 23.
Quitting the mail editor

To quit the mail editor without sending the message, use the ~q subcommand or the interrupt key
sequence (usually the Alt-Pause or Ctrl-C key sequence).
2. To display a message while in the mail editor, you must have started the mail editor. If you need
information on this, see “Starting the mail editor” on page 23.
If you have entered any text, the mail command saves the message in the dead.letter file.
At the beginning of a line while in the mail editor, you can use the ~q subcommand as shown in the
following example:
Item Description
~q Quits the mail editor and the message is not sent. The message is saved in the dead.letter
file in your home directory, unless you have not entered any text. The system prompt is
displayed.
Ctrl-C To quit the editor using an interrupt key sequence, press the break (Ctrl-C key sequence) or
the interrupt (Alt-Pause key sequence). The following message is displayed:
(Interrupt -- one more to kill letter)
Press break or interrupt again.
(Last Interrupt -- letter saved in dead.letter)
The message is not sent. The message is saved in the dead.letter file in your home
directory, unless you have not entered any text. The system prompt is displayed.
Note: When you exit the mail editor without sending the message, the previous content of the
dead.letter file is replaced with the incomplete message. To retrieve the file, see “Options
for adding a file and a specific message within a message” on page 25.
Options for adding a file and a specific message within a message

Several requirements must be met before adding a file and specific message within a mail message.
Prerequisites
2. You must know the name and address of the mail recipient.
3. The mail editor must be started.
Including files in a message

Use the ~r subcommand to add files to a message.
At the beginning of a line while in the mail editor, you can use the ~r subcommand as shown in the
following example:
Item Description
~r schedule Where schedule is the name of the file to include. In this example, the information in
the file schedule is included at the current end of the message being written.
Including a specific message within a message
Use the ~f or ~m subcommand to include a specific message within your message.
At the beginning of a new line while in the mail editor, you can use either the ~f or ~m subcommand as
shown in the following examples:
Item Description
~f MessageList Appends the indicated message or messages to the end of the current message,
but does not indent the appended message. Also, use this subcommand to
append messages for reference whose margins are too wide to embed with the
~m subcommand.
Note: The parameter MessageList is a list of integers that refer to valid
message numbers in the mailbox or folder being handled by mail. You
can enter simple ranges of numbers also. For example:
~f 1-4
Appends messages 1, 2, 3, and 4 to the end of the message
being written. These messages are aligned with the left margin
(not indented).
~m 2 Appends the indicated message to the end of the current message. The included
message is indented one tab character from the normal left margin of the
message. In this example, message 2 is appended to the current message.
~m 1 3 Appends message 1 and then message 3 to the end of the message being
written, indented one tab from the left margin.
Adding the contents of the dead.letter file into your current message
Use the ~d subcommand to add dead.letter contents to your message.
At the beginning of a new line while in the mail editor, you can use the ~d subcommand as shown in the
following example:
Ite Description
m
~d Retrieves and appends the contents of the dead.letter file to the end of the current message. At
the (Continue) prompt, continue by adding to the message or by sending the message.
Editing the header information

The header of a message contains routing information and a short statement of the subject. You must
specify at least one recipient of the message.
2. Start the mail editor and begin editing a message. For more information, seeStart the mail editor.
The rest of the header information is not required. The information in the header can include the
following:
Item Description
To: Contains the address or addresses for sending the message.
Subject: Contains a short summary of the topic of the message.
Cc: Contains the address or addresses for sending copies of the message. The contents of this
field are part of the message sent to all who receive the message.
Bcc: Contains the address or addresses for sending blind copies of the message. This field is
not included as part of the message sent to all who receive the message.

You can customize the mail program to automatically ask for the information in these fields by putting
entries in your .mailrc file. For more information, see “Mail program customization options” on page
33.
Setting or resetting the Subject: field

Use the ~s subcommand to set the Subject: field to a particular phrase or sentence.
Using this subcommand replaces the previous contents (if any) of the Subject: field. At the beginning of a
new line while in the mail editor, you can use the ~s subcommand as shown in the following example:
Item Description
~s Fishing Trip This changes the current Subject: field:
Subject: Vacation
To the following:
Subject: Fishing Trip
Note: You cannot append to the Subject: field with this

subcommand. Use the ~h subcommand, as described in “Editing
the header information” on page 26.
Adding users to the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields

Use the ~t, ~c, or the ~b subcommand to add users to the header fields.
At the beginning of a new line while in the mail editor, you can use the ~t, ~c , or ~b subcommands as
shown in the following examples:
Item Description
~t geo@austin mel@gtwn This changes the current To: field:
To: mark@austin
to the following:
To: mark@austin geo@austin mel@gtwn
~c geo@austin mel@gtwn This changes the current Cc: field:
Cc: mark@austin amy
to the following:
Cc: mark@austin amy geo@austin mel@gtwn
~b geo@austin mel@gtwn This changes the current Bcc: field:
Bcc: mark@austin
to the following:
Bcc: mark@austin geo@austin mel@gtwn
Note: You cannot use the ~t, ~c, or ~b subcommands to change or delete the contents of
the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. Use the ~h subcommand, as described in “Editing the header
information” on page 26.
Message reformats in the mail editor
After typing the message and before sending it, you can reformat the message to improve its appearance
by using the fmt shell program.
Before reformatting a message, make sure the following conditions are true:
2. The fmt command must be installed on your system.
At the beginning of a new line while in the mail editor, you can use the fmt command as shown in the
following example:
Item Description
~| fmt Changes the appearance of the message by re-flowing the information for each paragraph
within defined margins (a blank line must separate each paragraph). The pipe (|)
subcommand pipes the message to standard input of the command and replaces the
message with the standard output from that command.
Attention: Do not use the fmt command if the message contains embedded messages or pre-
formatted information from external files. The fmt command reformats the header information
in embedded messages and may change the format of pre-formatted information. Instead, use
the ~e or ~v subcommand to enter a full-screen editor and reformat the message.
Checking for misspelling in the mail editor

The spell command checks the spelling in your message.
Before checking a message for misspellings, make sure the following conditions are true:
2. The text-formatting programs must be installed on your system.
Use the spell command to check your message for misspelled words, from the mail editor:
1. Write the message to a temporary file. For example, to write the message to the checkit file, type:
~w checkit
2. Run the spell command using the temporary file as input. Type:
~! spell checkit
In this example, the exclamation point (!) is the subcommand that starts a shell, runs a command,
and returns to the mailbox. The spell command responds with a list of words that are not in its list
of known words, followed by an exclamation point (!) to indicate that you have returned to the mail
program.
3. Examine the list of words. Determine if you need to use an editor to make corrections.
4. Type the following to delete the temporary file:
~! rm checkit
Sending mail
Use this procedure to send a message after you have created it.
• The mail program must be installed on your system.
• You must know the name and address of the mail recipient.
1. Enter the mail command on the command line, followed by the name and address of the recipient (or
recipients) of the message. For example:
>mail jan@brown

The system responds with:
Subject:
2. Type the subject of the message. For example:
Subject: Dept Meeting
and press Enter. You can now type the body of the text.
3. Type your message. For example:
There will be a short department meeting this afternoon

in my office. Please plan on attending.
4. To send a message you have typed with the mail editor, press the end-of-text character, which is
usually the Ctrl-D key sequence or a period (.), while at the beginning of a new line in the message.
The system displays the Cc: field:
Cc:
5. Type the names and addresses of those users who should receive copies of the message. For example:
Cc: karen@hobo cliff@cross
Note: If you do not want to send copies, press Enter without typing.
When you press the Enter key, the message is delivered to the specified address.
Note: If you enter an address unknown to the system, or not defined in an alias or distribution
list, the system responds with the login name followed by an error message: [user ID]...
User unknown.
Replying to mail
At the mailbox prompt, you can use the r and R subcommands to reply to mail as shown in the following
examples.
Item Description
r Creates a new message that is addressed to the sender of the selected message and copied
to the people in the Cc: field (if any). The Subject: field of the new message refers to the
selected message. The default value of the r subcommand is the current message. This
default can be overridden by typing the message number after the r.
R Starts a reply only to the sender of the message. The default value of the R subcommand is
the current message.
R4 Starts a reply only to the sender of the message. You can override the current message
by typing the message number after the R. This example starts a reply to message 4. The
system responds with a message similar to the following:
To: karen@thor
Subject: Re: Department Meeting
You then can type your response:
I'll be there.
When you finish typing the text, press either the period (.) or the Ctrl-D key sequence to
send the message. After the reply is sent, you are returned to the mailbox prompt.
Creating a new message while in the mailbox
At the mailbox prompt, you can use the m subcommand as shown in the following example to create new
messages.
Item Description
m Address The Address parameter is any correct user address. This subcommand starts the mail
editor and enables you to create a new message while in the mailbox. When you send
the message, you will be returned to the mailbox prompt.
Forwarding mail
While reading your mail, you might want to forward a specific note to another user.
2. If forwarding a selected message, start the mail facility with the mail command. Make a note of the
number of the mail message that you wish to forward.
This task can be accomplished by using the ~f and ~m subcommands.
If you are going to be away from your normal network address, you can have your mail sent to another
network address by creating the .forward file. See “.forward files” on page 31. The new address can
be any valid mail address on your network or a network connected to yours. It can be the address of a
coworker who will handle your messages while you are away. When you choose to forward your network
mail, you do not receive a copy of any incoming mail in your mailbox. All mail is forwarded directly to the
address or addresses that you have specified.
Forwarding selected messages from within the mailbox

Use this procedure to forward specific mail messages within the mailbox.
To forward specific mail messages:
1. Create a new message by using the m subcommand and specify a recipient by typing the following at
the mailbox prompt:
m User@Host
where User refers to the login name of another user, and Host is the name of the user's system. If the
user is on your system, you can omit the @Host part of the address.
2. Type a subject name at the Subject: prompt.
3. To specify the number of the mail message to be forwarded, type:
~f MessageNumber
OR
~m MessageNumber
MessageNumber identifies the piece of mail to forward.

The mail command displays a message similar to the following:
Interpolating: 1
(continue)
4. To exit mail, type a period (.) on a blank line. At the Cc: prompt, type any additional names to whom
you wish to forward a mail message.
Forwarding all mail

Use this procedure to forward all of your mail to another person.
To forward all your mail to another person:
1. Enter the cd command with no parameters to ensure you are in your home directory.

For example, type the following for login name mary:
cd
pwd
The system responds with:
/home/mary
2. Create a .forward file in your home directory.

See “.forward files” on page 31.
Note: You will not receive any mail until you delete the .forward file.
.forward files
The .forward file contains the network address or addresses that will receive your forwarded network
mail.
Addresses must take the form of User@Host. User refers to the login name of another user, and Host is the
name of the user's system. If the user is on your system, you can omit the @Host part of the address. You
can use the cat command to create a .forward file as follows:
cat > .forward

mark
joe@saturn
[END OF FILE]
[END OF FILE] represents the end of file character, which is the Ctrl-D key sequence on most
terminals. This must be typed on a blank line.
The .forward file contains the addresses of the users you want your mail forwarded to. Your mail will be
forwarded to mark on your local system, and to joe on system saturn.
This file must contain valid addresses. If it is a null file (zero length), your mail is not forwarded and is
stored in your mailbox.
Note: You will not receive any mail until you delete the .forward file.
Canceling forwarded mail

To stop forwarding mail, delete the .forward file as follows.
Use the rm command to remove the .forward file from your home directory:
rm .forward
Sending a vacation message notice

Use this procedure to prepare and send a vacation message notice.
The mail program must be installed on your system.
1. Initialize the vacation message in your $HOME (login) directory by typing:
vacation -I
This creates a .vacation.dir file and a .vacation.pag file where names of the people who send
messages are kept.
2. Modify the .forward file.
For example, carl types the following statement in the .forward file:
carl, |"/usr/bin/vacation carl"
The first carl entry is the user name to which mail is forwarded. The second carl entry is the user
name of the sender of the vacation message. The sender of the mail message receives one vacation
message from carl per week, regardless of how many messages are sent to carl from the sender. If
you have your mail forwarded to someone else, the mail message from the sender is forwarded to the
person defined in your .forward file.
Use the -f flag to change the frequency intervals at which the message is sent. For example, carl
types the following statement in the .forward file:
carl, |"/usr/bin/vacation -f10d carl"
The sender of mail messages receives one vacation message from carl every ten days, regardless of
how many messages are sent to carl from the sender.
3. To send a message to each person who sends you mail, create the file $HOME/.vacation.msg and
add your message to this file.
The following is an example of a vacation message:
From: carl@odin.austin (Carl Jones)

Subject: I am on vacation.
I am on vacation until October 1. If you have something urgent,
please contact Jim Terry <terry@zeus.valhalla>.
--carl
The sender receives the message that is in the $HOME/.vacation.msg file, or if the file does not
exist, the sender receives the default message found in the /usr/share/lib/vacation.def file. If
neither of these files exists, no automatic replies are sent to the sender of the mail message, and no
error message is generated.
To cancel the vacation message, remove the .forward file, .vacation.dir file, .vacation.pag file,
and .vacation.msg file from your $HOME (login) directory as follows:
rm .forward .vacation.dir .vacation.pag .vacation.msg
Sending and receiving secret mail

To send secret mail, at the system command line prompt, use the xsend command in the way shown in
the following example.
2. A password must have been set up using the enroll command.
Item Description
xsend barbara In this example, secret mail is being addressed to the login name barbara.
When you press Enter, a single line editor is used to type the text of the message.
When you are finished typing your message, press the Ctrl-D key sequence or
a period (.) to exit the mail editor and send the message. The xsend command
encrypts the message before it is sent.
1. To receive secret mail, at your system command line prompt, type:
mail
The system displays the list of messages in your system mailbox. The secret mail program sends you a
notification that you have received secret mail. The message line will be similar to the following:
Mail [5.2 UCB] Type ? for help.

"/usr/spool/mail/linda": 4 messages 4 new
>N 1 robert Wed Apr 14 15:23 4/182 "secret mail from robert@Zeus"
The message text directs you to read your secret mail on your host using the xget command.
2. At the system command line prompt, type:
xget

You are prompted for the password that was previously set up using the enroll command. After you
type your password, the xget command prompt is displayed, followed by a listing of any secret mail.
The mail program is used to display any secret mail. You must enter the q subcommand if you want to
leave read and unread messages in the secret mailbox and prevent the xget command from deleting
the messages.
Mail help information

You can obtain help information on using the mail program by using the ?, man, or info commands.
Item Description
To get help in the Mailbox Enter ? or help at the mailbox prompt.
The ? and help subcommands display a summary of
common mailbox subcommands.
You can display a list of all mailbox subcommands (with no
summary) by entering the (l)ist subcommand.
To get help in the Mail Editor Type ~? at the mail editor prompt.
The ~? subcommand displays a summary of common mail
editor subcommands.
To get help in secret mail Type ? at the mail editor prompt.

The ? subcommand displays a summary of common secret
mail subcommands.
To get help using manual pages Type man mail at the system command line prompt.
In this example, mail is the command name being
searched. The system will provide you with ASCII
documentation about the mail command. At the
continuation marker (:), press Enter to view the rest of the
document.
The man command provides information in ASCII form for
reference topics on commands, subroutines, and files.
Mail program customization options

Commands and options in the .mailrc and /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc files can be customized to fit
your personal mailing needs.
See “Mail enabling and disabling options” on page 34 for information about mail options.
Characteristics of a mail session that you can customize include:
• Prompts for the subject of a message. When you enter the mail command, the program asks you
to complete a Subject: field. When this prompt is displayed, you can fill in a summary of the subject
matter of the message. That summary is included at the start of the message when it is read by the
recipient. See “Subject: and Carbon Copy (Cc:) field prompts” on page 35.
• Prompts for users to get a copy of a message. You can customize the .mailrc file so that when you
send a message, the mail program prompts you for the names of other users who should receive copies
of the message. See “Subject: and Carbon Copy (Cc:) field prompts” on page 35.
• Aliases or distribution lists. If you send mail on a large network or often send the same message to
a large number of people, typing long addresses for each receiver can become tedious. To simplify this
process, create an alias or a distribution list in your .mailrc file. An alias is a name you define that can
be used in place of a single user address. A distribution list is a name you define that can be used in
place of a group of user addresses. See “Aliases and distribution lists” on page 35.
• Number of lines displayed when reading messages. You can change the number of lines of message
headers or of message text that scroll across the screen. See “Changes to the number of message
headers or message text lines displayed in the mail program” on page 36.
• Information listed in messages. You can turn off message headers, such as the machine-set
message-id field. See “Displaying information in a message” on page 37.
• Folder directory for storing messages. You can create a special directory for storing messages. You
can use the shorthand plus sign (+) subcommand to designate that directory when storing messages or
looking at folders. See “Creating default folders to store messages” on page 39.
• Log file for recording outgoing messages. You can instruct the mail program to record all your
outgoing messages in a file or a subdirectory in your home directory. See “Creating default folders to
store messages” on page 39.
• Editors for typing messages. In addition to the mail editor, you can choose two different editors to edit
messages. See “Text editors for typing messages” on page 40.
For more information on customizing the mail program, see the following topics.
Mail enabling and disabling options

Options can be either binary or valued.
Binary options are either set or unset, while valued options can be set to a specific value.
Note: The form unset option is equivalent to set no option.
Use the pg command to view the /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc file. The contents of the /usr/
share/lib/Mail.rc file define the configuration of the mail program. Alter the system configuration for
your mail program by creating a $HOME/.mailrc file. When you run the mail command, subcommands
in the .mailrc file override similar subcommands in the /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc file. The .mailrc
options can be customized and are valid each time you use the mail program.
To execute mail commands that are stored in a file, use the source subcommand.
Prerequisites
Enabling mail options

These mailbox subcommands are most commonly used to alter the characteristics of a mail session.
Item Description
set Enables mail options.
source Enables mail options that are stored in a file. When reading mail, you can issue this
subcommand at the mailbox prompt:
source PathName
where PathName is the path and file containing the mail commands. Commands in this
file override the previous settings of any similar commands for the duration of the current
session. You can also alter the characteristics of the current mail session by typing commands
at the mailbox prompt.
You can set these options while in the mailbox or by making entries in the .mailrc file.
Viewing enabled mail options

When reading your mail, enter the set subcommand without any arguments to list all of the
enabled .mailrc options.
In this list, you can also see if a folder directory is selected and if a log file is set up to record outgoing
messages.
At the mailbox prompt, type:

set
A message similar to the following is displayed:
ask
metoo
toplines 10
In this example, two binary options are enabled: ask and metoo. There is no askcc entry in the list.
This indicates that the askcc option is not enabled. The toplines option has been assigned the value 10.
The ask, metoo, askcc, and toplines options are described in .mailrc File Format section of the Files
Reference.
Disabling mail options

These mailbox subcommands are most commonly used to alter the characteristics of a mail session.
Item Description
unset Disables mail options.
unalias Deletes the specified alias names.
ignore Suppresses message header fields.
You can set these options while in the mailbox or by making entries in the .mailrc file.
Note: The form unset option is equivalent to set no option.
Subject: and Carbon Copy (Cc:) field prompts

When the Subject: and Cc: field prompts are edited, the following prerequisite must be met.
Prerequisites
Enabling or disabling Subject: field prompting

Use the set and unset commands to enable and disable the Subject: field.
You can enable or disable the Subject: field in the way shown in the following examples:
Item Description
set ask Subject: field prompting is enabled by editing the .mailrc file ask option.
unset ask Subject: field prompting is disabled by editing the .mailrc file ask option.
Enabling or disabling Carbon Copy (Cc:) field prompting

Use the set and unset commands to enable and disable the Cc: field.
You can enable or disable the Cc: field in the way shown in the following examples:
Item Description
set askcc Carbon copy (Cc:) field prompting is enabled by editing the .mailrc file askcc
option.
unset askcc Carbon copy (Cc:) field prompting is disabled by editing the .mailrc file askcc
option.
Aliases and distribution lists

By creating aliases and distribution lists, you can manage the addressees and addresses that you
commonly use with greater ease.
Before creating an alias or distribution list, make sure that the following conditions are true:
2. You must know the names and addresses of users you want to include in your alias or distribution list.
You can create an alias or distribution list in the following ways:
Item Description
alias kath kathleen@gtwn
In this example, the alias kath has been listed for user kathleen at address
gtwn. After you have added this line to your $HOME/.mailrc file, to send a
message to Kathleen, type the following at the command line prompt:
mail kath
You are now able to send mail to Kathleen using the kath alias.
alias dept dee@merlin anne@anchor jerry@zeus bill carl

After you have added this line to your $HOME/.mailrc file, to send a message
to your department, type the following at the command line prompt:
mail dept
The message you now create and send will go to dee on system merlin, anne
on system anchor, jerry on system zeus, and to bill and carl on the local
system.
To list the aliases and distribution lists, type the following at the mailbox prompt:
alias
OR
A list of aliases and distribution lists is displayed.
Changes to the number of message headers or message text lines displayed in the mail
program
By changing the .mailrc file, you can customize the ability to scroll through mailbox lists or through
actual messages.
In order to make these changes, the mail program must be installed on your system.
Changing the number of displayed lines of the message list

Each message in your mailbox has a one-line heading in the message list. If you have more than 24
messages, the first headings from the message list scroll past the top of your screen. The set screen
option controls how many lines of the list are displayed at a time.
To change the number of lines of the message list that are displayed at a time, in your $HOME/.mailrc
file, type:
set screen=20
In this example, the system will display 20 message headers at a time. Use either the h or z subcommand
to view additional groups of headers. You can also type this subcommand at the mailbox prompt.
Changing the number of displayed lines in a long message

If you display a message with more than 24 lines, the first lines of the message scroll past the top of
the screen. You can use the pg command from within mail to browse through long messages if you have
included the set crt option in the .mailrc file.
The set crt option controls how many lines a message must contain before the pg command is started.

For example, if you use the t subcommand to read a long message, only one screen (or page) is displayed.
The page is followed by a colon prompt to let you know there are more pages. Press the Enter key to
display the next page of the message. After the last page of the message is displayed, there is a prompt
similar to the following:
EOF:
At the prompt, you can enter any valid pg subcommand. You can display previous pages, search the
message for character strings, or quit reading the message and return to the mailbox prompt.
The set crt option is entered in the .mailrc file as:
set crt=Lines
For example:
set crt=20
specifies that a message must be 20 lines before the pg command is started. The pg command is started
when you read messages with more than 20 lines.
Changing the number of displayed lines at the top of a message

The top subcommand enables you to scan through a message without reading the entire message.
You control how many lines of a message are displayed by setting the toplines option as follows:
set toplines=Lines
In this subcommand, the Lines variable is the number of lines, starting from the top and including all
header fields, that are displayed with the top subcommand.
For example, if user Amy has the following line in her .mailrc file:
set toplines=10
when Amy runs the mail command to read her new messages, the following text is displayed:
Mail Type ? for help.

"/usr/mail/amy": 2 messages 2 new>
N 1 george Wed Jan 6 9:47 11/257 "Dept Meeting"
N 2 mark Wed Jan 6 12:59 17/445 "Project Planner"
When Amy uses the top subcommand to browse through her messages, the following partial message is
displayed:
top 1
Message 1:
From george Wed Jan 6 9:47 CST 1988
Received: by zeus
id AA00549; Wed, 6 Jan 88 9:47:46 CST
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 88 9:47:46 CST
From: george@zeus
Message-Id: <8709111757.AA00178>
To: amy@zeus
Please plan to attend the department meeting on Friday
at 1:30 in the planning conference room. We will be
The message is partially displayed because toplines is set to 10. Only lines 1 (the Received: field)
through 10 (the second line of the message body) are displayed. The first line, From george Wed Jan
6 9:47 CST 1988, is always present and does not count in the toplines option.
Displaying information in a message

By changing the .mailrc file, you can control what header information is displayed in a message.
Some header information might be already turned off. Examine your /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc file for
ignored header fields.
Prerequisites
Preventing the Date, From, and To headers from being displayed

Every message has several header fields at the top. These header fields are displayed when you read a
message. You can use the ignore subcommand to suppress the display of header fields when a message
is read.
The format for the ignore subcommand is:
ignore [FieldList]
The FieldList can consist of one or more field names that you want to ignore when you display a message.
For example, if user Amy includes the following line in her .mailrc file:
ignore date from to
and the file /usr/share/lib/Mail.rc has the line:
ignore received message-id
the result of using the t subcommand is:
t 1
Message 1:
From george Wed Jan 6 9:47 CST 1988
Please plan to attend the department meeting on Friday
at 1:30 in the planning conference room. We will be
discussing the new procedures for using the project
planning program developed by our department.
The Received:, Date:, From:, Message-Id:, and To: fields are not displayed. To display these fields, use a
T or P subcommand or the top subcommand.
Note: In the example, the From line is displayed. This is not the same as the From: field that
has been listed in the FieldList for the ignore subcommand.
Listing the ignored header fields

Use the ignore subcommand to list ignored header fields.
To get a list of the currently ignored header fields, at the mailbox prompt, type:
ignore
A list of all currently ignored headers is displayed. For example:
mail-from
message-id
return-path
Resetting the header fields

To reset the header fields, use the retain subcommand.
For example:
retain date
Listing the retained header fields

Use the retain subcommand to list retained header fields.
To see which header fields are currently retained, enter the retain subcommand without a header field
parameter.

Preventing the banner from displaying
The mail banner is the line at the top of the list of messages that shows the name of the mail program
when you issue the mail command.
It is similar to the following line:
Mail [5.2 UCB] [Workstation 3.1] Type ? for help.
To prevent the banner from displaying when you start the mail program, add the following line to your
$HOME/.mailrc file:
set quiet
Another option that suppresses the mail banner is:
set noheader
With this option in the .mailrc file, the list of messages in your mailbox is not displayed. When you start
the mail program, the only response is the mailbox prompt. You can get a list of messages by typing the
(h)eader subcommand.
Combining the delete and print commands

Use the autoprint option to combine the delete and print subcommands.
After you read a message, you can delete it with the d subcommand. You can display the next message
with the p subcommand. Combine these subcommands by typing the following line in your .mailrc file:
set autoprint
With the set autoprint option in the .mailrc file, the d subcommand deletes the current message
and displays the next.
Creating default folders to store messages

Default folders allow you to store messages.
Use the following procedure to create a letters mailbox directory to store messages in folders:
1. To check if the set folder option has been enabled in the .mailrc file, at the mailbox prompt, type:
set
If the set folder option has been enabled, the system responds with the following:
folder /home/george/letters
In this example, letters is the directory in which mail folders will be stored.
2. If the set folder option has not been enabled, make a set folder entry in the .mailrc file:
set folder=/home/george/letters
In this example, /home/george is George's home directory and letters is the directory in which
mail folders will be stored. The set folder option will allow you to use the plus sign (+) shorthand
notation to save messages in your letters directory.
3. If a letters directory does not exist, you must create a letters directory in your home directory.
From your home directory, at your system command line, type:
mkdir letters
Use the following procedure to keep a record of messages you send to others:
1. Type the following statement in your .mailrc file:
set record=letters/mailout
2. If a letters directory does not exist, you must create a letters directory in your home directory.
From your home directory, at your system command line, type:
mkdir letters
3. To read copies of the messages you have sent to others, type:
mail -f +mailout
In this example, the file mailout contains copies of the messages you have sent to others.
Text editors for typing messages

Use the set EDITOR=PathName option to define the text editor with which you type messages.
Item Description
set EDITOR=PathName This option in your .mailrc file defines the editor that you activate
with the ~e key sequence. The value of PathName must be the full
path name to the editor program you want to use.
To change to the e editor, while in the mail program, type:
~e
This sequence activates the e editor or other editor that you have
defined in the .mailrc file. Edit your mail message using this editor.
set VISUAL=PathName This option in your .mailrc file defines the editor that you activate
with the ~v key sequence. The value of PathName must be the full
path name to the editor program that you want to use. The default
is /usr/bin/vi.
To change to the vi editor while in the mail program, type:
~v
This sequence activates the vi editor or other editor that you have
defined in the .mailrc file. Edit your mail message using this editor.
Mail command subcommands

The mail command uses various subcommands that perform different functions.
This topic is used as a reference for the mail command and its subcommands.
Commands to execute mail

Use these system commands to execute mail.
Item Description
mail Displays the system mailbox.
mail -f Displays your personal mailbox (mbox).
mail -f +folder Displays a mail folder.
mailuser@address Addresses a message to the specified user.

Mailbox subcommands in the mail program
When the mail program is processing a mailbox, it displays the mailbox prompt to indicate that it is
waiting for input.
The mailbox prompt is an ampersand (&) displayed at the beginning of a new line. At the prompt, you can
enter any of the mailbox subcommands.
Mail program control subcommands

Use these subcommands for controlling the mail program.
Item Description
q Quits and applies the mailbox subcommands entered this session.
x Quits and restores the mailbox to original state.
! Starts a shell, runs a command, and returns to the mailbox.
cd dir Changes directory to dir or $HOME.
Mail program display subcommands

Use these subcommands to control mail program displays.
Item Description
t Displays the messages in msg_list or the current message.
n Displays the next message.
f msg_list Displays the headings of messages in msg_list or of the current message if msg_list is
not provided.
h num Displays the headings of groups containing message num.
top num Displays a partial message.
set Displays a list of all enabled .mailrc options.
ignore Displays a list of all the ignored header fields.
folder Displays the number of messages in the current folder along with the path name of the
folder.
Message handling
Use these subcommands to edit, delete, recall, append, or retain messages.
Item Description
e num Edits the message num (default editor is e).
d msg_list Deletes the messages in msg_list or the current message.
u msg_list Recalls deleted messages in msg_list.
s msg_list +file Appends messages (with headings) to file.
w msg_list +file Appends messages (text only) to file.
pre msg_list Keeps messages in the system mailbox.
New mail subcommands

Use these subcommands when creating new mail messages.
Item Description
m addrlist Creates and sends a new message to the addresses in addrlist.
r msg_list Sends a reply to senders and recipients of messages.
Item Description
R msg_list Sends a reply only to senders of messages.
a Displays a list of aliases and their addresses.
Mail editor subcommands

When the mail editor is processed, it displays the mail editor prompt to indicate that it is waiting for input.
At the prompt, you can enter any of the mail editor subcommands.
Mail editor control subcommands

Use the following subcommands to control the mail editor.
Item Description
~q Quits the editor without saving or sending the current message.
~p Displays the contents of the message buffer.
~: mcmd Runs a mailbox subcommand (mcmd).
EOT Sends message (Ctrl-D on many terminals).
. Sends the current message.
Add to heading subcommands

Use these subcommands to add different heading items to messages.
Item Description
~h Adds to the To:, Subject:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields.
~t addrlist Adds the user addresses in addrlist to the To: field.
~s subject Sets the Subject field to the string specified by subject.
~c addrlist Adds the user addresses in addrlist to the Cc: (carbon copy) field.
~b addrlist Adds the user addresses in addrlist to the Bcc: (blind carbon copy) field.
Add to message subcommands

Use these subcommands to add contents to a message.
Item Description
~d Appends the contents of dead.letter to the message.
~r filename Appends the contents of filename to the message.
~f numlist Appends the contents of message numbers numlist.
~mnumlist Appends and indents the contents of message numbers numlist.
Change message subcommands

Use these subcommands to edit messages.
Item Description
~e Edits the message using the e editor (default is e).
~v Edits the message using the vi editor (default is vi).
~w filename Writes the message to filename.
~! command Starts a shell, runs command, and returns to the editor.
~| command Pipes the message to standard input of command and replaces the message with the
standard output from that command.

Secret mail subcommands
When the secret mail program processes a secret mailbox, it displays the secret mailbox prompt to
indicate that it is waiting for input.
The secret mailbox prompt is a question mark (?) displayed at the beginning of a new line. At the prompt,
you can enter any of the secret mailbox subcommands.
Secret mail subcommands

Use the following subcommands to send secret mail.
Item Description
xsend barbara Addresses a message to the specified user.
xget Displays the secret mailbox.
Mailbox tasks
The following subcommands accomplish various mailbox tasks.
Item Description
q Quits, leaving unread messages.
n Deletes the current message and displays the next message.
d Deletes the current message and displays the next message.
Return key Deletes the current message and displays the next message.
! Executes a shell command.
s Saves the message in the named file or mbox.
w Saves the message in the named file or mbox.
Mail management tasks

The mail manager is responsible for these tasks.
1. Configure the /etc/rc.tcpip file so that the sendmail daemon will be started at system boot time.
See “Starting the sendmail daemon during system boot” on page 43.
2. Customize the configuration file /etc/mail/sendmail.cf. The default /etc/mail/sendmail.cf
file is configured so that both local mail and TCP/IP mail can be delivered. In order to deliver mail
through BNU, you must customize the /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file. See the sendmail.cf File in Files
Reference for more information.
3. Define system-wide and domain-wide mail aliases in the /etc/mail/aliases file. See “Mail aliases”
on page 44 for more information.
4. Manage the Mail Queue. See “Mail queue” on page 46 for more information.
5. Manage the Mail Log. See “Mail logging” on page 50 for more information.
Starting the sendmail daemon during system boot

To configure the /etc/rc.tcpip file such that the sendmail daemon also starts when the system is
booted, use this procedure.
1. Edit the /etc/rc.tcpip file by using a text editor of your choice.
2. To start the sendmail MTA daemon automatically on system boot, find the line that begins with
start /usr/lib/sendmail.
By default, this line is not commented, which means a # (hash sign) is not present at the beginning of
the line. However, if it is commented, delete the # (hash sign).
3. If you want to start the sendmail client queue runner on system boot, append the following line to
the /etc/rc.tcpip file to start the sendmail command as mail submission program (MSP):
/usr/lib/sendmail -L sm-msp-queue -Ac -q 30m
4. Save the /etc/rc.tcpip file.
Mail aliases
Aliases map names to address lists using personal, system-wide, and domain-wide alias files.
You can define three types of aliases:
Item Description
personal Defined by individual users in the user's $HOME/.mailrc file.
local system Defined by the mail system administrator in the /etc/mail/aliases file. These
aliases apply to mail handled by the sendmail program on the local system. Local
system aliases rarely need to be changed.
domainwide By default, sendmail reads /etc/alias to resolve aliases. To override the
default and use NIS, edit or create /etc/netsvc.conf and add the line:
aliases=nis
/etc/mail/aliases file
The properties, contents, and location of the /etc/mail/aliases file are described here.
The /etc/mail/aliases file consists of a series of entries in the following format:
Alias: Name1, Name2, ... NameX
where Alias can be any alphanumeric string that you choose (not including special characters, such as @
or !). Name1 through NameX is a series of one or more recipient names. The list of names can span one
or more lines. Each continued line begins with a space or a tab. Blank lines and lines beginning with a #
(pound sign) are comment lines.
The /etc/mail/aliases file must contain the following three aliases:
Item Description
MAILER-DAEMON The ID of the user who is to receive messages addressed to the mailer daemon.
This name is initially assigned to the root user:
MAILER-DAEMON: root
postmaster The ID of the user responsible for the operation of the local mail system. The
postmaster alias defines a single mailbox address that is valid at each system in
a network. This address enables users to send inquiries to the postmaster alias
at any system, without knowing the correct address of any user at that system.
This name is initially assigned to the root user:
postmaster: root
nobody The ID that is to receive messages directed to programs such as news and msgs.
This name is initially assigned to /dev/null:
nobody: /dev/null
To receive these messages, define this alias to be a valid user.
Whenever you change this file, you must recompile it into a database format that the sendmail
command can use. See “Alias database building” on page 45.

Creating a local alias for mail
Creating local mail aliases allows you to create groups or distribution lists to which mail can be sent.
In this scenario, geo@medussa, mark@zeus, ctw@athena, and dsf@plato will be added to the
testers mail alias. After the testers alias is created, glenda@hera will be given ownership of the
alias.
After the testers alias is added to the /etc/mail/aliases file, the aliases database is recompiled
using the sendmail command. After the database is recompiled, email can be sent to the testers alias.
Things to Consider
• The information in this how-to scenario was tested using specific versions of AIX. The results you obtain
might vary significantly depending on your version and level of AIX.
Use the following steps to create a local mail alias:
1. Open the /etc/mail/aliases file using your favorite text editor.
2. On a blank line, add the alias name, followed by a colon and a list of comma-separated recipients. For
example, the following entry defines the testers alias:
testers: geo@medussa, mark@zeus, ctw@athena, dsf@plato
3. Create an owner for the alias. If the sendmail command is unsuccessful in sending mail to the alias, it
sends an error message to the owner.
Add a line in the /etc/mail/aliases to specify the owner. The format for this line is owner-
groupname: owner, where groupname is the name of the alias and owner is the e-mail address of
the owner. In this example, glenda@hera is made the owner of the testers alias:
testers: geo@medussa, mark@zeus, ctw@athena, dsf@plato owner-testers: glenda@hera
4. After the alias is created, run the sendmail -bi command to recompile the aliases database. You
will need to run this command each time you update your /etc/mail/aliases file.
You can now send email to the testers alias.
Alias database building

The sendmail command does not use directly the alias definitions in the local system /etc/mail/
aliases file. Instead, the sendmail command reads a processed database manager (dbm) version of
the /etc/mail/aliases file.
You can compile the alias database using one of the following methods:
• Run the /usr/sbin/sendmail command using the -bi flag.
• Run the newaliases command. This command causes the sendmail command to read the local
system /etc/mail/aliases file and create a new file containing the alias database information. This
file is in the more efficient Berkeley format:
/etc/mail/aliases.db
• Run the sendmail command using the Rebuild Aliases flag. This rebuilds the alias database
automatically when it is out-of-date. Auto-rebuild can be dangerous on heavily loaded machines with
large alias files. If it might take more than the rebuild timeout (normally five minutes) to rebuild the
database, there is a chance that several processes will start the rebuild process simultaneously.
Note:
1. If these files do not exist, the sendmail command cannot process mail and will generate an error
message.
2. If you have multiple alias databases specified, the -bi flag rebuilds all the database types it
understands (for example, it can rebuild Network Database Management (NDBM) databases but not
NIS databases).
The /etc/netsvc.conf file contains the ordering of system services. To specify the service ordering of
aliases, add the following line:
aliases=service, service
where service can be either files or nis. For example:
aliases=files, nis
tells the sendmail command to try the local alias file first; and if that fails, try nis. If nis is defined as a
service, it should be running.
For further information on the /etc/netsvc.conf file, see Files Reference.
Mail queue
The mail queue is a directory that stores data and controls files for mail messages that the sendmail
command delivers. By default, the mail queue is /var/spool/mqueue.
Mail messages might be queued for many reasons.
For example:
1. The sendmail command can be configured to process the queue at certain intervals, rather than
immediately. If this is so, mail messages must be stored temporarily.
2. If a remote host does not answer a request for a mail connection, the mail system queues the message
and tries again later.
Mail queue printing

The contents of the queue can be printed using the mailq command (or by specifying the -bp flag with
the sendmail command).
These commands produce a listing of the queue IDs, the sizes of the messages, the dates the messages
entered the queue, and the senders and recipients.
Mail queue files

Each message in the queue has a number of files associated with it.
The files are named according to the following conventions:
TypefID
where ID is a unique message queue ID, and Type is one of the following letters indicating the type of file:
Ite Description
m
d The data file containing the message body without the heading information.
q The queue-control file. This file contains the information necessary to process the job.
t A temporary file. This file is an image of the q file when it is being rebuilt. It is quickly renamed to
the q file.
x A transcript file that exists during the life of a session and shows everything that happens during
that session.
For example, if a message has a queue ID of AA00269, the following files are created and deleted in the
mail queue directory while the sendmail command tries to deliver the message:

Item Description
dfAA00269 Data file
qfAA00269 Control file
tfAA00269 Temporary file
xfAA00269 Transcript file
q control file
The q control file contains a series of lines, each beginning with a code letter.
Ite Description
m
B Specifies the body type. The remainder of the line is a text string defining the body type. If this
entire field is missing, the body type is 7-bit by default, and no special processing is attempted.
Legal values are 7BIT and 8BITMIME.
C Contains the controlling user. For recipient addresses that are a file or a program, sendmail
performs delivery as the owner of the file or program. The controlling user is set to the owner of the
file or program. Recipient addresses that are read from a .forward or :include: file will also have
the controlling user set to the owner of the file. When sendmail delivers mail to these recipients, it
delivers as the controlling user, then converts back to root.
F Contains envelope flags. The flags are any combination of w, which sets the EF_WARNING flag;
r, which sets the EF_RESPONSE flag; 8, which sets the EF_HAS8BIT flag; and b, which sets the
EF_DELETE_BCC flag. Other letters are silently ignored.
H Contains a heading definition. There can be any number of these lines. The order in which the
H lines appear determines their order in the final message. These lines use the same syntax as
heading definitions in the /etc/mail/sendmail.cf configuration file.
I Specifies the inode and device information for the df file; this can be used to recover your mail
queue after a disk crash.
K Specifies the time (as seconds) of the last delivery attempt.
M When a message is put into the queue because an error occurred during a delivery attempt, the
nature of the error is stored in the M line.
N Specifies the total number of delivery attempts.
O Specifies the original message transfer system (MTS) value from the ESMTP. It is used for Delivery
Status Notifications only.
P Contains the priority of the current message. The priority is used to order the queue. Higher
numbers mean lower priorities. The priority increases as the message sits in the queue. The initial
priority depends on the message class and the size of the message.
Q Contains the original recipient as specified by the ORCPT= field in an ESMTP transaction. Used
exclusively for Delivery Status Notifications. It applies only to the immediately following R line.
R Contains a recipient address. There is one line for each recipient.
S Contains the sender address. There is only one of these lines.
T Contains the message creation time used to compute when to time out the message.
V Specifies the version number of the queue file format used to allow new sendmail binaries to read
queue files created by older versions. Defaults to version zero. Must be the first line of the file, if
present.
Z Specifies the original envelope ID (from the ESMTP transaction). Used for Delivery Status
Notifications only.
Ite Description
m
$ Contains a macro definition. The values of certain macros ($r and $s) are passed through to the
queue run phase.
The q file for a message sent to amy@zeus would look similar to:
P217031
T566755281
MDeferred: Connection timed out during user open with zeus
Sgeo
Ramy@zeus
H?P?return-path: <geo>
Hreceived: by george (0.13 (NL support)/0.01)
id AA00269; Thu, 17 Dec 87 10:01:21 CST
H?D?date: Thu, 17 Dec 87 10:01:21 CST
H?F?From: geo
Hmessage-id: <8712171601.AA00269@george>
HTo: amy@zeus
Hsubject: test
Where:
Item Description
P217031 Priority of the message
T566755281 Submission time in seconds
MDeferred: Connection timed out during Status message
user open with zeus
Sgeo ID of the sender
Ramy@zeus ID of the receiver
H lines Header information for the message
Time values in sendmail

To set the message timeout and queue processing interval, you must use a specific format for the time
value.
The format of a time value is:
-qNumberUnit
where Number is an integer value and Unit is the unit letter. Unit can have one of the following values:
Ite Description
m
s Seconds
m Minutes
h Hours
d Days
w Weeks
If Unit is not specified, the sendmail daemon uses minutes (m) as the default. Here are three examples
illustrating time-value specification:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -q15d
This command tells the sendmail daemon to process the queue every 15 days.

/usr/sbin/sendmail -q15h
This command tells the sendmail daemon to process the queue every 15 hours.
/usr/sbin/sendmail -q15
This command tells the sendmail daemon to process the queue every 15 minutes.
Clogged mail queues

In some cases, you might find that the queue is clogged for some reason. You can force a queue to run
using the -q flag (with no value).
You can also use the -v flag (verbose) to watch what happens:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -q -v
You can also limit the jobs to those with a particular queue identifier, sender, or recipient using one of the
queue modifiers. For example, -qRsally restricts the queue run to jobs that have the string sally in one
of the recipient addresses. Similarly, -qSstring limits the run to particular senders, and -qIstring limits it to
particular queue identifiers.
Setting the queue processing interval

The value of the -q flag when the daemon starts determines the interval at which the sendmail daemon
processes the mail queue.
The sendmail daemon is usually started by the /etc/rc.tcpip file, at system startup. The /etc/
rc.tcpip file contains a variable called the queue processing interval (QPI), which it uses to specify the
value of the -q flag when it starts the sendmail daemon. By default, the value of qpi is 30 minutes. To
specify a different queue processing interval:
1. Edit the /etc/rc.tcpip file with your favorite editor.
2. Find the line that assigns a value to the qpi variable, such as:
qpi=30m
3. Change the value assigned to the qpi variable to the time value you prefer.
These changes will take effect at the next system restart. If you want the changes to take effect
immediately, stop and restart the sendmail daemon, specifying the new -q flag value. See “Stopping the
sendmail daemon” on page 50 and “Starting the sendmail daemon” on page 50 for more information.
Moving the mail queue

When a host goes down for an extended period, many messages routed to (or through) that host might
be stored in your mail queue. As a result, the sendmail command spends a long time sorting the queue,
severely degrading your system performance. If you move the queue to a temporary place and create a
new queue, the old queue can be run later when the host returns to service.
To move the queue to a temporary place and create a new queue:
1. Stop the sendmail daemon by following the instructions in “Stopping the sendmail daemon” on page
50.
2. Move the entire queue directory by entering:
cd /var/spool
mv mqueue omqueue
3. Restart the sendmail daemon by following the instructions in “Starting the sendmail daemon” on
page 50.
4. Process the old mail queue by entering:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/omqueue -q
The -oQ flag specifies an alternate queue directory. The -q flag specifies to run every job in the queue.
To get a report about the progress of the operation, use the -v flag.
Note: This operation can take some time.
5. Remove the log files and the temporary directory when the queue is empty by entering:
rm /var/spool/omqueue/*
rmdir /var/spool/omqueue
Starting the sendmail daemon

There are two commands that start the sendmail daemon.
To start the sendmail daemon, enter either of the following commands:
startsrc -s sendmail -a "-bd -q15"
/usr/lib/sendmail -bd -q15
If the sendmail daemon is already active when you enter one of these commands, you see the following
message on the screen:
The sendmail subsystem is already active. Multiple instances are not supported.
If the sendmail daemon is not already active, then you see a message indicating that the sendmail
daemon has been started.
Stopping the sendmail daemon

To stop the sendmail daemon, run the stopsrc -s sendmail command.
If the sendmail daemon was not started with the startsrc command:
• Find the sendmail process ID.
• Enter the kill sendmail_pid command (where sendmail_pid is the process ID of the sendmail
process).
Mail logging
The sendmail command logs mail system activity through the syslogd daemon.
The syslogd daemon must be configured and running for logging to occur. Specifically, the /etc/
syslog.conf file should contain the uncommented line:
mail.debug /var/spool/mqueue/log
If it does not, use your favorite editor to make this change; be certain that the path name is correct. If
you change the /etc/syslog.conf file while the syslogd daemon is running, refresh the syslogd
daemon by typing the following command at a command line:
refresh -s syslogd
If the /var/spool/mqueue/log file does not exist, you must create it by typing the following command:
touch /var/spool/mqueue/log
Messages in the log file appear in the following format:

Each line in the system log consists of a time stamp, the name of the machine that generated it (for
logging from several machines over the local area network), the word sendmail:, and a message. Most
messages are a sequence of name=value pairs.
The two most common lines logged when a message is processed are the receipt line and the delivery
attempt line. The receipt line logs the receipt of a message; there will be one of these per message. Some
fields may be omitted. These message fields are:
Item Description
from Specifies the envelope sender address.
size Specifies the size of the message in bytes.
class Indicates the class (numeric precedence) of the message.
pri Specifies the initial message priority (used for queue sorting).
nrcpts Indicates the number of envelope recipients for this message (after aliasing and forwarding).
proto Specifies the protocol used to receive the message, for example ESMTP or UNIX-to-UNIX
Copy Program (UUCP).
relay Specifies the machine from which it was received.
The delivery attempt line is logged each time there is delivery attempt (so there can be several per
message if delivery is deferred or there are multiple recipients). These fields are:
Item Description
to Contains a comma-separated list of the recipients to this mailer.
ctladdr Specifies the controlling user, that is, the name of the user whose credentials are used for
delivery.
delay Specifies the total delay between the time this message was received and the time it was
delivered.
xdelay Specifies the amount of time needed in this delivery attempt.
mailer Specifies the name of the mailer used to deliver to this recipient.
relay Specifies the name of the host that actually accepted (or rejected) this recipient.
stat Specifies the delivery status.
Because such a large amount of information can be logged, the log file is arranged as a succession of
levels. Beginning at level 1, the lowest level, only very unusual situations are logged. At the highest
level, even the insignificant events are logged. As a convention, log levels ten and under the most useful
information. Log levels above 64 are reserved for debugging purposes. Levels from 11-64 are reserved for
verbose information.
The types of activities that the sendmail command puts into the log file are specified by the L option in
the /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file.
Log management
Because information is continually appended to the end of the log, the file can become very large. Also,
error conditions can cause unexpected entries to the mail queue. To keep the mail queue and the log file
from growing too large, run the /usr/lib/smdemon.cleanu shell script.
This script forces the sendmail command to process the queue and maintains four progressively older
copies of log files, named log.0, log.1, log.2, and log.3. Each time the script runs it moves:
• log.2 to log.3
• log.1 to log.2
• log.0 to log.1
• log to log.0
Running this script allows logging to start over with a new file. Run this script either manually or at a
specified interval with the cron daemon.
Traffic logs
Use the -X flag of the sendmail command to set traffic logging.
Many Simple Mail Transfer Protocols (SMTPs) implementations do not fully implement the protocol. For
example, some personal computer-based SMTPs do not understand continuation lines in reply codes.
These can be very hard to trace. If you suspect such a problem, you can set traffic logging by using the -X
flag. For example:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -X /tmp/traffic -bd
This command logs all traffic in the /tmp/traffic file.

Because this command logs a lot of data very quickly, it should never be used during normal operations.
After running the command, force the errant implementation to send a message to your host. All message
traffic in and out of sendmail, including the incoming SMTP traffic, will be logged in this file.
Using sendmail, you can log a dump of the open files and the connection cache by sending it a SIGUSR1
signal. The results are logged at LOG_DEBUG priority.
Mailer statistics logs

The sendmail command tracks the volume of mail being handled by each of the mailer programs that
interface with it.
Those mailers are defined in the /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file.
Figure 3. Mailers used by the sendmail command
This illustration is a type of top-down organizational chart with Mail and MH at the top. Branching from
them are bellmail, BNU and SMTP. Underneath the previous level are local mailbox, UUCP link, and TCP/IP
link respectively. Beneath UUCP link is remote mailbox and under TCP/IP link is remote mailbox.
To start the accumulation of mailer statistics, create the /etc/mail/statistics file by typing the
following:
touch /etc/mail/statistics
If the sendmail command encounters errors when trying to record statistics information, the command
writes a message through the syslog subroutine. These errors do not affect other operations of the
sendmail command.

The sendmail command updates the information in the file each time it processes mail. The size of the
file does not grow, but the numbers in the file do. They represent the mail volume since the time you
created or reset the /etc/mail/statistics file.
Displaying mailer information

The statistics kept in the /etc/mail/statistics file are in a database format that cannot be read as a
text file.
To display the mailer statistics, type the following at a command prompt:
/usr/sbin/mailstats
This reads the information in the /etc/mail/statistics file, formats it, and writes it to standard
output. For more information, see the /usr/sbin/mailstats command.
The sendmail Mail Filter API

The sendmail Mail Filter API (referred to as Milter) allows third-party programs to access mail messages
as they are being processed in order to filter meta-information and content.
sendmail filter requirements

Because filters use threads, filters must be thread-safe. You can configure your filters to ensure their
compatibility with threads.
Many operating systems provide support for POSIX threads in the standard C libraries. The compiler flag
to link with threading support differs according to the compiler and linker used. If you are unsure of the
local flag used, check the Makefile in your appropriate obj.*/libmilter build subdirectory.
Note: Because filters use threads, it might be necessary to alter the process limits on your filter. For
example, you might want to use setrlimit to increase the number of open file descriptors if your filter will
be busy; otherwise, mail can be rejected.
sendmail filter configurations

Use these guidelines to specify the filters you want while configuring sendmail.
Specify filters using the key letter X (for eXternal). In the following example, three filters are specified:
Xfilter1, S=local:/var/run/f1.sock, F=R

Xfilter2, S=inet6:999@localhost, F=T, T=C:10m;S:1s;R:1s;E:5m
Xfilter3, S=inet:3333@localhost
You can specify filters in your .mc file using the following syntax:
INPUT_MAIL_FILTER(`filter1', `S=local:/var/run/f1.sock, F=R')

INPUT_MAIL_FILTER(`filter2', `S=inet6:999@localhost, F=T, T=C:10m;S:1s;R:1s;E:5m')
INPUT_MAIL_FILTER(`filter3', `S=inet:3333@localhost')
where filter(number) is the name of your filter. The first line of the syntax specifies that the filter attach to
a socket in the UNIX domain in the /var/run directory. The second line specifies that the filter use an
IPv6 socket on port 999 of the local host. The third line specifies that the filter use an IPv4 socket on port
3333 of the local host.
The F= denotes which of the following flags applies:
Item Description
R Rejects the connection if the filter is unavailable.
T Fails the connection temporarily if the filter is unavailable.
If neither flag is specified, the message is passed through sendmail as if the filter were not present.
By specifying a value for T=, you can use the filters to override the default timeouts used by sendmail.
The T= equate uses the following fields:
Item Description
C Timeout for connecting to a filter (if 0, use the system timeout).
S Timeout for sending information from the MTA to a filter.
R Timeout for reading replies from the filter.
E Overall timeout between sending end-of-message notices to the filter and waiting for the
final acknowledgement.
As indicated in the preceding example, the separators between each timeout is a semicolon (;), and the
separator between each equate is a comma (,).
The default values for timeouts are as follows:
T=C:0m;S:10s;R:10s;E:5m
where s is seconds and m is minutes.

The InputMailFilters option determines which filters are used and in what sequence.
Note: If the InputMailFilters option is not specified, no filters are used.
The InputMailFilters option is set automatically according to the order of the INPUT_MAIL_FILTER
commands in your .mc file. You can reset this value by setting a value for confINPUT_MAIL_FILTERS in
your .mc file. For example, if the InputMailFilters option is set as:
InputMailFilters=filter1, filter2, filter3
the three filters will be called in the same order they were specified.
By using MAIL_FILTER() instead of INPUT_MAIL_FILTER() in your .mc file, you can define a filter without
adding it to the input filter list.
Library control functions

The sendmail filter calls the library control functions to set the libmilter parameters before handing
over the control to the libmilter. The libmilter parameters are set by calling the smfi_main
function. The filter also calls the smfi_register function to specifically register its callbacks. Each function
returns either the MI_SUCCESS or MI_FAILURE value to indicate the status of the operation. These
functions do not communicate with the mail transfer agent (MTA) but alter the library state, which is
communicated to the MTA inside the smfi_main function.
Table 2. Library control functions

Item description
smfi_opensocket The smfi_opensocket function creates the
interface socket.
smfi_register The smfi_register function registers a filter.
smfi_setconn The smfi_setconn function specifies a socket to
use.
smfi_settimeout The smfi_settimeout function sets the timeout.
smfi_setbacklog The smfi_setbacklog function defines the
incoming listen (2) queue size.
smfi_setdbg The smfi_setdbg function sets the milter library
debugging (tracing) level.

Table 2. Library control functions (continued)
Item description
smfi_opensocket The smfi_opensocket function creates the
interface socket.
smfi_stop The smfi_stop function causes an orderly
shutdown.
smfi_main The smfi_main function hands over the control to
libmilter.
smfi_opensocket Function
Purpose
The smfi_opensocket function attempts to create the interface socket mail transfer agents (MTA) that are
used to connect to the filter.
Syntax
#include <libmilter/mfapi.h>
int smfi_opensocket(
bool rmsocket
);
Description
The smfi_opensocket function is called only from program mainline, after calling the smfi_setconn
function and the smfi_register function, but before calling the smfi_main function. The smfi_opensocket
function creates the socket specified previously by calling the smfi_setconn function which is the
interface between MTAs and the filter. The smfi_opensocket function allows the calling application
to create the socket. If the smfi_opensocket function is not called, the smfi_main function calls the
function implicitly.
Arguments
Table 3. Arguments
Item Description
rmsocket A flag indicates if the library must try to remove
any existing UNIX domain socket before trying to
create a new one.
Return values
The smfi_opensocket function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the
function returns MI_SUCCESS.
• The interface socket could not be created.
• The rmsocket value is true, and either the socket could not be examined, or the existing socket could not
be removed.
• The smfi_setconn function or smfi_register function is not called.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_register.dita
libmilter_smfi_setconn.dita
smfi_register Function
Purpose
The smfi_register function registers a set of sendmail filter callback functions.
Syntax
int smfi_register(
smfiDesc descr)
);
Description
The smfi_register function creates a sendmail filter by using the information provided in the smfiDesc
argument. The smfi_register function must be called before smfi_main function.
Note: Multiple successful calls to smfi_register function within a single process are not allowed. Only a
single sendmail filter can be successfully registered. Note, however, that the library cannot check if the
restriction is obeyed.
The xxfi_flags field must contain the bitwise or zero or any of the following values, describing the actions
the sendmail filter can take.
Table 4. Values
Item Description
SMFIF_ADDHDRS The smfi_addheader function adds headers.
SMFIF_CHGHDRS The smfi_chgheader function either modifies
headers or deletes headers.
SMFIF_CHGBODY The smfi_replacebody function replaces the
body during filtering. The filter has significant
performance impact if other filters do body filtering
after this filter.
SMFIF_ADDRCPT The smfi_addrcpt function adds recipients to the
message.
SMFIF_ADDRCPT_PAR The smfi_addrcpt_par function adds recipients
including extended simple mail transfer protocol
(ESMTP) arguments.
SMFIF_DELRCPT The smfi_delrcpt function removes recipients from
the message.
SMFIF_QUARANTINE The smfi_quarantine function quarantines a
message.
SMFIF_CHGFROM The smfi_chgfrom function modifies the envelope
sender (Mail From).
SMFIF_SETSYMLIST The smfi_setsymlist function sends a set of
symbols (macros) that are required.

Arguments
Table 5. Arguments
Item Description
descr A filter descriptor of type smfiDesc describing the
filters functions. The structure has the following
members:
struct smfiDesc
{
char *xxfi_name; /* filter
name */
int xxfi_version; /* version
code
-- do not change */
unsigned long xxfi_flags; /* flags
*/
/* connection info filter */

sfsistat (*xxfi_connect)(SMFICTX *,
char
*, _SOCK_ADDR *);
/* SMTP HELO command filter */
sfsistat (*xxfi_helo)(SMFICTX *,
char *);
/* envelope sender filter */
sfsistat (*xxfi_envfrom)(SMFICTX *,
char **);
/* envelope recipient filter */
sfsistat (*xxfi_envrcpt)(SMFICTX *,
char **);
/* header filter */
sfsistat (*xxfi_header)(SMFICTX *,
char *,
char *);
/* end of header */
sfsistat (*xxfi_eoh)(SMFICTX *);
/* body block */
sfsistat (*xxfi_body)(SMFICTX *,
unsigned char
*, size_t);
/* end of message */
sfsistat (*xxfi_eom)(SMFICTX *);
/* message aborted */
sfsistat (*xxfi_abort)(SMFICTX *);
/* connection cleanup */
sfsistat (*xxfi_close)(SMFICTX *);
/* any unrecognized or unimplemented

command filter */
sfsistat (*xxfi_unknown)(SMFICTX
*, const char *);
/* SMTP DATA command filter */

sfsistat (*xxfi_data)(SMFICTX *);
/* negotiation callback */
sfsistat (*xxfi_negotiate)(SMFICTX *,
unsigned long, unsigned long,
unsigned long,
unsigned long,
unsigned long *, unsigned long *,
unsigned long *,
unsigned long *
);
};
A NULL value for any callback function indicates

that the filter does not process the given type of
information, and returns SMFIS_CONTINUE.
headerf The header name is a null-terminated string that is

not NULL.
Table 5. Arguments (continued)
Item Description
headerv The header value to be added, can be a non-NULL
null-terminated string or an empty string.
Return values
The smfi_register function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• Memory allocation failed.
• Incompatible version or illegal flags value.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_addheader.dita
libmilter_smfi_chgheader.dita
libmilter_smfi_replacebody.dita
libmilter_smfi_addrcpt.dita
libmilter_smfi_addrcpt_par.dita
libmilter_smfi_delrcpt.dita
libmilter_smfi_quarantine.dita
libmilter_smfi_chgfrom.dita
libmilter_smfi_setsymlist.dita
smfi_setconn Function
Purpose
The smfi_setconn function sets the socket through which this filter can communicate with the sendmail
command.
Syntax
int smfi_setconn(
char *oconn;
);
Description
The smfi_setconn function must be called before calling the smfi_main function.
The filters must not be run as root when communicating over UNIX or local domain sockets.
The permissions for UNIX or local sockets must be set to 0600 (read or write permission only for owner
or group of sockets) or 0660 (read/write permission for the sockets owner and group). These permissions
are useful if the sendmail RunAsUser option is used.
The permissions for a UNIX or local domain socket are determined by the umask, which must be set to
007 or 077. For operating systems like Solaris operating system that do not use permissions of the
socket, place the socket in a protected directory.

Arguments
Table 6. Arguments
Item Description
oconn The address of the desired communication socket.
The address must be a NULL-terminated string in
proto:address format:
* {unix|local}:/path
/to/file -- A named pipe.
* inet:port
@{hostname|ip-address} -- An IPV4 socket.
* inet6:port
@{hostname|ip-address} -- An IPV6 socket.
Return values
The smfi_setconn function does not fail, if it is an invalid address. However, the smfi_setconn function
fails to set the socket if there is no memory. The failure is detected only in smfi_main function.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_main.dita
smfi_settimeout Function
Purpose
The smfi_settimeout function sets the filters I/O timeout value.
Syntax
int smfi_settimeout((
int otimeout
);
Description
The smfi_settimeout function is called only from smfi_main function. The smfi_settimeout function
sets the duration (in seconds) for libmilter parameter to wait for a mail transfer agent (MTA)
communication (read or write) before timing out.
Note: If the smfi_settimeout function is not called, the default timeout duration is 7210 seconds.
Arguments
Table 7. Arguments
Item Description
otimeout The duration in seconds for thelibmilter
parameter to wait for an MTA before timing out.
The otimeout value must be greater than zero.
If the otimeout value is zero, the libmilter
parameter does not wait for an MTA.
Return values
The smfi_settimeout function always returns the MI_SUCCESS value.
Related information
smfi_main
smfi_setbacklog Function
Purpose
The smfi_setbacklog function sets the listen(2) backlog value of the filter.
Syntax
int smfi_setbacklog(
int obacklog
);
Description
The smfi_setbacklog function is called only before calling the smfi_main function. The smfi_setbacklog
function sets the incoming socket backlog, which is used by the listen(2) backlog value. If the
smfi_setbacklog function is not called, the default operating system is used.
Arguments
Table 8. Arguments
Item Description
obacklog The number of incoming connections allowed in
the listen queue.
Return values
The smfi_setbacklog function returns MI_FAILURE value if the obacklog argument is set to less than or
equal to null.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_main.dita
smfi_setdbg Function
Purpose
The smfi_setdbg function sets the debugging (tracing) level for the milter library.
Syntax
int smfi_setdbg(
int level;
);

Description
The smfi_setdbg function sets the internal debugging level of the milter library to a new level, so that
code details can be traced. A level of zero turns off debugging. The higher (more positive) the level, the
more detailed the debugging. Six is the current, highest, and useful value.
Arguments
Table 9. Arguments
Item Description
level The new debugging level.
Return values
The smfi_setdbg function returns the MI_SUCCESS value by default.
smfi_stop Function
Purpose
The smfi_stop function turns off the milter. Connections are not accepted after this call.
Syntax
int smfi_stop(void);
);
Description
The smfi_stop function is called from the Callback functions or error-handling routines at any time. The
smfi_stop routine does not allow new connections. However, the function does not wait for existing
connections (threads) to terminate. This function causes the smfi_main function to return to the calling
program, which can then exit or warm-restart.
Arguments
Table 10. Arguments
Item Description
void This argument does not take any value.
Return values
The smfi_stop function returns SMFI_CONTINUE value in the following cases:
• An internal routine causes the milter library to stop.
• A routine causes the milter library to stop.
• The process that is started cannot be stopped.
Example
int ret;
SMFICTX *ctx;
...
ret = smfi_addheader(ctx, "Content-Type",
"multipart/mixed;\n\tboundary=\"foobar\"");
Related information
Callback functions
smfi_main Function
Purpose
The smfi_main function hands over the control to the libmilter event loop.
Syntax
int smfi_main(
);
Description
The smfi_main function is called after the initialization of the filter is complete.
Return values
The smfi_main function returns the MI_FAILURE value if connection could not be established. Otherwise,
the function returns MI_SUCCESS.
Failure occurs for different reasons and the reasons for failure are logged. For example, passing invalid
address within the smfi_setconn function causes the function to fail.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_setconn.dita
Data access functions

The data access functions are called from within the callback functions that are defined within filters, to
access information about the current connection or message.
Table 11. Data access functions

Item Description
smfi_getsymal The smfi_getsymal function returns the value of a
symbol.
smfi_getpriv The smfi_getpriv function fetches the private data
pointer.
smfi_setpriv The smfi_setpriv function sets the private data
pointer.
smfi_setreply The smfi_setreply function sets the specific reply
code to be used.
smfi_setmlreply The smfi_setmlreply function sets the specific
multi-line reply to be used.

smfi_getsymval Function
Purpose
The smfi_getsymval function fetches the value of a sendmail macro.
Syntax
char* smfi_getsymval(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *headerf,
char *symname
);
Description
The smfi_getsymval function is called from any of the xxfi_* callback functions to add a header to the
message. The macro definition depends on the function that is called.
By default, the following macros are valid:
Table 12. Description

Item Description
xxfi_connect daemon_name, if_name, if_addr, j, _
xxfi_hello tls_version, cipher, cipher_bits, cert_subject,
cert_issuer
xxfi_envfrom i, auth_type, auth_authen, auth_ssf,
auth_author, mail_mailer, mail_host, mail_addr
xxfi_envrcpt rcpt_mailer, rcpt_host, rcpt_addr
xxfi_data None
xxfi_eoh None
xxfi_eom msg_id
All macros remain in effect from the point they are received until the end of the connection for the
xxfi_connect, xxfi_hello functions.
All macros stay in effect until the end of the message for the xxfi_envfrom function , and the xxfi_eom
function.
All the macros stay in effect for each recipient for xxfi_envrcpt function.
The macro list can be changed by using the confMILTER_MACROS_* options in the sendmail.mc. The
scope of such macros is determined by when they are set by the sendmail command. For descriptions of
macros values, see Sendmail Installation and Operation Guide.
Arguments
Table 13. Arguments
Item Description
ctx The opaque context structure is maintained in the
libmilter parameter.
Item Description
symname The name of a sendmail macro. Single letter
macros can optionally be enclosed in braces ("{"
and "}"), longer macro names must be enclosed in
braces, as in a sendmail.cf file.
Return values
The smfi_getsymval function returns the value of the given macro as a null-terminated string. Otherwise,
the smfi_getsymval function returns NULL if the macro is not defined.
Related information
libmilter_xxfi_connect.dita
libmilter_xxfi_helo.dita
libmilter_xxfi_envfrom.dita
libmilter_xxfi_envrcpt.dita
libmilter_xxfi_data.dita
libmilter_xxfi_eoh.dita
libmilter_xxfi_eom.dita
smfi_getpriv Function
Purpose
The smfi_getpriv function fetches the connection-specific data pointer for this connection.
Syntax
void* smfi_getpriv(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The smfi_getpriv function can be called in any of the xxfi_* callback functions.
Arguments
Table 14. Arguments
Item Description
Return values
The smfi_getpriv function that is stored by returns the private data pointer stored by a call before the
smfi_setpriv function. Otherwise, the smfi_setpriv function returns NULL if the value is not set.

Related information
libmilter_smfi_setpriv.dita
smfi_setpriv Function
Purpose
The smfi_setpriv function sets the private data pointer for this connection.
Syntax
int smfi_setpriv
SMFICTX *ctx,
void *privatedata
();
Description
The smfi_setpriv function is called from any of the xxfi_* callback functions, to set the private data
pointer for the ctx.
Note: There is one private data pointer per connection; multiple calls to the smfi_setpriv function with
different values cause previous values to be lost. Before a filter terminates, the filter must release the
private data and set the pointer to NULL.
Arguments
Table 15. Arguments
Item Description
privatedata The argument points to private data. This value is
returned by subsequent calls to the smfi_getpriv
function by using ctx.
Return values
The smfi_setpriv function returns the MI_FAILURE value if ctx is an invalid context. Otherwise, the
Related information
libmilter_smfi_setpriv.dita#smfi_setpriv
smfi_setreply Function
Purpose
The smfi_setreply function sets the default simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) error reply code and
accepts only 4XX and 5XX reply codes.
Syntax
int smfi_setreply
SFICTX *ctx,
char *rcode,
char *xcode,
char *message
);
Description
The smfi_setreply function is called from any of the xxfi_ callback functions other than the xxfi_connect
function. The smfi_setreply function sets the SMTP error reply code for the connection. This code is used
for subsequent error replies resulting from actions taken by this filter.
The values passed to the smfi_setreply function are not checked for standards compliance.
The message argument must contain only printable characters. Other characters can lead to undefined
behavior. For example, characters like CR or LF causes the call to fail, single '%' characters causes the text
to be ignored.
Note: If a '%' string is required in the parameter use '%%' just like for printf(3).
For details about reply codes and their meanings, see RFC 821 or 2821 and RFC 1893 or 2034.
If the rcode argument is set as 4XX but, the SMFI_REJECT value is used for the message, the custom
reply is not used.
If the rcode argument is set as 5XX but, the SMFI_TEMPFAIL value is used for the message, the custom
reply is not used.
Note: In the above two cases an error is returned to the milter parameter. The Libmilter parameter
ignores the above reply code.
If the milter parameter returns the SMFI_TEMPFAIL value and sets the reply code to 421, the SMTP
server terminates the SMTP session with a 421 error code.
Arguments
Table 16. Arguments
Item Description
rcode The three-digit ( RFC 821 or 2821) SMTP reply
code is a null-terminated string. rcode cannot be
NULL, and must be a valid 4XX or 5XX reply code.
xcode The extended (RFC 1893 or 2034) reply code.
If xcode is NULL, extended code is not used.
Otherwise, xcode must conform to RFC 1893 or
2034.
message The text part of the SMTP reply. If message is
NULL, an empty message is used.
Return values
The smfi_setreply function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• The rcode or xcode argument is invalid.
• A memory-allocation failure occurs.

Related information
smfi_setmlreply Function
Purpose
The smfi_setmlreply function sets the default simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) error reply code to a
multi-line response. The smfi_setmlreply function accepts only 4XX and 5XX replies.
Syntax
int smfi_setmlreply(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *rcode,
char *xcode,
...
);
Description
The smfi_setmlreply function is called from any of the xxfi_callback functions, except for xxfi_connect
function. The smfi_setmlreply function provides SMTP error reply code for the connections mentioned
below the xcode. The list of arguments must be null-terminated. This code is used for subsequent error
replies resulting from actions taken by this filter.
The values passed to the smfi_setmlreply function are not checked for standards compliance.
The message parameter must contain only printable characters, other characters can lead to undefined
behavior. For example, characters like CR or LF causes the call to fail, single '%' characters causes the text
to be ignored.
Note: If a '%' string is required in the message parameter use '%%' string similarly like printf(3) string
is used.
For reply codes and their meanings, see RFC 821 or 2821 and RFC 1893 or 2034.
If the rcode is set as 4XX but, the SMFI_REJECT value is used for the message, the custom reply is not
used.
If the rcode is set as 5XX but, the SMFI_TEMPFAIL value is used for the message, the custom reply is not
used.
Note: In the above two cases an error is returned to the milter parameter, and the Libmilter
parameter ignores the error.
If the milter parameter returns the SMFI_TEMPFAIL value and sets the reply code to 421, the SMTP
server terminates the SMTP session with an 421 error code.
Arguments
Table 17. Arguments
Item Description
Item Description
rcode The three-digit ( RFC 821 or 2821) SMTP reply
code, as a null-terminated string. The rcode
argument cannot be NULL, and must be a valid 4XX
or 5XX reply code.
xcode The extended ( RFC 1893 or 2034) reply code.
If xcode is NULL, no extended code is used.
Otherwise, xcode must conform to RFC 1893 or
2034
... The remainder of the arguments is single lines
of text, up to 32 arguments, which is used as
text part of the SMTP reply. The list must be null-
terminated.
Return values
The smfi_setmlreply function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the
• The rcode or xcode argument is invalid.
• A memory-allocation failure occurs.
• The text line contains a carriage return or line feed.
• The length of any text line is more than MAXREPLYLEN(980).
• The text replies exceeds more than 32 lines.
Example
ret = smfi_setmlreply(ctx, "550", "5.7.0",
"Spammer access rejected",
"Please see our policy at:",
"http://www.example.com/spampolicy.html",
NULL);
The previous example results in the following :
550-5.7.0 Spammer access rejected

550-5.7.0 Please see our policy at:
550 5.7.0 http://www.example.com/spampolicy.html
Related information
Message modification functions

The message modification functions change the message content and attributes. The functions are called
only in by the xxfi_eom function. Message modification functions can invoke additional communication
with the mail transfer agent (MTA). These functions return either the MI_SUCCESS or MI_FAILURE value
to indicate the status of the operation.
Note: Message data (senders, recipients, headers, and body chunks) that are passed to the message
modification functions in the parameters is copied and do not need to be preserved (allocated memory
can be freed).

To call a message modification function, the filter must set the appropriate flag in the description that is
passed to the smfi_register function. If the flag is not set, MTA treats the call to the function as a failure
of the filter, and terminates the connection.
Note: The status returned by the function indicates whether the message filter was successfully sent to
the MTA. The status does not indicate whether the MTA performed the requested operation. For example,
the smfi_header function, when called with an illegal header name, returns the MI_SUCCESS flag even
though the MTA can later decline to add the illegal header.
Table 18. Mod functions

Item Description function
smfi_addheader The smfi_addheader function SMFIF_ADDHDRS
adds a header to the message.
smfi_chgheader The smfi_chgheader function SMFIF_CHGHDRS
modifies or deletes a header.
smfi_insheader The smfi_insheader function SMFIF_ADDHDRS
inserts a header into the
message.
smfi_chgfrom The smfi_chgfrom function SMFIF_CHGFROM
modifies the envelope sender
address.
smfi_addrcpt The smfi_addrcpt function adds SMFIF_ADDRCPT
a recipient to the envelope.
smfi_addrcpt_par The smfi_addrcpt_par function SMFIF_ADDRCPT_PAR
adds a recipient including
extended simple mail transfer
protocol (ESMTP) parameter to
the envelope.
smfi_delrcpt The smfi_delrcpt function SMFIF_DELRCPT
deletes a recipient from the
envelope.
smfi_replacebody The smfi_replacebody function SMFIF_CHGBODY
replaces the body of the
message.
smfi_addheader Function
Purpose
The smfi_addheader function adds a header to the current message.
Syntax
int smfi_addheader(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *headerf,
char *headerv
);
Description
The smfi_addheader function is called from the xxfi_eom function to add a header to the message.
The smfi_addheader function does not modify the existing headers of a message.
To modify the current value of a header, use the smfi_chgheader function.
A filter that calls the smfi_addheader function must set the SMFIF_ADDHDRS flag in the smfiDesc_str
argument. The filter then passes the value to the smfi_register function.
The smfi_addheader function requires the filter order to be specified. You can view the modifications in
the header by using the filters that were created earlier.
The name or the value of the header is not checked for standards compliance. However, each line of the
header must be below 998 characters. If you require longer header names, use a multi-line header. If
you must create a multi-line header, insert a line feed (ASCII 0x0a, or \n in C programming language)
followed by a whitespace character such as a space (ASCII 0x20) or tab (ASCII 0x09, or \t in C
programming language). The line feed cannot be preceded by a carriage return (ASCII 0x0d). The mail
transfer agent (MTA) adds it automatically. The filter writers responsibility must ensure that no standards
are violated.
The MTA adds a leading space to an added header value unless the SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC flag is set, in
which case the milter parameter must include any desired leading spaces.
Arguments
Table 19. Arguments
Item Description
not NULL.
Return values
The smfi_addheader function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the
• The headerf or headerv argument is NULL.
• Adding headers in the current connection state is invalid.
• Memory allocation fails.
• A network error occurs.
• The SMFIF_ADDHDRS flag was not set when the smfi_register function was called.
Example
int ret;
SMFICTX *ctx;
...
ret = smfi_addheader(ctx, "Content-Type",
Related information

smfi_chgheader Function
Purpose
The smfi_chgheader function modifies or deletes a message header.
Syntax
int smfi_chgheader(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *headerf,
mi_int32 hdridx,
char *headerv
);
Description
The smfi_chgheader function is called from the xxfi_eom function to modify a headers value for the
current message.
The smfi_chgheader function can be used to add new headers. However, it is efficient and safer to use
the smfi_addheader function.
A filter that calls the smfi_chgheader function must set the SMFIF_CHGHDRS flag in the smfiDesc_str
The smfi_chgheader function requires the filter order to be specified. You can view the modifications in
programming language). The line feed cannot be preceded by a carriage return (ASCII 0x0d), mail
transfer agent (MTA) adds it automatically. The filter writers responsibility must ensure that no standards
are violated.
The MTA adds a leading space to an added header value unless the flag SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC is set, in
which case the milter parameter must include desired leading spaces itself.
Arguments
Table 20. Arguments
Item Description
not NULL.
hdridx The header index value (one-based). A hdridx
value of 1 modifies the first occurrence of a
header named headerf. If hdridx is greater than the
number of times headerf appears, a new copy of
headerf is added.
Return values
The smfi_chgheader function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the
• The headerf argument is NULL.
• Modifying headers in the current connection state is invalid.
• Memory allocation fails.
• The SMFIF_CHGHDRS flag was not set when the smfi_register function was called.
Example
int ret;
SMFICTX *ctx;
...
ret = smfi_chgheader(ctx, "Content-Type", 1,

Related information
libmilter_smfi_addheader.dita
smfi_insheader Function
Purpose
The smfi_insheader function prepends a header to the current message.
Syntax
int smfi_insheader(
SMFICTX ,
int hdridx,
char *headerf,
char *headerv
);
Description
The smfi_insheader function is called from the xxfi_eom function, to prepend a header to the current
message.
The smfi_insheader function does not modify the existing headers of a message.
To change the current value of a header, use the smfi_chgheader function.
A filter that calls the smfi_insheader function must set the SMFIF_ADDHDRS flag in the smfiDesc_str
argument, which is passed in the smfi_register function.
The smfi_insheader function requires the filter order to be specified. You can view the modifications in
A filter receives headers that are sent by the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) client and also the
headers modified by the earlier filters. The headers inserted by the sendmail command and headers
inserted by itself are not received. The position to insert the header is dependent on the headers existing
in the incoming message and also on the headers that are configured to be added by the sendmail
command.

For example, the sendmail command always adds a Received: header at the beginning of the header. On
setting the hdridx value to 0, the header is inserted before the Received: header parameter. However, the
filters later get misled as they receive the added header, but not the Received: header, thus making it
hard to insert a header at a fixed position.
If the hdridx value is greater than the number of headers in the message, the header is appended.
programming language). The line feed cannot be preceded by a carriage return (ASCII 0x0d). The mail
transfer agent (MTA) adds the carriage return automatically. The filter writers responsibility must ensure
that no standards are violated.
The MTA adds a leading space to an inserted header value unless the SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC flag is set,
in which case the milter parameter must include any desired leading spaces.
Arguments
Table 21. Arguments
Item Description
not NULL.
Return values
The smfi_insheader function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases, else the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• The headerf or headerv argument is NULL.
• Adding headers in the current connection state is invalid.
• The memory allocation fails.
• The SMFIF_ADDHDRS flag was not set when smfi_register function was called.
Example
int ret;
SMFICTX *ctx;
...
ret = smfi_insheader( ctx, 0, "First", "See me?");;
Related information
smfi_chgfrom Function
Purpose
The smfi_chgfrom function modifies the envelope sender (MAIL From) for the current message.
Syntax
int smfi_chgfrom(
SMFICTX *ctx,
const char *mail,
char *args
);
Description
The smfi_chgfrom function is called from the xxfi_eom function, to modify the envelope sender and the
MAIL From of the current message.
A filter that calls the smfi_chgfrom function must set the SMFIF_CHGFROM flag in the smfiDesc_str
All extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP) arguments can be set through the call. But, setting
values for some of the arguments like SIZE and BODY are causing problems. Hence, proper care must be
taken when setting the arguments. There is no feedback from mail transfer agent (MTA) to the milter
parameter if the call is successful.
Arguments
Table 22. Arguments
Item Description
mail The new sender address.
args Extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP)
arguments.
Return values
The smfi_chgfrom function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• The mail argument is NULL.
• Changing the sender in the current connection state is invalid.
• The SMFIF_CHGFROM flag was not set when smfi_register function was called.
Related information

smfi_addrcpt Function
Purpose
The smfi_addrcpt function adds a recipient for the current message.
Syntax
int smfi_addrcpt(
SMFICTX *ctx
char *rcpt
);
Description
The smfi_addrcpt function is called only from the xxfi_eom function, to add a recipient to the message
envelope.
Note: The filter that calls the smfi_addrcpt function must set the SMFIF_ADDRCPT flag in the
smfiDesc_str structure which is passed to the smfi_register function.
Arguments
Table 23. Arguments
Item Description
rcpt The new recipients address.
Return values
The smfi_addrcpt function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• The rcpt argument is NULL.
• Adding recipients in the current connection state is invalid.
• The SMFIF_ADDRCPT flag was not set when smfi_register function was called.
Related information
smfi_addrcpt_par Function
Purpose
The smfi_addrcpt_par function adds a recipient for the current message including extended simple mail
transfer protocol (ESMTP) arguments.
Syntax
int smfi_addrcpt_par(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *rcpt,
char *args
);
Description
The smfi_addrcpt_par function is called from the xxfi_eom function, to add a recipient to the message
envelope.
Arguments
Table 24. Arguments
Item Description
rcpt The new recipients address.
args The new recipients ESMTP parameters.
Return values
The smfi_addrcpt function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• Adding recipients in the current connection state is invalid.
• The SMFIF_ADDRCPT_PAR flag was not set when smfi_register function was called.
Related information
libmilter_smfi_addrcpt.dita
smfi_delrcpt Function
Purpose
The smfi_delrcpt function deletes the recipient from the envelope of the current message.
Syntax
int smfi_delrcpt(
SMFICTX *ctx;
char *rcpt;
);
Description
The smfi_delrcpt function is called from the xxfi_eom callback function to remove the named recipient
from the current messages envelope.
Note: The addresses to be removed must match exactly. For example, an address and its expanded form
do not match.

Arguments
Table 25. Arguments
Item Description
rcpt The recipient address to be removed, a non-NULL,
null-terminated string.
Return values
The smfi_delrcpt function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise the function
returns MI_SUCCESS.
• Deleting the recipients in the current connection state is invalid.
• The SMFIF_DELRCPT flag was not set when the smfi_register function was called.
Related information
smfi_register
xxfi_eom
smfi_replacebody Function
Purpose
The smfi_replacebody function replaces the body of the message.
Syntax
int smfi_replacebody(
SMFICTX *ctx,
unsigned char *bodyp,
int bodylen
);
Description
The smfi_replacebody function replaces the body of the current message. If the function is called more
than once, the subsequent calls results in data being appended to the new body. The function might be
called more than once.
Because the message body might be large, setting the SMFIF_CHGBODY flag might significantly affect the
filter performance.
If a filter sets the SMFIF_CHGBODY flag, but does not call the smfi_replacebody function, the original
body remains unchanged.
Filter order is important for the smfi_replacebody function. New body contents is created by old filters in
the new filter files.
Arguments
Table 26. Arguments
Item Description
bodyp A pointer to the start of the new body data, which
does not have to be null-terminated. If the bodyp is
NULL, it is treated as having length == 0. The body
data should be in CR or LF form.
bodylen The number of data bytes pointed to by bodyp.
Return values
The smfi_replacebody function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise the
• bodyp == NULL and bodylen > 0
• Changing the body in the current connection state is invalid.
• The SMFIF_CHGBODY flag was not set when the smfi_register function was called.
Related information
smfi_register
Message handling functions

The message handling functions provide special case handling instructions for the milter parameter
or the mail transfer agent (MTA), without altering the content or status of the message. The Message
handling functions can be called only in the xxfi_eom function. The xxfi_eom function can invoke
additional communication with the MTA and return either the MI_SUCCESS or MI_FAILURE value to
indicate the status of the operation.
Note: The status returned by the function indicates whether the filters message was successfully sent to
the MTA. The status does not indicate whether the MTA performed the requested operation.
Table 27. message handling function

Item Description
smfi_progress The smfi_progress function reports operation in
progress.
smfi_quarantine The smfi_quarantine function quarantines a
message.
smfi_progress Function
Purpose
The smfi_progress function reports the progress of the operation.
Syntax
int smfi_progress(

SMFICTX *ctx;
);
Description
The smfi_progress function is called from the xxfi_eom callback function to notify the mail transfer agent
(MTA) that the filter is still working on a message. This function cause the MTA to restart its timeouts.
Arguments
Table 28. Arguments
Item Description
ctx The opaque context structure maintained in the
Return values
The smfi_progress function returns the MI_FAILURE value if there is a network error. Otherwise, the
Related information
xxfi_eom
smfi_quarantine Function
Purpose
The smfi_quarantine function quarantines the message.
Syntax
int smfi_quarantine(
SMFICTX *ctx;
char *reason;
);
Description
The smfi_quarantine function is called from the xxfi_eom callback function to quarantine a message by
using a given reason.
Arguments
Table 29. Arguments
Item Description
ctx The opaque context structure maintained in the
reason The quarantine reason, a non-NULL, and non-
empty null-terminated string.
Return values
The smfi_quarantine function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise, the
• The reason is NULL or empty.
• The SMFIF_QUARANTINE flag was not set when the smfi_register function was called.
Related information
smfi_register
xxfi_eom
Callback functions
The sendmail filter must implement one or more of the callback functions, which are registered through
smfi_register function.
Table 30. Call back functions

Item Description
xxfi_connect The xxfi_connect function is called once at the
start of each SMTP connection. The function
returns SMFIS_CONTINUE value.
xxfi_hello The xxfi_hello function is called whenever the
client sends a HELO/EHLO command.
xxfi_envfrom The xxfi_envfrom function is called at the
beginning of a message.
xxfi_envrcpt The xxfi_envrcpt function is called for each
recipient.
xxfi_data The xxfi_data function handles the DATA
command.
xxfi_unknown The xxfi_unknown function handles unknown
simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) commands.
xxfi_header The xxfi_header function handles a message
header.
xxfi_eoh The xxfi_eoh function handles the message
headers.
xxfi_body The xxfi_body function handles a chunk of a
messages body.
xxfi_eom The xxfi_eom function handles the end of the
message.
xxfi_abort The xxfi_abort function handles the messages that
are aborted.
xxfi_close The xxfi_close function is called to close the
current connection.
xxfi_negotiate The xxfi_negotiate function is called at the start of
SMTP connection.

The callback functions must return proper value. If callback functions return any other value than the
defined value, it constitutes an error, and the sendmail command terminates the connection to the filter.
The Milter parameter distinguishes between recipient-, message-, and connection-oriented routines:
• The recipient-oriented callback functions affect the processing of a single message recipient.
• The message-oriented callback functions affect a single message.
• The connection-oriented callback functions affect an entire connection (during which multiple
messages can be delivered to multiple sets of recipients).
• The xxfi_envrcpt function is recipient-oriented. The xxfi_conect, xxfi_hello and xxfi_close functions
are connection-oriented. All other callback functions are message-oriented.
Table 31. Callback functions

Item Description
SMFIS_CONTINUE Continue processing the current connection,

message, or recipient.
SMFIS_REJECT • For a connection-oriented routine, reject this

connection; call xxfi_close.
• For a message-oriented routine (except for
xxfi_eom function, or xxfi_abort function), reject
this message.
• For a recipient-oriented routine, reject the
current recipient (but continue processing the
current message).
SMFIS_DISCARD • For a message- or recipient-oriented routine,

accept this message, but discard it.
• SMFIS_DISCARD must not be returned by a
connection-oriented routine.
SMFIS_ACCEPT • For a connection-oriented routine, accept this

connection without further filter processing; call
xxfi_close function.
• For a message- or recipient- oriented routine,
accept this message without further filtering.
SMFIS_TEMPFAIL Return a temporary failure, that is, the

corresponding simple mail transfer protocol
(SMTP) command returns 4xx status code.
• For a message-oriented routine (except for
xxfi_envfrom function), fail for this message.
• For a connection-oriented routine, fail for this
connection; call xxfi_close function.
• For a recipient-oriented routine, fail only for
the current recipient; continue processing the
message.
Table 31. Callback functions (continued)
Item Description
SMFIS_SKIP Skip further callbacks of the same type in this

transaction. Currently, this return value is only
allowed in xxfi_body function. The return value
can be used if a milter parameter has received
sufficient body chunks to make a decision. But if
the return value still wants to invoke the message
modification functions that are only allowed to be
called from xxfi_eom function.
Note: The milter parameter must negotiate this
behavior with the mail transfer agent (MTA). The
milter parameter checks whether the protocol
action SMFIP_SKIP is available. If the protocol
action SMFIP_SKIP is available, the milter
parameter must request it.
SMFIS_NOREPLY • Do not send a reply to the MTA. The

milter parameter must negotiate this behavior
with the MTA. The milter parameter must
check whether the appropriate protocol action
SMFIP_NR_* is available. If the protocol action
SMFIP_NR_* is available, the milter parameter
must request it.
• If you set the SMFIP_NR_* protocol action for a
callback, that callback must always reply with
SMFIS_NOREPLY. Using any other reply code
is a violation of the application programming
interface (API). If in some cases your callback
can return another value (due to some resource
shortages), you must not set SMFIP_NR_* and
you must use SMFIS_CONTINUE as the default
return code. Alternatively, you can try to delay
reporting the problem to a later callback for
which SMFIP_NR_* is not set.
xxfi_connect callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_connect callback function provides the connection information.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_connect)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *hostname,
_SOCK_ADDR *hostaddr);
Description
The xxfi_connect callback function is called once at the start of each simple mail transfer protocol
(SMTP) connection and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.

Note: If an earlier filter rejects the connection in the xxfi_connect callback function routine, the
xxfi_connect callback function of the filter would not be called.
Arguments
Table 32. Arguments
Item Description
libmilter.
hostname The host name of the message sender, as
determined by a reverse lookup on the host
address. If the reverse lookup fails or if none
of the IP addresses of the resolved host name
matches the original IP address, the hostname
would contain the message sender's IP address,
which is enclosed in square brackets (for example.
`[a.b.c.d]'). If the simple mail transfer protocol
(SMTP) connection is made via stdin, the value is
localhost.
hostaddr The host address, as determined by the
getpeername(2) call on the SMTP socket. The
value is NULL if the type is not supported in the
current version or if the SMTP connection is made
via stdin.
xxfi_helo callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_helo callback function handles the HELO or EHLO command.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_helo)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char *helohost
);
Description
The xxfi_hello callback function is called whenever the client sends a HELO or EHLO command and
returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag. The callback might, therefore be called several times or even not
called. Some restrictions can be imposed by the mail transfer agent (MTA) configuration.
Arguments
Table 33. Arguments
Item Description
helohost The value passed to HELO or EHLO command,
should be the domain name of the sending host
xxfi_envfrom callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_envfrom callback function handles the MAIL (envelope sender) command.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_envfrom)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char **argv
);
Description
The xxfi_envfrom callback function is called when the client uses the DATA command and returns the
SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note: For more details on ESMTP responses, see RFC 1869.
Arguments
Table 34. Arguments
Item Description
argv The null-terminated SMTP command arguments;
argv[0] is guaranteed to be the sender address.
Later arguments are the extended simple mail
transfer protocol (ESMTP) arguments.
Return values
Table 35. Return Values
Item Description
SMFIS_TEMPFAIL The sender and the message are rejected with
a temporary error; a new sender (and hence a
new message) might later be specified and the
xxfi_abort callback function is not called.
SMFIS_REJECT The sender and the message are rejected; a new
sender and message might be specified and the
SMFIS_DISCARD The message is accepted and discarded, and the
SMFIS_ACCEPT The message is accepted and the xxfi_abort
callback function is not called.
Related information
xxfi_abort

xxfi_envrcpt callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_envrcpt callback function handles the envelope RCPT command.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_envrcpt)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
char **argv
);
Description
The xxfi_envrcpt callback function is called once per recipient, and one or more times per message
immediately after the xxfi_envfrom callback function and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note: For more details on extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP) responses, see RFC 1869.
Arguments
Table 36. Arguments
Item Description
argv The null-terminated SMTP command arguments;
argv[0] is guaranteed to be the recipient
address. Later arguments are the extended simple
mail transfer protocol (ESMTP) arguments.
Return values
Table 37. Return values
Item Description
SMFIS_TEMPFAIL The recipient is temporarily failed; further
recipients might still be sent and the xxfi_abort
callback function is not called.
SMFIS_REJECT The recipient is rejected; further recipients might
still be sent and the xxfi_abort callback function is
not called.
SMFIS_DISCARD The message is accepted or discarded, and the
xxfi_abort callback function is called.
SMFIS_ACCEPT The recipient is accepted and the xxfi_abort
callback function is not be called.
Related information
xxfi_envfrom
xxfi_abort
xxfi_data callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_data callback function handles the DATA command.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_data)(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The xxfi_data callback function is called when the client uses the DATA command and returns the
Note: For more details on ESMTP responses, see RFC 1869.
Arguments
Table 38. Arguments
Item Description
ctx The opaque context structure maintained in
Return values
Table 39. Return values
Item Description
SMFIS_TEMPFAIL The message is rejected with a temporary error.
SMFIS_REJECT The message is rejected.
SMFIS_DISCARD The message is accepted and discarded.
SMFIS_ACCEPT The message is accepted.
xxfi_unknown callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_unknown callback function handles the unknown and unimplemented simple mail transfer
protocol (SMTP) commands.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_unknown)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
const char *arg
);

Description
The xxfi_unknown callback function is called when the client uses an SMTP command that is either
unknown or not implemented by the mail transfer agent (MTA) and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note: The server always rejects the SMTP command. It is only possible to return a different error code.
Arguments
Table 40. Arguments
Item Description
arg The SMTP command including all arguments.
Return values
Item Description
SMFIS_TEMPFAIL The command is rejected with a temporary error.
SMFIS_REJECT The command is rejected.
xxfi_header callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_header callback function handles the message header.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_header)(
SMFICTX *ctx ,
char *headerf,
char *headerv
);
Description
The xxfi_header callback function is called once for each message header and returns SMFIS_CONTINUE
flag.
Note:
• Starting with sendmail 8.14, spaces after the colon in a header field are preserved if requested by using
the SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC flag. For example, the following header:
From: sender <f@example.com>

To: user <t@example.com>
Subject:no
would be sent to a milter parameter as follows:
"From", " sender <f@example.com>"

"To", " user <t@example.com>"
"Subject", "no"
while previously (or without the flag SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC) it was as follows:
"From", "sender <f@example.com>"

"To", "user <t@example.com>"
"Subject", "no"
• Old filter make header changes or additions to the new filters.

• For more details about the header format, see RFC 822 and RFC 2822.
Arguments
Table 42. Arguments
Item Description
headerf The header field name.
headerv The header field value. The content of the header
might include folded white space, that is, multiple
lines with following white space where lines are
separated by LF (not CR or LF). The trailing line
terminator (CR or LF) is removed.
Related information
RFC 2822
RFC 822
xxfi_eoh callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_eoh callback function handles the end of message headers.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_eoh)(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The xxfi_eoh callback function is called once after all the headers have been sent and processed, and
returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Arguments
Table 43. Arguments
Item Description

xxfi_body callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_body callback function handles a piece of a messages body.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_body)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
unsigned char*bodyp ,
size_t len
);
Description
The xxfi_body callback function is not called or is called many times between the xxfi_eoh and xxfi_eom
callback function and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note:
• The bodyp points to a sequence of bytes. It is not a C string (a sequence of characters that is terminated
by '\0'). Therefore, do not use the usual C string functions like strlen(3) on this byte block. The byte
sequence might contain '\0' characters inside the block. Hence, even if a trailing '\0' is added, C string
functions might still fail to work as expected.
• Because the message bodies can be large, defining the xxfi_body callback function can significantly
affect the filter performance.
• End-of-lines are represented as received from SMTP (normally CR/LF).
• Old filters make body changes to the new filters.
• Message bodies might be sent in multiple chunks with one call to the xxfi_body callback function per
chunk.
• This function returns the SMFIS_SKIP flag if a milter parameter has received sufficiently many body
chunks to make a decision, but still wants to invoke message modification functions that are only
allowed to be called from xxfi_eom callback function.
• The milter parameter must negotiate this behavior with the mail transfer agent (MTA), that is, it must
check whether the protocol action SMFIP_SKIP flag is available and if so, the milter parameter must
request it.
Arguments
Table 44. Arguments
Item Description
bodyp The pointer to the start of this block of body data.
bodyp is not valid outside this call to the xxfi_body
callback function.
len The amount of data pointed to by bodyp.
Related information
xxfi_eoh
xxfi_eom
xxfi_eom callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_eom callback function handles the end of message.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_eom)(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The xxfi_eom callback function is called once after all calls to the xxfi_body callback function for a given
message and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note: A filter is required to make all its modifications to the message headers, body, and envelope in the
xxfi_eom callback function. Modifications are made via the smfi_* routines.
Arguments
Table 45. Arguments
Item Description
Related information
xxfi_body
xxfi_abort callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_abort callback function handles the current messages that are being aborted.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_abort)(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The xxfi_abort callback function is called at any time during message processing (that is between some
message-oriented routine and the xxfi_eom callback function) and returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag.
Note:
• The xxfi_abort callback function must reclaim any resources allocated on a per-message basis, and
must be tolerant of being called between any two message-oriented callbacks.
• Calls to the xxfi_abort and xxfi_eom callback function are mutually exclusive.
• The xxfi_abort callback function is not responsible for reclaiming connection-specific data, because the
xxfi_close callback function is always called when a connection is closed.

• Because the current message is already being aborted, the return value is currently ignored.
• The xxfi_abort callback function is only called if the message is aborted outside the filter's control
and the filter has not completed the message-oriented processing. For example, if a filter has already
returned the SMFIS_ACCEPT, SMFIS_REJECT, or SMFIS_DISCARD flag from a message-oriented
routine. The xxfi_abort callback function will not be called even if the message is later aborted outside
the control.
Arguments
Table 46. Arguments
Item Description
libmilter.
Related information
xxfi_close
xxfi_eom
xxfi_close callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_close callback function closes the current connection.
Syntax
sfsistat (*xxfi_close)(
SMFICTX *ctx
);
Description
The xxfi_close callback function is always called once at the end of each connection and returns the
The xxfi_close callback function might be called out-of-order, that is, before even the xxfi_connect
callback function is called. After a connection is established by the mail transfer agent (MTA) to the filter,
if the MTA decides this connection traffic will be discarded (for example, via an access_db result), no data
will be passed to the filter from the MTA until the client closes down. At that time, the xxfi_close callback
function is called. It can therefore be the only callback ever used for a given connection, and you should
anticipate this possibility when crafting the xxfi_close callback function code. In particular, it is incorrect
to assume that the private context pointer will be a value other than NULL in this callback.
The xxfi_close callback function is called on close even if the previous mail transaction was aborted.
The xxfi_close callback function is responsible for freeing any resources allocated on a per-connection
basis.
Because the connection is already closing, the return value is currently ignored.
Arguments
Table 47. Arguments
Item Description
Related information
xxfi_connect
xxfi_negotiate callback Function
Purpose
The xxfi_negotiate callback function handles negotiation.
Syntax
#include <libmilter/mfdef.h>
sfsistat (*xxfi_negotiate)(
SMFICTX *ctx,
unsigned long f0,
unsigned long f1,
unsigned long f2,
unsigned long f3,
unsigned long *pf0,
unsigned long *pf1,
unsigned long *pf2,
unsigned long *pf3);
Description
The xxfi_negotiate callback function is called at the start of each simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP)
connection and returns SMFIS_ALL_OPTS flag.
With this function, a milter parameter could dynamically determine and request operations and actions
during startup. In previous versions, the actions (f0) were fixed in the flags field of the smfiDesc
structure and the protocol steps (f1) were implicitly derived by checking whether a callback was
defined. Due to the extensions in the new milter version, such a static selection would not work if a
milter parameter requires new actions that are not available when talking to an older mail transfer
agent (MTA). Hence, in the negotiation a callback can determine which operations are available and
dynamically select those callback function which it needs and which are offered. If some operations are
not available, the milter parameter might either fall back to an older mode or stop the session and ask
the user to upgrade.
Protocol steps
(f1, *pf1)
:
• SMFIP_RCPT_REJ: By setting this bit, a milter parameter can request that the MTA should also send
RCPT commands that have been rejected because the user is unknown (or similar reasons), but not
those function which have been rejected because of syntax errors. If a milter requests this protocol
step, then it should check the macro {rcpt_mailer}: if that is set to error, then the recipient would be
rejected by the MTA. Usually the macros {rcpt_host} and {rcpt_addr} would contain an enhanced status
code and an error text in that case.
• SMFIP_SKIP indicates that the MTA understand the SMFIS_SKIP return code.

• SMFIP_NR_* indicates that the MTA understand the SMFIS_NOREPLY return code. There are flags for
various protocol stages:
– SMFIP_NR_CONN: “xxfi_connect callback Function” on page 82
– SMFIP_NR_HELO: “xxfi_helo callback Function” on page 83
– SMFIP_NR_MAIL: “xxfi_envfrom callback Function” on page 84
– SMFIP_NR_RCPT: “xxfi_envrcpt callback Function” on page 85
– SMFIP_NR_DATA: “xxfi_data callback Function” on page 86
– SMFIP_NR_UNKN: “xxfi_unknown callback Function” on page 86
– SMFIP_NR_EOH: “xxfi_eoh callback Function” on page 88
– SMFIP_NR_BODY:“xxfi_body callback Function” on page 89
– SMFIP_NR_HDR: “xxfi_header callback Function” on page 87
• The SMFIP_HDR_LEADSPC flag indicates that the MTA can send header values with leading space
intact. If this protocol step is requested, the MTA would not add a leading space to headers when they
are added, inserted, or changed.
• The MTA can be instructed not to send information about various SMTP stages, these flags start with:
SMFIP_NO*.
– SMFIP_NOCONNECT: “xxfi_connect callback Function” on page 82
– SMFIP_NOHELO: “xxfi_header callback Function” on page 87
– SMFIP_NOMAIL: “xxfi_envfrom callback Function” on page 84
– SMFIP_NORCPT: “xxfi_envrcpt callback Function” on page 85
– SMFIP_NOBODY: “xxfi_body callback Function” on page 89
– SMFIP_NOHDRS: “xxfi_header callback Function” on page 87
– SMFIP_NOEOH: “xxfi_eoh callback Function” on page 88
– SMFIP_NOUNKNOWN: “xxfi_unknown callback Function” on page 86
– SMFIP_NODATA: “xxfi_data callback Function” on page 86
For each of these xxfi_* callbacks that a milter parameter does not use, the corresponding flag
should be set in
*pf1.
The available actions
(f0, *pf0)
are described in (xxfi_flags).

If a milter returns the SMFIS_CONTINUE flag, the milter sets the desired actions and protocol steps
via the (output) parameters pf0 and pf1 (which correspond to f0 and f1, respectively). The (output)
parameters pf2 and pf3 should be set to 0 for compatibility with future versions.
Arguments
Table 48. Arguments
Item Description
f0 The actions offered by the MTA.
f1 The protocol steps offered by the MTA.
Item Description
f2 For future extensions.
f3 For future extensions.
pf0 The actions requested by the milter
pf1 The protocol steps requested by the milter.
pf2 For future extensions.
pf3 For future extensions.
Return values
Item Description
SMFIS_ALL_OPTS If a milter just wants to inspect the available
protocol steps and actions, then it can return the
SMFIS_ALL_OPTS flag and the MTA would make
all protocol steps and actions available to the
milter. In this case, no values should be assigned
to the output parameters pf0 -pf3 as they would
be ignored.
SMFIS_REJECT The milter startup fails and it would not be
contacted again (for the current connection).
SMFIS_CONTINUE Continue processing. In this case the milter
parameter must set all output parameters pf0 -
pf3. See the following for an explanation how to
set those output parameters.
Miscellaneous and constant functions

The miscellaneous and constant functions fetch the libmilter parameters version information.
Table 50. Constant functions

Item Description
smfi_version The smfi_version function fetches the libmilter
parameter (runtime) version info.
smfi_setsymlist The smfi_setsymlist sets the list of macros that
the libmilter parameter wants to receive from
the mail transfer agent (MTA) for a protocol stage.
Table 51. Constant functions

Item Description
SMFI_VERSION The SMFI_VERSION gets the runtime version of

smfi_version Function
Purpose
The smfi_version function provides the libmilter (runtime) version information.
Syntax
int smfi_version(
unsigned int *pmajor,
unsigned int *pminor,
unsigned int *ppl
);
Description
The smfi_version callback function might be called at any time.
The compile-time version of the libmilter library is available in the SMFI_VERSION macro. To
extract the major and minor version as well as the current patch level from this macro, the
SM_LM_VRS_MAJOR(v), SM_LM_VRS_MINOR(v), and SM_LM_VRS_PLVL(v) macros might be used. A
milter parameter can check the SMFI_VERSION macro to determine which functions to use (at
compile time via C preprocessor statements). Using this macro and the smfi_version function, a milter
parameter can determine at run time whether it has been (dynamically) linked against the expected
libmilter version. Such a function must compare the major and minor version only, not the patch level,
that is, the libmilter library will be compatible despite different patch levels.
Arguments
Table 52. Arguments
Item Description
pmajor A pointer to an unsigned int variable to store major
version number.
pminor A pointer to an unsigned int variable to store minor
version number.
ppl A pointer to an unsigned int variable to store patch
level number.
Return values
The smfi_version function returns the MI_SUCCESS value.
smfi_setsymlist Function
Purpose
The smfi_setsymlist function sets the list of macros that the milter parameter wants to receive from
the mail transfer agent (MTA) for a protocol stage.
Syntax
int smfi_setsymlist(
SMFICTX *ctx,
int stage,
char *macros
);
Description
The smfi_setsymlist callback function must be called during the xxfi_negotiate function, and this
function can be used to override the list of macros that the milter parameter wants to receive from
the mail transfer agent (MTA).
Note: There is an internal limit on the number of macros that can be set (currently 5). However, this limit
is not enforced by the milter parameter, and is enforced only by the MTA, but a possible violation of this
restriction is not communicated back to the milter parameter.
Arguments
Table 53. Arguments
Item Description
stage The protocol stage during which the macro list
should be used. See the include/libmilter/
mfapi.h file for legal values, and look for the C
macros with the SMFIM_ prefix. Available protocol
stages are at least the initial connection, HELO or
EHLO, MAIL, RCPT, DATA, end of header, and the
end of a message.
macros The list of macros (separated by space). For
example: "{rcpt_mailer} {rcpt_host}".
Return values
The smfi_setsymlist function returns the MI_FAILURE value in the following cases. Otherwise the
• There is no enough free memory to make a copy of the macro list.
• The macros are NULL or empty.
• The stage is not a valid protocol stage.
• The macro list for a stage has been set before.
Related information
xxfi_negotiate
Debug flags for sendmail

There are a large number of debug flags built into the sendmail command.
Each debug flag has a number and level, where higher levels print more information. The convention is
levels greater than nine print out so much information that they are used only for debugging a particular
piece of code. Debug flags are set using the -d flag as shown in the following example:
debug-flag: -d debug-list
debug-list: debug-flag[.debug-flag]*
debug-flag: debug-range[.debug-level]
debug-range: integer|integer-integer
debug-level: integer

-d12 Set flag 12 to level 1
-d12.3 Set flag 12 to level 3
-d3-17 Set flags 3 through 17 to level 1
-d3-17.4 Set flags 3 through 17 to level 4
The available debug flags are:
Item Description
-d0 General debugging.
-d1 Show send information.
-d2 End with finis( ).
-d3 Print the load average.
-d4 Enough disk space.
-d5 Show events.
-d6 Show failed mail.
-d7 The queue file name.
-d8 DNS name resolution.
-d9 Trace RFC1413 queries.
-d9.1 Make host name canonical.
-d10 Show recipient delivery.
-d11 Trace delivery.
-d12 Show mapping of relative host.
-d13 Show delivery.
-d14 Show header field commas.
-d15 Show network get request activity.
-d16 Outgoing connections.
-d17 List MX hosts.
Note: There are now almost 200 defined debug flags in sendmail.
Internet Message Access Protocol and Post Office Protocol

AIX provides two Internet-based mail protocol server implementations for accessing mail remotely.
• Post Office Protocol (POP or POP3DS)
• Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP or IMAPDS)
Each type of server stores and provides access to electronic messages. Using these mail access protocols
on a server eliminates the requirement that, to receive mail, a computer must always be up and running.
The POP or POP3DS server provides an offline mail system, whereby a client, using POP or POP3DS
client software, can remotely access a mail server to retrieve mail messages. The client can either
download the mail messages and immediately delete the messages from the server, or download the
messages and leave the messages resident on the POP or POP3DS server. After the mail is downloaded
to the client machine, all mail processing is local to the client machine. The POP server allows access to a
user mailbox one client at a time. The POP3DS version uses the OpenSSL libraries, which require security
certificates.
The IMAP or IMAPDS server provides a superset of POP functionality but has a different interface. The
IMAP or IMAPDS server provides an offline service, as well as an online service and a disconnected
service. The protocol is designed to permit manipulation of remote mailboxes as if they were local.
For example, clients can perform searches and mark messages with status flags such as deleted or
answered. In addition, messages can remain in the server database until explicitly removed. The IMAP
server also allows simultaneous interactive access to user mailboxes by multiple clients. The IMAPDS
version uses the OpenSSL libraries, which require security certificates.
Each type of server is used for mail access only. These servers rely on the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(SMTP) for sending mail.
Each protocol is an open protocol, based on standards described in RFCs. The IMAP servers are based
on RFC 2060 and 2061, and the POP servers are based on RFC 1939. Both are connection-oriented using
TCP sockets. The IMAP server listens on port 143, and the IMAPDS server listens on port 993. The POP
server listens on port 110, and the POP3DS server listens on port 995. All servers are handled by the
inetd daemon.
Requirement: To use the OpenSSL versions, you must install OpenSSL. OpenSSL is available on the AIX
Toolbox for Linux Applications CD.
Configuring IMAP and POP servers

Use this procedure to configure IMAP and POP servers.
To perform this task, you must have root authority.
1. Uncomment the imapd or imapds and pop3d or pop3ds configuration entries in the /etc/
inetd.conf file.
The following are examples of the configuration entries:
#imap2 stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/imapd imapd

#pop3 stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/pop3d pop3d
#imaps stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/imapds imapds
#pop3s stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/pop3ds pop3ds
2. Set the configuration files for the imapds server in the /etc/imapd.cf file and for the pop3ds server
in the /etc/pop3d.cf file.
By default, the less secured security handshaking protocols Secure Sockets Layer version 2 (SSLv2)
and SSLv3 are enabled for the imapds server and the pop3ds server. However, you can disable SSLv2
and SSLv3 by updating the configuration files as shown in the following example. You can also enable
or disable any cipher by specifying the SSL_CIPHER_LIST string in the configuration file. This option
overwrites the default ciphers string that is hardcoded in the applications.
Configuration file for the imapds server (/etc/imapd.cf):
#==================================================================
#
# Sample IMAP Server Configuration File
#
#==================================================================
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to Disable SSL v2 for the imap server.
#
# Disable SSL V2 ---> SSL_OP_NO_SSLv2 YES
# Allow SSL V2 ---> SSL_OP_NO_SSLv2 NO
#
#
#SSL_OP_NO_SSLv2 YES <-------------- uncomment this line to disable sslv2
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to Disable SSL v3 for the imap server.
#
#
#
#SSL_OP_NO_SSLv3 YES <-------------- uncomment this line to disable sslv3
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to use the user provided cipher list
# for the imap server. Parser logic expect Cipher string within " ".
#
#
#SSL_CIPHER_LIST "ALL:!LOW" <--- uncomment this line to customized (enable/disabled)

ciphers string
#==================================================================
Configuration file for the pop3ds server (/etc/pop3d.cf):
#==================================================================
#
# Sample POP3 Server Configuration File
#
#==================================================================
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to Disable SSL v2 for the pop3d server.
#
#
#
#SSL_OP_NO_SSLv2 YES <----------- uncomment this line to disable sslv2
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to Disable SSL v3 for the pop3d server.
#
#
#
#SSL_OP_NO_SSLv3 YES <----------- uncomment this line to disable sslv3
#==================================================================
# Uncomment the line below to use the user provided cipher list
# for the pop3d server. Parser logic expect Cipher string within " ".
#
#
#SSL_CIPHER_LIST "ALL:!LOW" <---- uncomment this line to customized (enable/disabled)
ciphers string
#==================================================================
3. Refresh the inetd daemon by running the following command:
refresh -s inetd
Running configuration tests

Run a few tests to verify the servers are ready for operation.
1. First, verify the servers are listening on their ports.
To do this, type the following commands at a command prompt, pressing the Enter key after each
command:
netstat -a | grep imap

netstat -a | grep pop
The following is the output from the netstat commands:
tcp 0 0 *.imap2 *.* LISTEN

tcp 0 0 *.imaps *.* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *.pop3 *.* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *.pop3s *.* LISTEN
2. If you do not receive similar output, recheck the entries in the /etc/inetd.conf file, and then rerun
the refresh -s inetd command.
3. To test the configuration of the imapd server, use Telnet to access the imap2 server, port 143 (for
IMAPDS, Telnet port 993).
When you connect using Telnet, you get the imapd prompt. You can then enter the IMAP Version 4
commands as defined in RFC 1730. To run a command, type a period (.), followed by a space, then
token, command name, and any parameters. The token is used to sequence the command name. For
example:
. token CommandName parameters
Passwords are echoed when you Telnet into the imapd server.
In the following Telnet example, you must provide your own password where id_password is indicated
in the login command.
Tip: For IMAPDS, the command and output varies slightly.
telnet e-xbelize 143

Trying...
Connected to e-xbelize.austin.ibm.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
* OK e-xbelize.austin.ibm.com IMAP4 server ready
. 1 login id id_password
. OK
. 2 examine /usr/spool/mail/root
* FLAGS (\Answered \Flagged \Draft \Deleted \Seen)
* OK [PERMANENTFLAGS (\Answered \Flagged \Draft \Deleted \Seen \*)]
* 0 EXISTS
* 0 RECENT
* OK [UIDVALIDITY 823888143]
. OK [READ-ONLY] Examine completed
. 3 logout
* BYE Server terminating connection
. OK Logout completed
Connection closed.
4. To test the configuration of the pop3d server, use Telnet to access the POP3 port, 110 (for POP3DS,
Telnet port 995).
When you connect using Telnet, you get the pop3d prompt. You can enter the POP commands that are
defined in RFC 1725. To run one of the commands, type a period (.), followed by a space, and then the
command name. For example:
. CommandName
Passwords are echoed when you Telnet into the pop3d server.
In the following Telnet example, you must provide your own password where id_password is indicated
in the pass command.
Tip: For POP3DS, the command and output varies slightly.
telnet e-xbelize 110

Trying...
Connected to e-xbelize.austin.ibm.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
+OK e-xbelize.austin.ibm.com POP3 server ready
user id
+OK Name is a valid mailbox
pass id_password
+OK Maildrop locked and ready
list
+OK scan listing follows
.
stat
+OK 0 0
quit
+OK
Connection closed.
Logging in with the SYSLOG facility

The IMAP (and IMAPDS) and POP (and POP3DS) server software sends log messages to the SYSLOG
facility.
1. To configure the system for IMAP and POP logging through the SYSLOG facility, you must be the root
user. Edit the /etc/syslog.conf file, and add an entry for *.debug as follows:
*.debug /usr/adm/imapd.log
2. The usr/adm/imapd.log file must exist before the syslogd daemon reads the /etc/
syslog.conf configuration file. To create this file, type the following at a command-line prompt
and press Enter:

touch /usr/adm/imapd.log
3. Refresh the syslogd daemon to read its configuration file again. Type the following at a command line
prompt and press Enter:
refresh -s syslogd
Mail management commands

The mail management commands are summarized here.
Item Description
bugfiler Stores bug reports in specific mail directories.
comsat Notifies users of incoming mail (daemon).
mailq Prints the contents of the mail queue.
mailstats Displays statistics about mail traffic.
newaliases Builds a new copy of the alias database from the /etc/mail/
aliases file.
rmail Handles remote mail received through the uucp command of
the Basic Networking Utilities (BNU).
sendbug Mails a system bug report to a specific address.
sendmail Routes mail for local or network delivery.
smdemon.cleanu Cleans up the sendmail queue for periodic housekeeping.
Mail files and directories

Mail files and directories can be arranged by function.
Item Description
/usr/share/lib/Mail.rc Sets local system defaults for all users of the mail
program. A text file you can modify to set the default
characteristics of the mail command.
$HOME/.mailrc Enables the user to change the local system defaults
for the mail facility.
$HOME/mbox Stores processed mail for the individual user.
/usr/bin/Mail, /usr/bin/mail, Specifies three names linked to the same program.
or /usr/bin/mailx The mail program is one of the user interfaces to the
mail system.
/var/spool/mail Specifies the default mail drop directory. By default,
all mail is delivered to the /var/spool/mail/
UserName file.
/usr/bin/bellmail Performs local mail delivery.
/usr/bin/rmail Performs remote mail interface for BNU.
/var/spool/clientmqueue Keeps the log file and temporary files that are
associated with the locally generated outbound
messages in the mail queue.
/var/spool/mqueue Contains the log file and temporary files associated
with the messages in the mail queue.

Item Description
/usr/sbin/sendmail The sendmail command.
/usr/ucb/mailq Links to the /usr/sbin/sendmail. Using mailq is
equivalent to using the /usr/sbin/sendmail -bp
command.
/usr/ucb/newaliases Links to the /usr/sbin/sendmail file. Using newaliases
is equivalent to using the /usr/sbin/sendmail -bi
command.
/etc/netsvc.conf Specifies the ordering of certain name resolution services.
/usr/sbin/mailstats Formats and prints the sendmail statistics as found
in the /etc/sendmail.st file if it exists. The /etc/
sendmail.st file is the default, but you can specify an
alternative file.
/etc/mail/aliases Describes a text version of the aliases file for the sendmail
command. You can edit this file to create, modify, or delete
aliases for your system.
/etc/aliasesDB Describes a directory containing the aliases database files,
DB.dir and DB.pag, that are created from the /etc/mail/
aliases file when you run the sendmail -bi command.
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf Contains the sendmail configuration information in text
form. Edit the file to change this information.
/usr/lib/smdemon.cleanu Specifies a shell file that runs the mail queue and
maintains the sendmail log files in the /var/spool/
mqueue directory.
/etc/mail/statistics Collects statistics about mail traffic. This file does not grow.
Use the /usr/sbin/mailstats command to display the
contents of this file. Delete this file if you do not want to
collect this information.
/var/spool/clientmqueue Describes a directory containing the temporary files, which
contains the locally generated outbound email, in the mail
queue. Examples of temporary files include system emails.
/var/spool/mqueue Describes a directory containing the temporary files
associated with each message in the queue. The directory can
contain the log file.
/var/spool/cron/crontabs Describes a directory containing files that the cron daemon
reads to determine which jobs to start. The root file contains
a line to start the smdemon.cleanu shell script.
IMAP and POP commands

The imapd and pop3d mail commands are used for IMAP and POP.
Item Description
/usr/sbin/imapd The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) server process.
/usr/sbin/pop3d The Post Office Protocol Version 3 (POP3) server process.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

When computers communicate with one another, certain rules, or protocols, allow them to transmit and
receive data in an orderly fashion. Throughout the world, one of the most routinely used sets of protocols

is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). (Much of Europe, however, uses the
X.25 protocol.) Some common functions for using TCP/IP are electronic mail, computer-to-computer file
transfer, and remote login.
The mail user command, the Message Handling (MH) user commands, and the sendmail server
command can use TCP/IP for sending and receiving mail between systems, and the Basic Networking
Utilities (BNU) can use TCP/IP for sending and receiving files and commands between systems.
TCP/IP is a suite of protocols that specify communications standards between computers and detail
conventions for routing and interconnecting networks. It is used extensively on the Internet and
consequently allows research institutions, colleges and universities, government, and industry to
communicate with each other.
TCP/IP allows communication between a number of computers (called hosts) connected on a network.
Each network can be connected to another network to communicate with hosts on that network. Although
there are many types of network technologies, many of which operate with packet-switching and stream
transport, TCP/IP offers one major advantage: hardware independence.
Because Internet protocols define the unit of transmission and specify how to send it, TCP/IP can hide
the details of network hardware, allowing many types of network technologies to connect and exchange
information. Internet addresses allow any machine on the network to communicate with any other
machine on the network. TCP/IP also provides standards for many of the communications services that
users need.
TCP/IP provides facilities that make the computer system an Internet host, which can attach to a network
and communicate with other Internet hosts. TCP/IP includes commands and facilities that allow you to:
• Transfer files between systems
• Log in to remote systems
• Run commands on remote systems
• Print files on remote systems
• Send electronic mail to remote users
• Converse interactively with remote users
• Manage a network
Note: TCP/IP provides basic network management capability. The Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) provides more network management commands and functions.
TCP/IP terminology
You might find it useful to become familiar with the following Internet terms as they are used in relation to
TCP/IP.
Item Description
client A computer or process that accesses the data, services, or resources of another computer
or process on the network.
host A computer that is attached to an Internet network and can communicate with other
Internet hosts. The local host for a particular user is the computer at which that user is
working. A foreign host is any other host name on the network. From the point of view of
the communications network, hosts are both the source and destination of packets. Any
host can be a client, a server, or both. On an Internet network, a host is identified by its
Internet name and address.
network The combination of two or more hosts and the connecting links between them. A physical
network is the hardware that makes up the network. A logical network is the abstract
organization overlaid on all or part of one or more physical networks. The Internet network
is an example of a logical network. The interface program handles translation of logical
network operations into physical network operations.

Item Description
packet The block of control information and data for one transaction between a host and its
network. Packets are the exchange medium used by processes to send and receive data
through Internet networks. A packet is sent from a source to a destination.
port A logical connecting point for a process. Data is transmitted between processes through
ports (or sockets). Each port provides queues for sending and receiving data. In an
interface program network, each port has an Internet port number based on how it is
being used. A particular port is identified with an Internet socket address, which is the
combination of an Internet host address and a port number.
process A program that is running. A process is the active element in a computer. Terminals, files,
and other I/O devices communicate with each other through processes. Thus, network
communications is interprocess communications (that is, communication between
processes).
protocol A set of rules for handling communications at the physical or logical level. Protocols often
use other protocols to provide services. For example, a connection-level protocol uses
a transport-level protocol to transport packets that maintain a connection between two
hosts.
server A computer or process that provides data, services, or resources that can be accessed by
other computers or processes on the network.
Planning your TCP/IP network

Because TCP/IP is such a flexible networking tool, you can customize it to fit the specific needs of your
organization. Consider the major issues in this topic when planning your network. The details of these
issues are discussed in other topics. This list is intended only to introduce you to the issues.
1. Decide which type of network hardware you want to use: token-ring, Ethernet Version 2, IEEE 802.3,
Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Serial Optical Channel (SOC), or Serial Line Interface Protocol
(SLIP).
2. Plan the physical layout of the network.
Consider which functions each host machine will serve. For example, you must decide which machine
or machines will serve as gateways before you cable the network.
3. Decide whether a flat network or a hierarchical network organization best fits your needs.
If your network is fairly small, at a single site, and consists of one physical network, then a flat network
probably suits your needs. If your network is very large or complex with multiple sites or multiple
physical networks, a hierarchical network might be a more efficient network organization for you.
4. If your network is to be connected to other networks, you must plan how your gateways should be set
up and configured.
Things to consider are:
a. Decide which machine or machines will serve as gateways.
b. Decide whether you need to use static or dynamic routing, or a combination of the two. If you
choose dynamic routing, decide which routing daemons each gateway will use in light of the types
of communications protocols you need to support.
5. Decide on an addressing scheme.
If your network will not be part of a larger internetwork, choose the addressing scheme that best fits
your needs. If you want your network to be connected to a larger internetwork such as the Internet,
you will have to obtain an official set of addresses from your internet service provider (ISP).
6. Decide whether your system needs to be divided into subnets. If so, decide how you will assign subnet
masks.
7. Decide on a naming scheme. Each machine on the network needs its own unique host name.

8. Decide whether your network needs a name server for name resolution or if using the /etc/hosts file
will be sufficient.
If you choose to use name servers, consider the type of name servers you need and how many you
need to serve your network efficiently.
9. Decide the types of services you want your network to provide to remote users; for example, mail
services, print services, file sharing, remote login, remote command execution, and others.
Installation of TCP/IP
Software that is required to configure TCP/IP network is installed along with the installation of base
operating system. TCP/IP network does not require any specific packages to be installed further.
For information on installing base operating system, see Installation and Migration.
Configuration of TCP/IP
After the base operating system of AIX is installed on your system, you are ready to begin configuring the
TCP/IP network for your system.
Many TCP/IP configuration tasks can be performed in more than one way:
• Using the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT)
• Editing a file format
• Issuing a command at the shell prompt.
For example, the rc.net shell script performs required minimum host configuration for TCP/IP during
the system startup process (the rc.net script is run by the configuration manager program during the
second boot phase). By using SMIT to perform the host configuration, the rc.net file is configured
automatically.
Alternatively, you can configure the /etc/rc.bsdnet file using a standard text editor. With this method,
you can specify the traditional UNIX TCP/IP configuration commands such as ifconfig, hostname,
and route. If using the file edit method, you must enter smit configtcp fast path and then select
BSD Style rc Configuration. See List of TCP/IP Programming References in Communications Programming
Concepts for information about TCP/IP files and file formats.
A few tasks, such as configuring a name server, cannot be done using SMIT.
Use this procedure as a guide for configuring your network. Ensure that you have read and understood the
appropriate material.
Before beginning this procedure, make sure that the following prerequisites are true:
1. Network hardware is installed and cabled. For more information about installing and cabling your
hardware, see “TCP/IP local area network adapter cards” on page 159.
2. TCP/IP software is installed. For more information about installing the TCP/IP software, see the
Installation and migration.
After you bring your network up and it is running properly, you might find it useful to refer to this checklist
for the purpose of debugging.
To configure your TCP/IP network, use the following steps:
1. Read “TCP/IP protocols” on page 122 for the basic organization of TCP/IP.
You should understand:
• the layered nature of TCP/IP (that is, different protocols reside at different layers)
• how data flows through the layers
2. Minimally configure each host machine on the network.
This means adding a network adapter, assigning an IP address, and assigning a host name to each
host, as well as defining a default route to your network. For background information on these tasks,

refer to “TCP/IP network interfaces” on page 162, “TCP/IP addressing” on page 168, and “Naming
hosts on your network” on page 174.
Note: Each machine on the network needs this basic configuration whether it will be an end-user host,
a file server, a gateway, or a name server.
3. Configure and start the inetd daemon on each host machine on the network. Read “TCP/IP daemons”
on page 368 and then follow the instructions in “Configuring the inetd daemon” on page 369.
4. Configure each host machine to perform either local name resolution or to use a name server.
If you are setting up a hierarchical Domain Name network, configure at least one host to function as a
name server. Read and follow the instructions in “Name resolution” on page 177.
5. If your network will communicate with any remote networks, configure at least one host to function as
a gateway.
The gateway can use static routes or a routing daemon to perform internetwork routing. Read and
follow the instructions in “TCP/IP routing” on page 371.
6. Decide which services each host machine on the network will use.
By default, all services are available. Follow the instructions in “Client network services” on page 370
if you wish to make a particular service unavailable.
7. Decide which hosts on the network will be servers, and which services a particular server will provide.
Follow the instructions in “Server network services” on page 370 to start the server daemons you wish
to run.
8. Configure any remote print servers you will need.
See Printing administration for more information.
9. Optional: If desired, configure a host to use or to serve as the master time server for the network.
For more information, see the timed daemon.
Host configuration
Each host machine on your network must be configured to function according to the needs of the end
users and the network as a whole.
For each host on the network, you must configure the network interface, set the Internet address, and
set the host name. You also must set up static routes to gateways or other hosts, specify daemons to be
started by default, and set up the /etc/hosts file for name resolution (or set up the host to use a name
server for name resolution).
Host as server configuration

If the host machine will have a specific function like serve as a gateway, file server, or name server, you
must perform the necessary configuration tasks after the basic configuration is complete.
For example, if your network is organized hierarchically and you want to use the Domain Name protocol
to resolve names into Internet addresses, you will need to configure at least one name server to provide
this function for your network.
Remember, a server host does not have to be a dedicated machine, it can be used for other things as
well. If the name server function for your network is fairly small, the machine might also be used as a
workstation or as a file server for your network.
Note: If your system has NIS installed, these services can also provide name resolution.
Gateway configuration
If your network is going to communicate with other networks, you will need to configure at least one
gateway host.
You must consider which communications protocols you want to support, and then use whichever routing
daemon (the routed or gated daemon) that supports those protocols.

TCP/IP configuration and management commands
You can use a variety of commands to configure and manage a TCP/IP network. They are described in this
table.
Item Description
arp Displays or changes the Internet address to hardware address
translation tables used by the Address Resolution protocol.
finger Returns information about users on a specified host.
host Shows the Internet address of a specified host or the host name
of a specified Internet address.
hostname Shows or sets the Internet name and address of the local host.
ifconfig Configures network interfaces and their characteristics.
netstat Shows local and foreign addresses, routing tables, hardware
statistics, and a summary of packets transferred.
no Sets or shows current network kernel options.
ping Determines whether a host is reachable.
route Permits you to manipulate the routing tables manually.
ruptime Shows status information on hosts that are connected to local
physical networks and are running the rwhod server.
rwho Shows status information for users on hosts that are connected
to local physical networks and running the rwhod server.
setclock Reads the network time service and sets the time and date of the
local host accordingly.
timedc Returns information about the timed daemon.
trpt Reports protocol tracing on TCP sockets.
whois Provides the Internet name directory service.
Authentication and the secure rcmds

These commands have been enhanced to provide additional authentication methods to those used today.
The secure rcmds are rlogin, rcp, rsh, telnet, and ftp. By default these commands use the,
Standard AIX method of authentication. The two additional methods are Kerberos V.5 and Kerberos V.4.
When using the Kerberos V.5 authentication method, the client gets a Kerberos V.5 ticket from the DCE
security server or Native Kerberos server. The ticket is a portion of the user's current DCE or Native
credentials encrypted for the TCP/IP server with which they wish to connect. The daemon on the TCP/IP
server decrypts the ticket. This allows the TCP/IP server to absolutely identify the user. If the DCE or
Native principal described in the ticket is allowed access to the operating system user's account, the
connection proceeds.
Note: Beginning with DCE version 2.2, the DCE security server can return Kerberos V.5 tickets.
The secure rcmds in the AIX operating system uses the Kerberos V.5 library and the GSSAPI
library provided by NAS (Network Authentication Service) version 1.3.
In addition to authenticating the client, Kerberos V.5 forwards the current user's credentials to the
TCP/IP server. If the credentials are marked forwardable, the client sends them to the server as a
Kerberos TGT (Ticket Granting Ticket). On the TCP/IP server side, if one is communicating with a DCE
security server, the daemon upgrades the TGT into full DCE credentials using the k5dcecreds command.

The ftp command uses a different authentication method than the other commands. It uses the GSSAPI
security mechanism to pass the authentication between the ftp command and the ftpd daemon. Using
the clear/safe/private subcommands, the ftp client supports data encryption.
Between operating system clients and servers, ftp has been enhanced to allow multiple-byte transfers
for encrypted data connections. The standards define only single-byte transfers for encrypted data
connections. When connected to third-party machines and using data encryption, ftp follows the single-
byte transfer limit.
Note: The rlogin, rsh, and telnet secure rcmds commands, along with the klogin and kshell
Kerberos V.5 authentication methods, allow three attempts before the connection to the remote host is
closed.
System configuration for the secure rcmds

For all of the secure rcmds, there is a system-level configuration mechanism to determine which
authentication methods are allowed for that system. The configuration controls both outgoing and
incoming connections.
The authentication configuration consists of a library, libauthm.a, and two commands, lsauthent and
chauthent, that provide command-line access to the library's two routines: get_auth_methods and
set_auth_methods.
The system supports three different authentication methods: Kerberos V.5, Kerberos V.4, and Standard
AIX. The authentication method defines which method is used to authenticate a user across a network.
• Kerberos V.5 is the most common method, as it is the basis for the Distributed Computing Environment
(DCE). The operating system either upgrades incoming Kerberos V.5 tickets to full DCE credentials or
uses incoming Native Kerberos V.5 tickets.
• Kerberos V.4 is used by only two of the secure rcmds: rsh and rcp. It is provided to support
compatibility with an earlier version on SP systems and is functional only on one. A Kerberos V.4 ticket is
not upgraded to DCE credentials.
• The term, Standard AIX authentication method, refers to the authentication method that is used by the
AIX operating system.
There is a fallback implementation when more than one authentication method is configured. If the first
method fails to connect, the client attempts to authenticate by using the next authentication method that
is configured.
Authentication methods can be configured in any order. The only exception is that Standard AIX must
be the final authentication method that is configured because there is no fallback option from it. If
Standard AIX is not a configured authentication method, password authentication is not attempted, and
any connection attempt that uses this method is rejected.
It is possible to configure the system without any authentication methods. In this case, the system
refuses all connections from and to any terminal that uses secure rcmds. Also, because Kerberos V.4 is
supported only with the rsh and rcp commands, a system that is configured to use only Kerberos V.4
does not allow connections that use telnet, ftp, or rlogin.
Related information
get_auth_method subroutine
set_auth_method subroutine
lsauthent command
chauthent command

Kerberos V.5 user validation for the secure rcmds
When using the Kerberos V.5 authentication method, the TCP/IP client gets a service ticket encrypted for
the TCP/IP server. When the server decrypts the ticket, it has a secure method of identifying the user (by
DCE or Native principal).
However, it still needs to determine if this DCE or Native principal is allowed access to the local account.
Mapping the DCE or Native principal to the local operating system account is handled by a shared library,
libvaliduser.a, which has a single subroutine, kvalid_user. If a different method of mapping is
preferred, the system administrator must provide an alternative for the libvaliduser.a library.
DCE configuration for the secure rcmds

To use the secure rcmds, two DCE principals must exist for every network interface to which they can be
connected.
They are:
host/FullInterfaceName
ftp/FullInterfaceName
where FullInterfaceName is the interface name and domain name for the primary
HostName.DomainName.
Native configuration for the secure rcmds

To use the secure rcmds, two principles must exist for every network interface to which they can be
connected.
They are:
host/FullInterfaceName@Realmname
ftp/FullInterfaceName@Realmname
where FullInterfaceName is the interface name and the domain name for the primary
HostName.DomainName. Realmname is the name of the Native Kerberos V realm.
TCP/IP customization
To customize TCP/IP, create a .netrc file.
The .netrc file specifies automatic login information for the ftp and rexec commands. You can also
write new ftp macros, which are defined in the $HOME/.netrc file. To customize key functions or
sequences, create and edit the $HOME/.3270keys file. In addition, the .k5login file specifies which
DCE principals on which cells are allowed access to the user's account.
Creating the .netrc file

These steps describe how to create and edit the $HOME/.netrc file:
1. You must have a copy of the /usr/samples/tcpip/netrc file.
2. The securetcpip command must not be running on your system.
To create the .netrc file:
1. Copy the /usr/samples/tcpip/netrc file to your $HOME directory by typing the following
command:
cp /usr/samples/tcpip/netrc $HOME
2. Edit the $HOME/netrc file to supply the appropriate HostName, LoginName, and Password variables.
For example:
machine host1.austin.century.com login fred password bluebonnet

3. To set the permissions on the $HOME/netrc file to 600 by using the chmod command at the command
line prompt ($), type:
chmod 600 $HOME/netrc
4. Rename the $HOME/netrc file to $HOME/.netrc file. The initial period (.) causes the file to be
hidden.
mv $HOME/netrc $HOME/.netrc
The $HOME/.netrc file can contain multiple login definitions and up to 16 macros per login definition.
Writing ftp macros

These steps describe how to create an ftp macro.
You must have created the $HOME/.netrc file.
To write an ftp macro:
1. Edit the $HOME/.netrc file to include the following instructions:
macdef init
put schedule
Be sure to insert a blank line at the end of your ftp macro. The blank line terminates the ftp macro.
In the above example, the macdef subcommand defines the subcommand macro init. The line
following is the command the macro specifies, in this case put schedule, where schedule is the
name of a file.
2. After you create the ftp macro, at the command line prompt, type:
ftp hostname
Where hostname is the name of the host to which you are connecting.
ftp scans the $HOME/.netrc file for a login definition matching your host name and uses that login
definition to log you in.
3. After you log in, at the command line prompt, type:
ftp init
In this example, ftp scans for the macro named init and executes the command or commands the
macro specifies.
An ftp macro is associated with the login entry immediately preceding it. ftp macros are not global
to the $HOME/.netrc file. The macro init is executed automatically upon login. Other macros can be
executed from the ftp prompt (ftp>) by typing the following:
$getit
In this example, the $ executes the ftp macro getit.
Changing the assignment of a key set

When customizing TCP/IP, you can use this procedure to change key functions and sequences.
1. You must have working knowledge of the vi editor.
2. The vi editor must be on your system.
The following steps describe how to create and edit the $HOME/.3270keys file to customize key
functions or sequences:
1. Copy the /etc/3270.keys file to the $HOME directory and rename it .3270keys using the following
command:

cp /etc/3270.keys $HOME/.3270keys
2. Change the bind statements in the $HOME/.3270keys file to change the assignment of a key set using
the following steps:
a) Start the vi editor on a new file and enter insert mode.
b) Press the Ctrl-V key sequence and then the key that you want to map.
This displays a value for the pressed key.
c) Place the displayed value on the appropriate line in the Sequence column of the
$HOME/.3270keys file.
For example, after you have invoked the vi editor and entered insert mode, press Ctrl-V and then
Alt-Insert. This displays [[141q. The first [ is replaced with \e in the Sequence column so that the
configured line looks like the following:
3270 Function Sequence Key

bind pa1 "\e[141q" #a_insert
.k5login file
The .k5login file is used when Kerberos V.5 authentication is used for the secure rcmds. This file
specifies which DCE principals on which cells are allowed access to the user's account.
The file is located at $HOME/.k5login. It should be owned by the local user and the owner should have
read permission on this file. The minimum permission setting for this file is 400.
The .k5login file contains a list of the DCE principal/cell pairs allowed to access the account. The
principal/cell pairs are kept in Kerberos format (as opposed to DCE format). For example, if the file
contains
UserA@Cell1
then the DCE principal UserA on the DCE cell Cell1 can access the account.
If the DCE principal is the same as the user's account name, and if there is no$HOME/.k5login file for
the user's account, the DCE principal gains access to the account (provided Kerberos V.5 authentication is
configured).
For more information about Kerberos V.5 authentication, see “Authentication and the secure rcmds” on
page 107.
Methods for communicating with other systems and users

There are several methods of communicating with other systems and users. Two methods are discussed
here. The first method is by connecting a local host to a remote host. The second method is by conversing
with a remote user.
Local host connections to a remote host

These TCP/IP host connection commands are for remote login and command execution.
There are several reasons why you might need to access a computer other than your own. For example,
your system administrator might need to reassign permissions to a sensitive file you have been working
on, or you might need to access a personal file from someone else's workstation. You can even connect to
your own computer from someone else's computer station. Remote login functions, such as the rlogin,
rexec, and telnet commands, enable the local host to perform as an input/output terminal host. Key
strokes are sent to the remote host, and the results are displayed on the local monitor. When you end the
remote login session, all functions return to your local host.
TCP/IP contains the following commands for remote login and command execution:

Item Description
rexec The rexec command makes it possible to execute commands interactively on different
foreign hosts when you log in to a remote host with the rlogin command. This command
is disabled by the system manager if extra security is needed for your network. When
you issue the rexec command, your local host searches the $HOME/.netrc file of the
remote host for your user name and a password from your local host. If these are found,
the command you requested to be run on the local host will then be run. Otherwise, you
will be required to supply a login name and password before the request can be honored.
rlogin The rlogin command makes it possible to log in to similar foreign hosts. Unlike telnet,
which can be used with different remote hosts, the rlogin command can be used on
UNIX hosts only. This command is disabled by the system manager if extra security is
needed for your network.
The rlogin command is similar to the telnet command in that both allow a local host
to connect to a remote host. The only difference is that the rlogin command is not a
trusted command and can be disabled if your system needs extra security.
The rlogin command is not a trusted command because both the $HOME/.rhosts file,
which is owned by the local user, and the /etc/hosts.equiv file, which is owned by
your system manager, keep a listing of remote hosts that have access to the local host.
Therefore, if you leave your terminal on while unattended, an unauthorized user could
examine the names and passwords contained in these files, or worse, could damage a
remote host in some way. Ideally, remote users should be required to type a password
after issuing the rlogin command, but it is quite possible to bypass this recommended
feature.
If neither the $HOME/.rhosts file nor the /etc/hosts.equiv file contains the name of
a remote host that is trying to log in, the local host prompts for a password. The remote
password file is first checked to verify the password entered; the login prompt is again
displayed if the password is not correct. Pressing tilde and period (~.) at the login prompt
ends the remote login attempt.
The rlogin command can also be configured to use Kerberos V.5 to authenticate the
user. This option allows the user to be identified without the use of a $HOME/.rhosts file
or passing the password across the network. For more information about this use of the
rlogin command, see “Authentication and the secure rcmds” on page 107.

Item Description
rsh and The rsh and remsh commands make it possible to execute commands on similar foreign
remsh hosts. All required input must be performed by the remote host. The rsh and remsh
commands are disabled by the system manager if extra security is needed for your
network.
The rsh command can be used in two ways:
• To execute a single command on a remote host when a command name is specified
• To execute the rlogin command when no command name is specified
When the rsh command is issued, your local host searches the /etc/hosts.equiv file
on the remote host for permission to log in. If that is unsuccessful, the $HOME/.rhosts
file is searched. Both of these files are lists of remote hosts having login permission.
Remote users should be required to type a password after issuing the rsh command.
It is also possible to eliminate the need to issue the rlogin command. The rsh
command permits the execution of commands on a remote host, but does not provide
a means of bypassing the password requirement. If a password is needed to access a
remote host, then a password is needed to use the rsh command as well because both
commands access the $HOME/.rhosts and /etc/hosts.equiv files.
The rsh command can also be configured to use Kerberos V.5 to authenticate the user.
This option allows the user to be identified without either the use of a $HOME/.rhosts
file or passing the password across the network. For more information about this use of
the rsh command, see “Authentication and the secure rcmds” on page 107.

Item Description
telnet, tn, The telnet command is a terminal emulation program that implements the TELNET
and tn3270 protocol and allows you to log in on a similar or dissimilar foreign host. It uses TCP/IP to
communicate with other hosts in the network.
Note: For convenience, telnet hereafter refers to the telnet, tn, and
tn3270 commands.
The telnet command is one way a user can log in to a remote host. The most important
feature of the telnet command is that it is a trusted command. In contrast, the rlogin
command, which also allows for remote login, is not considered a trusted command.
A system may need extra security to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to its
files, stealing sensitive data, deleting files, or placing viruses or worms on the system. The
security features of TCP/IP are designed to help prevent these occurrences.
A user who wishes to log in to a remote host with the telnet command must provide
the user name and password of an approved user for that computer. This is similar to the
procedure used for logging in to a local host. When successfully logged in to a remote
host, the user's terminal runs as if directly connected to the host.
The telnet command supports an option called terminal negotiation. If the remote host
supports terminal negotiation, the telnet command sends the local terminal type to
the remote host. If the remote host does not accept the local terminal type, the telnet
command attempts to emulate a 3270 terminal and a DEC VT100 terminal. If you specify
a terminal to emulate, the telnet command does not negotiate for terminal type. If the
local and remote hosts cannot agree on a terminal type, the local host defaults to none.
The telnet command supports these 3270 terminal types: 3277-1, 3278-1, 3278-2,
3278-3, 3278-4, and 3278-5. If you are using the telnet command in 3270 mode on
a color display, the colors and fields are displayed just as those on a 3279 display, by
default. You can select other colors by editing one of the keyboard mapping files in the
preceding list of terminal types. When the telnet session has ended, the display is reset
to the colors in use before the session began.
The telnet command can also be configured to use Kerberos V.5 to authenticate
the user. This option allows the user to be identified without either the use of a
$HOME/.rhosts file or passing the password across the network. For more information
about this use of the telnet command, see “Authentication and the secure rcmds” on
page 107.
Note: The rsh and rexec commands can be used to execute commands on a remote host, but neither is
a trusted command, so they may not meet all security levels configured into your computer. As a result,
these commands can be disabled if your system requires extra security.
Remote host logins

You can log in to a remote host by using the telnet command.
In order to do this, you must have a valid user ID and password for the remote host.
To log in to a remote host (host1 in this example), type:
telnet host1
Information similar to the following displays on your screen:
Trying . . .
Connected to host1
Escape character is '^T'.
AIX telnet (host1)
AIX Operating System

Version 7.1
(/dev/pts0)
login:_
After you have logged in, you can issue commands. To log out of the system and close the connection,
press the Ctrl-D key sequence.
If you cannot log in, cancel the connection by pressing the Ctrl-T key sequence.
Conversing with a remote user

Use the talk command to have a real-time conversation with another user on a remote host.
1. The talkd daemon must be active on both the local and remote host.
2. The user on the remote host must be logged in.
The talk command requires a valid address on which to bind. The host name of the remote terminal
must be bound to a working network interface that is usable by other network commands, such as the
ping command. If a machine has no network interface that is a standalone terminal, it must bind its host
name to the loopback address (127.0.0.1) in order for the talk command to work.
Using electronic mail, you can send text messages to other users on a local network and receive mail from
them as well. If a computer system is configured appropriately and you know the appropriate electronic
address, you can send electronic mail messages across the world to someone on a remote system.
TCP/IP contains the following commands for remote communications:
Item Description
mail Sends and receives electronic memos and letters
talk Lets you have an interactive conversation with a user on a remote host
1. To talk to the remote user dale@host2 logged in on a remote host, jane@host1 types:
talk dale@host2
A message similar to the following displays on the screen of dale@host2:
Message from TalkDaemon@host1 at 15:16...

talk: connection requested by jane@host1.
talk: respond with: talk jane@host1
This message informs dale@host2 that jane@host1 is trying to converse with her.
2. To accept the invitation, dale@host2 types:
talk jane@host1
Users dale@host2 and jane@host1 are now able to have an interactive conversation.
3. To end a conversation at any time, either user can press the Ctrl-C key sequence.
This returns them to the command line prompt.
File transfers
Although it is possible to send relatively short files using electronic mail, there are more efficient ways of
transferring large files.
Electronic mail programs are usually designed to transmit relatively small amounts of text; therefore,
other means are needed to transfer large files effectively. The ftp, rcp, and tftp commands rely on
TCP/IP to establish direct connections from your local host to a remote host. Basic Network Utilities
(BNU) can also use TCP/IP to provide direct connections with foreign hosts.

File transfers using the ftp and rcp commands
Use the ftp command to copy a file from a remote host. The ftp command does not preserve file
attributes or copy subdirectories. If either of these conditions are necessary, use the rcp command.
Ite Description
m
ft Uses the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to transfer files between hosts that use different file systems
p or character representations, such as EBCDIC and ASCII. It provides for security by sending
passwords to the remote host and also permits automatic login, file transfers, and log off.
rc Copies one or more files between a local host and a remote host, between two separate remote
p hosts, or between files at the same remote host. This command is similar to the cp command
except that it works only for remote file operations. If extra security is needed for your network,
this command is disabled by the system manager.
Before attempting file transfer using the ftp and rcp commands, make sure the following conditions are
true:
1. You must have remote login permission specified in the remote host's $HOME/.netrc file if the
automatic login feature is to be used. Otherwise, you must know a login name and password for the
remote host. For more information about the .netrc file, see “Creating the .netrc file” on page 109.
Alternatively, the system can be configured to use Kerberos V.5 authentication. This is used instead of
the .netrc or $HOME/.rhosts files. See “Authentication and the secure rcmds” on page 107.
2. If you wish to copy a file from a remote host, you must have read permission for that file.
Note: The read and write permissions for files and directories on a remote host are determined by the
login name used.
3. If you wish to copy a file from your local host to a remote host, you must have write permission for the
directory that is to contain the copied file. Also, if the directory on the remote host contains a file with
the same name as the file that you wish to place in it, you must have write permission to append the
file on the remote host.
Logging in to a remote host directly

When using TCP/IP to transfer files, you can use this procedure to log in to a remote host directly.
1. Use the cd command to change to the directory that contains the file you want to send (sending a file)
or to the directory where you want the transferred file to reside (receiving a file).
2. Log in to the remote host directly by typing:
ftp HostName
If you have automatic login permission, information similar to the following is displayed on your local
host:
Connected to canopus.austin.century.com.
220 canopus.austin.century.com FTP server
(Version 4.1 Sat Nov 23 12:52:09 CST 1995) ready.
331 Password required for dee.
230 User dee logged in.
ftp>
Otherwise, information similar to the following is displayed on your local host:
Name (canopus:eric): dee
Password:
ftp>

3. Enter your login name and password when prompted by the system.
You are now ready to copy a file between two hosts.
Logging in to a remote host indirectly

When using TCP/IP to transfer files, you can use this procedure to log in to a remote host indirectly.
1. Use the cd command to change to the directory that contains the file you want to send (sending a file)
or to the directory where you want the transferred file to reside (receiving a file).
2. Log in to the remote host indirectly by typing:
ftp
3. When the ftp> prompt is displayed, type:
open HostName
If you have automatic login permission, information similar to the following is displayed on your local
host:
ftp>
Otherwise, information similar to the following is displayed on your local host:
Name (canopus:eric): dee
Password:
ftp>
4. Type in your name and password when prompted by the system.
Copying a file from a remote host to a local host

Use the ftp command to copy a file from a remote host to a local host.
To copy a file from a remote host to a local host using the ftp command, you must first log in to the
remote system either directly or indirectly. See Logging in to a remote host directly or Logging in to a
remote host indirectly for instructions.
Note: The ftp command uses the ASCII default transfer type to copy files.
To copy a file from a remote host to a local host:
1. Determine if the file that you want to copy is in the current directory by running the dir subcommand.
(The dir subcommand for the ftp command works in the same way as the ls -l command.) If the
file is not there, use the cd subcommand to move to the proper directory.
2. To copy your local file using binary image, type:
binary
3. To copy a file to your host, type:
get FileName
The file is placed in the directory from which you issued the ftp command.
4. To end the session, press the Ctrl-D key sequence, or type quit.

Copying a file from a local host to a remote host
Use the ftp command to copy a file from a local host to a remote host.
To copy a file from a local host to a remote host using the ftp command, you must first log in to the
remote system either directly or indirectly. See Logging in to a remote host directly or Logging in to a
remote host indirectly for instructions.
Note: The ftp command uses the ASCII default transfer type to copy files.
To copy a file from a local host to a remote host:
1. If you want to place the file in a directory other than the $HOME directory, use the cd subcommand to
move to the desired directory.
2. To copy your local file using binary image, type:
binary
3. To copy a file to the remote host, type:
put FileName
4. To end the session, press the Ctrl-D key sequence, or type quit.
File transfers using the tftp and utftp commands

Use the tftp and utftp commands for the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) to transfer files to and
from hosts.
Because TFTP is a single-file transfer protocol, the tftp and utftp commands do not provide all of the
features of the ftp command. If extra security is required for your network, the system manager can
disable this command.
Note: The tftp command is not available when your host is operating at a high level of security.
Before attempting a file transfer using the tftp and utftp commands, make sure the following
conditions are true:
1. If you wish to copy a file from a remote host, you must have read permission for the directory that
contains the desired file.
2. If you wish to copy a file to a remote host, you must have write permission for the directory in which
the file is to be placed.
Copying a file from a remote host

When using TCP/IP to copy files, you can use this procedure to copy files from a remote host.
1. To establish a connection to a remote host, type:
tftp host1
In this example, host1 is the name of the host to which you wish to connect.
The tftp> prompt is displayed.
2. To determine that a connection has been established, type:
status
Connected to host1
Mode: netascii Verbose: off Tracing: off
Remxt-interval: 5 seconds, Max-timeout: 25 seconds
tftp>
3. Enter the get subcommand, the name of the file to be transferred, and the name to be assigned to the
file on the remote system:

get /home/alice/update update
The /home/alice directory on the remote host must have read permission set for other users. In this
example, the /home/alice/update file is transferred from host1 to the update file in the current
directory on the local system.
4. To end the session, type:
quit
or press the Ctrl-D key sequence.
Copying a file to a remote host

When using TCP/IP to copy files, you can use this procedure to copy a file to a remote host.
1. To establish a connection to a remote host, type:
tftp host1
In this example, host1 is the name of the host to which you wish to connect.
The tftp> prompt is displayed.
2. To determine that a connection has been established, type:
status
Connected to host1
Mode: netascii Verbose: off Tracing: off
Remxt-interval: 5 seconds, Max-timeout: 25 seconds
tftp>
3. Enter the put subcommand, the name of the file to be transferred from the local host, and the path
and file name for the file on the remote host:
put myfile /home/alice/yourfile
The /home/alice directory on the remote host must have write permission set for others.
The myfile file, located in the user's current working directory, is transferred to host1. The path
name must be specified unless a default has been established. The myfile file appears on the remote
host as yourfile.
4. To end the session, type:
quit
or use the Ctrl-D key sequence.
Printing files to a remote system

If you have a local printer attached to your host, then the following procedures refer to printing to
a remote printer. If you have no local printer, then the following procedures refers to printing to a
nondefault remote printer.
1. Your host name must appear in the /etc/hosts.lpd file of the remote host.
Note: The queuing system does not support multibyte host names.
To implement changes to the /etc/hosts.lpd file without restarting the system, use the System
Resource Controller (SRC) refresh command.
2. You must be able to determine the queue name and the remote printer name in your
local /usr/lib/lpd/qconfig file

You can use either the enq command or the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) to complete this
task.
Note: This section explains how to print to a remote host at the simplest level possible. For
more information and ideas about remote printing, see enq command.
Placing a print job in a remote print queue

When using TCP/IP to print files, you can use this procedure to place a job in a remote print queue.
In order for you to place a job in a remote printing queue, your host name must appear in the /etc/
hosts.lpd file of the remote host (the queuing system does not support multibyte host names). To
implement changes to the /etc/hosts.lpd file without restarting the system, use the System Resource
Controller (SRC) refresh command. Also, you must be able to determine the queue name and the
remote printer name in your local /usr/lib/lpd/qconfig file.
1. Find the appropriate queue name and remote device name. The queue name usually begins with the
letters rp followed by a numeral or set of numerals. The remote printer name usually begins with the
letters drp followed by a numeral or set of numerals.
2. Enter the following command:
enq -P QueueName:PrinterName FileName
where QueueName is the name of the queue (such as rp1), and PrinterName is the name of the printer
(such as drp1) as found in the /usr/lib/lpd/qconfig file. Do not omit the colon (:) between the
QueueName and the PrinterName. FileName is the name of the file that you wish to print.
The following are examples of how the enq command can be used:
• To print the file memo on the default printer, type:
enq memo
• To print the file prog.c with page numbers, type:
pr prog.c | enq
The pr command puts a heading at the top of each page that includes the date the file was last
modified, the name of the file, and the page number. The enq command then prints the file.
• To print the file report on the next available printer configured for the fred queue, type:
enq -P fred report
• To print several files beginning with the prefix sam on the next available printer configured for the fred
queue, type:
enq -P fred sam*
All files beginning with the prefix sam are included in one print job. Normal status commands show only
the title of the print job, which in this case is the name of the first file in the queue unless a different
value was specified with the -T flag. To list the names of all the files in the print job, use the enq -A -L
long status command .
Enqueuing a job using SMIT

When using TCP/IP to enqueue files, you can use the smit command.
1. To enqueue a job using SMIT, type the following command:
smit
2. Select the Spooler, and start a print job menu.

3. Select the File to Print option, and type the name of the file you wish to print.

4. Select the Print Queue option, and select the name of the remote printer to which you wish to print.
You are now ready to print to a remote printer.
Printing files from a remote system

Occasionally, you might need to print a file that is located on a remote host. The location of the printout
depends upon which remote printers are available to the remote host.
1. You must be able to log in to the remote system using the rlogin or telnet command.
2. You must have read permission for the remote file that you wish to print on your local printer.
Note: This procedure explains how to print to a remote host at the simplest level possible. For
more information and ideas about remote printing, read about the enq command.
To print from a remote system:
1. Log in to the remote system using the rlogin or telnet command.
2. Find the appropriate queue name and remote device name. The queue name usually begins with the
letters rp followed by a numeral or set of numerals. The remote printer name usually begins with the
letters drp followed by a numeral or set of numerals.
3. Type the following command:
enq -P QueueName:PrinterName FileName
where QueueName is the name of the queue (such as rp1), and PrinterName is the name of the printer
(such as drp1) as found in the /usr/lib/lpd/qconfig file. Do not omit the : (colon) between the
QueueName and the PrinterName. FileName is the name of the file that you want to print.
4. End the connection to the remote host by pressing the Ctrl-D sequence or by typing quit.
Displaying status information

You can use TCP/IP commands to determine the status of a network, display information about a user,
and resolve host information needed to communicate to another host or user.
TCP/IP status commands

TCP/IP contains status commands to determine the status of local and remote hosts and their networks.
Item Description
finger or f Displays information about the current users on a specified host. This information
can include the user's login name, full name, and terminal name, as well as the date
and time of login.
host Resolves a host name into an Internet address or an Internet address into a host
name.
ping Helps determine the status of a network or host. It is most commonly used to verify
that a network or host is currently running.
rwho Shows which users are logged in to hosts on a local network. This command displays
the user name, host name, and date and time of login for everyone on the local
network.
whois Identifies to whom a user ID or nickname belongs. This command can only be used if
your local network is connected to the Internet.
Displaying information about all users logged in to a host

Use this procedure to view information about all users logged in to a remote host.
To display information about all users logged in to a remote host:

1. Log in to the remote host with which you want to communicate.
2. To display information about all users logged in to host alcatraz, type:
finger @alcatraz
Information similar to the following is displayed:
brown console Mar 15 13:19

smith pts0 Mar 15 13:01
jones tty0 Mar 15 13:01
User brown is logged in at the console, user smith is logged in from a pseudo teletype line pts0, and
user jones is logged in from a tty0. Your system administrator can set up your system so that the finger
command works differently. If you encounter any problems using the finger command, contact your
system administrator.
Displaying information about a user logged in to a host

Use this procedure to view information about a specific user logged in to a remote host.
To display information about a single user logged in to a remote host:
1. Log in to the remote host with which you want to communicate.
2. To display information about user brown on host alcatraz, type:
finger brown@alcatraz
Information similar to the following is displayed:
Login name: brown

Directory: /home/brown Shell: /home/bin/xinit -L -n Startup
On since May 8 07:13:49 on console
No Plan.
Your system administrator can set up your system so that the finger command works differently. If you
encounter any problems using the finger command, contact your system administrator.
TCP/IP protocols
Protocols are sets of rules for message formats and procedures that allow machines and application
programs to exchange information. These rules must be followed by each machine involved in the
communication in order for the receiving host to be able to understand the message. The TCP/IP suite of
protocols can be understood in terms of layers (or levels).
This figure depicts the layers of the TCP/IP protocol. From the top they are, Application Layer, Transport
Layer, Network Layer, Network Interface Layer, and Hardware.
Figure 4. TCP/IP suite of protocols
TCP/IP carefully defines how information moves from sender to receiver. First, application programs send
messages or streams of data to one of the Internet Transport Layer Protocols, either the User Datagram
Protocol (UDP) or the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). These protocols receive the data from the
application, divide it into smaller pieces called packets, add a destination address, and then pass the
packets along to the next protocol layer, the Internet Network layer.
The Internet Network layer encloses the packet in an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram, puts in the
datagram header and trailer, decides where to send the datagram (either directly to a destination or
else to a gateway), and passes the datagram on to the Network Interface layer.
The Network Interface layer accepts IP datagrams and transmits them as frames over a specific network
hardware, such as Ethernet or Token-Ring networks.

Figure 5. Movement of information from sender application to receiver host
This figure shows the flow of information down the TCP/IP protocol layers from the Sender to the Host.
Frames received by a host go through the protocol layers in reverse. Each layer strips off the
corresponding header information, until the data is back at the application layer.
Figure 6. Movement of information from host to application
This figure shows the flow of information up the TCP/IP protocol layers from the Host to the Sender.
Frames are received by the Network Interface layer (in this case, an Ethernet adapter). The Network
Interface layer strips off the Ethernet header, and sends the datagram up to the Network layer. In the
Network layer, the Internet Protocol strips off the IP header and sends the packet up to the Transport
layer. In the Transport layer, the TCP (in this case) strips off the TCP header and sends the data up to the
Application layer.
Hosts on a network send and receive information simultaneously. Figure 7 on page 123 more accurately
represents a host as it communicates.
Figure 7. Host data transmissions and receptions
This figure shows data flowing both ways through the TCP/IP layers.
Internet Protocol (IP) version 6

Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6 or IPng) is the next generation of IP and has been designed to be
an evolutionary step from IP version 4 (IPv4).
While IPv4 has allowed the development of a global Internet, it is not capable of carrying much farther
into the future because of two fundamental factors: limited address space and routing complexity. The
IPv4 32-bit addresses do not provide enough flexibility for global Internet routing. The deployment of
Classless InterDomain Routing (CIDR) has extended the lifetime of IPv4 routing by a number of years, but
the effort to better manage the routing will continue. Even if IPv4 routing could be scaled up, the Internet
will eventually run out of network numbers.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) recognized that IPv4 would not be able to support the
phenomenal growth of the Internet, so the IETF IPng working group was formed. Of the proposals
that were made, Simple Internet Protocol Plus (SIPP) was chosen as an evolutionary step in the
development of IP. This was renamed to IPng, and RFC1883 was finalized in December of 1995.
IPv6 extends the maximum number of Internet addresses to handle the ever increasing Internet user
population. As an evolutionary change from IPv4, IPv6 has the advantage of allowing the new and the
old to coexist on the same network. This coexistence enables an orderly migration from IPv4 (32 bit
addressing) to IPv6 (128 bit addressing) on an operational network.
This overview is intended to give the reader a general understanding of the IPng protocol. For detailed
information, please see RFCs 2460, 2373, 2465, 1886, 2461, 2462, and 2553.
Security provides security information on the TCP/IP suite of protocols, including IPv6. For details about
IP Security, versions 4 and 6, see Internet Protocol security.
IPv6 autoconfiguration
The primary mechanisms available that enable a node to start up and communicate with other nodes over
an IPv4 network are hard-coding, BOOTP, and DHCP
IPv6 introduces the concept of scope to IP addresses, one of which is link-local. This allows a host to
construct a valid address from the predefined link-local prefix and its local identifier. This local identifier is
typically derived from the medium access control (MAC) address of the interface to be configured. Using
this address, the node can communicate with other hosts on the same subnet and, for a fully-isolated
subnet, might not need any other address configuration.
IPv6 meaningful addresses

With IPv4, the only generally recognizable meaning in addresses are broadcast (typically all 1s or all
0s), and classes (for example, a class D is multicast). With IPv6, the prefix can be quickly examined
to determine scope (for example, link-local), multicast versus unicast, and a mechanism of assignment
(provider-based or geography-based).
Routing information might be explicitly loaded into the upper bits of addresses as well, but this has not
yet been finalized by the IETF (for provider-based addresses, routing information is implicitly present in
the address).
IPv6 duplicate address detection

When an interface is initialized or reinitialized, it uses autoconfiguration to tentatively associate a link-
local address with that interface (the address is not yet assigned to that interface in the traditional sense).
At this point, the interface joins the all-nodes and solicited-nodes multicast groups, and sends a neighbor
discovery message to these groups. By using the multicast address, the node can determine whether that
particular link-local address has been previously assigned, and choose an alternate address.
This eliminates accidentally assigning the same address to two different interfaces on the same link. (It is
still possible to create duplicate global-scope addresses for nodes that are not on the same link.)
Neighbor discovery/stateless address autoconfiguration

Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) for IPv6 is used by nodes (hosts and routers) to determine the
link-layer addresses for neighbors known to reside on attached links, and maintain per-destination routing
tables for active connections. IPv6 defines both a stateful and a stateless address autoconfiguration
mechanism. Stateless autoconfiguration requires no manual configuration of hosts; minimal, if any,
configuration of routers; and no additional servers.
Hosts also use NDP to find neighboring routers that are willing to forward packets on their behalf and
detect changed link-layer addresses. NDP uses the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Version 6
with its own unique message types. In general terms, the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol corresponds

to a combination of the IPv4 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), ICMP Router Discovery (RDISC), and
ICMP Redirect (ICMPv4), but with many improvements over these IPv4 protocols.
The stateless mechanism allows a host to generate its own addresses using a combination of locally
available information and information advertised by routers. Routers advertise prefixes that identify
the subnets associated with a link, while hosts generate an interface token that uniquely identifies
an interface on a subnet. An address is formed by combining the two. In the absence of routers, a
host can only generate link-local addresses. However, link-local addresses are sufficient for allowing
communication among nodes attached to the same link.
IPv6 expanded routing and addressing

IPv6 increases the IP address size from 32 bits to 128 bits, thereby supporting more levels of addressing
hierarchy, a much greater number of addressable nodes, and simpler autoconfiguration of addresses.
IPv6 has three types of addresses:
Item Description
unicast A packet sent to a unicast address is delivered to the interface identified by
that address. A unicast address has a particular scope: link-local, site-local,
global. There are also two special unicast addresses:
• ::/128 (unspecified address)
• ::1/128 (loopback address)
multicast A packet sent to a multicast address is delivered to all interfaces identified

by that address. A multicast address is identified by the prefix ff::/8. As with
unicast addresses, multicast addresses have a similar scope: node-local,
link-local, site-local, and organization-local.
anycast An anycast address is an address that has a single sender, multiple
listeners, and only one responder (normally the "nearest" one, according
to the routing protocols' measure of distance). For example, several web
servers listening on an anycast address. When a request is sent to the
anycast address, only one responds.
An anycast address is indistinguishable from a unicast address. A unicast
address becomes an anycast address when more than one interface is
configured with that address.
Note: There are no broadcast addresses in IPv6. Their function has been superseded by the multicast
address.
IPv6 autoconfiguration
The primary mechanisms available that enable a node to start up and communicate with other nodes over
an IPv4 network are hard-coding, BOOTP, and DHCP.
IPv6 introduces the concept of scope to IP addresses, one of which is link-local. This allows a host to
construct a valid address from the predefined link-local prefix and its local identifier. This local identifier is
typically derived from the medium access control (MAC) address of the interface to be configured. Using
this address, the node can communicate with other hosts on the same subnet and, for a fully-isolated
subnet, might not need any other address configuration.
IPv6 meaningful addresses

With IPv4, the only generally recognizable meaning in addresses are broadcast (typically all 1s or all
0s), and classes (for example, a class D is multicast). With IPv6, the prefix can be quickly examined
to determine scope (for example, link-local), multicast versus unicast, and a mechanism of assignment
(provider-based or geography-based).

Routing information might be explicitly loaded into the upper bits of addresses as well, but this has not
yet been finalized by the IETF (for provider-based addresses, routing information is implicitly present in
the address).
IPv6 duplicate address detection

When an interface is initialized or reinitialized, it uses autoconfiguration to tentatively associate a link-
local address with that interface (the address is not yet assigned to that interface in the traditional sense).
At this point, the interface joins the all-nodes and solicited-nodes multicast groups, and sends a neighbor
discovery message to these groups. By using the multicast address, the node can determine whether that
particular link-local address has been previously assigned, and choose an alternate address.
This eliminates accidentally assigning the same address to two different interfaces on the same link. (It is
still possible to create duplicate global-scope addresses for nodes that are not on the same link.)
Neighbor discovery/stateless address autoconfiguration

Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) for IPv6 is used by nodes (hosts and routers) to determine the
link-layer addresses for neighbors known to reside on attached links, and maintain per-destination routing
tables for active connections. IPv6 defines both a stateful and a stateless address autoconfiguration
mechanism. Stateless autoconfiguration requires no manual configuration of hosts; minimal, if any,
configuration of routers; and no additional servers.
Hosts also use NDP to find neighboring routers that are willing to forward packets on their behalf and
detect changed link-layer addresses. NDP uses the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Version 6
with its own unique message types. In general terms, the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol corresponds
to a combination of the IPv4 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), ICMP Router Discovery (RDISC), and
ICMP Redirect (ICMPv4), but with many improvements over these IPv4 protocols.
The stateless mechanism allows a host to generate its own addresses using a combination of locally
available information and information advertised by routers. Routers advertise prefixes that identify
the subnets associated with a link, while hosts generate an interface token that uniquely identifies
an interface on a subnet. An address is formed by combining the two. In the absence of routers, a
host can only generate link-local addresses. However, link-local addresses are sufficient for allowing
communication among nodes attached to the same link.
Routing simplification
To simplify routing issues, IPv6 addresses are considered in two parts: a prefix and an ID. This might
seem the same as the IPv4 net-host address breakdown, but it has two advantages.
Item Description
no class No fixed number of bits for prefix or ID, which allows for a reduction in loss
due to over-allocation
nesting An arbitrary number of divisions can be employed by considering different
numbers of bits as the prefix.
Case 1
128 bits
node address
Case 2
Item Description
n bits 128-n bits
Subnet prefix Interface ID

Case 3:
Item Description
n bits 80-n bits 48 bits
Subscriber prefix Subnet ID Interface ID
Case 4:
Item Description
s bits n bits m bits 128-s-n-m bits
Subscribe prefix Area ID Subnet ID Interface ID
Generally, IPv4 cannot go beyond Case 3, even with Variable Length Subnet Mask (VLSM is a means of
allocating IP addressing resources to subnets according to their individual need rather than some general
network-wide rule). This is as much an artifact of the shorter address length as the definition of variable
length prefixes, but is worth noting nonetheless.
Header format simplification

IPv6 simplifies the IP header by removing entirely or by moving to an extension header some of the
fields found in the IPv4 header. It defines a more flexible format for optional information (the extension
headers).
Specifically, note the absence of:
• header length (length is constant)
• identification
• flags
• fragment offset (moved into fragmentation extension headers)
• header checksum (upper-layer protocol or security extension header handles data integrity).
Table 54. IPv4 header

Item Description Description Description Description
Version IHL Type of Total Length
Service
Identification Identification Identification Flags Fragment
Offset
Time to Live Time to Live Protocol Header Header
Checksum Checksum
Source Address Source Address Source Address Source Address Source Address
Destination Destination Destination Destination Destination
Address Address Address Address Address
Options Options Options Options Padding
Table 55. IPv6 header

Version Prio Flow Label
Payload Length Payload Length Payload Length Next Header Hop Limit
Source Address Source Address Source Address Source Address Source Address

Table 55. IPv6 header (continued)
Destination Destination Destination Destination Destination
Address Address Address Address Address
IPng includes an improved options mechanism over IPv4. IPv6 options are placed in separate extension
headers that are located between the IPv6 header and the transport-layer header in a packet. Most
extension headers are not examined or processed by any router along a packet delivery path until it
arrives at its final destination. This mechanism facilitates a major improvement in router performance
for packets containing options. In IPv4 the presence of any options requires the router to examine all
options.
Another improvement is that, unlike IPv4 options, IPv6 extension headers can be of arbitrary length and
the total amount of options carried in a packet is not limited to 40 bytes. This feature, plus the manner in
which it is processed, permits IPv6 options to be used for functions that were not practical in IPv4, such
as the IPv6 Authentication and Security Encapsulation options.
To improve the performance when handling subsequent option headers and the transport protocol that
follows, IPv6 options are always an integer multiple of eight octets long to retain this alignment for
subsequent headers.
By using extension headers instead of a protocol specifier and options fields, newly defined extensions
can be integrated more easily.
Current specifications define extension headers in the following ways:
• Hop-by-hop options that apply to each hop (router) along the path
• Routing header for loose/strict source routing (used infrequently)
• A fragment defines the packet as a fragment and contains information about the fragment (IPv6 routers
do not fragment)
• Authentication (See TCP/IP security in Security
• Encryption (See TCP/IP security in Security
• Destination options for the destination node (ignored by routers).
Improved quality-of-service/traffic control

While quality of service can be controlled by use of a control protocol such as RSVP, IPv6 provides for
explicit priority definition for packets by using the priority field in the IP header.
A node can set this value to indicate the relative priority of a particular packet or set of packets, which can
then be used by the node, one or more routers, or the destination to make choices concerning the packet
(that is, dropping it or not).
IPv6 specifies two types of priorities, those for congestion-controlled traffic, and those for non-
congestion-controlled traffic. No relative ordering is implied between the two types.
Congestion-controlled traffic is defined as traffic that responds to congestion through some sort of "back-
off" or other limiting algorithm. Priorities for congestion-controlled traffic are:
Item Description
0 uncharacterized traffic
1 "filler" traffic (for example, netnews)
2 unattended data transfer (for example, mail)
3 (reserved)
4 attended bulk transfer (for example, FTP)
5 (reserved)

Item Description
6 interactive traffic (for example, Telnet)
7 control traffic (for example, routing protocols)
Non-congestion-controlled traffic is defined as traffic that responds to congestion by dropping (or simply
not resending) packets, such as video, audio, or other real-time traffic. Explicit levels are not defined with
examples, but the ordering is similar to that for congestion-controlled traffic:
• The lowest value that the source is most willing to have discarded should be used for traffic.
• The highest value that the source is least willing to have discarded should be used for traffic.
This priority control is only applicable to traffic from a particular source address. Control traffic from one
address is not an explicitly higher priority than attended bulk transfer from another address.
Flow labeling
Outside of basic prioritization of traffic, IPv6 defines a mechanism for specifying a particular flow of
packets. In IPv6 terms, a flow is defined as a sequence of packets sent from a particular source
to a particular (unicast or multicast) destination for which the source desires special handling by the
intervening routers.
This flow identification can be used for priority control, but might also be used for any number of other
controls.
The flow label is chosen randomly, and does not identify any characteristic of the traffic other than the
flow to which it belongs. This means that a router cannot determine that a packet is a particular type by
examining the flow label. It can, however, determine that it is part of the same sequence of packets as the
last packet containing that label.
Note: Until IPv6 is in general use, the flow label is mostly experimental. Uses and controls involving flow
labels have not yet been defined nor standardized.
IPv6 tunneling
Tunneling provides a way to use an existing IPv4 routing infrastructure to carry IPv6 traffic.
The key to a successful IPv6 transition is compatibility with the existing installed base of IPv4
hosts and routers. Maintaining compatibility with IPv4 while deploying IPv6 streamlines the task of
transitioning the Internet to IPv6. While the IPv6 infrastructure is being deployed, the existing IPv4
routing infrastructure can remain functional, and can be used to carry IPv6 traffic.
IPv6 or IPv4 hosts and routers can tunnel IPv6 datagrams over regions of IPv4 routing topology by
encapsulating them within IPv4 packets. Tunneling can be used in a variety of ways:
Item Description
Router-to-Router IPv6 or IPv4 routers interconnected by an IPv4 infrastructure can tunnel
IPv6 packets between themselves. In this case, the tunnel spans one
segment of the end-to-end path that the IPv6 packet takes.
Host-to-Router IPv6 or IPv4 hosts can tunnel IPv6 packets to an intermediary IPv6 or
IPv4 router that is reachable through an IPv4 infrastructure. This type of
tunnel spans the first segment of the packet's end-to-end path.
Host-to-Host IPv6 or IPv4 hosts that are interconnected by an IPv4 infrastructure can
tunnel IPv6 packets between themselves. In this case, the tunnel spans
the entire end-to-end path that the packet takes.
Router-to-Host IPv6/IPv4 routers can tunnel IPv6 packets to their final destination IPv6
or IPv4 host. This tunnel spans only the last segment of the end-to-end
path.

Tunneling techniques are usually classified according to the mechanism by which the encapsulating
node determines the address of the node at the end of the tunnel. In router-to-router or host-to-router
methods, the IPv6 packet is being tunneled to a router. In host-to-host or router-to-host methods, the
IPv6 packet is tunneled all the way to its final destination.
The entry node of the tunnel (the encapsulating node) creates an encapsulating IPv4 header and
transmits the encapsulated packet. The exit node of the tunnel (the decapsulating node) receives the
encapsulated packet, removes the IPv4 header, updates the IPv6 header, and processes the received
IPv6 packet. However, the encapsulating node needs to maintain soft state information for each tunnel,
such as the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the tunnel, to process IPv6 packets forwarded into the
tunnel.
There are two types of tunnels in IPv6:
automatic tunnels
Automatic tunnels are configured by using IPv4 address information embedded in an IPv6 address –
the IPv6 address of the destination host includes information about which IPv4 address the packet
should be tunneled to.
configured tunnels
Configured tunnels must be configured manually. These tunnels are used when using IPv6 addresses
that do not have any embedded IPv4 information. The IPv6 and IPv4 addresses of the endpoints of
the tunnel must be specified.
For information on configuring automatic and configured tunnels, see “Setting up tunneling in IPv6” on
page 137.
IPv6 multihomed link-local and site-local support

A host can have more than one interface defined. A host with two or more active interfaces is called
multihomed. Each interface has a link-local address associated with it.
Link-local addresses are sufficient for allowing communication among nodes attached to the same link.
A multihomed host has two or more associated link-local addresses. The AIX IPv6 implementation has
4 options to handle how link-layer address resolution is resolved on multihomed hosts. Option 1 is the
default.
Item Description
Option 0 No multihomed actions are taken. Transmissions will go out on the first
link-local interface. When the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) must
perform address resolution, it multicasts a Neighbor Solicitation message
out on each interface with a link local address defined. NDP queues the data
packet until the first Neighbor Advertisement message is received. The data
packet is then sent out on this link.
Option 1 When the NDP must perform address resolution, that is, when sending a
data packet to a destination and the link-layer information for the next hop
is not in the Neighbor Cache, it multicasts a Neighbor Solicitation message
out on each interface with a link-local address defined. NDP then queues
the data packet until it gets the link-layer information. NDP then waits until
a response is received for each interface. This guarantees that the data
packets are sent on the appropriate outgoing interfaces. If NDP did not wait,
but responded to the first Neighbor Advertisement received, it would be
possible for a data packet to be sent out on a link not associated with the
packet source address. Because NDP must wait, a delay in the first packet
being sent occurs. However, the delay occurs anyway in waiting for the first
response.

Item Description
Option 2 Multihomed operation is allowed, but dispatching of a data packet is
limited to the interface specified by main_if6. When the NDP must perform
address resolution, it multicasts a Neighbor Solicitation message out on
each interface with a link-local address defined. It then waits for a Neighbor
Advertisement message from the interface specified by main_if6 (see the
no command). Upon receiving a response from this interface, the data
packet is sent out on this link.
Option 3 Multihomed operation is allowed, but dispatching of a data packet is limited
to the interface specified by main_if6 and site-local addresses are only
routed for the interface specified by main_site6 (see the no command). The
NDP operates just as it does for Option 2. For applications that route data
packets using site-local addresses on a multihomed host, only the site-local
address specified by main_site6 are used.
Upgrading to IPv6 with IPv4 configured

This scenario leads you through a manual upgrade from IPv4 to IPv6.
The network used in this example consists of a router and two subnets. There are two hosts on each
subnet: the router, and another host. You will upgrade each machine on this network to IPv6. By the
end of the scenario, the router will advertise prefix 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 on network interface en0
and prefix 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 on network interface en1. You will first configure the machines to
temporarily support IPv6 so that you can test them. You will then configure the machines so they will be
IPv6-ready at boot time.
If you are running the AIX operating system and do not have your IPv4 settings configured, see
“Upgrading to IPv6 with IPv4 not configured” on page 133.
Things to Consider
Step 1: Set up the hosts for IPv6

On the hosts on both subnets, do the following:
1. Make sure IPv4 is configured by typing the following command:
netstat -ni
Your results should look similar to the following:
Name Mtu Network Address Ipkts Ierrs Opkts Oerrs Coll

en0 1500 link#2 0.6.29.4.55.ec 279393 0 2510 0 0
en0 1500 9.3.230.64 9.3.230.117 279393 0 2510 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1 913 0 919 0 0
lo0 16896 127 127.0.0.1 913 0 919 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1 913 0 919 0 0
2. With root authority, configure your IPv6 settings by typing the following command:
autoconf6
3. Rerun the following command:
netstat -ni

en0 1500 link#2 0.6.29.4.55.ec 279679 0 2658 0 0
en0 1500 9.3.230.64 9.3.230.117 279679 0 2658 0 0

en0 1500 fe80::206:29ff:fe04:55ec 279679 0 2658 0 0
sit0 1480 link#3 9.3.230.117 0 0 0 0 0
sit0 1480 ::9.3.230.117 0 0 0 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1 2343 0 2350 0 0
lo0 16896 127 127.0.0.1 2343 0 2350 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1 2343 0 2350 0 0
4. Start the ndpd-host daemon by typing the following command:
startsrc -s ndpd-host
Step 2: Set up the router for IPv6

1. Make sure that the IPv4 settings are configured by typing the following command:
netstat -ni
2. With root authority, type the following command:
autoconf6
3. Manually configure global addresses on the router's interfaces belonging to each of the two subnets by
typing the following commands:
# ifconfig en0 inet6 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 eui64 alias

# ifconfig en1 inet6 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 eui64 alias
You will need to do this for every subnet that your router is sending packets to.
4. To activate IPv6 forwarding, type the following:
no -o ip6forwarding=1
5. To start the ndpd-router daemon, type the following:
startsrc -s ndpd-router
The ndpd-router daemon will advertise prefixes corresponding to the global addresses that you
configured on the router. In this case, the ndpd-router will advertise prefix 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 on
en0 and prefix 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 on en1
Step 3. Set up IPv6 to be configured on the hosts at boot time

Your newly configured IPv6 will be deleted when you reboot the machine. To enable IPv6 host
functionality every time you reboot, do the following:
1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file using your favorite text editor.
2. Uncomment the following lines in that file:
# Start up autoconf6 process

start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 ""
# Start up ndpd-host daemon

start /usr/sbin/ndpd-host "$src_running"
3. Add the -A flag to start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "":
start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "" -A
When you reboot, your IPv6 configuration will be set. Repeat this process for each host.
Step 4: Set up IPv6 to be configured on the router at boot time

Your newly configured IPv6 will be deleted when you reboot. To enable IPv6 router functionality every
time you reboot, do the following:

1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file in your favorite text editor.
2. Uncomment the following line in that file:

3. Add the following lines immediately after the line that you just uncommented in the previous step:
# Configure global addresses for router

ifconfig en0 inet6 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 eui64 alias
ifconfig en1 inet6 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 eui64 alias
In this scenario, our network has only two subnets, en0 and en1. You will need to add a line to this file
for every subnet that your router is sending packets to.
4. Uncomment the following line in the file:
# Start up ndpd-router daemon

start /usr/sbin/ndpd- router "$src_running"
When you reboot, IPv6 will be automatically started.
Upgrading to IPv6 with IPv4 not configured

This scenario shows how to set up hosts and a router for IPv6 without IPv4 settings configured.
The network used in this example consists of a router and two subnets. There are two hosts on
each subnet: the router, and another host. By the end of the scenario, the router will advertise
prefix 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 on network interface en0 and prefix 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 on network
interface en1. You will first configure the machines to temporarily support IPv6 so that you can test them.
You will then configure the machines so they will be IPv6-ready at boot time.
This scenario assumes that the bos.net.tcp.client fileset is installed.
To upgrade to IPv6 with IPv4 already configured, see “Upgrading to IPv6 with IPv4 configured” on page
131.
Things to Consider
Step 1: Set up the hosts for IPv6

1. With root authority, type the following command on each host on the subnet:
autoconf6 -A
This will bring up all IPv6-capable interfaces on the system.

Note: To bring up a subset of interfaces, use the -i flag. For example, autoconf6 -i en0 en1 will
bring up interfaces en0 and en1.
2. Type the following command to view your interfaces:
netstat -ni

en0 1500 link#3 0.4.ac.17.b4.11 7 0 17 0 0
en0 1500 fe80::204:acff:fe17:b411 7 0 17 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1 436 0 481 0 0
lo0 16896 127 127.0.0.1 436 0 481 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1 436 0 481 0 0

3. Start the ndpd-host daemon by typing the following command:
startsrc -s ndpd-host
Step 2: Set up the router for IPv6

1. With root authority, type the following command on the router host:
autoconf6 -A
This will bring up all IPv6-capable interfaces on the system.

Note: To bring up a subset of interfaces, use the -i flag. For example, autoconf6 -i en0 en1 will
bring up interfaces en0 and en1.

en1 1500 link#2 0.6.29.dc.15.45 0 0 7 0 0
en1 1500 fe80::206:29ff:fedc:1545 0 0 7 0 0
en0 1500 link#3 0.4.ac.17.b4.11 7 0 17 0 0
en0 1500 fe80::204:acff:fe17:b411 7 0 17 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1 436 0 481 0 0
lo0 16896 127 127.0.0.1 436 0 481 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1 436 0 481 0 0
2. Manually configure global addresses on the router's interfaces belonging to each of the two subnets by
typing the following commands:
# ifconfig en0 inet6 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 eui64 alias

# ifconfig en1 inet6 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 eui64 alias
Note: You will need to do this for every subnet that your router is sending packets to.
3. To activate IPv6 forwarding, type the following:
4. To start the ndpd-router daemon, type the following:
startsrc -s ndpd-router
The ndpd-router daemon will advertise prefixes corresponding to the global addresses that you
configured on the router. In this case, the ndpd-router will advertise prefix 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 on
en0 and prefix 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 on en1.
5. Press Enter to continue.
6. Press Enter a second time to confirm your decision and begin the installation of your software bundle.
Step 3. Set up IPv6 to be configured on the hosts at boot time

After completing Step 1 for each host, IPv6 will be deleted when you reboot the machine. To enable IPv6
host functionality every time you reboot, do the following:
1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file using your favorite text editor.
2. Uncomment the following lines in that file:

# Start up ndpd-host daemon

start /usr/sbin/ndpd-host "$src_running"

3. Add the -A flag to start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "":
4. Repeat this process for each host.

Step 4: Set up IPv6 to be configured on the router at boot time

After completing Step 2 for your router, IPv6 will be deleted when you reboot. To enable IPv6 router
functionality every time you reboot, do the following:
1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file in your favorite text editor.
2. Uncomment the following line in that file:

3. Add the -A flag to that line:
4. Add the following lines immediately after the line that you just uncommented in the previous step:
# Configure global addresses for router

ifconfig en0 inet6 3ffe:0:0:aaaa::/64 eui64 alias
ifconfig en1 inet6 3ffe:0:0:bbbb::/64 eui64 alias
In this scenario, our network has only two subnets, en0 and en1. You will need to add a line to this file
for every subnet that your router is sending packets to.
5. Uncomment the following line in the file:
# Start up ndpd-router daemon

start /usr/sbin/ndpd-router "$src_running"
6. Run the following command to enable IP forwarding at boot time:
no -r -o ip6forwarding=1
Setting up IPv6 interface on a host

This scenario leads you through run-time configuration of a node by using static IPs and routes.
The network that is used in this example consists of a host and a router. By the end of the scenario, an
IPv6 interface is set up on the host. You first configure the machines to temporarily support IPv6 so that
you can test them. Then you configure the machines so that they are IPv6-ready at boot time.
Things to consider
• The information in this how-to scenario was tested by using specific versions of AIX. The results that
you obtain might vary significantly depending on your version and level of AIX.
• The example assumes 2001:1:2::/48 is the Aggregate Global Unicast Address for the IPv6
interface assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the provider. And
2001:1:2:3:4::/64 is the subnet that uses bits 49 - 64 assigned by the network administrator.
• You must refer RFC 3587 to understand the IPv6 Global Unicast Address Format.
Step 1. Setting up hosts for IPv6
Follow this procedure for setting up hosts for IPv6.
1. With root authority, configure your IPv6 settings by entering the following command:

# autoconf6
2. Rerun the following command:
# netstat -ni
Your results must look similar to the following output:

en0 1500 link#2 0.6.29.4.55.ec 279679 0 2658 0 0
en0 1500 9.3.230.64 9.3.230.117 279679 0 2658 0 0
en0 1500 fe80::206:29ff:fe04:55ec 279679 0 2658 0 0
sit0 1480 link#3 9.3.230.117 0 0 0 0 0
sit0 1480 ::9.3.230.117 0 0 0 0 0
lo0 16896 link#1 2343 0 2350 0 0
lo0 16896 127 127.0.0.1 2343 0 2350 0 0
lo0 16896 ::1 2343 0 2350 0 0
3. Use the chdev command to add the IPv6 address to the host interface. For this example, the low-order
64 bits are taken from low-order 64 bits of Link-Local IP generated by autoconf6 on interface en0.
# chdev –l en0 –a netaddr6=’2001:2:3:4:206:29ff:fe04:55ec’ –a prefixlen=64
4. Delete any existing prefix link routes for the following prefix:
# route delete –inet6 2001:2:3:4::/64
5. Configure prefix static route on the host to add reachability to the router, where
fe80::206:29ff:fe04:66e is the router or a gateway that has connectivity to the router.
# route add –inet6 –net 2001:2:3:4::/64 fe80::206:29ff:fe04:66e –static
Note: If a change is needed for the default route, make sure autoconf6 is run with the –R option that
prevents it from adding or overwriting any default routes on the node. Then, repeat steps 3-5.
Step 2. Setting up the router for IPv6
Follow this procedure for setting up the router for IPv6.
1. Check to ensure that the IPv4 settings are configured, by entering the following command:
# netstat -ni
2. With root authority, enter the following command:
# autoconf6
3. To activate IPv6 forwarding, enter the following command:
# no -o ip6forwarding=1
4. Configure Global IP on the router interface, by entering the following command:
# chdev –l en0 –a netaddr6=’2001:4:5:6:207:30ff:fe05:66ec’ –a prefixlen=64
5. Manually configure routes on the router to enable accurate delivery of packets. For example, if fe80::
3ca6:70ff:fe00:3004/64 is the gateway for prefix 2001:2:3:4::/64, add a prefix route as
follows:
# route add –inet6 –net 2001:2:3:4::/64 fe80::3ca6:70ff:fe00:3004 –static
Step 3. Setting up IPv6 to be configured on hosts at every restart

The IPv6 hosts settings configured in Step 1. Setting up hosts for IPv6 are deleted when you restart the
machine. To enable IPv6 hosts functionality every time you restart the machine, follow this procedure.
1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file in a text editor.

2. Uncomment the following line in the /etc/rc.tcpip file:

Note: If the preceding line is not present in the /etc/rc.tcpip file, add it in the file.
3. Add the -A flag to start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "".
start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "" –A
4. Add the following line in the /etc/rc.tcpip file after the line you uncommented (or added):
chdev –l en0 –a netaddr6=’2001:2:3:4:206:29ff:fe04:55ec’ –a prefixlen=64
5. Delete any previously existing prefix routes, by entering the following command:
chdev -l inet0 –a delrout6=’–net, 2001:2:3:4::/64’
6. Set up a route, by entering the following command:
chdev -l inet0 –a rout6='net,-hopcount,0,-prefixlen,64,,,-

static,2001:2:3:4::,fe80::3ca6:70ff:fe00:3004'
Step 4. Setting up IPv6 to be configured on the router at every restart

The IPv6 router settings configured in Step 2. Setting up the router for IPv6 are deleted when you
restart the machine. To enable IPv6 router functionality every time you restart the machine, follow this
procedure.
1. Open the /etc/rc.tcpip file in a text editor.
2. Uncomment the following line in /etc/rc.tcpip file:

Note: If the preceding line is not present in the /etc/rc.tcpip file, add it in the file.
3. Add the -A flag to start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "".
start /usr/sbin/autoconf6 "" –A
4. Add the following lines after the line that you uncommented (or added) in step 2 to configure Global IP
on the router and to configure the prefix route.
chdev –l en0 –a netaddr6=’2001:4:5:6:207:30ff:fe05:66ec’ –a prefixlen=64

chdev -l inet0 –a rout6=’–net,2001:2:3:4::/64,fe80::3ca6:70ff:fe00:3004,–static’
In this scenario, the network has only one subnet, en0. You must add a line to this file for every subnet
to which the router sends packets.
Setting up tunneling in IPv6

You can use either of two methods to set up tunneling in IPv6. The first method sets up an automatic
tunnel. The second method sets up a configured tunnel.
Things to Consider
Set up an automatic tunnel in IPv6

In this scenario, the autoconf6 command will be used to configure IPv6 and set up an automatic tunnel
through the primary interface, en2. The autoconf6 command will then be used to configure a tunnel
through the secondary interface, en0.

Following is the result of the netstat -ni command, which displays the current network configuration
of the system:
en0 1500 link#2 MAC address here 0 0 33 0 0

en0 1500 1.1 1.1.1.3 0 0 33 0 0
en2 1500 10.1 10.1.1.1 79428 0 409 0 0
• To enable IPv6 and one automatic tunnel, type the following command:
autoconf6
Running the netstat -ni command now produces the following results:
# netstat -in
en0 1500 1.1 1.1.1.3 0 0 33 0 0
en0 1500 fe80::204:acff:fe49:4910 0 0 33 0 0
en2 1500 10.1 10.1.1.1 79428 0 409 0 0
en2 1500 fe80::220:35ff:fe12:3ae8
sit0 1480 link#7 10.1.1.1 0 0 0 0 0
sit0 1480 ::10.1.1.1
If en2 (IP address 10.1.1.1) is the primary interface, address ::10.1.1.1 is now available for automatic
tunneling over the en2 interface.
• To enable an automatic tunnel through interface en0, type the following command:
autoconf6 -s -i en0
Running the netstat -ni command now produces the following results:
# netstat -in
en0 1500 1.1 1.1.1.3 0 0 33 0 0
en0 1500 fe80::204:acff:fe49:4910 0 0 33 0 0
en2 1500 10.1 10.1.1.1 79428 0 409 0 0
en2 1500 fe80::220:35ff:fe12:3ae8
sit0 1480 link#7 1.1.1.3 0 0 3 0 0
sit0 1480 ::10.1.1.1 0 0 3 0 0
sit0 1480 ::1.1.1.3 0 0 3 0 0
This action causes an IPv4-compatible IPv6 address to be added to the existing SIT interface, sit0.
Tunneling is now also enabled for interface en0 using address ::1.1.1.3. The same interface, sit0, will
be used for both tunnels.
Note: The automatic tunnels are deleted when the system is restarted. To have the automatic tunnel
present at boot time, add the required arguments to the autoconf6 command in the /etc/rc.tcpip
file.
Set up configured tunnels

In this scenario, SMIT will be used to set up a configured tunnel. This tunnel will be available when the
system restarts because it will be stored in the ODM. A tunnel will be configured between systems alpha
and beta. The IPv4 address of alpha is 10.1.1.1, and the IPv4 address of beta is 10.1.1.2.
To set up configured tunnels, follow these steps:
1. To configure a tunnel between alpha and beta, type the following on both systems:
smit ctinet6
2. Select Add an IPV6 in IPV4 Tunnel Interface on both systems.
autoconf6

3. In this scenario, we filled in the values as follows on alpha, based on the IPv4 addresses:
* IPV4 SOURCE ADDRESS (dotted decimal) [10.1.1.1]

* IPV4 DESTINATION ADDRESS (dotted decimal) [10.1.1.2]
IPV6 SOURCE ADDRESS (colon separated) []
IPV6 DESTINATION ADDRESS (colon separated) []
On beta, the following values were entered:
* IPV4 SOURCE ADDRESS (dotted decimal) [10.1.1.2]

* IPV4 DESTINATION ADDRESS (dotted decimal) [10.1.1.1]
IPV6 SOURCE ADDRESS (colon separated) []
IPV6 DESTINATION ADDRESS (colon separated) []
4. To view the configured interfaces, type the following command:
ifconfig ctiX
where X is the number of the interface. In this scenario, the following results were returned. On alpha:
cti0: flags=8080051<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING,MULTICAST>
inet6 fe80::a01:101/128 --> fe80::a01:102
On beta:
cti0: flags=8080051 <UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING,MULTICAST>

inet6 fe80::a01:102/128 --> fe80::a01:101
SMIT automatically creates IPv6 addresses for both ends of the tunnel using the following method:
• The lower 32 bits contain the IPv4 address
• The upper 96 bits contain the prefix fe80::/96
You can fill in specific IPv6 addresses if desired.
Packet tracing
Packet tracing is the process by which you can verify the path of a packet through the layers to its
destination.
The iptrace command performs network interface level packet tracing. The ipreport command
issues output on the packet trace in both hexadecimal and ASCII format. The trpt command performs
transport protocol level packet tracking for the TCP. The trpt command output is more detailed,
including information on time, TCP state, and packet sequencing.
Network Interface packet headers

At the Network Interface layer, packet headers are attached to outgoing data.
Figure 8. Packet flow through Network Interface Structure

This illustration shows bi-directional data flow through the layers of the Network Interface Structure.
From the top (software) they are the Network Layer, Network Interface Layer, Device Driver, and the
(hardware) Network Adapter Card or Connection.
Packets are then sent through the network adapter to the appropriate network. Packets can pass through
many gateways before reaching their destinations. At the destination network, the headers are stripped
from the packets and the data is sent to the appropriate host.
The following section contains packet header information for several of the more common network
interfaces.
Ethernet adapter frame headers

An Internet Protocol (IP) or Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) frame header for the Ethernet adapter is
composed of these three fields.
Table 56. Ethernet adapter frame header

Field Length Definition
DA 6 bytes Destination address.
SA 6 bytes Source address. If bit 0 of this
field is set to 1, it indicates
that routing information (RI) is
present.
Type 2 bytes Specifies whether the packet is
IP or ARP. The type number
values are listed below.
Type field numbers:
Item Description
IP 0800
ARP 0806
Token-Ring frame headers

There are five fields that comprise the medium access control (MAC) header for the token-ring adapter.
Table 57. Token-ring MAC header

AC 1 byte Access control. The value in
this field x`00' gives the header
priority 0.
FC 1 byte Field control. The value in this
field x`40' specifies the Logical
Link Control frame.
SA 6 bytes Source address. If bit 0 of this
field is set to 1, it indicates
that routing information (RI) is
present.
RI 18 bytes Routing information. The valid
fields are discussed below.

The MAC header consists of two routing information fields of two bytes each: routing control (RC) and
segment numbers. A maximum of eight segment numbers can be used to specify recipients of a limited
broadcast. RC information is contained in bytes 0 and 1 of the RI field. The settings of the first two bits of
the RC field have the following meanings:
Item Description
bit (0) = 0 Use the nonbroadcast route specified in the RI field.
bit (0) = 1 Create the RI field and broadcast to all rings.
bit (1) = 0 Broadcast through all bridges.
bit (1) = 1 Broadcast through limited bridges.
The logical link control (LLC) header is composed of five fields, as shown in the following LLC header table.
Table 58. 802.3 LLC header

DSAP 1 byte Destination service access point.
The value in this field is xàa'.
SSAP 1 byte Source service access point. The
value in this field is xàa'.
CONTROL 1 byte Determines the LLC commands
and responses. The three
possible values for this field are
discussed below.
PROT_ID 3 bytes Protocol ID. This field is reserved.
It has a value of x`0'.
TYPE 2 bytes Specifies whether the packet is
IP or ARP.
Control field values

The token-ring control fields include an unnmubered information frame, an exchange identification frame,
and a test frame. Their values are described here.
Item Description
x`03' Unnumbered Information (UI) frame. This is the normal, or unsequenced, way
in which token-ring adapter data is transmitted through the network. TCP/IP
sequences the data.
xÀF' Exchange identification (XID) frame. This frame conveys the characteristics of the
sending host.
xÈ3' Test frame. This frame supports testing of the transmission path, echoing back the
data that is received.
802.3 frame headers

The MAC header for the 802.3 adapter is composed of two fields, as shown in this MAC header table.
Table 59. 802.3 MAC header

SA 6 bytes Source address. If bit 0 of this field is set to 1, it
indicates that routing information (RI) is present.

The LLC header for 802.3 is the same as for Token-Ring MAC header.
Internet network-level protocols

The Internet network-level protocols handle machine-to-machine communication.
In other words, this layer implements TCP/IP routing. These protocols accept requests to send packets
(along with the network address of the destination machine) from the Transport layer, convert the packets
to datagram format, and send them down to the Network Interface layer for further processing.
Figure 9. Network layer of the TCP/IP Suite of Protocols
This illustration shows the various layers of the TCP/IP Suite of Protocols. From the top, the application
layer consists of the application. The transport layer contains UDP and TCP. The network layer contains
the network (hardware) interface. And finally, the hardware layer contains the physical network.
TCP/IP provides the protocols that are required to comply with RFC 1100, Official Internet Protocols, as
well as other protocols commonly used by hosts in the Internet community.
Note: The use of Internet network, version, socket, service, and protocol numbers in TCP/IP also
complies with RFC 1010, Assigned Numbers.
Address Resolution Protocol

The first network-level protocol is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). ARP dynamically translates
Internet addresses into the unique hardware addresses on local area networks.
To illustrate how ARP works, consider two nodes, X and Y. If node X wishes to communicate with Y, and
X and Y are on different local area networks (LANs), X and Y communicate through bridges, routers, or
gateways, using IP addresses. Within a LAN, nodes communicate using low-level hardware addresses.
Nodes on the same segment of the same LAN use ARP to determine the hardware address of other
nodes. First, node X broadcasts an ARP request for node Y's hardware address. The ARP request contains
X's IP and hardware addresses, and Y's IP address. When Y receives the ARP request, it places an entry
for X in its ARP cache (which is used to map quickly from IP address to hardware address), then responds
directly to X with an ARP response containing Y's IP and hardware addresses. When node X receives Y's
ARP response, it places an entry for Y in its ARP cache.
Once an ARP cache entry exists at X for Y, node X is able to send packets directly to Y without resorting
again to ARP (unless the ARP cache entry for Y is deleted, in which case ARP is reused to contact Y).
Unlike most protocols, ARP packets do not have fixed-format headers. Instead, the message is designed
to be useful with a variety of network technologies, such as:
• Ethernet LAN adapter (supports both Ethernet and 802.3 protocols)
• Token-ring network adapter
• Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) network adapter
However, ARP does not translate addresses for Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP) or Serial Optical
Channel Converter (SOC), since these are point-to-point connections.
The kernel maintains the translation tables, and the ARP is not directly available to users or applications.
When an application sends an Internet packet to one of the interface drivers, the driver requests the
appropriate address mapping. If the mapping is not in the table, an ARP broadcast packet is sent through
the requesting interface driver to the hosts on the local area network.
Entries in the ARP mapping table are deleted after 20 minutes; incomplete entries are deleted after 3
minutes. To make a permanent entry in the ARP mapping tables, use the arp command with the pub
parameter:
arp -s 802.3 host2 0:dd:0:a:8s:0 pub

When any host that supports ARP receives an ARP request packet, the host notes the IP and hardware
addresses of the requesting system and updates its mapping table, if necessary. If the receiving host IP
address does not match the requested address, the host discards the request packet. If the IP address
does match, the receiving host sends a response packet to the requesting system. The requesting system
stores the new mapping and uses it to transmit any similar pending Internet packets.
Internet Control Message Protocol

The second network-level protocol is the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). ICMP is a required
part of every IP implementation. ICMP handles error and control messages for IP.
This protocol allows gateways and hosts to send problem reports to the machine sending a packet. ICMP
does the following:
• Tests whether a destination is alive and reachable
• Reports parameter problems with a datagram header
• Performs clock synchronization and transit time estimations
• Obtains Internet addresses and subnet masks
Note: ICMP uses the basic support of IP as if it were a higher-level protocol. However, ICMP is actually an
integral part of IP and must be implemented by every IP module.
ICMP provides feedback about problems in the communications environment, but does not make IP
reliable. That is, ICMP does not guarantee that an IP packet is delivered reliably or that an ICMP message
is returned to the source host when an IP packet is not delivered or is incorrectly delivered.
ICMP messages might be sent in any of the following situations:
• When a packet cannot reach its destination
• When a gateway host does not have the buffering capacity to forward a packet
• When a gateway can direct a host to send traffic on a shorter route
TCP/IP sends and receives several ICMP message types (see “Internet Control Message Protocol
message types” on page 143). ICMP is embedded in the kernel, and no application programming
interface (API) is provided to this protocol.
Internet Control Message Protocol message types

ICMP sends and receives these message types.
Item Description
echo request Sent by hosts and gateways to test whether a destination is
alive and reachable.
information request Sent by hosts and gateways to obtain an Internet address for
a network to which they are attached. This message type is
sent with the network portion of IP destination address set to a
value of 0.
timestamp request Sent to request that the destination machine return its current
value for time of day.
address mask request Sent by host to learn its subnet mask. The host can either
send to a gateway, if it knows the gateway address, or send a
broadcast message.
destination unreachable Sent when a gateway cannot deliver an IP datagram.
source quench Sent by discarding machine when datagrams arrive too quickly
for a gateway or host to process, in order to request that the
original source slow down its rate of sending datagrams.
redirect message Sent when a gateway detects that some host is using a
nonoptimum route.

Item Description
echo reply Sent by any machine that receives an echo request in reply to
the machine which sent the request.
information reply Sent by gateways in response to requests for network
addresses, with both the source and destination fields of the
IP datagram specified.
timestamp reply Sent with current value of time of day.
address mask reply Sent to machines requesting subnet masks.
parameter problem Sent when a host or gateway finds a problem with a datagram
header.
time exceeded Sent when the following are true:
• Each IP datagram contains a time-to-live counter (hop count),
which is decremented by each gateway.
• A gateway discards a datagram because its hop count has
reached a value of 0.
Internet Timestamp Used to record the time stamps through the route.
Internet Protocol
The third network-level protocol is the Internet Protocol (IP), which provides unreliable, connectionless
packet delivery for the Internet.
IP is connectionless because it treats each packet of information independently. It is unreliable because
it does not guarantee delivery, meaning, it does not require acknowledgments from the sending host, the
receiving host, or intermediate hosts.
IP provides the interface to the network interface level protocols. The physical connections of a network
transfer information in a frame with a header and data. The header contains the source address and the
destination address. IP uses an Internet datagram that contains information similar to the physical frame.
The datagram also has a header containing Internet Protocol addresses of both source and destination of
the data.
IP defines the format of all the data sent over the Internet.
Figure 10. Internet Protocol packet header
This illustration shows the first 32 bits of a typical IP packet header. Table below lists the various entities.
IP header field definitions
Item Description
Version Specifies the version of the IP used. The current version of the IP
protocol is 4.
Length Specifies the datagram header length, measured in 32-bit words.

Item Description
Type of Service Contains five subfields that specify the type of precedence, delay,
throughput, and reliability desired for that packet. (The Internet
does not guarantee this request.) The default settings for these five
subfields are routine precedence, normal delay, normal throughput,
and normal reliability. This field is not generally used by the Internet at
this time. This implementation of IP complies with the requirements of
the IP specification, RFC 791, Internet Protocol.
Total Length Specifies the length of the datagram including both the header and
the data measured in octets. Packet fragmentation at gateways,
with reassembly at destinations, is provided. The total length of
the IP packet can be configured on an interface-by-interface basis
with the ifconfig command, or the System Management Interface
Tool (SMIT) fast path, smit chinet. Use SMIT to set the values
permanently in the configuration database; use the ifconfig
command to set or change the values in the running system.
Identification Contains a unique integer that identifies the datagram.
Flags Controls datagram fragmentation, along with the Identification field.
The Fragment Flags specify whether the datagram can be fragmented
and whether the current fragment is the last one.
Fragment Offset Specifies the offset of this fragment in the original datagram measured
in units of 8 octets.
Time to Live Specifies how long the datagram can remain on the Internet.
This keeps misrouted datagrams from remaining on the Internet
indefinitely. The default time to live is 255 seconds.
Protocol Specifies the high-level protocol type.
Header Checksum Indicates a number computed to ensure the integrity of header values.
Source Address Specifies the Internet address of the sending host.
Destination Address Specifies the Internet address of the receiving host.

Item Description
Options Provides network testing and debugging. This field is not required for
every datagram.
End of Option List
Indicates the end of the option list. It is used at the end of the
final option, not at the end of each option individually. This option
should be used only if the end of the options would not otherwise
coincide with the end of the IP header. End of Option List is used if
options exceed the length of the datagram.
No Operation
Provides alignment between other options; for example, to align
the beginning of a subsequent option on a 32-bit boundary.
Loose Source and Record Route
Provides a means for the source of an Internet datagram to
supply routing information used by the gateways in forwarding the
datagram to a destination and in recording the route information.
This is a loose source route: the gateway or host IP is allowed to
use any route of any number of other intermediate gateways in
order to reach the next address in the route.
Strict Source and Record Route
Provides a means for the source of an Internet datagram to
supply routing information used by the gateways in forwarding the
datagram to a destination and in recording the route information.
This is a strict source route: In order to reach the next gateway
or host specified in the route, the gateway or host IP must send
the datagram directly to the next address in the source route and
only to the directly connected network that is indicated in the next
address.
Record Route
Provides a means to record the route of an Internet datagram.
Stream Identifier
Provides a way for a stream identifier to be carried through
networks that do not support the stream concept.
Internet Timestamp
Provides a record of the time stamps through the route.
Outgoing packets automatically have an IP header prefixed to them. Incoming packets have their IP
header removed before being sent to the higher-level protocols. The IP protocol provides for the universal
addressing of hosts in the Internet network.
Internet Transport-Level Protocols

The TCP/IP transport-level protocols allow application programs to communicate with other application
programs.
Figure 11. Transport layer of the TCP/IP Suite of Protocols

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the TCP are the basic transport-level protocols for making
connections between Internet hosts. Both TCP and UDP allow programs to send messages to and receive
messages from applications on other hosts. When an application sends a request to the Transport layer
to send a message, UDP and TCP break the information into packets, add a packet header including the
destination address, and send the information to the Network layer for further processing. Both TCP and
UDP use protocol ports on the host to identify the specific destination of the message.
Higher-level protocols and applications use UDP to make datagram connections and TCP to make stream
connections. The operating system sockets interface implements these protocols.
User Datagram Protocol

Sometimes an application on a network needs to send messages to a specific application or process
on another network. The UDP provides a datagram means of communication between applications on
Internet hosts.
Because senders do not know which processes are active at any given moment, UDP uses destination
protocol ports (or abstract destination points within a machine), identified by positive integers, to send
messages to one of multiple destinations on a host. The protocol ports receive and hold messages in
queues until applications on the receiving network can retrieve them.
Because UDP relies on the underlying IP to send its datagrams, UDP provides the same connectionless
message delivery as IP. It offers no assurance of datagram delivery or duplication protection. However,
UDP does allow the sender to specify source and destination port numbers for the message and
calculates a checksum of both the data and header. These two features allow the sending and receiving
applications to ensure the correct delivery of a message.
Figure 12. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet header
This illustration shows the first 32 bits of the UDP packet header. The first 16 bits contain the source port
number and the length. The second 16 bits contain the destination port number and the checksum.
Applications that require reliable delivery of datagrams must implement their own reliability checks when
using UDP. Applications that require reliable delivery of streams of data should use TCP.
UDP Header Field Definitions
Item Description
Source Port Number Address of the protocol port sending the information.
Destination Port Number Address of the protocol port receiving the information.
Length Length in octets of the UDP datagram.
Checksum Provides a check on the UDP datagram using the same
algorithm as the IP.
The applications programming interface (API) to UDP is a set of library subroutines provided by the
sockets interface.
Reliable Datagram Sockets over InfiniBand and RoCE

Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) is a connectionless and record-oriented protocol that provides an in-
order and no-duplicate service over InfiniBand and RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE). RDS exposes
the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) subset of the socket API.
The RDS is part of the AF_BYPASS domain that is used for protocols that bypass the kernel TCP/IP stack.
The AIX operating system provides two versions of RDS: RDSv2 and RDSv3. RDSv3 is the latest version
and includes support for Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA). RDSv3 on AIX 7.2, and later, supports
Open Fabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) based RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE).

Creating an RDS socket
To create an RDS socket, invoke the socket() system call by adding the following lines to the application
program:
#include <sys/bypass.h>
include <net/rds_rdma.h> /* for RDSv3 only */
sock = socket (AF_BYPASS, SOCK_SEQPACKET,BYPASSPROTO_RDS);
If the BYPASSPROTO_RDS protocol is the only reliable datagram protocol that is supported in the
AF_BYPASS family, you can also call the socket() system call as follows:
sock = socket (AF_BYPASS, SOCK_SEQPACKET,0);
System calls
The RDS also supports the following system calls:
• blind()
• close()
• getsockopt()
• recvform()
• recvmsg()
• sendmsg()
• sendto()
• setsockopt()
In addition, RDSv3 also supports the following system calls:
• connect()
• read()
• recv()
• send()
• write()
Note: Although RDS sockets are connectionless, the connect() system call is supported by RDSv3.
However, in this case, connect() does not create a socket-level connection entity between two RDS
endpoints. It merely associates a default destination endpoint with the socket. For this reason, the
listen(), accept(), and shutdown() system calls are not supported for the RDS sockets.
The rdsctrl utility for RDSv2

Use the rdsctrl utility (/usr/sbin/rdsctrl) to change the tunables and the diagnostics for RDS
statistics. For RDSv2, the utility can be used after RDS is loaded (bypassctrl load rds). For more
information for this utility, run the rdsctrl command with no arguments.
Statistics
To display various RDS statistics, run the # rdsctrl stats command.
To reset the statistics, run the # rdsctrl stats reset command.
Tuning Parameters
The following RDS parameters can be tuned after RDS is loaded, but before an RDS application is run:
rds_sendspace
Specifies the high-water mark of the per-flow send buffer. Each socket might have multiple flow. The
default value is 524288 bytes (512 KB). The value is set by using the following command: # rdsctrl
set rds_sendspace= <value in bytes>.

rds_recvspace
Specifies the per-flow high-water mark of the per-socket receive buffer. For every additional flow to
this socket, the receive high-water mark is increased by this value. The default value is 524288 bytes
(512 KB). The value is set by using the following command: # rdsctrl set rds_recvspace=
<value in bytes>.
Note: For increased RDS streaming performance, the values of the rds_sendspace parameter and the
rds_recvspace parameter must be at least the value of the largest RDS sendmsg() size, multiplied by
four. RDS sends an ACK for each set of four messages that are received. If the rds_recvspace is not at
least four times larger than the message size, the throughput is very low.
rds_mclustsize
Specifies the size of the individual memory cluster, which is also the message fragment size. The
default size is 16384 bytes (16 KB). The value, always a multiple of 4096, is set by using the following
command: # rdsctrl set rds_mclustsize= <multiple of 4096, in bytes>.
Attention: The rds_mclustsize value must be the same on all systems (nodes) in the cluster.
Changing this value also has performance implications.
The current values for the preceding parameters can be retrieved by using the # rdsctrl get
<parameter> command.
To get the list of all tunables and their values, run the # rdsctrl get command.
The rdsctrl utility for RDSv3

For RDSv3, the rdsctrl command supports its options. These options are listed here:
Item Description
help [<tunable name>] The help option displays a descriptive message of the specified
RDSv3 tunable. If no tunable is specified, this option displays the
list of all the tunables that are supported for RDSv3, along with the
description of each tunable.
set [-p] {<tunable name> = The set option sets the value of the specified RDSv3 tunable.
<value>} It verifies that the user has the required privileges to prevent
unauthorized users to change the RDS tunables. It also does range
validation for the new tunable values.
The -p flag makes the assignment permanent across reboot
operations.
get [<tunable name>] The get option gets the current value of the queried tunable. When
no name field is specified to this command, it returns the current
value of all the available RDS tunables.
default [-p] [<tunable name>] The default option is used to reset a tunable to its default value.
When the name field is specified, only that tunable is reset. If no
name field is specified, this command resets all the tunables to
their default values.
This option also provides a way to make the change permanent
across reboots by using the -p flag.

Item Description
load [ ofed | aixib ] The load option loads the RDSv3 kernel extension (if it is not
already loaded).
The ofed argument loads the kernel extension in RDSv3 on
OFED verbs in RoCE mode. The aixib argument loads the kernel
extension in RDSv3 in InfiniBand mode. Specifying an argument
for the load option is optional. The load option defaults to the
aixib argument when the argument is not specified.
By default, the rdsctrl utility loads the InfiniBand device unless
the new attribute (ofed) is specified at the command line.
unload The unload option is used to unload the RDSv3 kernel extension.
ras [-p] <minimal | normal | detail The ras option sets the AIX operating system RAS tracing and
| maximal> error checking settings for RDSv3 to the specified level. Internally,
this command calls the errctrl and ctctrl AIX operating system
commands.
The -p flag makes the settings persistent across reboot
operations.
ras extract The ras extract option dumps the contents of the RAS error and
non-error trace buffers for RDS to standard output.
info [<flags>] The info option is an alias for the rds-info command.
ping [<IP v4 address>] The ping option is an alias for the rds-ping command.
conn <restart | kill> <source IP The conn option restarts the specified RDS connection (restart
address> <destination IP address> suboption) or permanently ends the specified RDS connection
(kill suboption). The RDS connection to be restarted or ended is
specified by giving the IP addresses of the local and remote nodes
for the connection. Restarting a connection drops the underlying
InfiniBand connection and attempts to establish the connection
again. In contrast, ending a connection (kill suboption) drops the
underlying InfiniBand connection and deallocates all resources
that are associated with the corresponding RDS connection.
trace start <trace file path> The trace start option initiates a tracing session to capture over-
<maximum data captured per RDS the-wire traffic for the RDSv3 protocol. The RDSv3 messages are
fragment> transmitted in fragments. Each RDS fragment that is transmitted
or received is captured as a trace packet in the specified trace file.
For each RDS fragment, its payload is captured up to <maximum
data captured per RDS fragment> bytes. Only privileged users can
trace RDS traffic and only one tracing session can be active at a
time.
trace stop The trace stop option ends a tracing session that was previously
initiated by a trace start command. It closes the trace file that is
associated with the tracing session. After this command, the trace
report command can be used to generate a text report of the trace
file.
trace report <trace file path> The trace report option prints a text report to standard output,
from a previously captured RDS protocol trace file.
version The version option prints the RDS protocol version that is
currently loaded in the system.

RDSv3 tunables
To see the list of tunables that are supported for RDSv3, run the command rdsctrl help with no
arguments.
RDMA API (RDSv3 only)

The programming model for working on RDMA with RDS sockets is based on the client/server model.
The RDMA client is the application that initiates an RDMA read or write operation from a specified
RDMA server. The RDMA server is the application that processes the RDMA data transfer. An RDMA read
operation is a data transfer from the client's address space to the server's address space, whereas an
RDMA write operation is a data transfer from the server's address space to the client's address space. In
either case, data is transferred directly between user-space memory on both sides, without being copied
to kernel-space memory on either side.
An RDMA client application can initiate an RDMA read or write operation by sending an application-level
request, along with an RDMA cookie, to an RDMA server application. The application-level request must
specify whether the operation is an RDMA read or write operation as well as the address and length of the
area of the client's memory to be remotely read or written by the RDMA server.
There are two methods for sending an RDMA request from the RDMA client to the RDMA server.
The first method is to send an RDS_CMSG_RDMA_MAP control message (carrying an rds_get_mr_args
structure) along with the application-level RDMA request by using the sendmsg() system call on an RDS
socket. The AIX operating system kernel at the client side processes the RDS_CMSG_RDMA_MAP control
message by mapping the specified area of local memory (from the client application's address space),
for DMA access, and generating an RDMA cookie. Then, the application-level request is sent to the server
along with the RDMA cookie.
The second method consists of two steps. The first step is to call the setsockopt() system call with
the RDS_GET_MR socket option, passing an rds_get_mr_args structure. This call maps the specified
area of local memory for DMA access, and returns an RDMA cookie. The second step is to send an
RDS_CMSG_RDMA_DEST control message (carrying the RDMA cookie that is obtained from the first step)
along with the application-level RDMA request by using the sendmsg() system call.
The first method, which requires one system call, is preferred over the second method, which requires
two system calls.
When the RDMA server application receives the application-level RDMA read request from the client, it
also receives an RDS_CMSG_RDMA_DEST control message (carrying the RDMA cookie from the client).
Then, the server initiates the RDMA read operation, by sending an application-level reply to the client
along with an RDS_CMSG_RDMA_ARGS control message (carrying a rds_rdma_args structure). The AIX
operating system kernel at the server side processes the RDS_CMSG_RDMA_ARGS control message,
by mapping the specified area of local memory (from the server application's address space), for DMA
access, and by physically starting the RDMA read operation. The RDMA read operation is performed by
the server-side InfiniBand adapter, which interacts with the client-side InfiniBand adapter, to do the data
transfer directly from the client application's memory to the server application's memory, without further
software intervention. After the RDMA read operation is completed, the server-side adapter sends the
application-level reply to the client. This is how the client application knows that its RDMA read operation
has been completed.
Note: An RDMA operation is requested by the client by using an RDS_CMSG_RDMA_MAP control in which
the RDS_RDMA_USE_ONCE flag is set. For this request, the area of memory that is mapped for DMA in
the client's address space of memory is automatically unmapped for DMA, when the client receives the
application-level reply from the server.
Although this implicit DMA mapping or unmapping mechanism makes it simpler to write RDMA
applications, developers must be aware that registering memory for DMA on the AIX operating system
is an expensive operation. Thus, if the same area of memory is going to be accessed by using
RDMA multiple times, it is more efficient to do the DMA registration only the first time. To do this
activity, a client application needs to use an RDS_CMSG_RDMA_MAP control message without the
RDS_RDMA_USE_ONCE flag set when sending the RDMA request to the server. Then, subsequent RDMA
transfers to the same area of the client's memory can be initiated by the RDMA server application

without the client needing to send another request to the server. At the end, the client application
would need to explicitly unmap the DMA-mapped memory by using the setsockopt() system call with the
RDS_FREE_MR socket option.
RDS-specific socket options are specified by using SOL_RDS as the level parameter for the setsockopt()
or getsockopt() system call.
Transmission Control Protocol

TCP provides reliable stream delivery of data between Internet hosts.
Like UDP, TCP uses Internet Protocol, the underlying protocol, to transport datagrams, and supports
the block transmission of a continuous stream of datagrams between process ports. Unlike UDP, TCP
provides reliable message delivery. TCP ensures that data is not damaged, lost, duplicated, or delivered
out of order to a receiving process. This assurance of transport reliability keeps applications programmers
from having to build communications safeguards into their software.
The following are operational characteristics of TCP:
Item Description
Basic Data Transfer TCP can transfer a continuous stream of 8-bit octets in each
direction between its users by packaging some number of bytes
into segments for transmission through the Internet system.
TCP implementation allows a segment size of at least 1024
bytes. In general, TCP decides when to block and forward
packets at its own convenience.
Reliability TCP must recover data that is damaged, lost, duplicated, or
delivered out of order by the Internet. TCP achieves this
reliability by assigning a sequence number to each octet it
transmits and requiring a positive acknowledgment (ACK) from
the receiving TCP. If the ACK is not received within the time-
out interval, the data is retransmitted. The TCP retransmission
time-out value is dynamically determined for each connection,
based on round-trip time. At the receiver, the sequence
numbers are used to correctly order segments that may be
received out of order and to eliminate duplicates. Damage is
handled by adding a checksum to each segment transmitted,
checking it at the receiver, and discarding damaged segments.
Flow Control TCP governs the amount of data sent by returning a window
with every ACK to indicate a range of acceptable sequence
numbers beyond the last segment successfully received. The
window indicates an allowed number of octets that the sender
may transmit before receiving further permission.
Multiplexing TCP allows many processes within a single host to use TCP
communications facilities simultaneously. TCP receives a set
of addresses of ports within each host. TCP combines the
port number with the network address and the host address
to uniquely identify each socket. A pair of sockets uniquely
identifies each connection.
Connections TCP must initialize and maintain certain status information
for each data stream. The combination of this information,
including sockets, sequence numbers, and window sizes, is
called a connection. Each connection is uniquely specified by
a pair of sockets identifying its two sides.
Precedence and Security Users of TCP may indicate the security and precedence of their
communications. Default values are used when these features
are not needed.

The TCP Packet Header figure illustrates these characteristics.
Figure 13. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packet header
This illustration shows what is contained in the TCP packet header. The individual entities are listed in the
text below.
TCP header field definitions

Short descriptions of each of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) fields follow.
Item Description
Source Port Identifies the port number of a source application program.
Destination Port Identifies the port number of a destination application program.
Sequence Number Specifies the sequence number of the first byte of data in this
segment.
Acknowledgment Number Identifies the position of the highest byte received.
Data Offset Specifies the offset of data portion of the segment.
Reserved Reserved for future use.
Code Control bits to identify the purpose of the segment:
URG
Urgent pointer field is valid.
ACK
Acknowledgement field is valid.
PSH
Segment requests a PUSH.
RTS
Resets the connection.
SYN
Synchronizes the sequence numbers.
FIN
Sender has reached the end of its byte stream.
Window Specifies the amount of data the destination is willing to accept.

Checksum Verifies the integrity of the segment header and data.
Urgent Pointer Indicates data that is to be delivered as quickly as possible. This
pointer specifies the position where urgent data ends.

Item Description
Options End of Option List
Indicates the end of the option list. It is used at the final option,
not at the end of each option individually. This option needs
to be used only if the end of the options would not otherwise
coincide with the end of the TCP header.
No Operation
Indicates boundaries between options. Can be used between
other options; for example, to align the beginning of a
subsequent option on a word boundary. There is no guarantee
that senders will use this option, so receivers must be prepared
to process options even if they do not begin on a word
boundary.
Maximum Segment Size
Indicates the maximum segment size TCP can receive. This is
only sent in the initial connection request.
The applications programming interface to TCP consists of a set of library subroutines provided by the
sockets interface.
Internet Application-Level Protocols

TCP/IP implements higher-level Internet protocols at the application program level.
Figure 14. Application layer of the TCP/IP Suite of Protocols
When an application needs to send data to another application on another host, the applications send the
information down to the transport level protocols to prepare the information for transmission.
The official Internet application-level protocols include:
• Domain Name Protocol
• Exterior Gateway Protocol
• File Transfer Protocol
• Name/Finger Protocol
• Telnet Protocol
• Trivial File Transfer Protocol
TCP/IP implements other higher-level protocols that are not official Internet protocols but are commonly
used in the Internet community at the application program level. These protocols include:
• Distributed Computer Network (DCN) Local-Network Protocol
• Remote Command Execution Protocol
• Remote Login Protocol
• Remote Shell Protocol
• Wake On LAN Protocol
• Routing Information Protocol
• Time Server Protocol

TCP/IP does not provide APIs to any of these application-level protocols.
Domain Name Protocol

The Domain Name Protocol (DOMAIN) allows a host in a domain to act as a name server for other hosts
within the domain.
DOMAIN uses UDP or TCP as its underlying protocol and allows a local network to assign host
names within its domain independently from other domains. Normally, the DOMAIN protocol uses UDP.
However, if the UDP response is truncated, TCP can be used. The DOMAIN protocol in TCP/IP supports
both.
In the DOMAIN hierarchical naming system, local resolver routines can resolve Internet names and
addresses using a local name resolution database maintained by the named daemon. If the name
requested by the host is not in the local database, the resolver routine queries a remote DOMAIN name
server. In either case, if the name resolution information is unavailable, the resolver routines attempt to
use the /etc/hosts file for name resolution.
Note: TCP/IP configures local resolver routines for the DOMAIN protocol if the local file /etc/
resolv.conf exists. If this file does not exist, the TCP/IP configures the local resolver routines to
use the /etc/hosts database.
TCP/IP implements the DOMAIN protocol in the named daemon and in the resolver routines and does not
provide an API to this protocol.
Exterior Gateway Protocol

Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) is the mechanism that allows the exterior gateway of an autonomous
system to share routing information with exterior gateways on other autonomous systems.
Autonomous systems
Gateways are interior neighbors if they reside on the same autonomous system and exterior neighbors if
they reside on different autonomous systems. Gateways that exchange routing information using EGP are
said to be EGP peers or neighbors. Autonomous system gateways use EGP to provide access information
to their EGP neighbors.
EGP allows an exterior gateway to ask another exterior gateway to agree to exchange access information,
continually checks to ensure that its EGP neighbors are responding, and helps EGP neighbors to
exchange access information by passing routing update messages.
EGP restricts exterior gateways by allowing them to advertise only those destination networks reachable
entirely within that gateway's autonomous system. Thus, an exterior gateway using EGP passes along
information to its EGP neighbors but does not advertise access information about its EGP neighbors
outside its autonomous system.
EGP does not interpret any of the distance metrics that appear in routing update messages from other
protocols. EGP uses the distance field to specify whether a path exists (a value of 255 means that the
network is unreachable). The value cannot be used to compute the shorter of two routes unless those
routes are both contained within a single autonomous system. Therefore, EGP cannot be used as a
routing algorithm. As a result, there will be only one path from the exterior gateway to any network.
In contrast to the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), which can be used within an autonomous system
of Internet networks that dynamically reconfigure routes, EGP routes are predetermined in the /etc/
gated.conf file. EGP assumes that IP is the underlying protocol.
EGP message types
The various exterior gateway protocol (EGP) message types are defined here.
Item Description
Neighbor Acquisition Request Used by exterior gateways to request to become
neighbors of each other.

Item Description
Neighbor Acquisition Reply Used by exterior gateways to accept the request to
become neighbors.
Neighbor Acquisition Refusal Used by exterior gateways to deny the request to
become neighbors. The refusal message includes
reasons for refusal, such as out of table space.
Neighbor Cease Used by exterior gateways to cease the neighbor
relationship. The cease message includes reasons for
ceasing, such as going down.
Neighbor Cease Acknowledgment Used by exterior gateways to acknowledge the request
to cease the neighbor relationship.
Neighbor Hello Used by exterior gateways to determine connectivity. A
gateway issues a Hello message and another gateway
issues an I Heard You message.
I Heard You Used by exterior gateways to reply to a Hello message.
The I Heard You message includes the access
of the answering gateway and, if the gateway is
unreachable, a reason for lack of access, such as You
are unreachable because of problems with
my network interface.
NR Poll Used by exterior gateways to query neighbor gateways
about their ability to reach other gateways.
Network Reachability Used by exterior gateways to answer the NR
Poll message. For each gateway in the message,
the Network Reachability message contains
information on the addresses that gateway can reach
through its neighbors.
EGP Error Used by exterior gateways to respond to EGP messages
that contain bad checksums or have fields containing
incorrect values.
TCP/IP implements the EGP protocol in the gated server command and does not provide an API to this
protocol.
File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows hosts to transfer data among dissimilar hosts, as well as files
between two foreign hosts indirectly.
FTP provides for such tasks as listing remote directories, changing the current remote directory, creating
and removing remote directories, and transferring multiple files in a single request. FTP keeps the
transport secure by passing user and account passwords to the foreign host. Although FTP is designed
primarily to be used by applications, it also allows interactive user-oriented sessions.
FTP uses reliable stream delivery (TCP/IP) to send the files and uses a Telnet connection to transfer
commands and replies. FTP also understands several basic file formats including NETASCII, IMAGE, and
Local 8.
TCP/IP implements FTP in the ftp user command and the ftpd server command and does not provide an
applications programming interface (API) to this protocol.
When creating anonymous ftp users and directories please be sure that the home directory for users ftp
and anonymous (for example, /u/ftp) is owned by root and does not allow write permissions (for example,
dr-xr-xr-x). The script /usr/samples/tcpip/anon.ftp can be used to create these accounts, files
and directories.

Trivial File Transfer Protocol
The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) can read and write files to and from a foreign host.
Because TFTP uses the unreliable User Datagram Protocol to transport files, it is generally quicker than
FTP. Like FTP, TFTP can transfer files as either NETASCII characters or as 8-bit binary data. Unlike FTP,
TFTP cannot be used to list or change directories at a foreign host and it has no provisions for security like
password protection. Also, data can be written or retrieved only in public directories.
TCP/IP implements TFTP in the tftp or utftp user commands and in the tftpd server command. The
utftp command is a form of the tftpd command for use in a pipe. TCP/IP does not provide an API to
this protocol.
Name/Finger Protocol
The Name/Finger Protocol (FINGER) is an application-level Internet protocol that provides an interface
between the finger command and the fingerd daemon.
The fingerd daemon returns information about the users currently logged in to a specified remote
host. If you execute the finger command specifying a user at a particular host, you will obtain specific
information about that user. The FINGER Protocol must be present at the remote host and at the
requesting host. FINGER uses Transmission Control Protocol (“Transmission Control Protocol” on page
152) as its underlying protocol.
Note: TCP/IP does not provide an API to this protocol.
Telnet Protocol
The Telnet Protocol (TELNET) provides a standard method for terminal devices and terminal-oriented
processes to interface.
TELNET is commonly used by terminal emulation programs that allow you to log into a remote
host. However, TELNET can also be used for terminal-to-terminal communication and interprocess
communication. TELNET is also used by other protocols (for example, FTP) for establishing a protocol
control channel.
TCP/IP implements TELNET in the tn, telnet, or tn3270 user commands. The telnetd daemon does
not provide an API to TELNET.
TCP/IP supports the following TELNET options which are negotiated between the client and server:
Item Description
BINARY TRANSMISSION Transmits characters as binary data.
(Used in tn3270 sessions)
SUPPRESS GO_AHEAD (The Indicates that when in effect on a connection between a sender of
operating system suppresses data and the receiver of the data, the sender need not transmit a
GO-AHEAD options.) GO_AHEAD option. If the GO_AHEAD option is not desired, the parties
in the connection will probably suppress it in both directions. This action
must take place in both directions independently.
TIMING MARK (Recognized, Makes sure that previously transmitted data has been completely
but has a negative response) processed.
EXTENDED OPTIONS LIST Extends the TELNET option list for another 256 options. Without this
option, the TELNET option allows only 256 options.
ECHO (User-changeable Transmits echo data characters already received back to the original
command) sender.
TERM TYPE Enables the server to determine the type of terminal connected to a user
TELNET program.

Item Description
SAK (Secure Attention Key) Establishes the environment necessary for secure communication
between you and the system.
NAWS (Negotiate About Enables client and server to negotiate dynamically for the window size.
Window Size) This is used by applications that support changing the window size.
Note: TELNET must allow transmission of eight bit characters when not in binary mode in order to
implement ISO 8859 Latin code page.
Distributed Computer Network Local-Network Protocol

An autonomous system is a group of networks and gateways for which one administrative authority has
responsibility.
Local-Network Protocol (HELLO) is an interior gateway protocol designed for use within autonomous
systems. (For more information, see “Exterior Gateway Protocol” on page 155.) HELLO maintains
connectivity, routing, and time-keeping information. It allows each machine in the network to determine
the shortest path to a destination based on time delay and then dynamically updates the routing
information to that destination.
For more information, see the gated daemon.
Remote Command Execution Protocol

The rexec user command and the rexecd daemon provide the remote command execution protocol,
allowing users to run commands on a compatible remote host.
For more information, see the rexec command and the rexecd daemon.
Remote Login Protocol

The rlogin user command and the rlogind daemon provide the remote login protocol, allowing users
to log in to a remote host and use their terminals as if they were directly connected to the remote host.
For more information, see the rlogin command and the rlogind daemon.
Remote Shell Protocol

The rsh user command and the rshd daemon provide the remote command shell protocol, allowing
users to open a shell on a compatible foreign host for running commands.
For more information, see the rsh command and the rshd daemon.
Wake On LAN Protocol

Wake On LAN (WOL) allows you to wake up one or more hosts that are connected to a network in
suspended mode by sending a Magic Packet to the specified address or addresses on the specified
subnet.
For more information on using WOL, see the wol command.
Routing Information Protocol

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and the routed and gated daemons that implement it keep track of
routing information based on gateway hops and maintain kernel-routing table entries.
For more information, see the routed and gated daemons.

Time Server Protocol
The timed daemon is used to synchronize one host with the time of other hosts.
It is based on the client/server concept. For more information, see the timedc command and the timed
daemon.
Assigned Numbers
For compatibility with the general network environment, well-known numbers are assigned for the
Internet versions, networks, ports, protocols, and protocol options. Additionally, well-known names are
also assigned to machines, networks, operating systems, protocols, services, and terminals.
TCP/IP complies with the assigned numbers and names defined in RFC 1010, Assigned Numbers.
The Internet Protocol (IP) defines a 4-bit field in the IP header that identifies the version of the general
Internetwork protocol in use. For IP, this version number in decimal is 4. For details on the assigned
numbers and names used by TCP/IP, see /etc/protocols and /etc/services files included with
TCP/IP. For further details on the assigned numbers and names, refer to RFC 1010 and the /etc/
services file.
TCP/IP local area network adapter cards

The network adapter card is the hardware that is physically attached to the network cabling. It is
responsible for receiving and transmitting data at the physical level.
The network adapter card is controlled by the network adapter device driver.
A machine must have one network adapter card (or connection) for each network (not network type) to
which it connects. For instance, if a host attaches to two token-ring networks, it must have two network
adapter cards.
TCP/IP uses the following network adapter cards and connections:
• Standard Ethernet Version 2
• IEEE 802.3
• Token-ring
• Asynchronous adapters and native serial ports
• Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
• Serial Optical Channel Converter (described in Kernel Extensions and Device Support Programming
Concepts)
• Fibre Channel
The Ethernet and 802.3 network technologies use the same type of adapter.
Each machine provides a limited number of expansion slots, some or all of which you might wish to use
for communications adapters. Additionally, each machine supports a limited number of communications
adapters of a given type. Within these limits (software limitations), you can install any combination of
adapters up to the total number of expansion slots available in your machine (hardware limitations).
Only one Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) interface is configurable regardless
of the number of Serial Optical Channel Converters supported by the system. The Serial Optical device
driver makes use of both channel converters even though only one logical TCP/IP interface is configured.
Installing a network adapter

Use this procedure to install a network adapter.
To install a network adapter:
1. Shut down the computer. See the shutdown command for information on how to shut down a system.
2. Turn off the computer power.

3. Remove the computer cover.
4. Find a free slot and insert the network adapter. Be careful to seat the adapter properly in the slot.
5. Replace the computer cover.
6. Restart the computer.
Adapter management and configuration

To configure and manage token-ring or Ethernet adapters, use the tasks in the following table.
Table 60. Configuring and managing adapters tasks

Task SMIT fast path Command or file
Configure an Adapter smit chgtok (token-ring) 1. Determine adapter name:1 lsdev -C -c
smit chgenet (Ethernet) adapter -t tokenring -H or lsdev
-C -c adapter -t ethernet -H
2. Reset ring speed (token-ring) or
connector type (Ethernet), if necessary.
For example: chdev -l tok0 -a
ring_speed=16 -P or chdev -l ent0
-a bnc_select=dix -P
Determining a Network smit chgtok (token-ring) lscfg -l tok0 -v (token-ring)2 lscfg -l

Adapter Hardware Address smit chgenet (Ethernet) ent0 -v (Ethernet)2
Setting an Alternate Hardware smit chgtok (token-ring) 1. Define the alternate hardware address. For
Address smit chgenet (Ethernet) example, for token-ring:2,3
chdev -l tok0 -a
alt_addr=0X10005A4F1B7F
For Ethernet:2,3
chdev -l ent0 -a
alt_addr=0X10005A4F1B7F -p
2. Begin using alternate address, for token-
ring:4
chdev -l tok0 -a
use_alt_addr=yes
For Ethernet:4
chdev -l ent0 -a
use_alt_addr=yes
Note:
1. The name of a network adapter can change if you move it from one slot to another or remove it from
the system. If you ever move the adapter, issue the diag -a command to update the configuration
database.
2. Substitute your adapter name for tok0 and ent0.
3. Substitute your hardware address for 0X10005A4F1B7F.
4. After performing this procedure, you might experience a disruption of communication with other hosts
until they flush their Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache and obtain the new hardware address of
this host.

Virtual Local Area Networks
VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) can be thought of as logical broadcast domains. A VLAN splits up
groups of network users on a real physical network onto segments of logical networks.
This implementation supports the IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging standard with the capability to support
multiple VLAN IDs running on Ethernet adapters. Each VLAN ID is associated with a separate Ethernet
interface to the upper layers (IP, etc.) and creates unique logical Ethernet adapter instances per VLAN, for
example ent1, ent2 and so on.
The IEEE 802.1Q VLAN support can be configured over any supported Ethernet adapters. The adapters
must be connected to a switch that supports IEEE 802.1Q VLAN.
You can configure multiple VLAN logical devices on a single system. Each VLAN logical devices constitutes
an additional Ethernet adapter instance. These logical devices can be used to configure the same Ethernet
IP interfaces as are used with physical Ethernet adapters. As such, the no option, ifsize (default 8), needs
to be increased to include not only the Ethernet interfaces for each adapter, but also any VLAN logical
devices that are configured. See the no command documentation.
Each VLAN can have a different maximum transmission unit (MTU) value even if sharing a single physical
Ethernet adapter.
VLAN support is managed through SMIT. Type the smit vlan fast path from the command line and make
your selection from the main VLAN menu. Online help is available.
After you configure VLAN, configure the IP interface, for example, en1 for standard Ethernet or et1 for
IEEE 802.3, using SMIT, or commands.
AIX 5.3 and later supports virtual Ethernet using a virtual I/O switch as a method to perform in-memory
communication between partitions in a POWER5 system. The switch also supports IEEE 802.1Q tagging,
which allows the virtual Ethernet adapters to belong different VLANs on the switch. Virtual Ethernet
adapters are created and configured on partitions using the Hardware Management Console (HMC). After
it is created, the partition will see the virtual Ethernet adapter in the open firmware tree when it scans
for devices. After it is detected, the virtual Ethernet adapter is configured and used just like a physical
Ethernet adapter. For more information, see the hardware documentation for your POWER5 system.
Note:
1. If you try to configure a VLAN ID value that is already in use for the specified adapter, the configuration
fails with the following error:
Method error (/usr/lib/methods/chgvlan):

0514-018 The values specified for the following attributes
are not valid:
vlan_tag_id VLAN Tag ID
2. If a user (for example, IP interface) is currently using the VLAN logical device, any attempt to remove
the VLAN logical device fails. A message similar to the following displays:
Method error (/usr/lib/methods/ucfgcommo):

0514-062 Cannot perform the requested function because the
specified device is busy.
To remove the logical VLAN device, first detach the user. For example, if the user is IP interface en1,
then you can use the following command:
ifconfig en1 detach
Then remove the network interface using the SMIT TCP/IP menus.
3. If a user (for example, IP interface) is currently using the VLAN logical device, any attempt to change
the VLAN characteristic (VLAN tag ID or base adapter) fails. A message similar to the following
displays:

Method error (/usr/lib/methods/chgvlan):
0514-062 Cannot perform the requested function because the
specified device is busy.
To change the logical VLAN device, first detach the user. For example, if the user is the IP interface
en1, you could use the following command:
ifconfig en1 detach
Then change the VLAN and add the network interface again using the SMIT TCP/IP menus.
VLAN troubleshooting
tcpdump and trace can be used to troubleshoot the VLAN.
The trace hook ID for each type of transmit packet follows:
Item Description
transmit packets 3FD
receive packets 3FE
other events 3FF
The entstat command gives the aggregate statistics of the physical adapter for which the VLAN is
configured. It does not provide the individual statistics for that particular VLAN logical device.
VLAN restrictions
Remote dump is not supported over a VLAN. Also, VLAN logical devices cannot be used to create a Cisco
Systems' Etherchannel.
TCP/IP network interfaces

The TCP/IP Network Interface layer formats IP datagrams at the Network layer into packets that specific
network technologies can understand and transmit.
A network interface is the network-specific software that communicates with the network-specific device
driver and the IP layer in order to provide the IP layer with a consistent interface to all network adapters
that might be present.
The IP layer selects the appropriate network interface based on the destination address of the packet to
be transmitted. Each network interface has a network address. The Network Interface layer is responsible
for adding or removing any link layer protocol header required to deliver a message to its destination. The
network adapter device driver controls the network adapter card.
Although not required, a network interface is usually associated with a network adapter. For instance, the
loopback interface has no network adapter associated with it. A machine must have one network adapter
card for each network (not network type) to which it connects. However, a machine requires only one copy
of the network interface software for each network adapter it uses. For instance, if a host attaches to two
token-ring networks, it must have two network adapter cards. However, only one copy of the token-ring
network interface software and one copy of the token-ring device driver is required.
TCP/IP supports types of network interfaces:
• Standard Ethernet Version 2 (en)
• IEEE 802.3 (et)
• Token-ring (tr)
• Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)
• Loopback (lo)
• FDDI
• Serial Optical (so)

• Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
• Virtual IP Address (vi)
The Ethernet, 802.3, and token-ring interfaces are for use with local area networks (LANs). The SLIP
interface is for use with serial connections. The loopback interface is used by a host to send messages
back to itself. The Serial Optical interface is for use with optical point-to-point networks using the Serial
Optical Link device handler. Point to Point protocol is most often used when connecting to another
computer or network via a modem. The Virtual IP Address interface (also called virtual interface) is not
associated with any particular network adapter. Multiple instances of a virtual interface can be configured
on a host. When virtual interfaces are configured, the address of the first virtual interface becomes the
source address unless an application has chosen a different interface. Processes that use a virtual IP
address as their source address can send packets through any network interface that provides the best
route for that destination. Incoming packets destined for a virtual IP address are delivered to the process
regardless of the interface through which they arrive.
Automatic configuration of network interfaces

When a new network adapter is physically installed in the system, the operating system automatically
adds the appropriate network interface for that adapter.
For example, if you install a token-ring adapter in your system, the operating system assigns it the name
tok0 and add a token-ring network interface named tr0. If you install an Ethernet adapter in your
system, the operating system assigns it the name ent0 and add both an Ethernet Version 2 and an IEEE
802.3 interface, named en0 and et0 respectively.
In most cases, there is a one-to-one correspondence between adapter names and network interface
names. For example, token-ring adapter tok0 corresponds to interface tr0, adapter tok1 corresponds
to interface tr1, and so on. Similarly, Ethernet adapter ent0 corresponds to interface en0 (for Ethernet
Version 2) and et0 (for IEEE 802.3), and adapter ent1 corresponds to interface en1 (for Ethernet Version
2) and et1 (for IEEE 802.3).
Note: Under normal circumstances, you do not need to delete or add a network interface manually.
However, some problem determination procedures might require you to do so. In this case, use the SMIT
fast path, smit inet, to delete and re-add the appropriate interface.
TCP/IP default configuration values

At each system startup, the operating system automatically configures the network interface software
based upon the information in the ODM database. Initially, the network interface is configured with
default values.
In order to communicate through a given network interface, the Internet address must be set. This is the
only attribute that you need to set. All other necessary attributes can use the default values. The default
values for each network interface follow.
TCP/IP default Ethernet values

Valid Ethernet network adapter attributes along can have their values changed using the Network
Interface Selection menu in SMIT.
Attribute Default value Possible values

netaddr
state down up, down, detach
arp yes yes, no
netmask
broadcast

The following valid Ethernet network device driver attribute is shown along with its default values, which
can be changed using the Network Interface Drivers menu in SMIT.

mtu 1500 60 through 1500
TCP/IP default 802.3 values

Valid 802.3 network adapter attributes can have their values changed using the Network Interface
Selection menu in SMIT.

netaddr
arp yes yes, no
netmask
broadcast
The following valid 802.3 network device driver attribute is shown along with its default values, which can
be changed using the Network Interface Drivers menu in SMIT.

TCP/IP default Token-Ring values

Valid token-ring network adapter attributes can have their values changed using the Network Interface

netaddr
netmask
arp yes yes, no
hwloop no yes, no
netmask
broadcast
allcast no yes, no
The following valid token-ring network device driver attributes are shown along with its default values,
which can be changed using the Network Interface Drivers menu in SMIT.

mtu (4Mbps) 1500 60 through 4056
mtu (16Mbps) 1500 60 through 17960
Note: When operating through a bridge, the default value of 1500 for the maximum transmission unit
(MTU) should be changed to a value that is 8 less than the maximum information field (maximum I-frame)
advertised by the bridge in the routing control field. For example, if the maximum I-frame value is 1500

in the routing control field, the MTU size should be set to 1492. This is for token-ring network interfaces
only. For more information, see “TCP/IP problems with a Token-Ring/Token-Ring bridge” on page 439.
When using the IBM® 16/4 PowerPC token-ring adapter (ISA), the MTU is restricted to 2000.
TCP/IP default SLIP values

Valid SLIP network adapter attributes can have their values changed using the Network Interface

netaddr
dest
state up up, down, detach
netmask
The following valid SLIP network device driver attribute is shown along with its default values as
displayed under the Network Interface Drivers menu in SMIT.

TCP/IP default Serial Optical values

Valid Serial Optical network channel converter can have their values changed using the Network Interface

netaddr
netmask
The following valid serial optical network device handler attribute is shown along with its default values as
displayed under the Network Interface Drivers menu in SMIT.

Implications of multiple network interfaces on the same network

If multiple network interfaces are attached to a single network, each interface must have a unique IP
address.
The Multipath Routing feature allows routes to be added to the IP routing table for multipath interfaces on
the same subnet. This allows outgoing traffic to alternate between the interfaces rather than being sent
through one interface only.
Network interface management

To manage network interfaces, use the WSM Network, FastPath (application) or the tasks in this table.
Table 61. Managing network interfaces tasks

List all network devices smit lsinet lsdev -C -c if

Table 61. Managing network interfaces tasks (continued)
Configure a network device smit chinet See the ifconfig command and
the rc.net file
Changing network interface info smit chdev1,2 chgif1,2
with remotely mounted /usr
Obtaining statistics for a network netstat -v
interface
Note:
1. Changes from a remotely mounted /usr affect only the Information Database (ODM) until the network
is restarted or until the ifconfig command is used to make the changes take effect right away.
2. When using a remotely mounted /usr, be careful not to modify the interface being used, because that
is the location of the libraries, commands, and kernel.
Interface-specific network options

TCP/IP interfaces must be specially tuned to achieve good, high-speed network performance (100 Mb
or more). This effort is complicated by the fact that multiple network interfaces and a combination of
traditional and high-speed TCP/IP interfaces can be used on a single system.
In the AIX operating system, Interface Specific Network Options (ISNO) allow system administrators to
tune each TCP/IP interface individually for best performance.
There are five ISNO parameters for each supported interface: rfc1323, tcp_nodelay, tcp_sendspace,
tcp_recvspace, and tcp_mssdflt. When set, the values for these parameters override the system-wide
parameters of the same names that had been set with the no command. When ISNO options are not set
for a particular interface, system-wide options are used. When options have been set by an application for
a particular socket using the setsockopt subroutine, such options override the ISNOs.
The network option use_isno, set with the no command, must have a value of 1 for the ISNOs to take
effect. The default value for use_isno is 1.
Some high-speed adapters have ISNO parameters set by default in the ODM database.
Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, when configured to use an MTU of 9000, use the following ISNO values by
default:
Name AIX 4.3.3 Value AIX 4.3.3 (4330-08) AIX 5.1 (and later)
Value Value
tcp_sendspace 131072 262144 262144
tcp_recvspace 92160 131072 131072
rfc1323 1 1 1
Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, when configured to use an MTU of 1500, use the following ISNO values by
default:
Name AIX 4.3.3 Value AIX 4.3.3 (4330-08) AIX 5.1 (and later)
Value Value
tcp_sendspace 65536 131072 131072
tcp_recvspace 16384 65536 65536
rfc1323 0 not set not set

FDDI interfaces, when configured to use an MTU of 4352, use the following ISNO values by default:
Name Value
tcp_sendspace 45046
tcp_recvspace 45046
The ISNO parameters cannot be displayed or changed using SMIT. They can be set using the chdev
command or the ifconfig command. The ifconfig command changes the values only until the next
reboot. The chdev command changes the values in the ODM database so they are used on subsequent
reboots. The lsattr or ifconfig commands can be used to display the current values.
The following examples show commands that can be used first to verify system and interface support and
then to set and verify the new values.
1. Verify general system and interface support using the no and lsattr commands.
• Ensure the use_isno option is enabled using a command similar to the following:
$ no -a | grep isno
use_isno=1
• Ensure the interface supports the five new ISNOs using the lsattr -El command, as shown in the
following:
$ lsattr -E -l en0 -H
attribute value description
rfc1323 N/A
tcp_nodelay N/A
tcp_sendspace N/A
tcp_recvspace N/A
tcp_mssdflt N/A
2. Set the interface specific values, using either the ifconfig or chdev command. The ifconfig
command sets values temporarily, which is recommended for testing. The chdev command alters the
ODM, so customized values remain valid after reboot.
• Set the tcp_recvspace and tcp_sendspace to 64K and enable tcp_nodelay by using one of the
following:
$ ifconfig en0 tcp_recvspace 65536 tcp_sendspace 65536 tcp_nodelay 1

$ chdev -l en0 -a tcp_recvspace=65536 -a tcp_sendspace=65536 -a tcp_nodelay=1
• Alternatively, assuming the no command reports an rfc1323=1 global value, the root user can turn
rfc1323 off for all connections over en0 with the following commands:
$ ifconfig en0 rfc1323 0

$ chdev -l en0 -a rfc1323=0
3. Verify the settings using the ifconfig or lsattr command, as shown in the following example:
$ ifconfig en0 <UP,BROADCAST,NOTRAILERS,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,GROUPRT,64BIT>

en0: flags=e080863
inet 9.19.161.100 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.19.161.255
tcp_sendspace 65536 tcp_recvspace 65536 tcp_nodelay 1 rfc1323 0
$ lsattr -El en0
rfc1323 0 N/A True
tcp_nodelay 1 N/A True
tcp_sendspace 65536 N/A True
tcp_recvspace 65536 N/A True
tcp_mssdflt N/A True

TCP/IP addressing
TCP/IP includes an Internet addressing scheme that allows users and applications to identify a specific
network or host with which to communicate.
An Internet address works like a postal address, allowing data to be routed to the chosen destination.
TCP/IP provides standards for assigning addresses to networks, subnetworks, hosts, and sockets, and for
using special addresses for broadcasts and local loopback.
Internet addresses are made up of a network address and a host (or local) address. This two-part address
allows a sender to specify the network as well as a specific host on the network. A unique, official network
address is assigned to each network when it connects to other Internet networks. However, if a local
network is not going to connect to other Internet networks, it can be assigned any network address that is
convenient for local use.
The Internet addressing scheme consists of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and two special cases of IP
addresses: broadcast addresses and loopback addresses.
Internet addresses
The Internet Protocol (IP) uses a 32-bit, two-part address field.
The 32 bits are divided into four octets as in the following:
01111101 00001101 01001001 00001111
These binary numbers translate into:
125 13 73 15
The two parts of an Internet address are the network address portion and the host address portion. This
allows a remote host to specify both the remote network and the host on the remote network when
sending information. By convention, a host number of 0 is used to refer to the network itself.
TCP/IP supports three classes of Internet addresses: Class A, Class B, and Class C. The different classes
of Internet addresses are designated by how the 32 bits of the address are allocated. The particular
address class a network is assigned depends on the size of the network.
Class A addresses
A Class A address consists of an 8-bit network address and a 24-bit local or host address.
The first bit in the network address is dedicated to indicating the network class, leaving 7 bits for the
actual network address. Because the highest number that 7 bits can represent in binary is 128, there are
128 possible Class A network addresses. Of the 128 possible network addresses, two are reserved for
special cases: the network address 127 is reserved for local loopback addresses, and a network address
of all ones indicates a broadcast address.
There are 126 possible Class A network addresses and 16,777,216 possible local host addresses. In a
Class A address, the highest order bit is set to 0.
Figure 15. Class A address
This illustration shows a typical class A address structure. The first 8 bits contain the network address
(always beginning with a zero). The remaining 24 bits contain the local host address.
The first octet of a Class A address is in the range 1 to 126.

Class B addresses
A Class B address consists of a 16-bit network address and a 16-bit local or host address.
The first two bits in the network address are dedicated to indicating the network class, leaving 14 bits
for the actual network address. There are 16,384 possible network addresses and 65,536 local host
addresses. In a Class B address, the highest order bits are set to 1 and 0.
Figure 16. Class B address
This illustration shows a typical class B address structure. The first 16 bits contain the network address.
The two highest order bits will always be a one and a zero. The remaining 16 bits contain the local host
address.
The first octet of a Class B address is in the range 128 to 191.
Class C addresses
A Class C address consists of a 24-bit network address and an 8-bit local host address.
The first three bits in the network address indicate the network class, leaving 21 bits for the actual
network address. Therefore, there are 2,097,152 possible network addresses and 256 possible local host
addresses. In a Class C address, the highest order bits are set to 1-1-0.
Figure 17. Class C address
This figure shows a typical class C address structure. The first 24 bits contain the network address (the
three highest order bits will always be 1-1-0). The remaining 8 bits contain the local host address.
In other words, the first octet of a Class C address is in the range 192 to 223.
When deciding which network address class to use, you must consider how many local hosts there will
be on the network and how many subnetworks will be in the organization. If the organization is small and
the network will have fewer than 256 hosts, a Class C address is probably sufficient. If the organization is
large, then a Class B or Class A address might be more appropriate.
Note: Class D (1-1-1-0 in the highest order bits) addresses provide for multicast addresses and are
supported by UDP/IP under this operating system.
Machines read addresses in binary code. The conventional notation for Internet host addresses is the
dotted decimal, which divides the 32-bit address into four 8-bit fields. The following binary value:
0001010 00000010 00000000 00110100
can be expressed as:
010.002.000.052 or 10.2.0.52
where the value of each field is specified as a decimal number and the fields are separated by periods.
Note: The hostent command does recognize the following addresses: .08, .008, .09, and .009.
Addresses with leading zeros are interpreted as octal, and numerals in octal cannot contain 8s or 9s.

TCP/IP requires a unique Internet address for each network interface (adapter) on a network. These
addresses are determined by entries in the configuration database, which must agree with entries in
the /etc/hosts file or the named database if the network is using a name server.
Internet addresses using zeros

When a C class Internet address contains a 0 as the host address portion, (for example, 192.9.200.0),
TCP/IP sends a wildcard address on the network.
All machines with a Class C address of 192.9.200.X (where X represents a value between 0 and 254)
should respond to the request. This results in a network flooded with requests to nonexistent machines.
Similarly, problems occur for Class B addresses such as 129.5.0.0. All machines with a Class B address
of 129.5.X.X. (where X represents a value between 0 and 254) are obliged to respond to the request. In
this case, because Class B addresses account for bigger networks than Class C addresses, the network is
flooded with significantly more requests to nonexistent machines than for a Class C network.
Subnet addresses
Subnet addressing allows an autonomous system made up of multiple networks to share the same
Internet address.
The subnetwork capability of TCP/IP also makes it possible to divide a single network into multiple logical
networks (subnets). For example, an organization can have a single Internet network address that is
known to users outside the organization, yet it can configure its network internally into departmental
subnets. In either case, fewer Internet network addresses are required while local routing capabilities are
enhanced.
A standard Internet Protocol address field has two parts: a network address and a local address. To make
subnets possible, the local address part of an Internet address is divided into a subnet number and a host
number. The subnet is identified so that the local autonomous system can route messages reliably.
In the basic Class A Internet address, which consists of an 8-bit network address and 24-bit local
address, the local address identifies the specific host machine on the network.
Figure 18. Class A address
(always beginning with a zero). The remaining 24 bits contain the local host address.
To create a subnet address for this Class A Internet address, the local address can be divided into a
number identifying the physical network (or subnet) and a number identifying the host on the subnet.
Senders route messages to the advertised network address, and the local system takes responsibility for
routing messages to its subnets and their hosts. When deciding how to partition the local address into
subnet address and host address, you should consider the number of subnets and the number of hosts on
those subnets.
In the following figure, the local address is partitioned into a 12-bit subnet address and a 12-bit host
address.
Figure 19. Class A address with corresponding subnet address
(always beginning with a zero). The remaining 24 bits contain the local host address with the subnet
address occupying the first 8 bits and the host address occupying the last 8 bits.

You have flexibility when assigning subnet addresses and host addresses. The bits of the local address
can be divided according to the needs and potential growth of the organization and its network structure.
The only restrictions are:
• network_address is the Internet address for the network.
• subnet_address is a field of a constant width for a given network.
• host_address is a field that is at least 1-bit wide.
If the width of the subnet_address field is 0, the network is not organized into subnets, and addressing
to the network is performed using the Internet network address.
The bits that identify the subnet are specified by a bit mask and, therefore, are not required to be adjacent
in the address. However, it is generally desirable for the subnet bits to be contiguous and located as the
most significant bits of the local address.
Subnet masks
When a host sends a message to a destination, the system must determine whether the destination is
on the same network as the source or if the destination can be reached directly through one of the local
interfaces. The system compares the destination address to the host address using the subnet mask.
If the destination is not local, the system sends the message on to a gateway. The gateway performs the
same comparison to see if the destination address is on a network it can reach locally.
The subnet mask tells the system what the subnet partitioning scheme is. This bit mask consists of the
network address portion and subnet address portion of the Internet address.
Figure 20. Class A address with corresponding subnet address
(always beginning with a zero). The remaining 24 bits contain the local host address with the subnet
address occupying the first 8 bits and the host address occupying the last 8 bits.
For example, the subnet mask of the Class A address with the partitioning scheme defined above is shown
in this figure.
The subnet mask is a set of 4 bytes, just like the Internet address. The subnet mask consists of high
bits (1's) corresponding to the bit positions of the network and subnetwork address, and low bits (0's)
corresponding to the bit positions of the host address. A subnet mask for the previous address looks like
the following figure.
Figure 21. Example subnet mask
This illustration shows a an example of a subnet mask structure. The first 8 bits contain the network
address. The remaining 24 bits contain the local host address with the subnet address occupying the first
8 bits and the host address occupying the last 8 bits.

Address comparison
The destination address and the local network address are compared by performing the logical AND and
exclusive OR on the subnet mask of the source host.
The comparison process is outlined below:
1. Perform a logical AND of the destination address and the mask of the local subnet address.
2. Perform an exclusive OR on the result of the previous operation and the local net address of the local
interface. If the result is all 0's, the destination is assumed to be reachable directly through one of the
local interfaces.
3. If an autonomous system has more than one interface (therefore more than one Internet address), the
comparison process is repeated for each local interface.
For example, assume that there are two local interfaces defined for a host network, T125. Their Internet
addresses and the binary representations of those addresses are shown in the following example:
CLASS A 73.1.5.2 = 01001001 00000001 00000101 00000010
CLASS B 145.21.6.3 = 10010001 00010101 00000110 00000011
The corresponding subnet masks for the local network interfaces are shown in the following example:
CLASS A 73.1.5.2 = 11111111 11111111 11100000 00000000
CLASS B 145.21.6.3 = 11111111 11111111 11111111 11000000
If the source network, T125, is requested to send a message to a destination network with the host
address 114.16.23.8 (represented in binary as: 01110010 00010000 00010111 00001000), the system
checks whether the destination can be reached through a local interface.
Note: The subnetmask keyword must be set in the configuration database of each host that is to support
subnets. Before the subnetwork capability can be used, all hosts on the network must support it. Set the
subnet mask permanently in the configuration database using the Network Interface Selection menu in
SMIT. The subnet mask can also be set in the running system using the ifconfig command. Using the
ifconfig command to set the subnet mask is not a permanent change.
Broadcast addresses
The TCP/IP can send data to all hosts on a local network or to all hosts on all directly connected networks.
Such transmissions are called broadcast messages.
For example, the routed routing daemon uses broadcast messages to query and respond to routing
queries.
For data to be broadcast to all hosts on all directly connected networks, User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
and Internet Protocol (IP) are used to send the data, and the host destination address in the IP header
has all bits set to 1. For data to be broadcast to all hosts on a specific network, all the bits in the
local address part of the IP address are set to 0. There are no user commands that use the broadcast
capability, although such commands, or programs, can be developed.
The broadcast address can be changed temporarily by changing the broadcast parameter in the
ifconfig command. Change the broadcast address permanently by using the SMIT fast path smit
chinet. Changing the broadcast address may be useful if you need to be compatible with older versions
of software that use a different broadcast address; for example, the host IDs are all set to 0.
Local loopback addresses

The Internet Protocol defines the special network address, 127.0.0.1, as a local loopback address.
Hosts use local loopback addresses to send messages to themselves. The local loopback address is set
by the configuration manager during the system startup process. Local loopback is implemented in the
kernel and can also be set with the ifconfig command. Loopback is invoked when the system is started.

TCP/IP name resolution
Although 32-bit Internet addresses provide machines an efficient means of identifying the source and
destination of datagrams sent across an internetwork, users prefer meaningful, easily remembered
names. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) provides a naming system that
supports both flat and hierarchical network organizations.
Naming in flat networks is very simple. Host names consist of a single set of characters and generally
are administered locally. In flat TCP/IP networks, each machine on the network has a file (/etc/
hosts) containing the name-to-Internet-address mapping information for every host on the network.
The administrative burden of keeping each machine naming file current grows as the TCP/IP network
grows. WhenTCP/IP networks become very large, as on the Internet, naming is divided hierarchically.
Typically, the divisions follow the network organization. In TCP/IP, hierarchical naming is known as the
domain name system (DNS) and uses the DOMAIN protocol. The DOMAIN protocol is implemented by the
named daemon in TCP/IP.
As in naming for flat networks, the domain name hierarchy provides for the assignment of symbolic names
to networks and hosts that are meaningful and easy for users to remember. However, instead of each
machine on the network keeping a file containing the name-to-address mapping for all other hosts on the
network, one or more hosts are selected to function as name servers. Name servers translate (resolve)
symbolic names assigned to networks and hosts into the efficient Internet addresses used by machines.
A name server has complete information about some part of the domain, referred to as a zone, and it has
authority for its zone.
Naming authority
In a flat network, all hosts in the network are administered by one central authority. This form of network
requires that all hosts in the network have unique host names. In a large network, this requirement
creates a large administrative burden on the central authority.
In a domain network, groups of hosts are administered separately within a tree-structured hierarchy of
domains and subdomains. In this case, host names need to be unique only within the local domain,
and only the root domain is administered by a central authority. This structure allows subdomains to be
administered locally and reduces the burden on the central authority. For example, the root domain of the
Internet consists of such domains as com (commercial organizations), edu (educational organizations),
gov (governmental organizations), and mil (military groups). New top-level domains can only be added
by the central authority. Naming at the second level is delegated to designated agents within the
respective domains. For example, in the following figure, com has naming authority for all commercial
organization subdomains beneath it. Likewise, naming at the third level (and so on) is delegated to
agents within that level. For example, in the Domain Structure of the Internet figure, Century has naming
authority for its subdomains Austin, Hopkins, and Charlotte.
Figure 22. Domain structure of the Internet
This figure illustrates the hierarchical structure of the internet. It begins at the top with the root and
branches to the next level containing the mil, com, and edu domains. Below the com domain is another
level containing Charlotte, Austin, and Hopkins. Below Austin is Dev and Graphics.
Century's Austin subdomain might also be divided into zones, for example, Dev and Graphics. In this
case, the zone austin.century.com has all the data contained in the domain austin.century.com,
except that which was delegated to Dev and Graphics. The zone dev.century.com would contain
only the data delegated to Dev; it would know nothing about Graphics, for example. The zone

austin.century.com (as opposed to the domain of the same name) would contain only that data
not delegated to other zones.
Naming conventions
In the hierarchical domain name system, names consist of a sequence of case-insensitive subnames
separated by periods with no embedded blanks.
The DOMAIN protocol specifies that a local domain name must be fewer than 64 characters and that a
host name must be fewer than 32 characters in length. The host name is given first, followed by a period
(.), a series of local domain names separated by periods, and finally the root domain. A fully specified
domain name for a host, including periods, must be fewer than 255 characters in length and in the
following form:
host.subdomain1.[subdomain2 . . . subdomain].rootdomain
Because host names must be unique within a domain, you can use an abbreviated name when
sending messages to a host within the same domain. For example, instead of sending a message to
smith.eng.lsu.edu, a host in the eng domain could send a message to smith. Additionally, each host
can have several aliases that other hosts can use when sending messages.
Naming hosts on your network

The purpose of using names for hosts is to provide a quick, easy, and unambiguous way to refer to the
computers in your network. Internet system administrators have discovered that there are good, as well
as poor, choices for host names. These suggestions are intended to help you avoid common pitfalls in
choosing host names.
The following are some suggestions for choosing unambiguous, easy to remember host names:
• Terms that are rarely used, for example, sphinx or eclipse.
• Theme names, such as colors, elements (for example, helium, argon, or zinc), flowers, fish, and
others.
• Real words (as opposed to random strings of characters).
The following are some examples of poor choices. In general, these are poor choices because they are
difficult to remember or are confusing (either to humans or computers):
• Terms that are already in common use, for example, up, down, or crash.
• Names containing only numbers.
• Names that contain punctuation marks.
• Names that rely on case distinction, for example, Orange and orange.
• The name or initials of the primary user of the system.
• Names having more than 8 characters.
• Unusual or purposefully incorrect spellings, for example, czek, which could be confused with "check" or
"czech."
• Names that are, or resemble, domain names, for example, yale.edu.
Name servers - BIND version 9.16

Review the fundamentals of the DNS that is associated with the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND)
software.
The DNS is a hierarchical, distributed database. It stores information for mapping internet hostnames to
IP addresses and vice versa, mail routing information, and other data that is used by internet applications.
Users look up information in the DNS by calling a resolver library that sends queries to one or more name
servers and interprets the responses. The BIND 9 software distribution contains a name server, named,
and a set of associated tools.

Domains and domain names
The data that is stored in the DNS is identified by domain names that are organized as a tree according
to organizational or administrative boundaries. Each node of the tree, called a domain, has a label. The
domain name of the node is the concatenation of all the labels on the path from the node to the root node.
The domain name is represented in written form as a string of labels that are listed from right to left and
separated by dots. A label must be unique only within its parent domain.
For example, a domain name for a host at the company Example, Inc. can be ourhost.example.com,
where com is the top-level domain to which ourhost.example.com belongs, example is a subdomain
of com, and ourhost is the name of the host.
For administrative purposes, the namespace is partitioned into areas that are called zones, each starting
at a node and extending down to the leaf nodes or to nodes where other zones start. The data for each
zone is stored in a name server that answers queries about the zone by using the DNS protocol.
The data that is associated with each domain name is stored in the form of resource records (RRs). Some
of the supported resource record types are described in Types of Resource Records and When to Use
Them.
For more information about the design of the DNS and the DNS protocol, see the standards documents
listed in Requests for Comment (RFCs).
Zones
To properly operate a name server, you must understand the difference between a zone and a domain.
A zone is a point of delegation in the DNS tree. A zone consists of those contiguous parts of the domain
tree for which a name server has complete information and over which it has authority. The zone contains
all domain names from a certain point downward in the domain tree except those that are delegated to
other zones. A delegation point is marked by one or more name space (NS) records in the parent zone,
which must be matched by equivalent NS records at the root of the delegated zone.
For instance, consider the example.com domain that includes names such as host.aaa.example.com
and host.bbb.example.com, even though the example.com zone includes only delegations for the
aaa.example.com and bbb.example.com zones. A zone can map exactly to a single domain, but can
also include only part of a domain, the rest of which can be delegated to other name servers. Every name
in the DNS tree is a domain, even if it is terminal, that is, has no subdomains. Every subdomain is a domain
and every domain except the root is also a subdomain. You can read more about this at RFC 1033, RFC
1034, and RFC 1035.
Though BIND 9 is called a domain name server, it deals primarily in terms of zones. The primary
and secondary declarations in the named.conf file specify zones, not domains. When BIND requests
another site to be a secondary server for a domain, it means that BIND is requesting for secondary service
for some collection of zones.
Authoritative name servers

Each zone is served by at least one authoritative name server that contains the complete data for the
zone. To make the DNS tolerant of server and network failures, most zones have two or more authoritative
servers, on different networks.
Responses from authoritative servers have the authoritative answer (AA) bit set in the response packets.
This makes the responses easy to identify when debugging DNS configurations by using diagnostic tools
such as dig (Diagnostic Tools). The authoritative name servers can be of the following types:
Primary server
The authoritative server, where the main copy of the zone data is maintained, is called the primary
(formerly master) server. Typically, the primary server loads the zone contents from some local file
that is edited by humans or is generated mechanically from some other local file that is edited by
humans. This file is called the zone file or master file.

However, in some cases, the master file might not be edited by humans at all, but might be the result
of dynamic update operations.
Secondary server
The other authoritative servers, the secondary servers (formerly known as slave servers) load the
zone contents from another server by using a replication process known as a zone transfer. The data
is transferred directly from the primary server or from another secondary server. In other words, a
secondary server can itself act as a primary server to a subordinate secondary server.
Periodically, the secondary server must send a refresh query to determine whether the zone contents
have been updated. This is done by sending a query for the zone’s Start of Authority (SOA) record
and checking whether the SERIAL field has been updated; if so, a new transfer request is initiated.
The timing of these refresh queries is controlled by the SOA REFRESH and RETRY fields, but can
be overridden with the max-refresh-time, min-refresh-time, max-retry-time, and min-
retry-time options.
If the zone data cannot be updated within the time that is specified by the SOA EXPIRE option (up to a
hardcoded maximum of 24 weeks), the secondary zone expires and no longer responds to queries.
Stealth server
Usually, all of the zone’s authoritative servers are listed in NS records in the parent zone. These NS
records constitute a delegation of the zone from the parent. The authoritative servers are also listed
in the zone file itself, at the top level or apex of the zone. Servers that are not in the parent’s NS
delegation can be listed in the zone’s top-level NS records, but servers that are not present at the
zone’s top level cannot be listed in the parent’s delegation.
A stealth server is a server that is authoritative for a zone but is not listed in that zone’s NS records.
Stealth servers can be used for keeping a local copy of a zone to speed up access to the zone’s records
or to make sure that the zone is available even if all the official servers for the zone are inaccessible.
A configuration where the primary server itself is a stealth server is often referred to as a hidden
primary configuration. This configuration is useful when the primary server is behind a firewall and is
therefore unable to communicate directly with the outside world.
Caching name servers

The resolver libraries that are provided by most operating systems are stub resolvers, meaning that these
libraries are not capable of performing the full DNS resolution process by themselves by communicating
directly to the authoritative servers. Instead, the stub resolver libraries rely on a local name server to
perform the resolution on its behalf. Such a server is called a recursive name server; it performs recursive
lookups for local clients.
To improve performance, recursive servers store the results of the lookups that they perform in a cache.
In this scenario, the terms recursive server and caching server are used synonymously.
The length of time for which a record must be retained in the cache of a caching name server is controlled
by the Time-To-Live (TTL) field that is associated with each resource record.
Even a caching name server does not necessarily perform the complete recursive lookup itself. Instead,
the caching name server can forward some or all of the queries that it cannot satisfy from its cache to
another caching name server, which is known as a forwarder.
Forwarders are used when an administrator does not want all the servers at a specific site to interact
directly with the rest of the internet. For example, a common scenario is when multiple internal DNS
servers are behind an internet firewall. Servers behind the firewall forward their requests to the server
with external access, which queries internet DNS servers on behalf of the internal servers.
Another scenario is to send queries first to a custom server for RBL processing before forwarding them to
the wider internet. However, this scenario is replaced by Response Policy Zones.
A setup can have one or more forwarders. The order in which the forwarders are listed in the
named.conf file does not determine the sequence in which they are queried; rather, named uses the
response times from previous queries to select the server that is likely to respond the most quickly. A

server that has not yet been queried is given an initial small random response time to ensure that it
is tried at least once. Dynamic adjustment of the recorded response times ensures that all forwarders
are queried, even those with slower response times. This permits changes in behavior based on server
responsiveness.
Name servers in multiple roles

The BIND name server can simultaneously act as a primary server for some zones, a secondary server for
other zones, and as a caching (recursive) server for a set of local clients.
However, since the functions of authoritative name service and caching name service are logically
separate, it is advantageous to run them on separate server machines. A server that only provides
authoritative name service (an authoritative-only server) can run with recursion disabled, which improves
reliability and security. A server that is not authoritative for any zones and provides only recursive service
to local clients (a caching-only server) does not need to be reachable from the internet and can be placed
inside a firewall.
Name resolution
The process of obtaining an Internet address from a host name is known as name resolution and is done
by the gethostbyname subroutine.
The process of translating an Internet address into a host name is known as reverse name resolution
and is done by the gethostbyaddr subroutine. These routines are essentially accessors into a library of
name translation routines known as resolvers.
Resolver routines on hosts running TCP/IP normally attempt to resolve names using the following
sources:
1. BIND/DNS (named)
2. Network Information Service (NIS)
3. Local /etc/hosts file
To resolve a name in a domain network, the resolver routine first queries the domain name server
database, which might be local if the host is a domain name server or on a foreign host. Name servers
translate domain names into Internet addresses. The group of names for which a name server is
responsible is its zone of authority. If the resolver routine is using a remote name server, the routine
uses the domain name protocol (DOMAIN) to query for the mapping. To resolve a name in a flat network,
the resolver routine checks for an entry in the local /etc/hosts file. When NIS is used, the /etc/hosts
file on the master server is checked.
By default, resolver routines attempt to resolve names using the above resources. BIND/DNS is tried first.
If the /etc/resolv.conf file does not exist or if BIND/DNS could not find the name, NIS is queried if it
is running. NIS is authoritative over the local /etc/hosts, so the search ends here if it is running. If NIS
is not running, then the local /etc/hosts file is searched. If none of these services can find the name,
then the resolver routines return with HOST_NOT_FOUND. If all of the services are unavailable, then the
resolver routines return with SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE.
The default order described above can be overwritten by creating the /etc/irs.conf configuration
file and specifying the desired order. Also, both the default and /etc/irs.conf orderings can be
overwritten with the environment variable, NSORDER. If either the /etc/irs.conf file or NSORDER
environment variable are defined, then at least one value must be specified along with the option.
To specify host ordering with the /etc/irs.conf file:
hosts value [ continue ]
The order is specified with each method indicated on a line by itself. The value is one of the listed
methods and the continue keyword indicates that another resolver method follows on the next line.
To specify host ordering with the NSORDER environment variable:

NSORDER=value,value,value
The order is specified on one line with values separated by commas. White spaces are permitted between
the commas and the equal sign.
For example, if the local network is organized as a flat network, then only the /etc/hosts file is needed.
Given this example, the /etc/irs.conf file contains the following line:
hosts local
Alternatively, the NSORDER environment variable can be set as:
NSORDER=local
If the local network is a domain network using a name server for name resolution and an /etc/hosts file
for backup, then both services should be specified. Given this example, the /etc/irs.conf file contains
the following lines:
hosts dns continue

hosts local
The NSORDER environment variable is set as:
NSORDER=bind,local
Note: The values listed must be in lowercase.

When following any defined or default resolver ordering, the search algorithm continues from one resolver
to the next only if:
• The current service is not running, therefore, it is unavailable.
• The current service cannot find the name and is not authoritative.
If the /etc/resolv.conf file does not exist, then BIND/DNS is considered not set up or running, and
therefore it is not available. If the getdomainname and yp_bind subroutines fail, then the NIS service is
considered not set up or running, and therefore it is not available. If the /etc/hosts file could not be
opened, then a local search is impossible, and therefore the file and service are unavailable.
When a service is listed as authoritative, it means that this service is the expert of its successors and has
all pertinent names and addresses. Resolver routines do not try successor services, because successors
might contain only a subset of the information in the authoritative service. Name resolution ends at
service listed as authoritative, even if it does not find the name (in which case, the resolver routine returns
HOST_NOT_FOUND). If an authoritative service is not available, then the next service specified is queried.
An authoritative source is specified with the string =auth directly behind a value. The entire word,
authoritative can be typed in, but only the auth string is used. For example, if the NSORDER
environment variable contains the following:
hosts = nis=auth,dns,local
The search ends after the NIS query (if NIS is running), regardless of whether the name was found. If NIS
is not running, then the next source is queried, which is DNS.
TCP/IP name servers use caching to reduce the cost of searching for names of hosts on remote networks.
Instead of searching for a host name each time a request is made, a name server first looks at its cache to
see if the host name has been resolved recently. Because domain and host names do change, each item
remains in the cache for a limited length of time specified by the time-to-live (TTL) value of the record. In
this way, name servers can specify how long they expect their responses to be considered authoritative.

Potential host name conflict between name server and sendmail
In a DNS environment, a host name that is set using the hostname command from the command line or
in the rc.net file format must be the official name of the host as returned by the name server.
Generally, this name is the full domain name of the host in the form:
host.subdomain.subdomain.rootdomain
Note: Resolver routines require the default domain to be set. If the default domain is not set in the
hostname command, then it must be set in the /etc/resolv.conf file.
If the host name is not set up as a fully qualified domain name, and if the system is set up to use a
domain name server in conjunction with the sendmail program, the sendmail configuration file (/etc/
sendmail.cf) must be edited to reflect this official host name. In addition, the domain name macros in
this configuration file must be set for the sendmail program to operate correctly.
Note: The domain specified in the /etc/sendmail.cf file takes precedence over the domain set by the
hostname command for all sendmail functions.
Potential domain name conflict between name server and sendmail

Local domain names and domain name servers are specified in different files, depending on whether the
host is a DOMAIN name server.
For a host that is in a DOMAIN network but is not a name server, the local domain name and domain name
server are specified in the /etc/resolv.conf file. In a DOMAIN name server host, the local domain and
other name servers are defined in files read by the named daemon when it starts.
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol

The Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) translates unique hardware addresses into Internet
addresses on the Ethernet local area network (LAN) adapter (Ethernet protocol only).
Standard Ethernet protocol is supported with the following restrictions:
• The server only replies to RARP requests.
• The server only uses permanent ARP table entries.
• The server does not use dynamic ARP table entries.
• The server does not automatically reply for itself.
The system administrator must manually build and maintain a table of permanent ARP entries using the
arp command. A specific ARP table entry must be added on the server for each host that requires RARP
replies from an authoritative source.
Local name resolution (/etc/hosts) tasks

Configure the /etc/hosts file if your network is small, and you are using a flat naming scheme.
Even if you are using a hierarchical (or domain) naming scheme with name servers, you might want to
configure the /etc/hosts file to identify hosts that are not known by the name servers.
Configure your system for local host resolution using the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT), or
commands. If you choose the command method, be sure to preserve the format of the /etc/hosts file,
as described in Hosts File Format for TCP/IP in the Files Reference.
Table 62. Local name resolution tasks

List All the Hosts smit lshostent Use the hostent command or
view /etc/hosts
Add a Host smit mkhostent Use the hostent command or
edit /etc/hosts

Table 62. Local name resolution tasks (continued)
Change/Show Characteristics of a smit chhostent Use the hostent command or
Host edit /etc/hosts
Remove a Host smit rmhostent Use the hostent command or
edit /etc/hosts
Planning for DOMAIN name resolution

These suggestions can help you plan your own DOMAIN name resolution system.
If you are part of a larger internetwork, coordinate setting up your domain and name servers with the
central authority.
• Because of the vast possibilities in architecture and configuration, become familiar with TCP/IP, DNS,
and BIND before you solidify any plans. If you plan to use a network information service, become
familiar with NFS and NIS as well. Books about these topics are widely available.
• Plan ahead.
Changing a name is much more difficult than setting up the initial one. Obtain consensus from your
organization on network, gateway, name server, and host names before you set up your files.
• Set up redundant name servers.
If you cannot set up redundant name servers, be sure to set up worker and hint name servers so you
have some type of backup.
• In selecting the name servers, keep the following in mind:
– Choose machines that are physically closest to exterior systems.
– The name servers should be as independent as possible. Try for different power supplies and
independent cabling.
– Find another network to back up your name resolution service, and do the same for other networks.
• Test the servers.
– Test both regular and reverse name resolution.
– Test zone transfer from controller to worker name servers.
– Test each name server after a system crash and reboot.
• Send name resolution requests to forwarder servers before they go to exterior name servers. This
allows your name servers to share caches and improve performance by reducing the load on your
controller name servers.
objectclass container
requires
objectclass,
cn
objectclass hosts
requires
objectclass,
hname
allows
addr
halias,
comment
Name server resolution

In a hierarchical network, certain hosts are designated as name servers. These hosts resolve names into
IP addresses for other hosts.
The named daemon controls the name server function and, therefore, must be run on a name server host.

Before you configure a name server, decide which type or types best fit the network it serves. There are
several types of name servers.
A master name server actually stores the database that contains name-to-address mapping information.
It loads its data from a file or disk and can delegate authority to other servers in its domain. A slave name
server or stub name server receives its information at system startup time for a particular zone of authority
from a controller name server, and then periodically asks the controller server to update its information. A
hint name server responds to requests to resolve names by querying other servers that have the authority
to provide the information needed.
Note: Previous generations of the named name server specified the controller name server as the primary
name server, the worker name server as the secondary name server, and the hint name server as the
caching-only name server.
Keep in mind that a name server can function in different capacities for different zones of authority. For
example, one name server host can be a controller name server for one zone and a worker name server
for another zone. If your system has NIS installed, these services can also provide name resolution.
There are several files that are involved in configuring name servers.
Item Description
conf This file is read when the named daemon starts. The records in the conf file
tell the named daemon which type of server it is, which domains it has authority
over (its zones of authority), and where to get the data for initially setting up its
database. The default name of this file is /etc/named.conf. However, you can
change the name of this file by specifying the name and path of the file on the
command line when the named daemon is started. If you intend to use the /etc/
named.conf as the conf file and it does not exist, a message is generated in
syslog file and named terminates. However, if an alternative conf file is specified,
and the alternative file does not exist, an error message is not generated, and
named continues.
cache Contains information about the local cache. The local cache file contains the names
and addresses of the highest authority name servers in the network. The cache file
uses the Standard Resource Record Format. The name of the cache file is set in the
conf file.
domain data There are three typical domain data files, also referred to as the named data files.
The named local file contains the address resolution information for local loopback.
The named data file contains the address resolution data for all machines in
the name server zone of authority. The named reverse data file contains the
reverse address resolution information for all machines in the name server zone
of authority. The domain data files use the Standard Resource Record Format. Their
file names are user definable and are set in the conf file. By convention, the names
of these files generally include the name of the daemon (named), and the type of
file and name of the domain is given in the extension. For example, the name server
for the domain abc might have the following files:
named.abc.data
named.abc.rev
named.abc.local
When modifying the named data files the serial number in the SOA Resource
Record must be incremented for worker name servers to properly realize the new
zone changes.

Item Description
resolv.conf The presence of this file indicates to a host to go to a name server to resolve a
name first. If the resolv.conf file does not exist, the host looks in the /etc/
hosts file for name resolution. On a name server, the resolv.conf file must exist
and can contain the local host address, the loopback address (127.0.0.1), or be
empty.
Note: The resolver routines require the default domain be set. If the default
domain is not set in the /etc/resolv.conf file, then it must be set in the
hostname
Time-to-live (TTL) is specified in resource records. If TTL is not specified in a record, the length of this
time period defaults to the minimum field as defined in the start of authority (SOA) record for that zone.
TTL is used when data is stored outside a zone (in a cache) to ensure that the data is not retained
indefinitely.
Configuring domain name servers - BIND Version 9.16

Review the following information to configure domain name servers for BIND version 9.16.
• Name server configuration
• BIND 9 configuration reference
Configuring a domain mail server

Configuring a domain mail server provides users external to your organization a simple method for
addressing mail to your users. That is, without a domain mail server, the mail address must specify a
particular host in your organization.
For example sam@orange.widget.com, where widget.com is your organization's domain name, and
orange is the host that sam uses. But with a domain mail server, users outside your organization can
simply specify the user name and domain name, without having to know which host the user uses, for
example, sam@widget.com.
To configure a domain mail server, use following procedure.
1. Create a mail exchanger (MX) record and an address (A) record for the mail server
black.widget.com:
widget.com IN MX 10 black.widget.com
widget.com IN A 192.10.143.9
black.widget.com IN A 192.10.143.9
2. Edit sendmail.cf on the mail server (black.widget.com) to add the domain alias (the w class):
Cw $w $?D$w.$D$. widget.com
3. Mail clients must know where to send their non-local mail, so edit sendmail.cf on each client to
point to the mail server (the S macro):
DRblack.widget.com
4. Use the NameServOpt option to configure the sendmail daemon so everyone can use the MX records
defined in the name server brown.widget.com.
5. Add aliases for users in the domain that do not have accounts on the mail server using the aliases file,
for example:
sam:sam@orange.widget.com
david:david@green.widget.com
judy:judy@red.widget.com
Note: Mailbox (MB) records can serve the same function.

6. The serial number in the SOA Resource Record must be incremented because the database has been
modified.
7. Refresh the name server database by issuing the refresh -s named command.
8. On the clients, run the refresh -s sendmail command to make the changes take effect.
There are other methods to configure a domain mail server. These procedures involve using mailbox (MB),
mail rename (MR), and mail group (MG) records.
Configuring a domain mail server using mailbox records

Use the following procedure to configure a domain mail server using mailbox records.
1. Define a mailbox (MB) record for each user in the domain. Add entries such as:
sam IN MB orange.widget.com.
to the /usr/local/domain/named.abc.data file on host brown.widget.com. These entries

identify to the mail server black.widget.com where to send mail for each user in the domain.
2. Configure the sendmail daemon on the mail server black.widget.com to use the MB records
defined in the name server brown.widget.com.
Use the NameServOpt option.
3. Increment the serial number in the SOA Resource Record, because the database has been modified.
4. Refresh the name server database by running the refresh -s named command.
5. Type the refresh -s sendmail command to make the changes take effect.
Defining a mail rename record for a user

Use the following procedure to define a mail rename record.
1. Edit the /usr/local/domain/named.abc.data file on your domain name server.
2. Add a Mail Rename (MR) record for each alias.
For example, if a user sam has an alias sammy, the Mail Rename record is:
sammy IN MR sam
This record causes all mail addressed to sammy to be delivered to sam. Each MR record should be
entered on a line by itself.
3. The serial number in the SOA Resource Record must be incremented, because the database has been
modified.
4. Refresh the name server database by typing the refresh -s named command.
Defining mail group member records

Use the following procedure to define mail group member records.
2. Add MG records for each mail group (MG). MG records function like the /etc/aliases file, with the
aliases maintained on the name server. For example:
users IN HINFO users-request widget.com

users IN MG sam
users IN MG david
users IN MG judy
This example causes all mail addressed to users@widget.com to be delivered to sam, david, and
judy. Enter each MG record on a line by itself.
Note: Users sam, david, and judy must have MB records defined.
3. The serial number in the SOA Resource Record must be incremented, because the database has been
modified.

Defining mail exchanger records

Use the following procedure to define mail exchanger records.
2. Add mail exchanger (MX) records for each machine not directly connected to your network to which
you wish to forward mail.
For example, if mail addressed to users on purple.widget.com should be forwarded to
post.office.widget, the MX record looks similar to the following:
purple.widget.com IN MX 0 post.office.widget.
You must specify both host and machine names when using MX records. Enter each MG record on a
line by itself. You can use wildcards, for example:
*.widget.com IN MX 0 post.office.widget.
This example causes mail to an unknown host (a host without an explicit MX record) in the
widget.com domain to be forwarded to post.office.widget.
Note: Wildcard MX records are not appropriate for use on the Internet.
3. The serial number in the SOA Resource Record must be incremented because the database has been
modified.
Configuring a host to use a name server

To configure a host to use a name server, use this procedure.
1. Create an /etc/resolv.conf file by running the following command:
touch /etc/resolv.conf
2. On the first line of the /etc/resolv.conf file, type the word domain followed by the full name of
the domain that this host is in. For example:
domain abc.aus.century.com
3. On any blank line below the domain line, type the word nameserver, followed by at least one space,
followed by the dotted decimal Internet address of the name server that this host is to use (the name
server must serve the domain indicated by the domain statement).
You can have up to 3 name server entries. For example, your /etc/resolv.conf file might contain
the entries:
nameserver 192.9.201.1
nameserver 192.9.201.2
The system queries the name servers in the order listed.
search domainname_list
Alternatively, the search keyword could be used to specify the order in which the resolver will
query the domain list. In this case, domainname_list values are abc.aus.century.com and
aus.century.com. The domainname_list can have a maximum of 1024 character strings, each
separated by a space.
4. Assuming the name server is operational, you can test the communication between the host and the
name server by typing the following command:

host hostname
Use the name of a host that should be resolved by the name server to see if the process is working.
The output you receive should appear similar to the following:
brown.abc.aus.century.com is 129.35.145.95
Other configuration tasks are shown in the following table.
Table 63. Configuring a host to use name server tasks

Create an /etc/resolv.conf smit stnamerslv2 create and edit /etc/
File resolv.conf1
List All the Name Servers Used by smit lsnamerslv view /etc/resolv.conf
a Host
Add a Name Server smit mknamerslv edit /etc/resolv.conf2
Remove a Name Server smit rmnamerslv edit /etc/resolv.conf
Start/Restart Using Domain smit stnamerslv
Name Resolution
Stop Using Domain Name smit spnamerslv
Resolution
Change/Show the Domain smit mkdomain edit /etc/resolv.conf
Remove the Domain smit rmdomain edit /etc/resolv.conf
Related information
netsvc.conf File
BIND 9 security and DNSSEC - BIND version 9.16

BIND 9 offers access control lists, the chroot environment, the setuid function, and dynamic update as
security measures for named.
For security considerations in BIND version 9.16, see BIND 9 security considerations.
For complete information about Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC), see the following topics:
• DNSSEC introduction
• Getting started with DNSSEC
• Setting up a validating resolver
• Setting up DNSSEC-enabled (signed) authoritative name server
• Troubleshooting problems related to DNSSEC
Planning and configuring for LDAP name resolution (IBM SecureWay

Directory schema)
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an open industry standard that defines a method
for accessing and updating information in a directory.
An LDAP schema defines the rules for ordering data. The ibm-HostTable object class, part of the IBM
SecureWay Directory schema, can be used to store the name-to-Internet-address mapping information
for every host on the network.
The ibm-HostTable object class is defined as follows:

Object Class name: ibm-HostTable
Description: Host Table entry which has a collection of hostname to
IP address mappings.
OID: TBD
RDN: ipAddress
Superior object class: top
Required Attributes: host, ipAddress
Optional Attributes: ibm-hostAlias, ipAddressType, description
The attribute definitions follow:
Attribute Name: ipAddress

Description: IP Address of the hostname in the Host Table
OID: TBD
Syntax: caseIgnoreString
Length: 256
Single Valued: Yes
Attribute Name: ibm-hostAlias
Description: Alias of the hostname in the Host Table
OID: TBD
Length: 256
Single Valued: Multi-valued
Attribute Name: ipAddressType
Description: Address Family of the IP Address (1=IPv4, 2=IPv6)
OID: TBD
Syntax: Integer
Length: 11
Single Valued: Yes
Attribute Name: host
Description: The hostname of a computer system.
OID: 1.13.18.0.2.4.486
Length: 256
Attribute Name: description
Description: Comments that provide a description of a directory object entry.
OID: 2.5.4.13
Length: 1024
Use the following procedure to configure the LDAP server compliant with the IBM SecureWay Directory
schema, for storing the name-to-Internet-address mapping host information.
1. Add a suffix on the LDAP server.
The suffix is the starting point of the hosts database. For example, "cn=hosts". This can done using the
web-based IBM SecureWay Directory Server Administration tool.
2. Create an LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) file.
This can be done manually or with the hosts2ldif command, which creates a LDIF file from
the /etc/hosts file. See the hosts2ldif Command for more information. The following is a sample
LDIF file:
dn: cn=hosts
objectclass: top
objectclass: container
cn: hosts
dn: ipAddress=1.1.1.1, cn=hosts
host: test
ipAddress: 1.1.1.1
objectclass: ibm-HostTable
ipAddressType: 1
ibm-hostAlias: e-test
ibm-hostAlias: test.austin.ibm.com
description: first ethernet interface
dn: ipAddress=fe80::dead, cn=hosts
host: test
ipAddress: fe80::dead
objectclass: ibm-HostTable
ipAddressType: 2
ibm-hostAlias: test-ll
ibm-hostAlias: test-ll.austin.ibm.com
description: v6 link level interface

3. Import the hosts directory data from the LDIF file on the LDAP server.
This can be done with the ldif2db command or through the web-based IBM SecureWay Directory
Server Administration tool.
To configure the client to access the hosts database on the LDAP server, using the LDAP mechanism,
follow these steps:
1. Create the /etc/resolv.ldap file. See the resolv.ldap File Format for TCP/IP in the Files Reference
for more information and a detailed example of a resolv.ldap file.
2. Change the default name resolution through the NSORDER environment variable, the /etc/
netsvc.conf file, or the /etc/irs.conf file. See the netsvc.conf File Format for TCP/IP or the
irs.conf File Format for TCP/IP in the Files Reference for more information.
Although still supported, the use of ldap mechanism is deprecated. This existing ldap mechanism works
with IBM SecureWay Directory Schema, while nis_ldap (NIS_LDAP) works with the RFC 2307 schema.
Use of the nis_ldap mechanism instead of the ldap mechanism is recommended. For information
on nis_ldap name resolution, see “Planning and configuring NIS_LDAP name resolution (RFC 2307
schema)” on page 187.
Planning and configuring NIS_LDAP name resolution (RFC 2307 schema)

AIX 5.2 offers a new naming mechanism called NIS_LDAP.
The difference between the existing LDAP mechanism and the new NIS_LDAP mechanism is in the LDAP
schema (the set of attributes and object classes that determine how attributes are grouped together for
describing an entity). The existing LDAP mechanism works with the IBM SecureWay Directory schema
compliant LDAP server and it supports only the host naming service. The NIS_LDAP mechanism works
with the RFC 2307 schema compliant LDAP server, and it supports all the NIS services: users and groups,
hosts, services, protocols, networks, and netgroup. RFC 2307 defines a set of attributes and object
classes that can be used to describe network information services, including users and groups.
• To configure the LDAP server, you will need to set up the LDAP server and migrate the required data to
the server.
a) Use the mksecldap command to set up a server.
The nis_ldap mechanism works only with the RFC 2307 schema. While setting up the LDAP
server, the mksecldap command should be invoked with either the -S rfc2307 or -S
rfc2307aix option (not the -S aix option, which specifies the IBM SecureWay Directory
schema). By default, the mksecldap command migrates users and groups defined on the local
system to the LDAP server. If you want to disable this migration, use the -u NONE option.
mksecldap -s -a cn=admin -p adminpwd -S rfc2307aix
This sets up an LDAP server with administrator DN being cn=admin and password being
adminpwd. The default suffix, cn=aixdata, is also added to the /etc/slapd32.conf file, the
LDAP server configuration file.
By default, the mksecldap command migrates users and groups defined on the local system to
the LDAP server. If you want to disable this migration, use the -u NONE option, which prevents
the migration of local users and groups to the LDAP server, so that you can only add NIS users and
groups later.
mksecldap -s -a cn=admin -p adminpwd -u NONE
b) Migrate the NIS data. Use the nistoldif command from the NIS server to migrate the NIS maps
to the LDAP server. The nistoldif command can also be used to migrate data from flat files.
Run the nistoldif command on a system that contains NIS data that needs to be migrated to the
LDAP server.
nistoldif -h server1.ibm.com -a cn=admin -p adminpwd -d cn=aixdata

This migrates the NIS maps from the local system to the LDAP server, server1.ibm.com. The NIS
data is placed under the cn=aixdata DN. You can also run the nistoldif command to migrate
data from flat files on any system to the LDAP server. The flat files will be used for any maps
missing from the NIS server.
Note: Names are represented by the cn attribute of the LDAP server. The cn attribute defined
by RFC 2307 is not case-sensitive. Names that differ only by case will be merged on the server.
Matches are also not case-sensitive. Searching for TCP, tcp, or Tcp would all return the protocol
entry for TCP.
• To configure the LDAP client to access names from the LDAP server, run the mksecldap command
with client setup options.
a) The mksecldap command saves the LDAP server name, port, admindn, password, and basedn to
the /etc/security/ldap/ldap.cfg file, which is read by the secldapclntd daemon at its
startup time. The mksecldap command starts the secldapclntd daemon automatically, if the
setup is successful.
See the /etc/security/ldap/ldap.cfg file in Files Reference and the secldapclntd daemon
in the Commands Reference, Volume 5 for more information.
b) The mksecldap command adds nis_ldap mechanism to the /etc/netsvc.conf file and
the /etc/irs.conf file so that name resolution can be directed to LDAP. You can also manually
set the NSORDER environment variable to nis_ldap to use the NIS_LDAP name resolution.
mksecldap -c -a cn=admin -p adminpwd -h server1.ibm.com
This sets up the local system to use the server1.ibm.com LDAP server. The LDAP server
administrator DN and password must be supplied for this client to authenticate to the server.
The /etc/netsvc.conf and the /etc/irs.conf files are updated so that the naming resolution
is resolved through NIS_LDAP.
See the /etc/netsvc.conf file format for TCP/IP or the /etc/irs.conf file format for TCP/IP
in the Files Reference for more information.
c) Naming resolution for users and groups is not controlled by the /etc/netsvc.conf or /etc/
irs.conf files. Rather it is through the /etc/security/user file. To enable a LDAP user to login
to an AIX system, set the user's SYSTEM and registry variables to LDAP in the /etc/security/
user file of that client system.
You can run the chuser command to do this.
chuser -R LDAP SYSTEM=LDAP registry=LDAP foo
You can configure your system to allow all LDAP users to login to a system. To do so, edit the /etc/
security/user file. Add registry = files to the root stanza. Then add SYSTEM = LDAP and
registry = LDAP to the default stanza.
For more information on user authentication, refer to Light Directory Access Protocol in Security.
Related information
Migrating from NIS to RFC 2307-compliant LDAP services
TCP/IP address and parameter assignment - Dynamic Host Configuration

Protocol
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) enables communication between machines
with configured addresses. Part of the burden a network administrator must face is address assignment
and parameter distribution for all machines on the network. Commonly, this is a process in which the
administrator dictates the configuration to each user, allowing the user to configure his own machine.
However, misconfigurations and misunderstandings can generate service calls that the administrator
must deal with individually. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) gives the network
administrator a method to remove the end user from this configuration problem and maintain the network
configuration in a centralized location.

DHCP is an application-layer protocol that allows a client machine on the network, to get an IP address
and other configuration parameters from the server. It gets information by exchanging packets between
a daemon on the client and another on the server. Most operating systems now provide a DHCP client in
their base package.
To obtain an address, the DHCP client daemon (dhcpcd) broadcasts a DHCP discover message, which
is received by the server and processed. (Multiple servers can be configured on the network for
redundancy.) If a free address is available for that client, a DHCP offer message is created, This message
contains an IP address and other options that are appropriate for that client. The client receives the
server DHCP offer and stores it while waiting for other offers. When the client chooses the best offer, it
broadcasts a DHCP request that specifies which server offer it wants.
All configured DHCP servers receive the request. Each checks to see if it is the requested server. If not,
the server frees the address assigned to that client. The requested server marks the address as assigned
and returns a DHCP acknowledgment, at which time, the transaction is complete. The client has an
address for the period of time (lease) designated by the server.
When half of the lease time is used, the client sends the server a renew packet to extend the lease time.
If the server is willing to renew, it sends a DHCP acknowledgment. If the client does not get a response
from the server that owns its current address, it broadcasts a DHCP rebind packet to reach the server
if, for example, the server has been moved from one network to another. If the client has not renewed
its address after the full lease time, the interface is brought down and the process starts over. This cycle
prevents multiple clients on a network from being assigned the same address.
The DHCP server assigns addresses based on keys. Four common keys are network, class, vendor, and
client ID. The server uses these keys to get an address and a set of configuration options to return to the
client.
network
Identifies which network segment the packet came from. The network key allows the server to check
its address database and assign an address by network segment.
class
Is completely client configurable. It can specify an address and options. This key can be used to
denote machine function in the network or to describe how machines are grouped for administrative
purposes. For example, the network administrator might want to create a netbios class that
contains options for NetBIOS clients or an accounting class that represents Accounting department
machines that need access to a specific printer.
vendor
Helps identify the client by its hardware/software platform (for example, a Microsoft Windows 95
client or an OS/2 Warp client).
client ID
Identifies the client either through the machine host name or its medium access control (MAC) layer
address. The client ID is specified in the configuration file of the dhcpcd daemon. Also, the client
ID can be used by the server to pass options to a specific client or prohibit a particular client from
receiving any parameters.
These keys can be used by the configuration either singularly or in combinations. If multiple keys are
provided by the client and multiple addresses can be assigned, only one is chosen, and the option set
is derived from the chosen key first. For more detailed information about the selection of keys and
addresses, see “DHCP configuration” on page 192.
A relay agent is needed so initial broadcasts from the client can leave the local network. This agent is
called the BOOTP relay agent. The relay agents act as forwarding agents for DHCP and BOOTP packets.
DHCP servers
In the AIX operating system, the DHCP server has been segmented into three main pieces.
The main components of the DHCP server are a database, a protocol engine, and a set of service threads,
each with its own configuration information.

DHCP database
The db_file.dhcpo database is used to track clients and addresses and for access control (for example,
allowing certain clients on some networks but not others, or disabling BOOTP clients on a particular
network).
Options are also stored in the database for retrieval and delivery to clients. The database is implemented
as a dynamically loadable object, which allows for easy server upgrade and maintenance.
Using the information in the configuration file, the database is primed and verified for consistency. A set of
checkpoint files handles updates to the database and reduces the overhead of writes to the main storage
file. The database also contains the address and option pools, but these are static and are discussed in
“DHCP configuration” on page 192.
The main storage file and its back up are flat ASCII files that can be edited. The format for the database
main storage files are:
DF01
"CLIENT ID" "0.0.0.0" State LeaseTimeStart LeaseTimeDuration LeaseTimeEnd
"Server IP Address" "Class ID" "Vendor ID" "Hostname" "Domain Name"
"CLIENT ID" "0.0.0.0" State LeaseTimeStart LeaseTimeDuration LeaseTimeEnd
"Server IP Address" "Class ID" "Vendor ID" "Host Name" "Domain Name"
...
The first line is a version identifier for the file: DF01c. The lines that follow are client record definition
lines. The server reads from the second line to the end of the file. (The parameters in quotes must be
enclosed in quotes.)
"CLIENT ID"
The ID the client uses to represent itself to the server.
"0.0.0.0"
is the IP address currently assigned to the DHCP server. If no address has been assigned, it is
"0.0.0.0".
State
The current state of the client. The DHCP protocol engine contains the allowable set, and the states
are maintained in the DHCP database. The number next to State represents its value. The states can
be:
(1) FREE
Represents addresses that are available for use. In general, clients do not have this state unless
they have no address assigned. dadmin and the output from lssrc report this state as Free.
(2) BOUND
Indicates client and address are tied and that the client has been assigned this address for some
amount of time. dadmin and the output from lssrc report this state as Leased.
(3) EXPIRED
Indicates the client and address are tied together, but only for informational purposes, in a similar
manner to released addresses. The expired state, however, represents clients that let their leases
expire. An expired address is available for use and is reassigned after all free addresses are
unavailable and before released addresses are reassigned. dadmin and the output from lssrc
report this state as Expired.
(4) RELEASED
Indicates the client and address are tied for informational purposes only. The DHCP protocol
suggests that DHCP servers maintain information about the clients it has served for future
reference (mainly to try giving the same address to that client that has been assigned that address
in the past). This state indicates that the client has released the address. The address is available
for use by other clients, if no other addresses are available. dadmin and the output from lssrc
report this as Released.
(5) RESERVED
Indicates client and address are tied, but loosely. The client has issued a DHCP discover message
and the DHCP server has responded, but the client has not yet responded with a DHCP request for
that address. dadmin and the output from lssrc report this state as Reserved.

(6) BAD
Represents an address that is in use in the network but has not been handed out by the DHCP
server. This state also represents addresses that clients have rejected. This state does not apply
to clients. dadmin and the output from lssrc report this state as Used and Bad, respectively.
LeaseTimeStart
Is the start of the current lease time (in the number of seconds since January 1, 1970).
LeaseTimeDuration
Represents the duration of the lease (in seconds).
LeaseTimeEnd
Uses the same format as LeaseTimeStart, but it represents the end of the lease. Some configuration
options use different values for the start and end of a lease and these values can be overridden by
configuration file options. See “DHCP server file syntax for db_file database” on page 210.
"Server IP Address"
Is the IP address of the DHCP server that owns this record.
"Class ID" "Vendor ID" "Host Name" "Domain Name"
Values that the server uses to determine which options are sent to the server (stored as quoted
strings). These parameters increase performance because option lists can be pregenerated for these
clients when the DHCP server starts up.
DHCP checkpoint files

The syntax for the checkpoint files is not specified.
If the server crashes or you have to shut down and cannot do a normal closing of the database, the server
can process the checkpoint and backup files to reconstruct a valid database. The client that is being
written to the checkpoint file when the server crashes is lost. The default files are:
/etc/db_file.cr
normal database operation
/etc/db_file.crbk
backups for the database
/etc/db_file.chkpt and /etc/db_file.chkpt2
rotating checkpoint files
The DHCP server is threaded. To maintain high throughput, database operations (including save
operations) are thread-efficient. When a save is requested, the existing checkpoint file is rotated to
the next checkpoint file, the existing database file is copied to the backup file, and the new save file is
created. Each client record is then logged and a bit is toggled to indicate that the client should use the
new checkpoint file for logging. When all client records are recorded, the save is closed, and the backup
and old checkpoint files are deleted. Clients can still be processed and, depending on whether the client
record has been saved, database changes go into a new save file or to a new checkpoint file.
The DHCP protocol engine

The DHCP protocol engine supports RFC 2131 and is still compatible with RFC 1541. (The server can
also process options as defined in RFC 2132.) The protocol engine uses the database to determine what
information is returned to the client.
The configuration of the address pools have some configuration options that affect the state of each
machine. For example, the DHCP server pings addresses before it hands them out. The amount of time
the server waits for a response is now configurable for each address pool.
DHCP threaded operations

The last piece of the DHCP server is actually a set of operations that are used to keep things running.
Because the DHCP server is threaded, these operations are actually set up as threads that occasionally
do things to make sure everything is together.
The first thread, the main thread, handles the SRC requests (such as startsrc, stopsrc, lssrc,
traceson, and refresh). This thread also coordinates all operations that affect all threads and handles
signals. For example,

• A SIGHUP (-1) causes a refresh of all databases in the configuration file.
• A SIGTERM (-15) will cause the server to gracefully stop.
The next thread, the dadmin thread, interfaces with dadmin client program and the DHCP server. The
dadmin tool can be used to get status as well as modify the database to avoid editing the database files
manually. Previous versions of the DHCP server prevented any clients from getting addresses if a status
request was running. With the addition of the dadmin and src threads, the server can handle service
requests and still handle client requests.
The next thread is the garbage thread, which runs timers that periodically clean the database, save the
database, purge clients that do not have addresses, and remove reserved addresses that have been in
reserve state for too long. All these timers are configurable (see “DHCP configuration” on page 192). The
other threads are packet processors. The number of these is configurable; the default is 10. Each of these
can handle a request from a DHCP client. The number of packet processors required is somewhat load-
and machine-dependent. If the machine is used for other services than DHCP, it is not wise to start up
500 threads.
DHCP planning
To use this protocol, the network administrator needs to set up a DHCP server and configure BOOTP relay
agents on links that do not have a DHCP server. Advance planning can reduce DHCP load on the network.
For example, one server can be configured to handle all your clients, but all packets must be passed
through it. If you have a single router between two large networks, it is wiser to place two servers in your
network, one on each link.
Another aspect to consider is that DHCP implies a pattern of traffic. For example, if you set your default
lease time to fewer than two days and your machines are powered off for the weekend, Monday morning
becomes a period of high DHCP traffic. Although DHCP traffic does not cause huge overhead for the
network, it needs to be considered when deciding where to place DHCP servers on a network and how
many to use.
After enabling DHCP to get the client on the network, a client has no requirement to enter anything.
The DHCP client, dhcpcd, reads the dhcpcd.ini file, which contains information on logging and
other parameters needed to start running. After installation, decide which method to use for TCP/IP
configuration: minimum configuration or DHCP. If DHCP is selected, choose an interface and specify
some optional parameters. To choose the interface, select the keyword any, which tells dhcpcd to find
the first interface that works and use it. This method minimizes the amount of input on the client side.
DHCP configuration
By default, the DHCP server is configured by reading the /etc/dhcpsd.cnf file, which specifies the
initial database of options and addresses.
The server is started in the /etc/rc.tcpip file. It can also be started from SMIT, or through SRC
commands. The DHCP client can be configured by running the System Management Interface Tool
(SMIT), or editing a flat ASCII file.
Configuring the DHCP server is usually the hardest part of using DHCP in your network. First, decide what
networks you want to have DHCP clients on. Each subnet in your network represents a pool of addresses
that the DHCP server must add to its database. For example:
database db_file
{
subnet 9.3.149.0 255.255.255.0

{ option 3 9.3.149.1 # The default gateway clients on this network should use
option 6 9.3.149.2 # The nameserver clients on this network should use
}
... options or other containers added later
}
The example above shows a subnet, 9.3.149.0, with a subnet mask 255.255.255.0. All addresses in
this subnet, 9.3.149.1 through 9.3.149.254, are in the pool. Optionally, a range can be specified on the

end of the line or a range or exclude statement can be included in the subnet container. See “DHCP server
file known options” on page 200 for common configuration methods and definitions.
The database clause with db_file indicates which database method to use for processing this part of
the configuration file. Comments begin with a # (pound sign). Text from the initial #, to the end of the line,
is ignored by the DHCP server. Each option line is used by the server to tell the client what to do. “DHCP
server file known options” on page 200 describes the currently supported and known options. See “DHCP
server file syntax for general server operation” on page 204 for ways to specify options that the server
does not know about.
If the server does not understand how to parse an option, it uses default methods to send the option to
the client. This also allows the DHCP server to send site-specific options that are not RFC defined, but can
be used be certain clients or client configurations.
DHCP configuration file

The configuration file has an address section and an option definition section. These sections use
containers to hold options, modifiers, and, potentially, other containers.
A container (basically, a method to group options) uses an identifier to classify clients into groups. The
container types are subnet, class, vendor, and client. Currently, there is not a generic user-definable
container. The identifier uniquely defines the client so that the client can be tracked if, for example, it
moves between subnets. More than one container type can be used to define client access.
Options are identifiers that are returned to the client, such as default gateway and DNS address.
Modifiers are single statements that modify some aspect of a container, such as lease time default.
DHCP containers
When the DHCP server receives a request, the packet is parsed and identifying keys determine which
containers, options, and addresses are extracted.
The example in “DHCP configuration” on page 192shows a subnet container. Its identifying key is the
position of the client in the network. If the client is from that network, then it falls into that container.
Each type of container uses a different option to identify a client:
• The subnet container uses the giaddr field or the interface address of the receiving interface to
determine from which subnet the client came.
• The class container uses the value in option 77 (User Site Class Identifier).
• The vendor uses the value in option 60 (Vendor Class Identifier).
• The client container uses the option 61 (Client Identifier) for DHCP clients and the chaddr field in the
BOOTP packet for BOOTP clients.
Except for subnets, each container allows the specification of the value that matches it, including regular
expression matching.
There is also an implicit container, the global container. Options and modifiers are placed in the global
container unless overridden or denied. Most containers can be placed inside other containers implying
a scope of visibility. Containers may or may not have address ranges associated with them. Subnets, by
their nature, have ranges associated with them.
The basic rules for containers and subcontainers are:
• All containers are valid at the global level.
• Subnets can not be placed inside other containers.
• Restricted containers cannot have regular containers of the same type within them. (For example, a
container with an option that only allows a class of Accounting cannot include a container with an
option that allows all classes that start with the letter "a". This is illegal.)
• Restricted client containers cannot have subcontainers.
Given the above rules, you can generate a hierarchy of containers that segment your options into groups
for specific clients or sets of clients.

If a client matches multiple containers, how are options and addresses handed out? The DHCP server
receives messages, it passes the request to the database (db_file in this case), and a container list is
generated. The list is presented in order of depth and priority. Priority is defined as an implicit hierarchy in
the containers. Strict containers are higher priority than regular containers. Clients, classes, vendors, and
finally subnets are sorted, in that order, and within container type by depth. This generates a list ordered
by most specific to least specific. For example:
Subnet 1
--Class 1
--Client 1
Subnet 2
--Class 1
----Vendor 1
----Client 1
--Client 1
The example shows two subnets, Subnet 1 and Subnet 2. There is one class name, Class 1, one
vendor name, Vendor 1, and one client name, Client 1. Class 1 and Client 1 are defined in
multiple places. Because they are in different containers, their names can be the same but values inside
them can be different. If Client 1 sends a message to the DHCP server from Subnet 1 with Class 1
specified in its option list, the DHCP server would generate the following container path:
Subnet 1, Class 1, Client 1
The most specific container is listed last. To get an address, the list is examined in reverse hierarchy to
find the first available address. Then, the list is examined in forward hierarchy to get the options. Options
override previous values unless an option deny is present in the container. Also, because Class 1 and
Client 1 are in Subnet 1, they are ordered according to the container priority. If the same client is in
Subnet 2 and sends the same message, the container list generated is:
Subnet 2, Class 1, Client 1 (at the Subnet 2 level), Client 1 (at the Class 1 level)
Subnet 2 is listed first, then Class 1, then the Client 1 at the Subnet 2 level (because this client
statement is only one level down in the hierarchy). The hierarchy implies that a client matching the first
client statement is less specific than the client matching Client 1 of Class 1 within Subnet 2.
Priority selected by depth within the hierarchy is not superseded by the priority of the containers
themselves. For example, if the same client issues the same message and specifies a vendor identifier,
the container list is:
Subnet 2, Class 1, Vendor 1, Client 1 (at Subnet 2 level), Client 1 (at Class 1 level)
Container priority improves search performance because it follows a general concept that client
containers are the most specific way to define one or more clients. The class container holds less specific
addresses than a client container; vendor is even less specific; and subnet is the least specific.
DHCP addresses and address ranges

Any container type can have associated addresses ranges; subnets must have associated address ranges.
Each range within a container must be a subset of the range and must not overlap with ranges of other
containers.
For example, if a class is defined within a subnet and the class has a range, the range must be a subset
of the subnet range. Also, the range within that class container cannot overlap with any other ranges at its
level.
Ranges can be expressed on the container line and modified by range and exclude statements to allow
for disjoint address sets associated with a container. If you have the top ten addresses and the second
ten addresses of a subnet available, the subnet can specify these addresses by range in the subnet clause
to reduce both memory use and the chance of address collision with other clients not in the specified
ranges.
After an address has been selected, any subsequent container in the list that contains address ranges is
removed from the list along with its children. Network-specific options in removed containers are not valid
if an address is not used from within that container.

DHCP configuration file options
After the list has been culled to determine addresses, a set of options is generated for the client.
In this selection process, options overwrite previously selected options unless a deny is encountered,
in which case, the denied option is removed from the list being sent to the client. This method allows
inheritance from parent containers to reduce the amount of data that must be specified.
DHCP modifiers
Modifiers are items that change some aspect of a particular container, such as access or lease time.
Define the address and option pools before modifying the container. The most common modifiers are
leasetimedefault, supportBootp, and supportUnlistedclients.
leasetimedefault
Defines the amount of time an address is to be leased to a client.
supportBootp
Defines whether or not the server responds to BOOTP clients.
supportUnlistedclients
Indicates whether clients are to be explicitly defined by a client statement to receive addresses. The
value for supportUnlistedClients can be none, dhcp, bootp, or both. This allows for you to
restrict access to bootp client and allow all DHCP clients to get addresses.
Other modifiers are listed in “DHCP server file syntax for db_file database” on page 210.
DHCP logging
After selecting modifiers, the next item to set up is logging.
Logging parameters are specified in a container like the database, but the container keyword is
logging_info. When learning to configure DHCP, it is advisable to turn logging to its highest level.
Also, it is best to specify the logging configuration before any other configuration file data to ensure that
configuration errors are logged after the logging subsystem is initialized. Use the logitem keyword to
turn on a logging level or remove the logitem keyword to disable a logging level. Other keywords for
logging allow the specification of the log filename, file size, and the number of rotating log files.
DHCP server-specific options

The last set of parameters to specify are server-specific options that allow the user to control the number
of packet processors, how often the garbage collection threads are run, and so on.
For example, two server-specific options are:
reservedTime
Indicates how long an address stays in the reserved state after sending an OFFER to the DHCP client
reservedTimeInterval
Indicates how often the DHCP server scans through the addresses to see if there are any that have
been in the reserved state longer than reservedTime.
These options are useful if you have several clients that broadcast DISCOVER messages and, either they
do not broadcast their REQUEST message, or their REQUEST message gets lost in the network. Using
these parameters keeps addresses from being reserved indefinitely for a noncompliant client.
Another particularly useful option is SaveInterval, which indicates how often saves occur. All server-
specific options are listed in “DHCP server file syntax for general server operation” on page 204 with the
logging keywords.
DHCP performance considerations

It is important to understand that certain configuration keywords and the structure of the configuration
file have an effect on the memory use and performance of the DHCP server.
First, excessive memory use can be avoided by understanding the inheritance model of options from
parent to child containers. In an environment that supports no unlisted clients, the administrator must
explicitly list each client in the file. When options are listed for any specific client, the server uses more
memory storing that configuration tree than when options are inherited from a parent container (for

example, the subnet, network, or global containers). Therefore, the administrator should verify whether
any options are repeated at the client level within the configuration file and determine whether these
options can be specified in the parent container and shared by the set of clients as a whole.
Also, when using the logItem entries INFO and TRACE, numerous messages are logged during the
processing of every DHCP client message. Appending a line to the log file can be an expensive operation;
therefore, limiting the amount of logging improves the performance of the DHCP server. When an
error with the DHCP server is suspected, logging can be dynamically re-enabled using either the SRC
traceson or dadmin commands.
Finally, selecting a numprocessors value depends on the size of the DHCP-supported network, the
pingTime db_file configuration parameter, and the typical propagation delay on the network. Because
each packet processor thread issues an ICMP Echo Request to verify the status of a server-owned
address before offering it to a client, the amount of time that any Echo Response is waited for directly
affects the amount of processing time for a DISCOVER message. Essentially, the packet processor
thread is able to do nothing more than wait for any response or for the pingTime timeout. Lowering
the numprocessors value improves the response time of the server by lowering the number of client
retransmissions, yet still maintaining the ping benefit of the server design.
For best performance, select a pingTime based on the propagation delay of any remote networks
supported by the DHCP server. Also, select the numprocessors value based on this pingTime value
and the size of the network. Selecting a value that is too small can cause all packet processing threads
to be stopped. The server is then caused to wait for any Echo Responses while incoming DHCP client
messages are queueing on the server port. This causes the server to handle client messages in batches
rather than in a constant stream.
A selected value that is too small can cause all packet processing threads to be stopped waiting for any
Echo Responses.
To prevent this situation, set the value for numprocessors to a number higher than the estimated number
of DISCOVER messages that can be received within one pingTime interval during a period of high DHCP
client activity. However, do not set the numprocessors value so high that it could burden the kernel with
thread management.
For example, the values numprocessors 5 and pingTime 300 cause poor performance in an environment
with a potential 10 DISCOVER messages per second because at peak demand, only 5 messages are
handled every 3 seconds. Configure this environment with values similar to numprocessors 20 and
pingTime 80.
DHCP configuration file customization

There are various factors involved in customizing your DHCP configuration file.
Many networks include multiple client types; for example, a single network may include computers
running a variety of operating systems, such as Windows, OS/2, Java™ OS, and UNIX. Each of these
require unique vendor identifiers (the field used to identify the type of machine to the DHCP server).
Java OS clients and IBM Thin Client machines can require unique parameters such as bootfiles, and
configuration options that need to be tailored specifically for them. Windows 95 computers do not handle
Java-specific options well.
Machine-specific options can be encapsulated within vendor containers if the primary use for certain
machines is based on the type of user for those machines. For instance, the development staff might
use this operating system's clients for programming, the marketing staff might use the OS/2 clients,
sales might use Java OS clients and IBM Thin Client machines, and accounting might use Windows 95
machines. Each of these user families might need different configuration options (different printers, name
servers, or default web servers, and so forth). In this case, such options could be included in the vendor
container, since each group uses a different machine type.
If the same machine type is used by multiple groups, placing the options within a subordinate class
identifier instead, would allow your marketing managers, for example, to use a specific set of printers that
other employees could not access.

Note: The following fictional example represents part of a configuration file. Comments are preceded by a
pound sign (#) and describe how each line defines the installation.
vendor "AIX_CLIENT"
{
# No specific options, handles things based on class
}
vendor "OS/2 Client"

{
# No specific options, handles things based on class
}
vendor "Windows 95"

{ option 44 9.3.150.3 # Default NetBIOS Nameserver
}
vendor "Java OS"

{ bootstrapserver 9.3.150.4 # Default TFTP server for the Java OS boxes
option 67 "javaos.bin" # The bootfile of the Java OS box
}
vendor "IBM Thin Client"

{ bootstrapserver 9.3.150.5 # Default TFTP server for Thin Client boxes
option 67 "thinos.bin" # Default bootfile for the Thin Client boxes
}
subnet 9.3.149.0 255.255.255.0

{ option 3 9.3.149.1 # The default gateway for the subnet
option 6 9.3.150.2 # This is the nameserver for the subnet
class accounting 9.3.149.5-9.3.149.20
{ # The accounting class is limited to address range 9.3.149.5-9.3.149.20
# The printer for this group is also in this range, so it is excluded.
exclude 9.3.149.15
option 9 9.3.149.15 # The LPR server (print server)
vendor "Windows 95"
{
option 9 deny # This installation of Windows 95 does not support
# this printer, so the option is denied.
}
}
. . .
}
DHCP and the Dynamic Domain Name System

The DHCP server provides options that enable operation in a Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS)
environment.
To use DHCP in a DDNS environment, you must set and use a Dynamic Zone on a DNS server.
After the DDNS server is configured, decide if the DHCP server is going to do A-record updates, PTR-
record updates, updates for both record types, or none at all. This decision depends on whether a client
machine can do part or all of this work.
• If the client can share update responsibility, configure the server to do the PTR-record updates and
configure the client to do the A-record updates.
• If the client can do both updates, configure the server to do none.
• If the client cannot do updates, configure the server to do both.
The DHCP server has a set of configuration keywords that allow you to specify a command to run when an
update is required. These are:
updatedns
(Deprecated.) Represents the command to issue to do any type of update. It is called for both the
PTR-record and the A-record update.
updatednsA
Specifies the command to update the A-record.
updatednsP
Specifies the command to update the PTR-record.

These keywords specify executable strings that the DHCP server runs when an update is required. The
keyword strings must contain four %s (percent symbol, letter s). The first %s is the host name; the second
is the domain name; the third is the IP address; and the fourth is the lease time. These are used as the
first four parameters for the dhcpaction command. The remaining two parameters for the dhcpaction
command indicate the record to update (A, PTR, NONE, or BOTH) and whether NIM should be updated
(NIM or NONIM). See “DHCP and Network Installation Management suggestions” on page 274 for more
information about NIM and DHCP interaction. For example:
updatednsA "/usr/sbin/dhcpaction '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' A NONIM"

# This does the dhcpaction command only on the A record
updatednsP "/usr/sbin/dhcpaction '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' PTR NONIM"
# This does the command only on the PTR record
updatedns "/usr/sbin/dhcpaction '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' BOTH NIM"
# This does the command on both records and updates NIM
The DHCP server also has a set of keywords to remove the DNS entries when a lease is released or
expires. The keywords are:
releasednsA
Removes the A-record.
releasednsP
Removes the PTR-record.
removedns
Removes both record types.
These keywords specify executable strings that the DHCP server runs when an address is released or
expired. The dhcpremove command works similarly to dhcpaction, but only takes three parameters:
1. The IP address, specified as a %s in the command string
2. Which record to remove (A, PTR, NONE, or BOTH).
3. Whether NIM should be updated (NIM or NONIM).
For example:
releasednsA "/usr/sbin/dhcpremove '%s' A NONIM"

# This does the dhcpremove command only the A record
releasednsP "/usr/sbin/dhcpremove '%s' PTR NONIM"
# This does the command only on the PTR record
removedns "/usr/sbin/dhcpremove '%s' BOTH NIM"
# This does the command on both records and updates NIM
The dhcpaction and dhcpremove scripts do some parameter checking, then set up a call to nsupdate,
which has been updated to work with this operating system's servers and with OS/2 DDNS servers. See
the nsupdate command description for more information.
If NIM interaction is NOT required by the name update, the DHCP server can be configured to use a
socket transfer between the DHCP daemon and the nsupdate command to improve performance and
enable DNS updates to be retried upon failure. To configure this option, the updateDNSA, updateDNSP,
releaseDNSA, or the releaseDNSP keyword must specify "nsupdate_daemon" as the first quoted word.
The parameters and flags for this update are identical to those that are accepted by the nsupdate
command. Additionally, the following variable names can be used for substitution:
Item Description
$hostname Replaced by the host name of the client on DNS update or the host name
previously associated with the client for DNS removal.
$domain Replaced by the DNS domain for the update or the previously used domain
of the client host name for a DNS removal.
$ipadress Replaced by the IP address to be associated or disassociated from the
DHCP client name.
$leasetime Replaced by the lease time (in seconds).

Item Description
$clientid Replaced by the string representation of the DHCP client identifier or the
combination hardware type and hardware address for BOOTP clients.
For example:
updateDNSA "nsupdate_daemon -p 9.3.149.2 -h $hostname -d $domain

-s"d;a;*;a;a;$ipaddress;s;$leasetime;3110400""
updateDNSP "nsupdate_daemon -p 9.3.149.2 -r $ipaddress

-s"d;ptr;*;a;ptr;$hostname.$domain.;s;$leasetime;3110400""
releaseDNSA "nsupdate_daemon -p 9.3.149.2 -h $hostname -d $domain -s"d;a;*;s;1;3110400""
releaseDNSP "nsupdate_daemon -p 9.3.149.2 -r $ipaddress -s"d;ptr;*;s;1;3110400""
See the nsupdate command description for more information.

Also, administrator-defined policies have been added for hostname exchanges between the server and
the clients. By default, the hostname that is returned to the client and used for a DDNS update is
option 12 (defined in the server configuration file). Alternatively, the default hostname can be the
client-suggested hostname, either through option 81 (the DHCPDDNS option) or through option 12
(the HOSTNAME option). However, the administrator can override the default hostname by using the
hostnamepolicy, proxyarec, and appenddomain configuration keywords. These options and their
parameters are defined in “DHCP server file syntax for db_file database” on page 210.
DHCP compatibility with older versions

The DHCP server recognizes the previous versions configuration and database files, dhcps.ar and
dhcps.cr.
It parses the old configuration files and generates new database files in the old locations. The old
databases are converted automatically to the new file. The configuration file itself is not converted.
The DHCP server database module, db_file, can read the old format. The DHCP server can recognize
when a database container is not in the configuration file and treats the whole file as configuring the
server parameters, logging parameters, and the db_file database parameters.
Note:
1. Some old configuration file syntax is deprecated, but is still supported. Other deprecations are as
follows:
2. The network container is completely deprecated. To specify correctly, either convert the network
clause with a range into a valid subnet container with a subnet address, subnet netmask, and the
range. If the network container has subnet containers, remove the network container keyword and
its braces and then place the subnet mask in the appropriate place on the line. To start using the
database container, group everything that pertains to networks and client access into one database
container of type db_file.
3. The updatedns and removedns keywords are deprecated and replaced in favor of specifying the
action for A and PTR records separately.
4. The clientrecorddb and addressrecorddb keywords have been deprecated to
clientrecorddb and backupfile, respectively.
5. The option sa and option ga keywords have been replaced by bootstrapserver and
giaddrfield keywords, respectively. See “DHCP server file syntax for general server operation” on
page 204 and “DHCP server file syntax for db_file database” on page 210 for more information.

DHCP server file known options
The known options of the DHCP server file are identified here.
Note: The options that are shown in this table as not allowed to be specified (No in the Can Specify?
column) can be specified in the configuration file, but are overwritten by the correct value. For a better
definition of each option, see RFC 2132.
Option Default Data Type Can Description/Use

Number Specify?
0 None No The server pads the option field, if necessary.
1 Dotted quad No The net mask of the subnet from which the
address was drawn.
2 32-bit integer Yes Specifies the offset of the client subnet, in
seconds from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
3 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of the default gateways' IP addresses.
4 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of time server IP addresses.
5 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of name server IP addresses.
6 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of DNS IP addresses.
7 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of log server IP addresses.
8 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of cookie server IP addresses.
9 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of LPR server IP addresses.
10 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of Impress server IP addresses.
11 One or more dotted quads Yes A list of Resource Location server IP addresses.
12 An ASCII string Yes A host name for the client to use.
13 16-bit unsigned integer Yes The size of the bootfile.
14 An ASCII string Yes The path for Merit Dump file.
15 An ASCII string Yes The default DNS domain name.
16 An IP address Yes The address of the Swap server.
17 An ASCII string Yes The default root path.
18 An ASCII string Yes The path to extensions for the client.
19 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specify whether IP Forwarding should be turned
on.
20 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specify whether non-local source routing should
be used.
21 One or more pairs of Yes The filter policies for IP addresses.
dotted quads, in the form
DottedQuad:DottedQuad
22 16-bit unsigned integer Yes The maximum size to allow for datagram
fragments.
23 8-bit unsigned integer Yes The IP time-to-live (TTL).
24 32-bit unsigned integer Yes The number of seconds to use in the Path MTU
aging timeout.

Number Specify?
25 List of one or more 16-bit Yes The path MTU Plateau table. Specifies a set of
unsigned integers values that represent the MTU sizes to use when
using Path MTU discovery.
26 16-bit unsigned integer Yes Specifies MTU size for the receiving interface.
27 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specifies whether all subnets are local.
28 An IP address (dotted Yes Specifies broadcast address for the interface.
quad)
29 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specifies whether ICMP netmask discovery should
be used.
30 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specifies whether client should become an ICMP
netmask supplier.
31 Yes, No, True, False, 1, 0 Yes Specifies whether ICMP Router Discovery
messages should be used.
32 IP address (dotted quad) Yes Specifies address to use for router solicitation.
33 One or more IP address Yes Each address pair represents a static route.
pairs, in the form
DottedQuad:DottedQuad
34 Yes/No, True/False, 1/0 Yes Specifies whether trailer encapsulation should be
used.
35 32-bit unsigned integer Yes ARP cache timeout value.
36 Yes/No, True/False, 1/0 Yes Specifies whether Ethernet encapsulation should
be used.
37 8-bit unsigned integer Yes The TCP time-to-live (TTL).
38 32-bit unsigned integer Yes The TCP keep alive interval.
39 Yes/No, True/False, 1/0 Yes Specifies whether TCP keep alive should be used.
40 An ASCII string Yes The NIS default domain.
41 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies the IP addresses of the NIS servers.
42 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies the IP addresses of the NTP servers.
43 hex string of digits, in the Yes, but Encapsulated option container for the vendor
form of hex "digits", hex really only container.
"digits", or 0xdigits specified
with vendor
container
44 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies NetBIOS name server IP addresses.
45 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies NetBIOS datagram distribution server IP
addresses.
46 8-bit unsigned integer Yes Specifies NetBIOS Node Type.
47 hex string of digits, in Yes NetBIOS Scope.
form of hex "digits", hex
"digits", or 0xdigits
48 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies X Windows font server IP addresses.
49 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies X Windows Display Manager.

Number Specify?
50 None No Requested IP Address, used by client to indicate
the address it wants.
51 32-bit unsigned integer Yes Lease time for the returned address. By default,
the DHCP server uses the leasetimedefault
keyword, but direct specification of option 51
overrides it.
52 None No Option overload. Client uses this to indicate the
sname and file fields of the BOOTP packet may
have options.
53 None No DHCP server or client uses this option to indicate
the type of DHCP message.
54 None No DHCP server or client uses this option to indicate
the server's address or the server to which the
message is directed.
55 None No DHCP client uses this to indicate desired options.
56 An ASCII string Yes A string the DHCP server sends to the client. In
general, this can be used by the DHCP server and
client to indicate problems.
57 No No DHCP client uses this option to tell the DHCP
server the maximum DHCP packet size the client
can receive.
58 32-bit unsigned integer Yes Specifies the number of seconds until the client
should send a renew packet.
59 32-bit unsigned integer Yes Specifies the number of seconds until the client
should send a rebind packet.
60 None No DHCP client uses this option to indicate its vendor
type. The DHCP server uses this field to match
vendor containers.
61 None No DHCP client uses this to uniquely identify itself.
The DHCP server uses this field to match client
containers.
66 An ASCII string Yes Specifies the TFTP server name. This is a
hostname and is used instead of the siaddr field if
the client understands this option.
67 An ASCII string Yes Specifies the bootfile name. This can be used
instead of the bootfile keyword, which places
the file in the filename field of the packet.
68 One or more dotted Yes Specifies addresses of home agents.
quads, or NONE
69 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default SMTP servers to use.
70 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default POP3 servers to use.
71 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default NNTP servers to use.
72 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default WWW servers to use.
73 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default Finger servers to use.
74 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default IRC servers to use.

Number Specify?
75 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default Street Talk servers to use.
76 One or more dotted quads Yes Specifies default Street Talk directory assistance
servers to use.
77 An ASCII string Yes The user site class identifier. The DHCP server
uses this field to match class containers.
78 Mandatory Byte, one or Yes The SLP directory Agent Option specifies a list of
more dotted quads IP addresses for Directory Agents
79 Mandatory Byte, and Yes The ASCII string is a scope list, which is a comma
ASCII string delimited list, that indicates the scopes that an
SLP Agent is configured to use
81 An ASCII string plus other No The DHCP client uses this option to define the
items policy the DHCP server should use with respect to
DDNS.
85 One or more dotted quads Yes NDS server option specifies one or more NDS
servers for the client to contact for access to the
DNS database. Servers should be listed in order of
preference.
86 An ASCII string Yes NDS tree name option specifies the name of the
NDS tree the client will be contacting.
87 An ASCII string Yes NDS context option specifies the initial NDS
context the client should use.
93 None No The DHCP client uses this option to define the
client system architecture.
94 None No The DHCP client uses this option to define the
client network interface identifier.
117 One or more 16-bit Yes Name Service Search Option gives the preferred
unsigned integers order of integer option code for name services. For
example:
Name Services value

Domain Name Server Option 6
NIS Option 41
118 One dotted quads No Subnet Selection Option is an option sent by the
client asking the dhcp server to allocate the IP
address from the specified subnet.
255 None No DHCP server and client use this option to indicate
the end of an option list.
Preboot execution environment vendor container suboption

When supporting a preboot execution environment (PXE) client, the DHCP server passes the following
option to the BINLD server, which is used by BINLD to configure itself.
Opt Num Default Data Type Can Specify? Description

7 one dotted quad Yes Multicast IP address.
Boot server discovery
multicast IP address.

The following example shows how this option can be used:
pxeservertype proxy_on_dhcp_server
Vendor pxeserver
{
option 7 9.3.4.68
}
In the above example, the DHCP server informs the client that the proxy server is running on the
same machine but is listening on port 4011 for client requests. The vendor container is required here
because the BINLD server broadcasts an INFORM/REQUEST message on port 67 with option 60 set to
"PXEServer." In response, the DHCP server sends the Multicast IP address on which the BINLD has to
listen for PXEClient's request.
In the following example, the dhcpsd server either gives the bootfile name to the PXEClient or it directs
the PXEClient to the BINLD server by sending suboptions. The pxeboofile keyword is used to create a
list of boot files for a given client architecture and major and minor versions of the client system.
pxeservertype dhcp_pxe_binld
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
option 6 2 # Disable Multicast
option 8 5 4 10.10.10.1 12.1.1.15 12.5.5.5 12.6.6.6\
2 2 10.1.1.10 9.3.4.5 1 1 10.5.5.9\
1 1 9.3.149.15\
4 0
option 9 5 "WorkSpace On Demand" 2 "Intel"\
1 "Microsoft Windows NT" 4 "NEC ESMPRO"
option 10 2 "Press F8 to View Menu"
}
vendor pxeserver
{
option 7 239.0.0.239
}
subnet 9.3.149.0 255.255.255.0

{
option 3 9.3.149.1
option 6 9.3.149.15
vendor pxe
{
option 6 4 # bootfile is present in the offer packet
pxebootfile 1 2 1 os2.one
pxebootfile 2 2 1 aix.one
}
}
Each option line in PXE container is used by the server to tell the client what to do. “PXE vendor container
suboptions” on page 302 describes the currently supported and known PXE suboptions.
DHCP server file syntax for general server operation

The DHCP file syntax for general server operation and the valid values for each field are defined here.
Note: Time Units (time_units) shown in the following table are optional and represent a modifier to
the actual time. The default time unit is minutes. Valid values are seconds (1), minutes (60), hours
(3600), days (86400), weeks (604800), months (2392000), and years (31536000). The number shown in
parentheses is a multiplier applied to the specified value n to express the value in seconds.

Keyword Form Subcontaine Default Meaning
rs Value
database database db_type Yes None The primary container
that holds the
definitions for the
address pools,
options, and client
access statements.
db_type is the name
of a module that is
loaded to process this
part of the file. The
only value currently
available is db_file.
logging_info logging_info Yes None The primary logging
container that
defines the logging
parameters.
logitem logitem NONE No All Enables the logging
default level. Multiple lines
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem SYSERR No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem OBJERR No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem PROTOCOL No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem PROTERR No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem WARN No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.

rs Value
logitem logitem WARNING No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem CONFIG No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem EVENT No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem PARSEERR No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem ACTION No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem ACNTING No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem STAT No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem TRACE No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
logitem logitem RTRACE No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.

rs Value
logitem logitem START No All Enables the logging
to not are allowed.
enabled
.
numLogFiles numLogFiles n No 0 Specifies the number
of log files to create.
The log rotates when
the first one fills. n is
the number of files to
create.
logFileSize logFileSize n No 0 Specifies the size of
each log file in 1024-
byte units.
logFileName logFileName path No None Specifies the path
to the first log file.
The original log file
is named filename
or filename.extension.
When a file is
rotated, it is renamed
beginning with the
base filename, then
either appending a
number or replacing
the extension with a
number. For example,
if the original file
name is file, the
rotated file name
becomes file01.
If the original file
name is file.log, it
becomes file.01.
CharFlag charflag yes No true Not applicable to this
operating system's
DHCP server, but the
OS/2 DHCP server
uses it to produce
debug windows.
CharFlag charflag true No true Not applicable to this
operating system's
OS/2 DHCP server
uses it to produce
debug windows.

rs Value
CharFlag charflag false No true Not applicable to this
operating system's
OS/2 DHCP server
uses it to produce
debug windows.
CharFlag charflag no No true Not applicable to this
operating system's
OS/2 DHCP server
uses it to produce
debug windows.
StatisticSnapShot StatisticSnapShot n No -1, Specifies how often
never statistics are written
to the log file in
seconds.
UsedIpAddressExpireInte UsedIpAddressExpireInte No -1, Specifies how often
rval rval n time_units never addresses placed
in the BAD state
are recouped and
retested for validity.
leaseExpireInterval leaseExpireInterval n No 900 Specifies how often
time_units seconds addresses in the
BOUND state are
checked to see if they
have expired. If the
address has expired,
the state is moved to
EXPIRED.
reservedTime reservedTime n time_units No -1, Specifies how long
never addresses should sit
in RESERVED state
before being recouped
into the FREE state.
reservedTimeInterval reservedTimeInterval n No 900 Specifies how often
time_units seconds addresses in the
RESERVE state are
checked to see if they
should be recouped
into the FREE state.
saveInterval saveInterval n time_units No 3600 Specifies how often
seconds the DHCP server
should force a save of
the open databases.
For heavily loaded
servers, this should be
60 or 120 seconds.

rs Value
clientpruneintv clientpruneintv n No 3600 Specifies how often
time_units seconds the DHCP server
has the databases
remove clients are
not associated with
any address (in the
UNKNOWN state).
This reduces the
memory use of the
DHCP server.
numprocessors numprocessors n No 10 Specifies the number
of packet processors
to create. Minimum of
one.
userObject userObject obj_name Yes None Indicates that the
server should load a
user-defined shared
object and call
routines within this
object through each
interaction with DHCP
clients. The object to
be loaded is located
in the /usr/sbin
directory by the name
obj_name.dhcpo.
See the DHCP
Server User-Defined
Extension API for
more information.
pxeservertype pxeservertype server_type No dhcp_on Indicates the type of
ly dhcpd server that it
is. server_type can be
one of the following:
dhcp_pxe_binld
DHCP performs
dhcpsd, pxed,
and bindl
functions.
proxy_on_dhcp_serve
r
DHCP refers the
PXE client to
the proxy server
port on the same
machine.
The default is
dhcp_only, meaning
the dhcpsd does not
support PXE clients in
default mode.

rs Value
supportsubnetselection supportsubnetselection No None Indicates whether
global the dhcp server
will support the
supportsubnetselection
option 118 (subnet
subnetlevel
selection option) in
supportsubnetselection the clients DISCOVER
no or REQUEST packet.
global: all subnets
in the configuration
file will support option
118.
subnetlevel:
subnets that have
been configured
to support this
option by keyword
supportoption118 will
support this option.
no: does not support
option 118.
DHCP server file syntax for db_file database

The file syntax for the db_file database has the following properties.
Note:
1. Time Units (time_units) shown in the following table are optional and represent a modifier to the
actual time. The default time unit is minutes. Valid values are seconds (1), minutes (60), hours (3600),
days (86400), weeks (604800), months (2392000), and years (31536000). The number shown in
2. Items that are specified in one container can be overridden inside a subcontainer. For example, you
could globally define BOOTP clients, but within a certain subnet allow BOOTP clients by specifying the
supportBootp keyword in both containers.
3. The client, class, and vendor containers allow for regular expression support. For class and vendor,
a quoted string with the first character after the quote being an exclamation point (!) indicates that
the rest of the string should be treated as a regular expression. The client container allows for regular
expressions on both the hwtype and the hwaddr fields. A single string is used to represent both fields
with the following format:
decimal_number-data
If decimal_number is zero, then data is an ASCII string. If any other number, data is hex digits.

Keyword Form Subcontainer Default Value Meaning
s
subnet subnet default Yes None Specifies a subnet
without an associated
range. This subnet is
used by the server
only when responding
to a client INFORM/
REQUEST packet from
the client and the
client's address does
not have another
matching subnet
container.
subnet subnet subnet id Yes None Specifies a subnet and
netmask a pool of addresses.
All addresses are
assumed to be in the
pool unless a range
is specified on the
line or addresses are
modified later in the
container by a range
or exclude statement.
The optional range
is a pair of IP
addresses in dotted
quad format separated
by a dash. An optional
label and priority can
be specified. These
are used by virtual
subnets to identify and
order the subnets in
the virtual subnet. The
label and priority are
separated by a colon.
These containers are
only allowed at the
global or database
container level.

s
netmask range a pool of addresses.
All addresses are
pool unless a range
is specified on the
The optional range
is a pair of IP
addresses in dotted
be specified. These
are used by virtual
only allowed at the
global or database
container level.
netmask label:priority a pool of addresses.
All addresses are
pool unless a range
is specified on the
The optional range
is a pair of IP
addresses in dotted
be specified. These
are used by virtual
only allowed at the
global or database
container level.

s
netmask range a pool of addresses.
label:priority All addresses are
pool unless a range
is specified on the
The optional range
is a pair of IP
addresses in dotted
be specified. These
are used by virtual
only allowed at the
global or database
container level.
subnet subnet subnet id range Yes None Specifies a subnet
that goes within a
network container. It
defines a range of
addresses that is the
whole subnet unless
the optional range
part is specified. The
netmask associated
with the subnet
is taken from the
surrounding network
container.
Note: This method is
deprecated in favor
of the other subnet
forms.

s
option option number data ... No None Specifies an option
to send to a client
or, in the case of
deny, an option to
prevent from being
sent to the client. The
option * deny clause
means all options
not specified in the
current container are
not to be returned to
the client. The option
numberdeny only
denies the specified
option. number is an
unsigned 8-bit integer.
data is specific to
the option (see above)
or can be specified
as a quoted string
(indicating ASCII text)
or 0xhexdigits or
hex"hexdigits" or hex
"hexdigits". If the
option is in a vendor
container, the option
will be encapsulated
with other options in
an option 43.

s
option option numberdeny No None Specifies an option
to send to a client
or, in the case of
deny, an option to
prevent from being
means all options
numberdeny only
data is specific to
or can be specified
as a quoted string
or 0xhexdigits or
"hexdigits". If the
an option 43.

s
option option * deny No None Specifies an option
to send to a client
or, in the case of
deny, an option to
prevent from being
means all options
numberdeny only
data is specific to
or can be specified
as a quoted string
or 0xhexdigits or
"hexdigits". If the
an option 43.
exclude exclude an IP address No None Modifies the range
on the container in
which the exclude
statement is in. The
exclude statement is
not valid in the global
or database container
levels. The exclude
statement removes
the specified address
or range from the
current range on
the container. The
exclude statement
allows you to create
noncontiguous ranges
for subnets or other
containers.

s
exclude exclude dotted_quad- No None Modifies the range
dotted_quad on the container in
which the exclude
exclude statement is
not valid in the global
levels. The exclude
statement removes
the specified address
or range from the
current range on
the container. The
exclude statement
allows you to create
noncontiguous ranges
for subnets or other
containers.
range range IP_address No None Modifies the range
on the container
in which the range
range statement is
not valid in the
global or database
container levels. If
the range is the first
in the container that
does not specify a
range on the container
definition line, then
the range for the
container becomes the
range specified by
the range statement.
Any range statement
after the first range or
all range statements
for a containers that
specifies ranges in its
definition are added to
the current range. With
the range statement,
a single address or
set of addresses can
be added to the
range. The range must
fit inside the subnet
container definition.

s
range range dotted_quad- No None Modifies the range
dotted_quad on the container
in which the range
range statement is
not valid in the
global or database
container levels. If
the range is the first
in the container that
does not specify a
range on the container
definition line, then
the range for the
container becomes the
range specified by
Any range statement
after the first range or
all range statements
the range statement,
a single address or
set of addresses can
be added to the
range. The range must
fit inside the subnet

s
client client hwtype hwaddr Yes None Specifies a client
NONE container that denies
the client specified
by the hwaddr and
hwtype from getting
an address. If hwtype
is 0, then hwaddr
is an ASCII string.
Otherwise, hwtype is
the hardware type for
the client and hwaddr
is the hardware
address of the client.
If the hwaddr is a
string, then quotes
are accepted around
the string. If the
hwaddr is a hexstring,
then the address
may be specified by
0xhexdigits or hex
digits. range allows the
client specified by the
hwaddr and hwtype to
get an address in the
range. Must be regular
expressions to match
multiple clients.

s
ANY container that denies
by the hwaddr and
hwtype from getting
is 0, then hwaddr
is an ASCII string.
is the hardware
If the hwaddr is a
string, then quotes
are accepted around
the string. If the
then the address
may be specified by
0xhexdigits or hex
multiple clients.

s
dotted_quad container that denies
by the hwaddr and
hwtype from getting
is 0, then hwaddr
is an ASCII string.
is the hardware
If the hwaddr is a
string, then quotes
are accepted around
the string. If the
then the address
may be specified by
0xhexdigits or hex
multiple clients.

s
range container that denies
by the hwaddr and
hwtype from getting
is 0, then hwaddr
is an ASCII string.
is the hardware
If the hwaddr is a
string, then quotes
are accepted around
the string. If the
then the address
may be specified by
0xhexdigits or hex
multiple clients.
class class string Yes None Specifies a class
container with name
string. String can be
quoted or not. If
quoted, the quotes
are removed before
comparison. Quotes
are required for strings
with spaces or tabs.
This container is valid
at any level. A range
can be supplied to
indicate a set of
addresses to hand out
to a client with this
class. The range is
either a single dotted
quad IP address or
two dotted quad IP
addresses separated
by a dash.

s
class class string range Yes None Specifies a class
container with name
string. String can be
quoted or not. If
quoted, the quotes
are removed before
comparison. Quotes
are required for strings
with spaces or tabs.
This container is valid
at any level. A range
can be supplied to
indicate a set of
addresses to hand out
to a client with this
class. The range is
quad IP address or
two dotted quad IP
addresses separated
by a dash.

s
network network network id Yes None Specifies a container
netmask to be matched against
any arbitrary incoming
option specified by
the client. number
specifies the option
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
client. option_data is
specified in expected
form — quoted string,
IP address, integer
value — for well known
options, or it can be
optionally specified as
a hexadecimal string
of bytes if preceded
by the characters 0x.
For options that are
not well known to the
server, a hexadecimal
string of bytes can be
specified in the same
fashion. Additionally,
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
representation of the
client's option data.
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
beginning "! (double
quote followed by
an exclamation mark).
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
will be a hexadecimal
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
range to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id hex"" Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id hex "" Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id 0xdata Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id "" Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
vendor vendor vendor_id range Yes None Specifies a container
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
hex"" to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
hex "" to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
0xdata to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
"" to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
inoption inoption number Yes None Specifies a container
option_data to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
option_data range to be matched against
option specified by
the client. number
number. option_data
specifies the key
to match for
this container to
be selected during
address and option
selection for the
IP address, integer
the option_data
can indicate a
regular expression
to be compared
against the string
Regular expressions
are specified in
a quoted string
quote followed by
The string form of
options not well
known to the server
string of bytes NOT
preceded with the
characters 0x

s
virtual virtual fill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
subnet with a policy.
fill means use
all addresses in the
container before going
to the next container.
rotate means select
an address from the
next pool in the list on
each request. sfill
and srotate are the
same as fill and
rotate, but a search
is done to see if
the client matches
containers, vendors,
or classes in the
subnet. If a match
is found that can
supply an address,
the address is taken
from that container
instead of following
the policy. There can
be as many IDs as
needed. id is either
the subnet ID from
the subnet definition
or the label from
the subnet definition.
The label is required
if there are multiple
subnets with the same
subnet id.

s
virtual virtual sfill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
fill means use
rotate means select
an address from the
each request. sfill
and srotate are the
same as fill and
is done to see if
the client matches
or classes in the
subnet. If a match
is found that can
supply an address,
from that container
be as many IDs as
the subnet ID from
or the label from
subnet id.

s
virtual virtual rotate id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
fill means use
rotate means select
an address from the
each request. sfill
and srotate are the
same as fill and
is done to see if
the client matches
or classes in the
subnet. If a match
is found that can
supply an address,
from that container
be as many IDs as
the subnet ID from
or the label from
subnet id.

s
virtual virtual srotate id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
fill means use
rotate means select
an address from the
each request. sfill
and srotate are the
same as fill and
is done to see if
the client matches
or classes in the
subnet. If a match
is found that can
supply an address,
from that container
be as many IDs as
the subnet ID from
or the label from
subnet id.
inorder: inorder: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
subnet with a policy
of fill, which means
use all addresses in
the container before
going to the next
container. There can
be as many IDs as
the subnet ID from
or the label from
subnet ID.

s
balance: balance: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual
subnet with a policy
of rotate, which means
use the next address
in the next container.
There can be as many
IDs as needed. id
is either the subnet
ID from the subnet
definition or the label
from the subnet
definition. The label is
required if there are
multiple subnets with
the same subnet ID.
supportBootp supportBootp true No Yes Specifies whether the
current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportBootp supportBootp 1 No Yes Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportBootp supportBootp yes No Yes Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportBootp supportBootp false No Yes Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportBootp supportBootp 0 No Yes Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportBootp supportBootp no No Yes Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.

s
supportBootp Specifies whether the
all below it (until
overridden) should
support BOOTP
clients.
supportUnlistedclie supportUnlistedclients No Both Specifies whether the
nts BOTH current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
without specific client
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
clients only, or no one.
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
previous versions and
are deprecated. The
true value corresponds
to BOTH and the false
value corresponds to
NONE.

nts DHCP current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

s
nts BOOTP current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

nts NONE current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

s
nts true current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

nts yes current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

s
supportUnlistedclie supportUnlistedclients 1 No Both Specifies whether the
nts current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

nts false current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

s
nts no current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.
supportUnlistedclie supportUnlistedclients 0 No Both Specifies whether the

nts current container and
all below it (until
overridden) should
support unlisted
clients. The value
indicates whether
all clients should
be allowed access
statements, DHCP
clients only, BOOTP
Note: The true
and false values
are supported for
compatibility with
are deprecated. The
NONE.

s
addressrecorddb addressrecrddb path No None If specified, it works
like the backupfile
keyword. Only valid in
the global or database
container level.
deprecated.
backupfile backupfile path No /etc/ Specifies the file to

db_file.crbk use for database
backups. Only valid in
container level.
checkpointfile checkpointfile path No /etc/ Specifies the database
db_file.chkpt checkpoint files. The
first checkpoint file is
the path. The second
checkpoint file is path
with the last character
replaced with a 2.
So, the checkpoint file
should not end in 2.
Only valid in the global
level.
clientrecorddb clientrecorddb path No /etc/db_file.cr Specifies the database
save file. The file
contains all the client
records the DHCP
server has serviced.
Only valid in the global
level.
bootstrapserver bootstrapserver IP No None Specifies the server
address clients should use
from which to TFTP
files after receiving
BOOTP or DHCP
packets. This value
fills in the siaddr field
in the packet. This is
valid at any container
level.

s
giaddrfield giaddrfield IP address No None Specifies the
giaddrfield for
response packets.
Note: This
specification is illegal
in the BOOTP and
DHCP protocols, but
some clients require
the giaddr field
to be the default
gateway for the
network. Because of
this potential conflict,
giaddrfield should only
be used within a client
container, although it
can work at any level.
pingTime pingTime n time_unit No 3 seconds Specifies the amount

of time to wait
for a ping response
before handing out
an address. The
default time unit
is hundredths of a
second. The time unit
value is defined in
the note preceding
this table. This is
level. The time_unit
parameter is optional.
bootptime bootptime n time_unit No -1, infinite Specifies the amount
of time to lease an
address to a BOOTP
client. The default
is -1, which means
infinite. The normal
time unit values are
available. The time unit
parameter is optional.
This is valid at any
container level.

s
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast no No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
is required. This is
level. This is ignored
by the operating
system's DHCP
servers, because the
actual MAC address
of the client, including
RIFs, are stored for
the return packet.
container level.
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast false No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
by the operating
system's DHCP
actual MAC address
the return packet.
container level.
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast 0 No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
by the operating
system's DHCP
actual MAC address
the return packet.
container level.

s
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast yes No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
by the operating
system's DHCP
actual MAC address
the return packet.
container level.
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast true No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
by the operating
system's DHCP
actual MAC address
the return packet.
container level.
AllRoutesBroadcast allroutesbroadcast 1 No 0 Specifies whether
responses should
be broadcast to
all routes, if a
broadcast response
by the operating
system's DHCP
actual MAC address
the return packet.
container level.

s
addressassigned addressassigned "string" No None Specifies a quoted
string to execute
when an address is
assigned to a client.
The string should have
two %s. The first %s
is the client id in
the form type-string.
The second %s is an
IP address in dotted
quad format. This is
level.
addressreleased addressreleased "string" No None Specifies a quoted
string to execute when
an address is released
by a client. The
string should have
one %s. The %s is
the IP address being
released in dotted
quad format. This is
level.
appenddomain appenddomain 0 No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
name as well. This is
level.
appenddomain appenddomain no No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
level.

s
appenddomain appenddomain false No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
level.
appenddomain appenddomain 1 No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
level.
appenddomain appenddomain yes No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
level.
appenddomain appenddomain true No No Specifies whether to
append the defined
option 15 domain
name to the client-
suggested host name
in the event that
the client does not
suggest a domain
level.
canonical canonical 0 No 0 Specifies that the
client id is in canonical
format. This is valid
only in the client
container.

s
canonical canonical no No 0 Specifies that the
only in the client
container.
canonical canonical false No 0 Specifies that the
only in the client
container.
canonical canonical 1 No 0 Specifies that the
only in the client
container.
canonical canonical yes No 0 Specifies that the
only in the client
container.
canonical canonical true No 0 Specifies that the
only in the client
container.
leaseTimeDefault leaseTimeDefault n No 86400 Specifies the default
time_unit seconds lease time for clients.
container level. The
time_unit parameter is
optional.

s
proxyarec proxyarec never No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
us and methods should
be used for A record
updates in the DNS.
never means never
update the A record.
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
the client specifies
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
or option 12 and 15,
if specified. always
means do the A record
update for all clients.
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
to make sure the client
is allowed. standard
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.
proxyarec proxyarec usedhcpddns No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.

s
proxyarec proxyarec No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
usedhcpddnsplus us and methods should
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.
proxyarec proxyarec always No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.

s
usedhcpddnsprotected us and methods should
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.
usedhcpddnsplusprotect us and methods should
ed be used for A record
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.

s
alwaysprotected us and methods should
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.
proxyarec proxyarec standard No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.

s
proxyarec protected No usedhcpddnspl Specifies what options
updates in the DNS.
never means never
usedhcpddns means
use option 81 if
it. usedhcpddnsplus
means use option 81
XXXXprotected
modifies the
nsupdate command
is a synonym for
always. protected
is a synonym for
alwaysprotected.
container level.
releasednsA releasednsA "string" No None Specifies the
execution string to use
when an address is
released. The string is
used to remove the A
record associated with
the address released.
container level.
releasednsP releasednsP "string" No None Specifies the
when an address is
released. The string is
used to remove the
PTR record associated
with the address
released. This is valid
at any container level.

s
removedns removedns "string" No None Specifies the
when an address is
released. The string
is used to remove
the PTR and A
the address released.
container level.
Note: This is
deprecated in favor
of the releasednsA
and releasednsP
keywords.
updatedns updatedns "string" No None Specifies the

when an address is
bound. The string is
used to update both
the A and the PTR
the address. This is
level.
Note: This is
deprecated in favor
of the updatednsA
and updatednsP
keywords.
updatednsA updatednsA "string" No None Specifies the

when an address is
used to update the A
the address. This is
level.
updatednsP updatednsP "string" No None Specifies the
when an address is
used to update the
PTR record associated
with the address.
container level.

s
hostnamepolicy hostnamepolicy No default Specifies which host
suggested name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
the defined host name
and domain name over
suggested names.
Other policies imply
strict adherence (for
example: defined
will return the defined
name or none if
no name is defined
in the configuration).
Also, policies using the
always modifier will
dictate the server to
return the host name
option regardless of
whether the client
requested it through
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
option 81 or through
options 12 and 15.
This keyword is valid

s
hostnamepolicy hostnamepolicy resolved No default Specifies which host
name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
suggested names.
example: defined
name or none if
no name is defined
whether the client
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
options 12 and 15.

s
always_resolved name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
suggested names.
example: defined
name or none if
no name is defined
whether the client
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
options 12 and 15.

s
hostnamepolicy hostnamepolicy defined No default Specifies which host
name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
suggested names.
example: defined
name or none if
no name is defined
whether the client
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
options 12 and 15.

s
always_defined name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
suggested names.
example: defined
name or none if
no name is defined
whether the client
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
options 12 and 15.

s
hostnamepolicy hostnamepolicy default No default Specifies which host
name to return to
the client. Default
policy is to prefer
suggested names.
example: defined
name or none if
no name is defined
whether the client
the parameter list
option. Note that
suggesting a host
name also implies
requesting it, and
host names can be
suggested through
options 12 and 15.

s
bootfilepolicy bootfilepolicy suggested No suggested Specifies a preference
for returning the
bootfile name to a
client. suggested
prefers the client-
suggested bootfile
name to any server-
configured name.
merge appends the
client suggested
name to the server-
configured home
directory. defined
prefers the defined
name over any
suggested bootfile
name. always returns
the defined name
regardless of whether
the client requests
the bootfile option
through the parameter
list option.
bootfilepolicy bootfilepolicy merge No suggested Specifies a preference
for returning the
bootfile name to a
client. suggested
prefers the client-
suggested bootfile
name to any server-
configured name.
merge appends the
client suggested
name to the server-
configured home
directory. defined
prefers the defined
name over any
suggested bootfile
the defined name
the client requests
the bootfile option
list option.

s
bootfilepolicy bootfilepolicy defined No suggested Specifies a preference
for returning the
bootfile name to a
client. suggested
prefers the client-
suggested bootfile
name to any server-
configured name.
merge appends the
client suggested
name to the server-
configured home
directory. defined
prefers the defined
name over any
suggested bootfile
the defined name
the client requests
the bootfile option
list option.
bootfilepolicy bootfilepolicy always No suggested Specifies a preference
for returning the
bootfile name to a
client. suggested
prefers the client-
suggested bootfile
name to any server-
configured name.
merge appends the
client suggested
name to the server-
configured home
directory. defined
prefers the defined
name over any
suggested bootfile
the defined name
the client requests
the bootfile option
list option.

s
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren true No No Specifies whether
the parent container
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
class defined with a
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
specify that class. If
stealfromchildren
is true, then addresses
will be pulled from
a child to try and
satisfy the request.
The default is to not
steal an address.
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren 1 No No Specifies whether
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
stealfromchildren
will be pulled from
a child to try and
steal an address.

s
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren yes No No Specifies whether
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
stealfromchildren
will be pulled from
a child to try and
steal an address.
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren false No No Specifies whether
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
stealfromchildren
will be pulled from
a child to try and
steal an address.

s
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren 0 No No Specifies whether
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
stealfromchildren
will be pulled from
a child to try and
steal an address.
stealfromchildren stealfromchildren no No No Specifies whether
should "steal" from
children containers
when the parent
container runs out
of addresses. This
means that if you
have a subnet with
range of addresses,
those addresses
are reserved for
those clients that
stealfromchildren
will be pulled from
a child to try and
steal an address.

s
homedirectory homedirectory path No None Specifies the home
directory to use in
the file section of the
response packet. This
can be specified at any
bootfile policy defines
how items specified
in the file section of
the incoming packet
interact with the
bootfile and the home
directory statements.
bootfile bootfile path No None Specifies the bootfile
to use in the
file section of the
response packet. This
can be specified at any
bootfile policy defines
how items specified
the incoming packet
interact with the
bootfile and the home
pxebootfile pxebootfile No None Specifies the bootfile
system_architecture to be given for a
major_version client. This is used
minor_version only when dhcpsd
boofilename supports PXE clients
(pxeservertype is
dhcp_pxe_binld).
The configuration
file parser generates
an error if the
number of parameters
after pxebootfile
is less than four,
and it ignores any
additional parameters.
pxebootfile can
only be used within a
container.

s
supportoption118 supportoption118 No. Can be None This keyword specifies
no/yes defined only whether this container
in subnet supports the option
container. 118. Yes mean it is
supported, and No
means it is not
supported. For this
option to take effect,
you have to also use
the keyword
supportsubnetsele
ction.
DHCP and Network Installation Management suggestions

The concept of dynamically assigning Internet Protocol (IP) addresses is fairly new. The following
suggestions are provided to help with DHCP and Network Installation Management (NIM) interaction.
1. When configuring objects in the NIM environment, use host names whenever possible. This allows you
to use a dynamic name server that updates the IP addresses when the host name is converted to an IP
address in the NIM environment.
2. Place the NIM master and the DHCP server on the same system. The DHCP server has an option in
the update DNS string that, when set to NIM, attempts to keep the NIM objects out of those states that
need static IP addresses when those addresses change.
3. For NIM clients, set the default lease time to twice the time it takes to install a client. This allows a
leased IP address to be valid during the installation. After the installation, restart the client. DHCP will
be started or will need to be configured, depending on the type of installation.
4. The dhcpsd server should be responsible for both the PTR and the A DNS records. When NIM
reinstalls the machine, the file containing the RSA is deleted, and the client cannot update its records.
The server updates the system records. To do this, change the updatedns line in /etc/dhcpcd.ini
to:
updatedns "/usr/sbin/dhcpaction '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' NONE NONIM"
In the /etc/dhcpsd.cnf file, change the updatedns line to:
updatedns "/usr/sbin/dhcpaction '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' '%s' BOTH NIM"
Note: When a NIM object is placed into the BOS installation-pending state, the dhcpsd server might
pass arguments that are different from those originally intended. Minimize the time the client is in this
pending state to avoid this situation.
These suggestions allow the NIM environment to work with dynamic clients.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a method to maintain network configurations
in a centralized location. This topic is DHCPv6-specific; all references to "IP address" refer to IPv6
addresses, and all references to "DHCP" refer to DHCPv6 (unless otherwise stated).
A DHCPv4 server can coexist on the same link with a DHCPv6 server. For an in-depth explanation of the
protocol, see RFC 3315.
DHCP is an application-layer protocol that allows a client machine on the network to get IP addresses
and other configuration parameters from the server. These parameters are defined in options. Options
are obtained by exchanging packets between a daemon on the client and another on the server. These
message exchanges are in the form of UDP packets. A client uses a link-local address, whether through

the autoconf6 command or other methods, to identify its source address to the server. The server listens
on a reserved link-scope multicast address. A relay agent will allow the client and server to communicate
if they are not located on the same link.
This topic explains the four-message exchange handshake for a single interface with one IA_NA and
one address for this IA_NA. To obtain an IP address, the DHCP client daemon (dhcpcd6) sends a
SOLICIT message to the All_DHCP_Relay_Agents_and_Servers address, which is received by the
server and processed. (Multiple servers can be configured on the network for redundancy.) If a
free address is available for that client, an ADVERTISE message is created and sent back to the
client. This message contains an IP address and other options that are appropriate for that client.
The client receives the server DHCP ADVERTISE message and stores it while waiting for other
advertisements. When the client has chosen the best advertisement, it sends a DHCP REQUEST to the
All_DHCP_Relay_Agents_and_Servers address specifying which server advertisement it wants.
All configured DHCP servers receive the REQUEST message. Each checks to see if it is the requested
server. The server does not process any packet with a server DUID that does not match its own.
The requested server marks the address as assigned and returns a DHCP REPLY, at which time, the
transaction is complete. The client has an address for the period of time (valid-lifetime) designated
by the server.
When the preferred-lifetime expires for the address, the client sends the server a RENEW packet to extend
the lease time. If the server is willing to renew the address, it sends a DHCP REPLY. If the client does
not get a response from the server that owns its current address, it multicasts a DHCP REBIND packet
if, for example, the server has been moved from one network to another. If the client has not renewed
its address after the valid-lifetime, the address is removed from the interface and the process starts over.
This cycle prevents multiple clients on a network from being assigned the same address.
A client can have multiple IA_NA options, and each IA_NA can have multiple addresses. A client can also
have multiple IA_TA options and each can also have multiple addresses:
• Identity association for non-temporary addresses (IA_NA): An IA that carries assigned addresses
that are not temporary addresses
• Identity association for temporary addresses (IA_TA): An IA that carries temporary addresses (see
RFC 3041).
• DUID: A DHCP-Unique identifier for a DHCP participant; each DHCP client and server has a unique
DUID which remains the same across reboots.
The DHCP server assigns addresses based on keys. Four common keys are class, vendor, client ID,
and inoption. The server uses these keys to allocate an address, and the set of configuration options to
return to the client.
class
The class key is completely client-configurable. It can specify an address and options. This key can
be used to denote machine function in the network or to describe how machines are grouped for
administrative purposes. For example, the network administrator might want to create a NetBIOS
class that contains options for NetBIOS clients or an accounting class that represents accounting
department machines that need access to a specific printer.
vendor
The vendor key helps identify the client by its hardware and software platform.
client ID
The client ID keyidentifies the client through the DUID. The client ID is specified in the duid file of
the dhcpcd daemon. Also, the client ID can be used by the server to pass options to a specific client
or prohibit a particular client from receiving any parameters.
Inoption
The inoption key identifies the client by the option requested by the client.
These keys can be used either singularly or in combinations. If multiple keys are provided by the client
and multiple addresses can be assigned, only one is chosen, and the option set is derived from the chosen
key first.

A relay agent is needed so initial multicast from the client can leave the local network. The relay agents
act as forwarding agents for DHCP packets.
DHCPv6 server
There are three main components of the DHCPv6 server.
The DHCP server has been segmented into three main components: a database, a protocol engine, and a
set of service threads. Each component has its own configuration information.
DHCPv6 database
The db_filev6.dhcpo database is used to track clients and addresses and for access control.
Options are also stored in the database for retrieval and delivery to clients. The database is implemented
as a dynamically-loadable object.
Using the information in the configuration file, the database is primed and verified for consistency. The
database also contains the address and option pools
The main storage file and its back up are ASCII files. The format for the database main storage files are as
follows:
Note: Do not manually edit these files.
DB6-1.0
Client-Info {
duid 1-0006085b68e20004ace491d3
state 7
authinfo {
protocol 2
algorithm 1
rdm 0
replay 1206567640
}
Interface 0 {
Inoptions {
interface-id "en1"
policies 2
maxopcode 16
numiana 1
Ianalist {
option 3 40
00000001000000320000005000050018deaddeadaaaaaaaa000000000000000600000064000000c8
}
numiata 0
Optiontable {
option 6 10 00030004001700180237
option 8 2 e659
option 15 14 000369626d000373756e00026870
option 16 18 000004d2000730783131313131000369626d
}
}
Ianarec {
IAID 1
t1 50
t2 80
Addrec {
Address dead:dead:aaaa:aaaa::6
state 3
starttime 1087592918
preferred-lifetime 100
valid-lifetime 200
}
}
}
}
The first line is a version identifier for the file: DB6-1.0. The lines that follow are client record definition
lines. The server reads from the second line to the end of the file. (The parameters in quotes must be
enclosed in quotes.)
duid
The ID the client uses to represent itself to the server.

Interface
A client can have multiple interfaces. If a client has a single interface and creates individual SOLICIT
messages for each IA_NA or IA_TA, the file will contain multiple interfaces for this client.
Inoptions
The incoming options from the client.
policies
Flag to identify unicast, reconfig-option, and rapid-commit.
maxopcode
The largest option code.
numiana
The number of IA_NAs for this interface.
Ianalist
The list of IA_NA options incoming from the client.
numiata
Number of IA_TAs for this interface.
Optiontable
The list of options requested by the client excluding the IA_NA and IA_TA options.
Ianarec
The saved IA_NA record container from the server database.
IAID
The ID of the IA_NA.
t1
The preferred-lifetime percent for this IA_NA.
t2
The valid-lifetime percent for this IA_NA.
Addrec
The address record container from the server database.
Address
Address given to the client for this address record.
state
The current state of the client. The DHCP protocol engine contains the allowable set, and the states
are maintained in the DHCP database. The number next to state represents its value. The states can
be:
(1) FREE
Represents addresses that are available for use. In general, clients do not have this state unless
they have no address assigned. The dadmin and lssrc commands report this state as Free.
(2) BOUND
Indicates client and address are tied and that the client has been assigned this address for some
amount of time. The dadmin and lssrc commands report this state as Leased.
(3) EXPIRED
Indicates the client and address are tied together, but only for informational purposes, in a similar
manner to released addresses. The expired state, however, represents clients that let their leases
expire. An expired address is available for use and is reassigned after all free addresses are
unavailable and before released addresses are reassigned. The dadmin and lssrc commands
report this state as Expired.
(4) RELEASED
Indicates the client and address are tied for informational purposes only. The DHCP protocol
suggests that DHCP servers maintain information about the clients it has served for future
reference (mainly to try giving the same address to that client that has been assigned that address
in the past). This state indicates that the client has released the address. The address is available

for use by other clients, if no other addresses are available. The dadmin and lssrc commands
report this state as Released.
(5) RESERVED
Indicates client and address are tied, but loosely. The client has issued a DHCP discover message
and the DHCP server has responded, but the client has not yet responded with a DHCP request for
that address. The dadmin and lssrc commands report this state as Reserved.
(6) BAD
Represents an address that is in use in the network but has not been handed out by the DHCP
server. This state also represents addresses that clients have rejected. This state does not apply
to clients. The dadmin command reports this state as Used, and the lssrc command reports this
state Bad.
Starttime
The time that this address was handed out, represented as seconds since January 1, 2000.
preferred-lifetime
Number in seconds before this address needs to be renewed.
valid-lifetime
Number in seconds before this address becomes invalid and can no longer be used.
protocol
The authentication protocol the client is using:
(1) DELAYED
The client is using delayed authentication.
(2) RECONFIGURE KEY
The client is using reconfigure key authentication.
algorithm
The authentication algorithm the client is using:
(1) HMAC-MD5
The client is using the keyed MD5 algorithm to create the message digest.
rdm
The replay detection method the client is using:
(0) Monotonically increasing counter
The client is using a monotonically increasing counter to modify the replay value.
replay
The current value of the replay field.
The syntax for the checkpoint files is not specified. If the server crashes or you have to shut down and
cannot do a normal closing of the database, the server can process the checkpoint and backup files to
reconstruct a valid database. Any client not written to the checkpoint file when the server crashes is lost.
Currently, there are no intermittent saves when a client is processed. The default files are:
/etc/dhcpv6/db_file6.cr
Normal database operation
/etc/dhcpv6/db_file6.crbk
Backups for the database
DHCP threaded operations

The last piece of the DHCP server is actually a set of operations that are used to keep things running.
Because the DHCP server is threaded, these operations are actually set up as threads that occasionally
main thread
This thread handles signals. For example,
• A SIGTERM (-15) will cause the server to gracefully stop.

• A SIGUSR1 (-30) will cause the server to dump the configuration database
src thread
This thread handles the SRC requests (such as startsrc, stopsrc, lssrc, traceson, and
refresh).
dadmin thread
This thread interfaces with the dadmin client program and the DHCP server. The dadmin tool can be
used to get status as well as modify the database to avoid editing the database files manually. With
the addition of the dadmin and src threads, the server can handle service requests and still handle
client requests.
garbage thread
This thread runs timers that periodically clean the database, save the database, purge clients that do
not have addresses, and remove reserved addresses that have been in reserve state for too long. All
these timers are configurable.
packet processors
Each of these can handle a request from a DHCPv6 client. The number of packet processors required
is somewhat load and machine-dependent. The number of these is configurable; the default is 1. The
maximum number of packet threads is 50.
logging threads
In a system where significant amounts of data is being logged to log files, the number of logging
threads can be increased more than the default (1) to max (50).
table manager thread
This thread ensures that the dhcpsdv6 daemon does not process duplicate packets.
process threads
These threads process the DHCPv6 client packets.
reconfigure thread
This thread manages client reconfiguration when the server is refreshed (with the dadmin -x 6 -i
command, for example).
DHCPv6 configuration
By default, the DHCP server is configured by reading the /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file, which
specifies the initial database of options and addresses.
The server is started from SRC commands. If dhcpsdv6 is intended to start across reboots, add an entry
into the /etc/rc.tcpip file.
Configuring the DHCP server is usually the hardest part of using DHCP in your network. First, decide what
networks you want to have DHCP clients on. Each subnet in your network represents a pool of addresses
that the DHCP server must add to its database. For example:
subnet dead:dead:aaaa:: 48 {
option 23 dead::beef beef:aaaa::bbbb:c aaaa:bbbb::cccc #nameserver list
option 24 austin.ibm.com ibm.com # domain list
}
The example above shows a subnet, dead:dead:aaaa::, with a prefix of 48 bits. All addresses in
this subnet, dead:dead:aaaa::1 through dead:dead:aaaa:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ff7f, are in
the pool. Optionally, a range can be specified on the end of the line before the '{' or a range or exclude
statement can be included in the subnet container.
Comments begin with a # (pound sign). Text from the initial #, to the end of the line, is ignored by the
DHCP server. Each option line is used by the server to tell the client what to do.
If the server does not understand how to parse an option, it uses default methods to send the option to
the client. This also allows the DHCP server to send site-specific options that are not RFC defined, but
may be used by certain clients or client configurations.

DHCPv6 configuration file
The configuration file has an address section and an option definition section. These sections use
containers to hold options, modifiers, and, potentially, other containers.
A container (a method to group options) uses an identifier to classify clients into groups. The container
types are subnet, class, vendor, inoption, and client. Currently, there is not a generic user-
definable container. The identifier uniquely defines the client so that the client can be tracked if, for
example, it moves between subnets. More than one container type can be used to define client access.
Options are identifiers that are returned to the client, such as DNS address or domain names.
After selecting modifiers, the next item to set up is logging. Logging parameters are specified in a
container like the database, but the container keyword is logging_info. When learning to configure
DHCP, it is advisable to turn logging to its highest level. Also, it is best to specify the logging configuration
before any other configuration file data to ensure that configuration errors are logged after the logging
subsystem is initialized. Use the logitem keyword to turn on a logging level or remove the logitem
keyword to disable a logging level. Other keywords for logging allow the specification of the log filename,
file size, and the number of rotating log files.
DHCPv6 containers
• The subnet container uses the hintlist field or the interface address of the receiving interface to
determine from which subnet the client belongs.
• The class container uses the value in option 15 (OPTION_USER_CLASS Identifier).
• The vendor uses the value in option 16 (OPTION_VENDOR_CLASS).
• The client container uses the option 1 (OPTION_CLIENTID) from the DHCP client's DUID.
• The inoption container matches the client's requested option.
Except for subnets, each container allows the specification of the value that matches it, including regular
There is also an implicit container, the global container. Options and modifiers are placed in the global
container unless overridden or denied. Most containers can be placed inside other containers implying
a scope of visibility. Containers may or may not have address ranges associated with them. Subnets, by
their nature, have ranges associated with them.
The basic rules for containers and subcontainers are:
• Only subnet containers are valid at the global level.
• Subnets cannot be placed inside other containers, including itself.
container with an option that only allows a class of Accounting cannot include a container with an option
that allows all classes that start with the letter a.)
• Inoption containers cannot have subcontainers
If a client matches multiple containers, The DHCP server passes the request to the database, and a
container list is generated. The list is presented in order of depth and priority. Priority is defined as an
implicit hierarchy in the containers. Strict containers are higher priority than regular containers. Clients,
classes, vendors, and subnets are sorted, in that order, and within container type by depth. This generates
a list ordered by most specific to least specific. For example:
Subnet 1
--Class 1

--Client 1
Subnet 2
--Class 1
----Vendor 1
----Client 1
--Client 1
override previous values unless an option deny is present in the container. Also, because Class 1 and
DHCPv6 addresses and address ranges

Any container type can have associated address ranges; subnets must have associated address ranges.
Each range within a container must be a subset of the range and must not overlap with ranges of other
containers. For example, if a class is defined within a subnet and the class has a range, the range must
be a subset of the subnet range. Also, the range within that class container cannot overlap with any other
ranges at its level.
Ranges can be expressed on the container line and modified by range and exclude statements to allow
for disjoint address sets associated with a container. If you have the top ten addresses and the second
ten addresses of a subnet available, the subnet can specify these addresses by range in the subnet clause
ranges.
After an address has been selected, any subsequent container in the list that contains address ranges is
removed from the list along with its children. Network-specific options in removed containers are not valid
if an address is not used from within that container.
DHCPv6 configuration file options


DHCPv6 server-specific options
The last set of parameters to specify are server-specific options that allow the user to control the number
of packet processors, how often the garbage collection threads are run, and so on.
For example, two server-specific options are:
reservedTime
Indicates how long an address stays in the reserved state after sending an ADVERTISE to the DHCP
client
reservedTimeInterval
Indicates how often the DHCP server scans through the addresses to see if there are any that have
been in the reserved state longer than reservedTime.
These options are useful if you have several clients that multicast SOLICIT messages and, either they do
not multicast their REQUEST message, or their REQUEST message gets lost in the network. Using these
parameters keeps addresses from being reserved indefinitely for a noncompliant client.
Another particularly useful option is SaveInterval, which indicates how often saves occur.
/etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file
The DHCPv6 server is configured by editing the /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file.
The keywords are case sensitive. When a '{' is listed, it must be on the same line as the keyword. A sample
configuration file can be found in /usr/samples/tcpip/dhcpv6.
Following is the description of the /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file. The following stanzas are allowed
in this file:
• Logging
• Global keywords
• Non-nested container statements
• Nested container statements
• Options
• Common options
DHCPv6 logging
The DHCPv6 server keywords described here are for entries in the logging stanza.
This stanza is not required to exist but if present, must be at the top of the configuration file. It has the
following format:
logging_info { log_options }
The log_options values can be any of the following:
Table 64. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the logging stanza.
Keyword Value Description
logFileSize num Specifies the size of the log file. The num value is
the maximum size of the log file in kilobytes. The
log file will be rotated after this size is reached.
Infinite size is assumed if logFileSize is not
specified.
logFileName "filename" Specifies the name of the log file. The filename
value will be the name of the log file. The
default file name and location is /var/tmp/
dhcpsdv6.log.
numLogFiles num Specifies the number of log files for file rotation.
The default is 0.

Table 64. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the logging stanza. (continued)
logItem type Specifies the types of logging desired. The
following types are valid:
SYSERR
System error, at the interface to the platform.
OBJERR
Object error, in between objects in the process.
PROTERR
Protocol error, between client and server.
WARNING
Warning, worth of attention from the user.
EVENT
Event occurred to the process.
ACTION
Action taken by the process.
INFO
Information that might be useful.
ACNTING
Who was served when.
TRACE
Code flow, for debugging.
DHCPv6 global keywords

The keyword values described here are for entries in the global keyword stanza.
The global keywords are only valid outside a container. The following values are allowed:
Table 65. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the global keywords stanza.
UsedIpAddressExpiredInter num [units] Specifies how often addresses placed in the BAD
val state are recouped and retested for validity. If a
unit is not set, the system default is set to seconds.
The default value is -1.
leaseExpiredInterval num [units] Specifies how often addresses in the BOUND
state are checked to see if they have expired. If
the address has expired, the state is moved to
EXPIRED. If a unit is not set, the system default
is set to seconds. The default value 900 seconds.
reservedTime num [units] Specifies how long addresses should sit in
RESERVED state before being recouped into the
FREE state. If unit is not set, the system default is
set to seconds. The default value is -1.
reservedTimeInterval num [units] Specifies how often addresses in the RESERVE
state are checked to see if they should be
recouped into the FREE state. If unit not set, the
system default is set to seconds. The default value
is 900 seconds.

Table 65. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the global keywords stanza. (continued)
saveInterval num [units] Specifies how often the DHCP server should force
a save of the open databases. For heavily loaded
servers, this should be 60 or 120 seconds. If unit
is not set, the system default is set to seconds. The
default value is 3600 seconds.
clientpruneintv num [units] Specifies how often the DHCP server has the
databases remove clients are not associated with
any address (in the UNKNOWN state). This reduces
the memory use of the DHCP server. If units is
not set, the system default is set to seconds. The
default value is 3600 seconds.
numprocessthreads num Specifies the number of packet processors threads
to create. Minimum of one. Each processthread
handles one client. By default it is 30.
numpacketthreads num Specifies the number of packet threads to create.
This minimum is 1, but by default it is set to 5.
numloggingthreads num Specifies the number of logging threads. Default is
1.
numduidbuckets num This is used by the table manager, and has a
direct correlation to the numprocessthreads. By
default, it is set to 53.
numclientbuckets num How many buckets will be used to store the client
records. By default it is 1021.
ignoreinterfacelist interface List of interfaces to ignore. It can be a single
[interface] interface or multiple interfaces.
backupfile "filename" The file to use for database backups. The default
file is /etc/dhcpv6/db_file6.crbk
checkpointfile "filename" Specifies the database checkpoint files. The first
checkpoint file is the path. The second checkpoint
file is path with the last character replaced with a
2. So, the checkpoint file should not end in 2.
clientrecorddb "filename" Specifies the database save file. The file contains
all the client records the DHCP server has serviced.
The default file is /etc/dhcpv6/db_file6.cr
duid idtype value Used to identify the server. The following values
[value] are allowed:
• duid 1 interface
• duid 2 interface
• duid 3 enterprise number identifier
• duid number 0xhexdigit
preference-number num Allows the clients to identify the server it prefers to

obtain information from. The higher the value, the
greater the chance the client will use this server
for its services. The default and maximum value is
255.

Table 65. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the global keywords stanza. (continued)
unicast-enable policy Unicast policy for the server, this allows the server
to communicate using unicast. By default this is
turned on.
tablemgr-policy policy Allows the server to have a table manager to better
manage incoming clients. By default this is turned
on.
auth policy Allows the server to support delayed
authentication. By default this is turned off.
auth-keyfile "filename" The file that contains the delayed authentication
keys for the clients. The default file is /etc/
dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.keys.
DHCPv6 non-nested container statements

The DHCPv6 server keyword subnet is for entries in the non-nested container statements.
Non-nested container statements can only exist as part of the global keywords.
Table 66. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the non-nested container statements.
Item Description
subnet subnetid Specifies subnet to be used. The subnetid must
prefix- be an IPv6 address. The prefix-length must be a
length positive integer less than 128.
[range]
{OPTIONS}
DHCPv6 nested container statements

Nested container statements can only exist as an option inside subnet.
All containers can have other containers nested within it unless otherwise stated. The maximum depth
of nesting is seven, including the subnet and the global container (only five nested containers can exist
under a subnet container).
Vendor and Inoption containers cannot have any other containers nested within it.
Table 67. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the nested container statements.
class name [range] {OPTIONS| Class container. The name value is one string,
COMMON OPTIONS } space separated strings, regular expression, hex
0xhexdigit, 0xhexdigit
vendor name [range] {OPTIONS| Vendor container. The name value is one string,
COMMON OPTIONS } space separated strings, regular expression, hex
0xhexdigit, 0xhexdigit
client <id | 0 0xhexdigit | Client container.
regular expression> <ip
id- 1-hexdigit, 2-hexdigit, 3-hexdigit <ip|range|
| range | none | any>
none|any> - IP address to give to clients that
{OPTIONA|COMMON OPTIONS }
match the ID

Table 67. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the nested container statements. (continued)
inoption icode keytomatch Inoption container
[range] { OPTIONS|COMMON
icode - incoming option code or number to be
OPTIONS }
specified by the client
keytomatch - The option data to be matched
against.
DHCPv6 cnf file options

The cnf file options described here for DHCPv6 can only exist inside a container.
Table 68. Keywords, values, and descriptions for entries in the options stanza.
exclude range IP range to exclude from the current range, often
used when a range is not specified as part of the
container statement
exclude ip IP address to exclude from the current range
range range IP range use to extend the current range, often
used when a range is not specified as part of the
container statement
range ip IP address to add, used to extend the range
stealfromchildren policy Steal address from children containers if all
addresses are exhausted. By default this is turned
off.
stealfrompeer policy Steal addresses from peer containers if all
off.
stealfromparent policy Steal addresses from parent containers if all
off.
balance-option { balance- Balance options container, options specified within
policy | this container will be given to the client base on
<option | the policy. This keyword can only exist under the
option subnet container.
option ...>
}
balance-policy b_policy The b_policy value can be fill or rotate. The
default is rotate.
fill-count num The number of times an option will be given out
before handing out the next instance of the same
option
interface-id "interface" This can only be listed under subnet. Clients
requests received on this interface will be allowed
to obtain addresses.

DHCPv6 common options
These keywords are common DHCPv6 options.
These can exist inside the containers or in the global section:
Table 69. Keywords, values, and descriptions for common options.

reconfig-policy policy Allows the server to send reconfiguration message
to the client. By default this is not set and is
considered off.
rapid-commit policy Allows for the server to do rapid commit for the
container or globally set. By default this is not set
and is considered off.
prefered-lifetime num [units] The preferred lifetime of the IANA or IATA. The
default is 43200 seconds.
valid-lifetime num [units] The valid lifetime of the IANA or IATA. The default
is 86400 seconds.
rebind num The rebind time percent 0-100 for the address. The
default value is 80 percent.
renew num The renew time percent 0-100 for the address. The
default value is 50 percent.
unicast-option policy Allows containers to offer message exchange by
unicasting, this can use used to turn on and off
individual containers and subnets even if the server
policy differs. By default this is not set and is
considered off.
option num <string| For the list of options, see “DHCPv6 server file
stings| hex> known options” on page 287.
change-optiontable optiontable Only allowed within a vendor container.
DHCPv6 server file known options

The known file options of the DHCPv6 server are described here.
The following options are the DHCPv6 server file known options. The options that have "No" in the Can
Specify column cannot be specified in the configuration file; if they are specified, they will be ignored.
Option number Default data type Can specify? Description

1 None No Solicit
2 None No Advertise
3 None No Request
4 None No Confirm
5 None No Address
6 None No Option Request
7 number No The preference number
of the server
8 None No Elapse Time
9 None No Relay Message

Option number Default data type Can specify? Description
11 None No Auth
12 ASCII string yes, no, Yes Unicast
true, false
13 None No Status
14 ASCII string yes, no, Yes Rapid Commit
true, false
15 None No User Class
16 None No Vendor Class
17 None No Vendor Option
18 None No Interface ID
19 None No Reconfiguration
Message
20 ASCII string yes, no, Yes Reconfiguration Accept
true, false
23 Space separated IPv6 Yes DNS servers
addresses
24 ASCII string Yes Domain list
DHCPv6 parameter values

These values can be used for the DHCPv6 parameters.
units: second, seconds, minute, minutes, hour, hours, day, days, week, weeks, month, months, year, years
interface: en0, en1, tr0
identifier: numbers or characters
policy: yes, no, true, false
range: ipv6addresss-ipv6addresss
regular expression: "!epression to match$", "!epression to match^"
Example /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file

The sample /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpsdv6.cnf file shown here provides a glimpse of the file's contents.
logging_info{
logFileSize 4000
logItem SYSERR
logItem PROTERR
logItem WARNING
logItem EVENT
logItem ACTION
logItem INFO
logItem ACNTING
logItem TRACE
numLogFiles 3
logFileName "/var/tmp/dhcpsdv6.log"
}
duid 1 en0
numprocessthreads 10
numpacketthreads 5
preference-number 255
reconfig-policy no
rapid-commit no
unicast-option yes
leaseExpiredInterval 3000 seconds
unicast-enable yes
saveInterval 60 seconds

reservedTimeInterval 8000 seconds
reservedTime 10000 seconds
clientpruneintv 20 seconds
subnet bbbb:aaaa:: 40 bbbb:aaaa::0004-bbbb:aaaa::000f {

balance-option {
option 23 dead::beef
option 23 beef::aaaa
option 24 yahoo.com
}
subnet dead:dead:aaaa:: 48 dead:dead:aaaa:aaaa::0006-dead:dead:aaaa:aaaa::000a {

interface-id "en1"
preferred-lifetime 100 seconds
valid-lifetime 200 seconds
rapid-commit yes
option 23 dead::beef beef:aaaa::bbbb:c aaaa:bbbb::cccc
option 24 ibm.com austin.ibm.com
}
DHCPv6 client configuration

The /etc/dhcpv6/dhcpc6.cnf file is used to configure the DHCPv6 clients.
The directives that can be specified in this file are included here. If dhcpcd6 is intended to start across
reboots, add an entry into the /etc/rc.tcpip file.
Logging keywords
The valid logging keywords of the DHCPv6 server are described here.
The following keywords are valid:
Table 70. Keywords and descriptions for logging keywords.

Keyword Description
log-file-name The path and file name of the most recent log file.
The less recent filenames have number 1 to (n-1)
appended to the filename; the larger the number
the less recent the file.
log-file-size Specifies the maximum size of a log file in KB.
When the size of the most recent log file reaches
this value, it is renamed and a new file is created.
log-file-num Specifies the maximum number of log files
maintained when the size of the most recent log
file reaches the log-file-size value and the file
is renamed to generate a new file.

Table 70. Keywords and descriptions for logging keywords. (continued)
Keyword Description
log-item Specifies the log items that need to be logged.
SYSERR
System error
OBJERR
Object error
PROTERR
Protocol error
WARNING
Warning
EVENT
Event occurred
ACTION
Action taken by the process
INFO
Additional information
ACNTING
Who was served when
TRACE
code flow, debugging
DUID keywords
The following keyword values are for DUID entries.
The format of the DUID entries are as follows:
duid <duid_type> <value> <value> ...
DUID type can be a keyword or a number, leaving room for any DUID types that may be defined in future.
There are three DUID types currently defined by RFC 3315 :
Table 71. Keywords and values for DUID entries.

Keyword Description
LLT DUID-LLT type (value 1)
LL DUID-LL (value 2)
EN DUID-EN type (value 3)
The specific format of the DUID entries depends on the keyword being used.
duid LLT <interface name>

duid LL <interface name>
duid EN <enterprise number> <enterprise identifier>
duid <number> <hex data (prefixed with '0x')
Information-only keyword
The information-only keyword is in the format info-only interface name.
Following is the information-only keyword:

Table 72. Keyword and description of the information-only keyword.
Keyword Description
info-only interface name This keyword specifies the interface name for
which the client has to obtain only configuration
information and not addresses from the server.
Lease renewal and rebind keywords

The lease renewal and rebind keywords described here are for the DHCPv6 server.
Table 73. Keywords and descriptions for lease renewal and rebind keywords
Keywords Description
rebind-time value In the event of the client failing to renew its lease
(because the server does not respond), the rebind-
time specifies the time at which the client contacts
the other servers to rebind the lease.
renew-time value The renew-time specifies the time at which the
client contacts the server from which the client
obtained lease information, in order to renew the
lease.
Solicit retransmission keywords

The solicit retransmission keywords include solicit-maxcount and solicit-timeout.
Table 74. Keywords and descriptions for solicit retransmission keywords

Keywords Descriptions
solicit-maxcount The solicit-maxcount keyword specifies the
number of solicit messages that the client sends
to the server before the client receives a response
from the server.
solicit-timeout The solicit-timeout keyword specifies the time until
which the client attempts to send solicit message
to the server before the client receives a response
from the server.
Option keywords
If the option keywords appear outside of 'interface' stanzas, then they are considered global. Such
options apply to all interfaces. If the option keywords appear inside 'interface' stanzas, these options
apply only to that interface.
The options stanza follows this format:
option <keyword | option code>

option <keyword | option code> exec "exec string"
option <keyword | option code> { option specific parameters }
option <keyword | option code> { option specific parameters } exec "exec string"
An option code can be specified using the IANA registered option code. However, some of the options can
also be specified using keywords shown below:
Keyword Option Code

ia-na 3
ia-ta 4

Keyword Option Code
request-option 6
rapid-commit 14
user-class 15
vendor-class 16
vendor-opts 17
reconf-accept 20
dns-servers 23
domain-list 24
Additional explanation of each keyword follows:
Keyword Purpose, format, and parameters

ia-na Purpose
Specifies option 3. If specified, the client requests for non-temporary addresses from
the server.
Format
option ia-na [ { parameters } ] [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
Option ia-na takes the following parameters:
ia-id value
renew-time value
rebind-time value
These parameters specify the user-preferred values and are optional. The value
specified can be a decimal number or a hex number prefixed with '0x'
ia-ta Purpose
Specifies option 4. If specified, the client requests for a temporary addresses from the
server.
Format
option ia-ta [ { parameters } ] [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
option ia-ta takes the following parameters:
ia-id value
This parameter specifies the user's preferred values and is optional. The value specified
can be a decimal number or a hex number prefixed with '0x'
request- Purpose
option Specifies option 6. If specified, the client requests a list of options from the server.
Format
option request-option { parameters } [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
option request-option takes a space separated list of option codes (in decimal) as
the argument

rapid- Purpose
commit Specifies option 14. If specified, the client indicates that the client is prepared to
perform the Solicit-Reply message exchange.
Format
option rapid-commit [exec "exec string"]
Parameters
Does not take any parameters other than the optional exec statement
user- Purpose
class specifies option 15. If specified, the client indicates the type or category of user or
applications it represents.
Format
option user-class { parameters } [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
Option user-class takes one or more instances of user class data. Each instance of
user class data is a quoted or unquoted string of arbitrary length. If a string contains a
blank space, it must be enclosed in quotes. The parameters are required. The format
for the parameter is:
class value
class value
where value is a quoted or unquoted string.
vendor- Purpose
class Specifies option 16. If specified, the client indicates the vendor that manufactured the
hardware on which the client is running.
Format
option vendor-class { parameters } [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
Option vendor-class takes the vendor's registered Enterprise number and one or
more instances of vendor class data. Each instance of vendor class data is a quoted or
unquoted string of arbitrary length, each of which describes some characteristic of the
client's hardware configuration. The parameters are not optional. The format is:
vendor-id value
class value
class value
where value is a quoted or unquoted string.

vendor- Purpose
opts Specifies option 17. If specified, the client indicates the vendor-specific information to
the server.
Format
option vendor-opts <enterprise-number> { parameters } [ exec
"exec string" ]]
Parameters
Option vendor-opts takes the vendor's registered Enterprise number and one or
more instances of vendor option data. Each instance of vendor option data is a vendor
option code followed by a option data in string or hex format. The parameters are not
optional. The format is:
vendor-id value
option opcode option-data
option opcode option-data
where option-data is a quoted or non-quoted or a hex string (prefixed with '0x')
reconf- Purpose
accept Specifies option 20. If specified, the client indicates to the server whether the client is
willing to accept reconfigure message from the server.
Format
option reconf-accept [ { exec "exec string" } ]
Parameters
option reconf-accept takes no option specific parameters, other than the exec
statement.
dns- Purpose
servers specifies option 23. If specified, the client indicates to the server the preferred set of
DNS servers
Format
option dns-servers [ { parameters } ] [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
option dns-servers takes a space/line separated list of IPv6 addresses as argument.
domain- Purpose
list specifies option 24. If specified, the client indicates the preferred domain list.
Format
option domain-list [ { parameters } ] [ exec "exec string" ]
Parameters
option domain-list takes a space/line separated list of domain name strings.

Interface keywords
The interface keyword is in the format interface <interface name> [ { option
declaration/s } ].
Table 75. Keyword and description for the interface keywords.

Keywords Descriptions
interface <interface name> [ { option The interface statement takes one or more
declaration/s } ] option declarations as arguments. These options,
specified within interface stanza are specific to
this interface, unlike the options declared outside
of the interface stanza, which apply to all the
interfaces.
interface en1 {
option ia-na {
ia-id 01
renew-time 0x40
rebind-time 0x60
}
option request-option { 3 23 24 }
option user-class {
class ibm
class "userclassA and B"
class "userclassB"
}
option vendor-class {
vendor-id 1234
class "vendorclassA"
class "vendorclassB"
}
option vendor-opts {
vendor-id 2343
option 89 vendoroption89
option 90 vendoroption90
}
option reconf-accept
DHCP relay agent

The /etc/dhcprd.cnf file is the configuration file for the DHCP and BOOTP relay agent. The format of
the file and the allowed directives and keywords are explained here.
The directives are specified in the following format:
<keyword> <value1> ... <valueN>
The presence and values of these parameters are used by the relay agent that is started or restarted.
This set of parameters specifies the log files that will be maintained by this server. Each parameter is
identified by a keyword and followed by its value.

Keyword Value Definition
numLogFiles 0 to n Number of log files. If 0 is
specified, no log file will be
maintained and no log message
is display anywhere. n is the
maximum number of log files
maintained as the size of the
most recent log file reaches its
maximum size and a new log file
is created.
logFileSize In KB Maximum size of a log file. When
the size of the most recent log file
reaches this value, it is renamed
and a new log file is created.
logFileName file path Name of the most recent log file.
Less recent log files have the
number 1 to (n - 1) appended
to their names; the larger the
number, the less recent the file.
logItem One item that will be logged. SYSERR
System error, at the interface
to the platform.
OBJERR
Object error, in between
objects in the process.
PROTERR
Protocol error, between client
and server.
WARNING
Warning, worth of attention
from the user.
EVENT
Event occurred to the
process.
ACTION
Action taken by the process.
INFO
Information that might be
useful.
ACNTING
Who was served when.
TRACE
Code flow, for debugging.
For example, an /etc/dhcprd.cnf file may have the following entries:
numLogFiles 4
logFileSize 1000
logFileName /usr/tmp/dhcprd.log
logItem SYSERR
logItem OBJERR
logItem PROTERR
logItem WARNING
logItem EVENT

logItem ACTION
logItem INFO
logItem ACNTING
logItem TRACE
Keyword Value Definition

relay IPv4, IPv6, or ALL Specifies the mode of packet
relay. If IPv4 is specified, the
relay agent acts only as DHCPv4
relay agent. This is the default
mode of the relay agent.
If IPv6 is specified, the relay
agent acts only as DHCPv6 relay
agent.
If ALL is specified, the relay
agent acts both as DHCPv4 and
DHCPv6 relay agent.
server IP address Specifies the IP address of a

BOOTP or DHCP server. The
packet will be forwarded to the
servers listed in this file.
server6 IPv6 address Specifies the IPv6 address of the
DHCPv6 server. The packet will
be forwarded to the servers listed
here.
option6 <option code> <option data> Specifies the DHCPv6 relay agent
options. The keyword is valid
only if the relay mode is set to
IPv6. The option code value is
specified as a decimal number.
The option data value is specified
as quoted or non-quoted string or
in hexadecimal format (prefixed
with 0x)
single-site Specifies that the device on
which the relay agent is running
belongs to only one site.
Preboot Execution Environment Proxy DHCP daemon

The PXE Proxy DHCP server behaves much like a DHCP server by listening for ordinary DHCP client traffic
and responding to certain client requests. However, unlike the DHCP server, the PXE Proxy DHCP server
does not administer network addresses, and it only responds to clients that identify themselves as PXE
clients.
The responses given by the PXE Proxy DHCP server contain the mechanism by which the client locates
the boot servers or the network addresses and descriptions of the supported, compatible boot servers.
Using a PXE Proxy DHCP server in addition to a DHCP server provides three key features. First, you can
separate the administration of network addresses from the administration of boot images. Using two
different processes on the same system, you can configure the boot information managed by the PXE
Proxy DHCP server without disturbing or requiring access to the DHCP server configuration. Second, you
can define multiple boot servers and let the PXE client select a particular server during boot time. Each
boot server can, for example, offer a different type of operating system or system configuration. Finally,

using the proxy server offers the ability to configure the PXE client to use multicast IP addressing to
discover the location of the compatible boot servers.
The PXE Proxy DHCP server can be configured to run on the same system that is running the DHCP server
or on a different system. Also, it can be configured to run on the same system that is also running the boot
server daemon or on a different system.
PXE Proxy DHCP server components

There are three components of the PXED server.
The PXED server is segmented into three main pieces, a database, a protocol engine, and a set of service
threads, each with its own configuration information.
PXED database
The db_file.dhcpo database is used to generate the options to be sent to the client when the client
send an REQUEST packet.
The options returned by the database depend on the type of server chosen. This is set using the keyword
pxeservertype in the pxed.cnf file.
Using the information in the configuration file, the database is primed and verified for consistency.
PXED protocol engine

The protocol engine uses the database to determine what information should be returned to the client.
The PXED protocol engine is based on Intel Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) Specification Version
2.1 and is still compatible with Intel PXE Specification Version 1.1.
PXED threaded operations

The last piece of the PXED server is actually a set of operations that are used to keep things running. Since
the PXED server is threaded, these operations are actually set up as threads that occasionally do things to
make sure everything is together.
• A SIGTERM (-15) causes the server to gracefully stop.
The other thread processes packets. Depending on the server type, there can one or two threads. One
thread listens on port 67 and the second one listens to port 4011. Each of these can handle a request
from a client.
PXED server configuration

By default, the PXED server is configured by reading the /etc/pxed.cnf file, which specifies the
server's initial database of options and addresses.
The server is started from SMIT, or through SRC commands.
Configuring the PXED server is usually the hardest part of using PXED in your network. First, figure out
what networks you need to have PXE clients on. The following example configures the pxed daemon to
run on the same machine as the DHCP server:
pxeservertype proxy_on_dhcp_server
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
option 6 2 # Disable Multicast boot server discovery
option 8 1 2 9.3.4.5 9.3.4.6 2 1 9.3.149.29
# The above option gives the list of bootservers
option 9 0 "PXE bootstrap server" \

1 "Microsoft Windows NT Boot Server" \
2 "DOS/UNDI Boot Server"
option 10 20 "seconds left before the first item in the boot menu is auto-
selected"
}
}
The suboptions in the vendor container are sent to PXE clients only if the client's IP address is in the
subnet's IP address range (for example, 9.3.149.0 through 9.3.149.255).
The following example configures the pxed daemon to run on a different machine than the DHCP server:
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
option 6 10 # The bootfile name is present in the client's initial pxed
# offer packet.
option 8 1 2 9.3.4.5 9.3.4.6 2 1 9.3.149.29
# The above option gives the list of bootservers
option 9 0 "PXE bootstrap server" \
1 "Microsoft Windows NT Boot Server" \
2 "DOS/UNDI Boot Server"
option 10 20 "seconds left before the first item in the boot menu is auto-
selected"
bootstrapserver 9.3.148.65
pxebootfile 1 2 1 window.one
pxebootfile 2 2 1 linux.one
pxebootfile 1 2 1 hello.one
client 6 10005a8ad14d any
{
pxebootfile 1 2 1 aix.one
pxebootfile 2 2 1 window.one
}
}
Vendor pxeserver
{
option 7 224.234.202.202
}
The pxeservertype keyword is not set in the configuration file so the default value is taken, which
is pdhcp_only, meaning the PXED server is running on a different machine than the DHCP server.
Given this configuration, the PXED server listens on two ports (67 and 4011) for clients' BINLD REQUEST/
INFORM packets. The option 7 is sent to the BINLD server when the PXED server receives a REQUEST/
INFORM packet on port 67 from BINLD and option 60 is set to PXED server.
The db_file database clause indicates which database method to use for processing this part of the
configuration file. Comments begin with a pound sign (#). From the # to the end of the line are ignored
by the PXED server. Each option line is used by the server to tell the client what to do. “PXE vendor
container suboptions” on page 302 describes the currently supported and known options. See “PXED
PXED configuration file

The configuration file has an address section and an option definition section, which are based on the
concept of containers that hold options, modifiers, and, potentially, other containers.

PXED containers
The example in PXED server configuration shows a subnet container. Its identifying key is the client's
position in the network. If the client is from that network, then it falls into that container.
determine which subnet the client came from.
• The client container uses the option 61 (Client Identifier) for PXE clients and the chaddr field in the
Except for subnets, each container allows the specification of the value that it will match including regular
There is also an implicit container, the global container. Options and modifiers in the global container
apply to all containers unless overridden or denied. Most containers can be placed inside other containers
implying a scope of visibility. Containers might or might not have address ranges associated with them.
Subnets, by their nature, have ranges associated with them.
The basic rules for containers and subcontainers are as follows:
• Subnets can never be placed inside other containers.
option that allows all classes that start with the letter "a." This is illegal.)
Subnet 1
--Class 1
--Client 1
Subnet 2
--Class 1
----Vendor 1
----Client 1
--Client 1
The above example shows two subnets, Subnet 1 and Subnet 2. There is one class name, Class 1,
one vendor name, Vendor 1, and one client name, Client 1. Class 1 and Client 1 are defined in
override previous values unless an option deny is present in the container. Also, since Class 1 and

PXED addresses and address ranges

Any container type can have associated addresses ranges; subnets must have them. Each range within a
container must be a subset of the parent container's range and must not overlap with other containers'
ranges.
For example, if a class is defined within a subnet and the class has a range, the range must be a subset of
the subnet's range. Also, the range within that class container cannot overlap with any other ranges at its
level.
Ranges can be expressed on the container line and modified by range and exclude statements to allow for
disjoint address sets associated with a container. So, if you have the top ten addresses and the second ten
addresses of a subnet available, the subnet could specify these addresses by range in the subnet clause
ranges.
After an address has been selected, any subsequent container in the list that contains address ranges
is removed from the list along with its children. The reason for this is that network-specific options in
removed containers are not valid if an address is not used from within that container.
PXED configuration file options

PXED logging
logging_info.
When learning to configure PXED, it is advisable to turn logging to its highest level. Also, it is best to
specify the logging configuration prior to any other configuration file data to ensure that configuration
errors are logged after the logging subsystem is initialized. Use the logitem keyword to turn on a logging
level or remove the logitem keyword to disable a logging level. Other keywords for logging allow the
specification of the log filename, file size, and the number of rotating log files.
PXED performance considerations

file have an effect on the memory use and performance of the PXED server.

any options are repeated at the client level within the configuration file and, if so, determine whether
these options can be specified in the parent container and shared by the set of clients as a whole.
processing of every PXE client's message. Appending a line to the log file can be an expensive operation;
therefore, limiting the amount of logging improves the performance of the PXED server. When an error
with the PXED server is suspected, logging can be dynamically re-enabled using the SRC traceson
command.
PXE vendor container suboptions

When supporting a PXE client, the DHCP server passes the following option to the BINLD server that
BINLD uses to configure itself:

6 Decimal number Yes PXE_DISCOVERY_CONTROL. Limit 0-16.
This is a bit field. Bit 0 is the least significant
bit.
bit 0
If set, disables broadcast discovery.
bit 1
If set, disables multicast discovery.
bit 2
If set, only uses/accepts servers in
PXE_BOOT_ SERVERS.
bit 3
If set, and a bootfile name is present in
the initial PXED offer packet, downloads
the bootfile (does not prompt/menu/
discover boot server).
bit 4-7
Must be 0. If this option is not supplied
then client assumes all bits to be equal
to 0.
7 One dotted quad Yes Multicast IP address. Boot server discovery

multicast IP address. Boot servers capable
of multicast discovery must listen on this
multicast address. This option is required
if the multicast discovery disable bit (bit 1)
in the PXE_DISCOVERY_ CONTROL option is
not set.

8 Boot server Yes PXE_BOOT_SERVERS IP address count
type(0-65535) (0-256)
Type 0
Miscrosoft Windows IP address...IP
address NT Boot Server Boot server type
IP address
Type 1
Intel LCM Boot Server count IP
address ...
Type 3
DOS/UNDI Boot Server IP address
Type 4
NEC ESMPRO Boot Server
Type 5
IBM WSoD Boot Server
Type 6
IBM LCCM Boot Server
Type 7
CA Unicenter TNG Boot Server.
Type 8
HP OpenView Boot Server.
Type 9 through 32767
Reserved
Type 32768 through 65534
Vendor use
Type 65535
PXE API Test Server.
If IP address count is zero for a server type
then the client may accept offers from any
boot server of that type. Boot Servers do not
respond to discovery requests of types they
do not support.
9 Boot server type Yes PXE_BOOT_MENU "description" Boot server

(0-65535) boot "order" is implicit in the type.
"description"...menu order.
10 Timeout in seconds Yes PXE_MENU_PROMPT "prompt" The timeout
(0-255) is the number of seconds to wait before
auto- selecting the first boot menu item.
On the client system, the prompt is
displayed followed by the number of
seconds remaining before the first item in
the boot menu is auto-selected. If the F8
key is pressed on the client system, then a
menu is displayed. If this option is provided
to the client, then the menu is displayed
without prompt and timeout. If the timeout
is 0, then the first item in the menu is
auto-selected. If the timeout is 255, the
menu and prompt is displayed without auto-
selecting or timeout.

PXED server file syntax for general server operation
The PXED server file keywords of the DHCPv6 server described here are for general server operation.
Their forms, subcontainers, default values, and meanings are identified.
Keyword Form Subcontainers? Default Value Meaning

database database db type Yes None The primary container
that holds the definitions
for the address pools,
options, and client access
statements. db type is the
name of a module that
is loaded to process this
part of the file. The only
value currently available is
db_file.
logging_info logging_info Yes None The primary logging
container that defines the
logging parameters.
logitem logitem NONE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
enabled. Multiple lines are allowed
logitem logitem SYSERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem OBJERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PROTOCOL No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PROTERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem WARN No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem WARNING No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem CONFIG No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem EVENT No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PARSEERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem ACTION No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem ACNTING No All default to not Enables the logging level.

logitem logitem STAT No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem TRACE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem RTRACE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem START No All default to not Enables the logging level.
numLogFiles numLogFiles n No 0 Specifies the number of
log files to create. The log
rotates when the first one
fills. n is the number of
files to create.
logFileSize logFileSize n No 0 Specifies the size of each
log file in 1024-byte units.
logFileName logFileName path No None Specifies the path to the
first log file. The original
log file is named filename
or filename.extension. The
filename must be eight
or fewer characters. When
a file is rotated, it
is renamed beginning
with the base filename,
then either appending
a number or replacing
the extension with a
number. For example, if
the original file name is
file, the rotated file
name becomes file01.
If the original file name
is file.log, it becomes
file.01.
pxeservertype pxeservertype No dhcp_only Indicates the type of
servertype dhcpsd server it is.
servertype can be
proxy_on_dhcp_serve
r, which means that PXED
is running on the same
machine as the DHCP
server and it is listening
for PXE client requests on
port 4011 only, or the
default value of
pdhcp_only, which
means the PXED is
running on a separate
machine and it has to
listen for client packets on
port 67 and 4011.

PXED server file syntax for db_file database
The PXED server file syntax for the db_file database is described here. Forms, subcontainers, default
values, and meanings are identified.
Note:
supportBootp keywork in both containers.
decimal_number-data

subnet subnet default Yes None Specifies a subnet that
does not have any range.
The subnet is used by
the server only when it
is responding to INFORM
packet from the client.
subnet subnet subnet id Specifies a subnet and
netmask a pool of addresses. All
addresses are assumed
to be in the pool unless
a range is specified on
the line or addresses
are modified later in the
container by a range or
exclude statement. The
optional range is a pair
of IP addresses in dotted
be specified. These are
used by virtual subnets
to identify and order the
subnets in the virtual
subnet. The label and
priority are separated by
a colon. These containers
are only allowed at
container level.

netmask range a pool of addresses. All
addresses are assumed
are only allowed at
container level.
subnet subnet subnet Specifies a subnet and
id netmask a pool of addresses. All
label:priority addresses are assumed
are only allowed at
container level.

netmask range a pool of addresses. All
label:priority addresses are assumed
are only allowed at
container level.
subnet subnet subnet id Yes None Specifies a subnet that
range goes within a network
container. It defines a
range of addresses that
is the whole subnet
unless the optional range
part is specified. The
netmask associated with
the subnet is taken from
the surrounding network
container.
deprecated in favor of the
other subnet forms.

option option number No None Specifies an option to
data ... send to a client or, in the
case of deny, an option to
prevent from being sent
to the client. The optional
* deny clause means all
options not specified in
the current container are
not to be returned to the
client. option numberdeny
only denies the specified
data is specific to the
option (see above) or
can be specified as a
quoted string (indicating
ASCII text) or 0xhexdigits
or hex"hexdigits" or hex
"hexdigits". If the option
is in a vendor container,
the option will be
encapsulated with other
options in an option 43.
option option numberdeny No None Specifies an option to
send to a client or, in the
the option will be

option option * deny No None Specifies an option to
send to a client or, in the
the option will be
exclude exclude an IP No None Modifies the range on the
address container in which the
exclude statement is in.
The exclude statement is
not valid in the global or
database container levels.
The exclude statement
removes the specified
address or range from
the current range on the
container. The exclude
statement allows you
to create noncontiguous
ranges for subnets or
other containers.
exclude exclude No None Modifies the range on the
dotted_quad- container in which the
dotted_quad exclude statement is in.
The exclude statement is
The exclude statement
removes the specified
address or range from
the current range on the
container. The exclude
statement allows you
to create noncontiguous
ranges for subnets or
other containers.

range range IP_address No None Modifies the range on the
container in which the
range statement is in.
The range statement is
If the range is the first
in the container that does
not specify a range on
the container definition
line, then the range for
the container becomes
the range specified by
Any range statement
after the first range
or all range statements
the range statement, a
single address or set of
addresses can be added
to the range. The range
must fit inside the subnet
range range dotted_quad- No None Modifies the range on the
dotted_quad container in which the
range statement is in.
The range statement is
If the range is the first
not specify a range on
the container definition
line, then the range for
the container becomes
the range specified by
Any range statement
after the first range
or all range statements
the range statement, a
single address or set of
addresses can be added
to the range. The range

client client hwtype Yes None Specifies a client
hwaddr NONE container that denies
the client specified by
the hwaddr and hwtype
from getting an address.
If hwtype is 0, then
hwaddr is an ASCII string.
Otherwise, hwtype is the
hardware type for the
client and hwaddr is the
hardware address of the
client. If the hwaddr is
a string, then quotes
are accepted around the
string. If the hwaddr is
a hexstring, then the
address may be specified
by 0xhexdigits or hex
multiple clients.
hwaddr ANY container that denies
multiple clients.

hwaddr dotted_quad container that denies
multiple clients.
hwaddr range container that denies
multiple clients.

class class string Yes None Specifies a class container
with name string. String
can be quoted or not.
If quoted, the quotes
are removed before
comparison. Quotes are
required for strings with
spaces or tabs. This
container is valid at any
level. A range can be
supplied to indicate a
set of addresses to hand
out to a client with
this class. The range is
quad IP address or two
dotted quad IP addresses
separated by a dash.
class class string range Yes None Specifies a class container
with name string. String
can be quoted or not.
If quoted, the quotes
are removed before
comparison. Quotes are
required for strings with
spaces or tabs. This
container is valid at any
level. A range can be
supplied to indicate a
set of addresses to hand
out to a client with
this class. The range is

network network network id Yes None Specifies a network ID
netmask using class information
(for example, 9.3.149.0
with a netmask of
255.255.255.0 would
be network 9.0.0.0
255.255.255.0). This
version of the network
container is used to hold
network ID and netmask.
When a range is provided,
all the addresses in
the range are in the
pool. The range must
be in the network ID's
network. This uses class
full addressing. This is
only valid in the global or
database container level.
Note: The network
keyword is deprecated
in favor of the subnet
container.

using class information
with a netmask of
255.255.255.0 would
be network 9.0.0.0
255.255.255.0). This
Note: The network
container.

range using class information
with a netmask of
255.255.255.0 would
be network 9.0.0.0
255.255.255.0). This
Note: The network
container.

vendor vendor vendor_id Yes None Specifies a vendor
container. Vendor
containers are used to
return option 43 to the
client. The vendor id may
be specified in a quoted
string or a binary string
in the form 0xhexdigits
or hex"digits". An optional
range may be placed
after the vendor id.
The range is specified
as two dotted quads
After the optional range,
an optional hexstring
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
first part of the option
43. If options are in
the container, they are
appended to the option
43 data. After all options
are processed an End
Of Option List Option is
appended to the data.
To return options outside
of an option 43, use a
regular expression client
that matches all clients
to specify normal options
to return based on the
vendor ID.

vendor vendor vendor_id Specifies a vendor
hex"" container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

hex "" container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

0xdata container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

vendor vendor vendor_id "" Specifies a vendor
container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

range container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

range hex"" container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

range hex "" container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

range 0xdata container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

range "" container. Vendor
range may be placed
as two dotted quads
or ASCII string can
be specified as the
vendor ID.

option_data to be matched against
option specified by the
client. number specifies
the option number.
option_data specifies the
key to match for this
container to be selected
during address and option
selection for the client.
option_data is specified in
expected form — quoted
string, IP address, integer
a hexadecimal string of
bytes if preceded by the
characters 0x. For options
that are not well known to
the server, a hexadecimal
fashion. Additionally, the
option_data can indicate
a regular expression to
be compared against the
string representation of
the client's option data.
Regular expressions are
specified in a quoted
string beginning "!
(double quote followed
by an exclamation mark).
The string form of
options not well known
to the server will be
bytes NOT preceded with
the characters 0x.

option_data range to be matched against
option specified by the
client. number specifies
the option number.
option_data specifies the
key to match for this
container to be selected
during address and option
selection for the client.
option_data is specified in
expected form — quoted
string, IP address, integer
bytes if preceded by the
characters 0x. For options
that are not well known to
the server, a hexadecimal
fashion. Additionally, the
option_data can indicate
string representation of
the client's option data.
Regular expressions are
specified in a quoted
string beginning "!
(double quote followed
by an exclamation mark).
The string form of
options not well known
to the server will be
bytes NOT preceded with
the characters 0x.

virtual virtual fill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
with a policy. fill means
use all addresses in the
rotate means select
an address from the
each request. sfill and
srotate are the same
as fill and rotate,
but a search is done to
see if the client matches
containers, vendors, or
classes in the subnet. If
a match is found that
can supply an address,
the address is taken from
that container instead of
following the policy. There
can be as many IDs
as needed. id is either
the subnet ID from the
subnet definition or the
label from the subnet
multiple subnets with the
same subnet id.

virtual virtual sfill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
rotate means select
an address from the
as fill and rotate,
can be as many IDs
same subnet id.

virtual virtual rotate id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
rotate means select
an address from the
as fill and rotate,
can be as many IDs
same subnet id.

virtual virtual srotate id No None Specifies a virtual subnet
id ... with a policy. fill means
rotate means select
an address from the
as fill and rotate,
can be as many IDs
same subnet id.
inorder: inorder: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
with a policy of fill,
which means use all
addresses in the container
before going to the next
container. There can be
as many IDs as needed.
id is either the subnet ID
from the subnet definition
or the label from the
subnet definition. The
label is required if there
are multiple subnets with
the same subnet ID.

balance: balance: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
with a policy of rotate,
which means use the
next address in the next
container. There can be
as many IDs as needed.
id is either the subnet ID
from the subnet definition
or the label from the
subnet definition. The
label is required if there
are multiple subnets with
the same subnet ID.
bootstrapserv bootstrapserver IP No None Specifies the server
er address clients should use from
which to TFTP files after
receiving BOOTP or DHCP
packets. This value fills
in the siaddr field in the
packet. This is valid at any
container level.
giaddrfield giaddrfield IP No None Specifies the giaddrfield
address for response packets.
Note: This specification is
illegal in the BOOTP and
DHCP protocols, but some
clients require the giaddr
field to be the default
gateway for the network.
Because of this potential
conflict, giaddrfield
should only be used
within a client container,
although it can work at
any level.
bootfile bootfile path No None Specifies the bootfile to

use in the file section
of the response packet.
This can be specified
The bootfile policy defines
how items specified
the incoming packet
interact with the bootfile
and the home directory
statements.

pxebootfile pxebootfile No None Specifies the bootfile to
System Arch be given to a client.
MajorVer MinorVer The config file parser
Bootfilename generates an error if the
number of parameters
after the keyword is less
than 4 and ignore if more
than 4. This keyword
can be used only in a
container.
For details about other options, see “DHCP server file known options” on page 200 and “Preboot
execution environment vendor container suboption” on page 203.
Boot Image Negotiation Layer daemon

The Boot Image Negotiation Layer daemon (BINLD) server is the third stage of contact for preboot
execution environment (PXE) clients.
After communicating with the DHCP server to obtain an IP address, and after communication with the
PXE Proxy DHCP server to obtain the location of the boot server, the boot server is contacted to get the
filename and location from which to download the boot image. The PXE client can return to communicate
with the boot server multiple times in the course of booting if the client requires multiple files in its boot
process.
The final stage in the PXE network boot is to download the boot image given by the boot server. The
location of the TFTP server and the filename that is to be downloaded is given by the boot server to the
PXE client.
BINLD server components

The three main components of the BINLD server are introduced here.
The BINLD server is segmented into three main pieces: a database, a protocol engine, and a set of service
threads, each with its own configuration information.
BINLD database
The db_file.dhcpo database is used to generate the options that respond to a client's REQUEST
packet.
The options returned by the database depend on the type of server chosen. Options are set using the
keyword pxeservertype in the binld.cnf file.
Using the information in the configuration file, the database is primed and verified for consistency.
BINLD protocol engine

The protocol engine uses the database to determine what information should be returned to the client.
The PXED protocol engine is based on the Intel Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) Specification
Version 2.1, but is still compatible with Intel PXE Specification Version 1.1.
BINLD threaded operations

The last piece of the BINLD server is actually a set of operations that are used to keep things running.
Because the BINLD server is threaded, these operations are actually set up as threads that occasionally

• A SIGTERM (-15) causes the server to gracefully stop.
The other thread processes packets. Depending on the server type, there can one or two threads. One
thread listens on port 67 and the second to port 4011. Each can handle a request from a client.
BINLD configuration
By default, the BINLD server is configured by reading the /etc/binld.cnf file, which specifies the
server's initial database of options and addresses.
The server is started from SMIT, or through SRC commands.
Configuring the BINLD server is usually the hardest part of using BINLD in your network. First, figure out
what networks you need to have PXE clients on. The following example configures a BINLD server to run
on the same machine as the DHCP server:
pxeservertype binld_on_dhcp_server
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
bootstrapserver 9.3.149.6 #TFTP server IP address
pxebootfile 1 2 1 window.one 1 0
pxebootfile 2 2 1 linux.one 2 3
pxebootfile 1 2 1 hello.one 3 4
{
pxebootfile 1 2 1 aix.one 5 6
}
}
}
Given the above configuration, the BINLD server listens for client's unicast packets on port 4011 and
Multicast packets on port 4011 if BINLD gets the Multicast Address from the dhcpsd/pxed. The BINLD
server responds to client REQUEST/INFORM packets with the bootfile name and TFTP server's IP
address. If BINLD does not find the bootfile with a matching Layer specified by the client, then it tries to
find a bootfile for the next layer. The BINLD does not respond when there is no boot file that matches the
client requirements (Type, SystemArch, MajorVers, MinorVers, and Layer).
The following example configures BINLD to run on a separate machine (that is, DHCP / PXED is not
running on the same machine).
subnet 9.3.149.0 255.255.255.0

{
vendor pxe
{
bootstrapserver 9.3.149.6 # TFTP server ip address.

{
}
}
}
In the above example, the pxeservertype is not set, so the default server type is binld_only. The BINLD
server listens for client's unicast packets on port 4011, broadcast & unicast packets on port 67, and
Multicast packets on port 4011 if BINLD gets the Multicast Address from the dhcpsd/pxed. The bootfile
name and TFTP server IP address is sent to a PXE client only if the client's IP address is in the subnet's IP
address range (9.3.149.0 through 9.3.149.255).
The following example configures BINLD to run on the same machine as the PXED server:

pxeservertype binld_on_proxy_server
subnet default
{
vendor
{
bootstrapserver 9.3.149.6 # TFTP server ip address.
{
}
}
}
In this configuration, the BINLD server only listens on port 4011 for Multicast packets only if BINLD gets
Multicast address from the dhcpsd/pxed. If it does not receive any multicast address, then BINLD exits
and an error message is logged to the log file.
The database db_file clause indicates which database method to use for processing this part of the
configuration file. Comments begin with a pound sign (#). From the # to the end of the line are ignored
by the PXED server. Each option line is used by the server to tell the client what to do. “PXE vendor
container suboptions” on page 302 describes the currently supported and known suboptions. See “BINLD
BINLD configuration file

The configuration file has an address section and an option definition section, which are based on the
concept of containers that hold options, modifiers, and, potentially, other containers.
BINLD containers
The last example in BINLD configuration shows a subnet container. Its identifying key is the client's
position in the network. If the client is from that network, then it falls into that container.
determine which subnet the client came from.
• The client container uses the option 61 (Client Identifier) for PXED clients and the chaddr field in the
Except for subnets, each container allows the specification of the value that it matches, including regular
There is also an implicit container, the global container. Options and modifiers placed in the global
container apply to all containers unless overridden or denied. Most containers can be placed inside other
containers implying a scope of visibility. Containers may or may not have address ranges associated with
them. Subnets, by their nature, have ranges associated with them.
The basic rules for containers and subcontainers are as follows:

• Subnets can never be placed inside other containers.
option that allows all classes that start with the letter "a". This is illegal.)
Subnet 1
--Class 1
--Client 1
Subnet 2
--Class 1
----Vendor 1
----Client 1
--Client 1
them may be different. If Client 1 sends a message to the DHCP server from Subnet 1 with Class 1
override previous values unless an option deny is present in the container. Also, since Class 1 and
BINLD addresses and address ranges

Any container type may have associated addresses ranges; subnets must have an associated address
range.
Each range within a container must be a subset of the parent container's range and must not overlap with
other containers' ranges. For example, if a class is defined within a subnet and the class has a range, the
range must be a subset of the subnet's range. Also, the range within that class container cannot overlap
with any other ranges at its level.

Ranges can be expressed on the container line and modified by range and exclude statements to allow for
disjoint address sets associated with a container. So, if you have the top ten addresses and the second ten
addresses of a subnet available, the subnet could specify these addresses by range in the subnet clause
ranges.
Once an address has been selected, any subsequent container in the list that contains address ranges
is removed from the list along with its children. The reason for this is that network-specific options in
removed containers are not valid if an address is not used from within that container.
BINLD configuration file options

BINLD logging
logging_info.
When learning to configure PXED, it is advisable to turn logging to its highest level. Also, it is best to
specify the logging configuration prior to any other configuration file data to ensure that configuration
errors are logged after the logging subsystem is initialized. Use the logitem keyword to turn on a logging
level or remove the logitem keyword to disable a logging level. Other keywords for logging allow the
specification of the log filename, file size, and the number of rotating log files.
BINLD performance considerations

file have an effect on the memory use and performance of the PXED server.
any options are repeated at the client level within the configuration file and, if so, determine whether
these options can be specified in the parent container and shared by the set of clients as a whole.
processing of every PXE client's message. Appending a line to the log file can be an expensive operation;
therefore, limiting the amount of logging improves the performance of the PXED server. When an error
with the PXED server is suspected, logging can be dynamically re-enabled using the SRC traceson
command.
BINLD server file syntax for general server operation

The BINLD server file syntax for general server operation is described here. Forms, subcontainers, default

database database db type Yes None The primary container that
holds the definitions for the
address pools, options, and
client access statements. db
type is the name of a module
that is loaded to process this
part of the file. The only
value currently available is
db_file.
logging_info logging_info Yes None The primary logging container
that defines the logging
parameters.
logitem logitem NONE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
enabled. Multiple lines are allowed.
logitem logitem SYSERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem OBJERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PROTOCOL No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PROTERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem WARN No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem WARNING No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem CONFIG No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem EVENT No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem PARSEERR No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem ACTION No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem ACNTING No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem STAT No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem TRACE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem RTRACE No All default to not Enables the logging level.
logitem logitem START No All default to not Enables the logging level.

numLogFiles numLogFiles n No 0 Specifies the number of log
files to create. The log rotates
when the first one fills. n is
the number of files to create.
logFileSize logFileSize n No 0 Specifies the size of each log
file in 1024-byte units.
logFileName logFileName path No None Specifies the path to the
first log file. The original
log file is named filename
or filename.extension. When
a file is rotated, it is
renamed beginning with the
base filename, then either
appending a number or
replacing the extension with
a number. For example, if the
original file name is file, the
rotated file name becomes
file01. If the original
file name is file.log, it
becomes file.01.
pxeservertype pxeservertype No dhcp_only Indicate the type of dhcpsd
servertype server it is. servertype can
be one of the following
binld_on_dhcp_server
This means that BINLD is
running on the same machine
as DHCP server and it
is listening for PXE Client
request on port 4011 and
Multicast address if received
from the DHCP / PXED.
binld_on_proxy_server
This means that BINLD is
running on the same machine
as PXED server and it is
listening for PXE Client's
request on Multicast address
if received from the DHCP /
PXED. The default value is
binld_only, which means
the BINLD is running on a
separate machine and it has
to listen for client's packets
on port 67 , 4011 and
Multicast address if received
from the DHCP / PXED.

dhcp_or_proxy dhcp_or_proxy_addres No None This gives the IP address of
_address s IP address dhcp or pxed server to which
the BINLD server can send
an Unicast packet of type
REQUEST/INFORM to receive
the Multicast Address. This
keyword is defined only when
the dhcp or pxed are on a
different subnet than BINLD.
BINLD server file syntax for db_file database

The BINLD server file syntax for the db_file database is described here. Forms, subcontainers, default
Note:
supportBootp keyword in both containers.
decimal_number-data

subnet subnet default Yes None Specifies a subnet that does
not have any range. The
subnet is used by a server
only when it is responding
to INFORM packet from the
client and the client's address
does not have another
matching subnet container.

subnet subnet subnet id Yes None Specifies a subnet and a pool
netmask of addresses. All addresses
are assumed to be in the
pool unless a range is
specified on the line or
addresses are modified later
in the container by a range
or exclude statement. The
quad format separated by
a dash. An optional label
and priority can be specified.
These are used by virtual
subnets to identify and order
the subnets in the virtual
subnet. The label and priority
are separated by a colon.
These containers are only
allowed at the global or
netmask range of addresses. All addresses

netmask label:priority of addresses. All addresses
subnet subnet subnet id Specifies a subnet and a pool
netmask range of addresses. All addresses
label:priority are assumed to be in the

subnet subnet subnet id range Yes None Specifies a subnet that goes
within a network container. It
defines a range of addresses
that is the whole subnet
unless the optional range part
is specified. The netmask
associated with the subnet is
taken from the surrounding
network container.
deprecated in favor of the
other subnet forms
option option number data ... No None Specifies an option to send

to a client or, in the case of
deny, an option to prevent
from being sent to the
client. The option * deny
clause means all options
not specified in the current
container are not to be
returned to the client. option
numberdeny only denies the
specified option. number is an
unsigned 8-bit integer. data
is specific to the option (see
above) or can be specified
as a quoted string (indicating
"hexdigits". If the option is in
a vendor container, the option
will be encapsulated with
other options in an option 43.

option option numberdeny No None Specifies an option to send
option option * deny No None Specifies an option to send

exclude exclude an IP address No None Modifies the range on the
container in which the
exclude statement is in. The
exclude statement is not valid
in the global or database
container levels. The exclude
statement removes the
specified address or range
from the current range
on the container. The
exclude statement allows
you to create noncontiguous
ranges for subnets or other
containers.
exclude exclude dotted_quad- No None Modifies the range on the
dotted_quad container in which the
exclude statement is in. The
exclude statement is not valid
in the global or database
container levels. The exclude
statement removes the
specified address or range
from the current range
on the container. The
exclude statement allows
you to create noncontiguous
ranges for subnets or other
containers.
range range IP_address No None Modifies the range on the
container in which the range
statement is in. The range
statement is not valid in the
global or database container
levels. If the range is the first
not specify a range on the
container definition line, then
the range for the container
becomes the range specified
by the range statement.
Any range statement after
the first range or all range
statements for a containers
that specifies ranges in its
definition are added to the
current range. With the range
statement, a single address
or set of addresses can be
added to the range. The range

range range dotted_quad- No None Modifies the range on the
dotted_quad container in which the range
statement is in. The range
statement is not valid in the
global or database container
levels. If the range is the first
not specify a range on the
container definition line, then
the range for the container
becomes the range specified
by the range statement.
Any range statement after
the first range or all range
statements for a containers
that specifies ranges in its
definition are added to the
current range. With the range
statement, a single address
or set of addresses can be
added to the range. The range
client client hwtype hwaddr Specifies a client container
NONE that denies the client
specified by the hwaddr
and hwtype from getting an
address. If hwtype is 0,
then hwaddr is an ASCII
string. Otherwise, hwtype is
the hardware type for the
a string, then quotes are
accepted around the string.
If the hwaddr is a hexstring,
then the address may be
specified by 0xhexdigits or
hex digits. range allows
the client specified by the
hwaddr and hwtype to get an
address in the range. Must be
regular expressions to match
multiple clients.

ANY that denies the client
multiple clients.
dotted_quad that denies the client
multiple clients.

range that denies the client
multiple clients.
class class string Yes None Specifies a class container
with name string. String can
be quoted or not. If quoted,
the quotes are removed
before comparison. Quotes
are required for strings with
spaces or tabs. This container
is valid at any level. A range
can be supplied to indicate a
set of addresses to hand out
to a client with this class. The
range is either a single dotted
class class string range Yes None Specifies a class container
with name string. String can
be quoted or not. If quoted,
the quotes are removed
before comparison. Quotes
are required for strings with
spaces or tabs. This container
is valid at any level. A range
can be supplied to indicate a
set of addresses to hand out
to a client with this class. The
range is either a single dotted

netmask using class information (for
example, 9.3.149.0 with a
netmask of 255.255.255.0
would be network 9.0.0.0
255.255.255.0). This version
of the network container is
used to hold subnets with
the same network ID and
netmask. When a range is
provided, all the addresses in
the range are in the pool. The
range must be in the network
ID's network. This uses class
full addressing. This is only
valid in the global or database
container level.
Note: The network keyword
is deprecated in favor of the
subnet container.

using class information (for
netmask of 255.255.255.0
255.255.255.0). This version
container level.
subnet container.

network network network id Specifies a network ID
range using class information (for
netmask of 255.255.255.0
255.255.255.0). This version
container level.
subnet container.
vendor vendor vendor_id Yes None Specifies a vendor container.

Vendor containers are used
to return option 43 to the
client. The vendor id may be
specified in a quoted string
or a binary string in the form
0xhexdigits or hex"digits". An
optional range may be placed
after the vendor id. The range
is specified as two dotted
quads separated by a dash.
After the optional range, an
optional hexstring or ASCII
string can be specified as
the first part of the option
43. If options are in the
container, they are appended
to the option 43 data. After
all options are processed an
End Of Option List Option
is appended to the data.
regular expression client that
matches all clients to specify
normal options to return
based on the vendor ID. pxe
after the keyword vendor
will create a vendor container
for PXEClient. pxeserver
for PXEServer.

hex"" Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

vendor vendor vendor_id hex Yes None Specifies a vendor container.
"" Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

0xdata Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

vendor vendor vendor_id "" Yes None Specifies a vendor container.
for PXEServer.

range Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

range hex"" Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

range hex "" Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

range 0xdata Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

range "" Vendor containers are used
for PXEServer.

vendor vendor pxe Yes None Specifies a vendor container.
for PXEServer.

vendor vendor pxeserver Yes None Specifies a vendor container.
for PXEServer.

inoption inoption number Yes None Specifies a container to be
option_data matched against any arbitrary
incoming option specified
by the client. number
specifies the option number.
option_data specifies the key
to match for this container
to be selected during address
and option selection for
the client. option_data is
specified in expected form
— quoted string, IP address,
integer value — for well
known options, or it can
be optionally specified as a
hexadecimal string of bytes
if preceded by the characters
0x. For options that are not
well known to the server, a
can be specified in the
same fashion. Additionally,
the option_data can indicate
string representation of the
client's option data. Regular
expressions are specified in
a quoted string beginning "!
(double quote followed by
an exclamation mark). The
string form of options not
well known to the server will
be a hexadecimal string of
bytes NOT preceded with the
characters 0x.

inoption inoption number Yes None Specifies a container to be
option_data range matched against any arbitrary
incoming option specified
by the client. number
specifies the option number.
option_data specifies the key
to match for this container
to be selected during address
and option selection for
the client. option_data is
specified in expected form
— quoted string, IP address,
integer value — for well
known options, or it can
be optionally specified as a
if preceded by the characters
0x. For options that are not
well known to the server, a
can be specified in the
same fashion. Additionally,
the option_data can indicate
string representation of the
client's option data. Regular
expressions are specified in
a quoted string beginning "!
(double quote followed by
an exclamation mark). The
string form of options not
well known to the server will
be a hexadecimal string of
bytes NOT preceded with the
characters 0x.

virtual virtual fill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
container before going to
the next container. rotate
means select an address
from the next pool in the
list on each request. sfill
and srotate are the same
as fill and rotate, but a
search is done to see if the
client matches containers,
vendors, or classes in the
subnet. If a match is found
that can supply an address,
the address is taken from that
container instead of following
the policy. There can be as
many IDs as needed. id is
either the subnet ID from the
subnet definition or the label
from the subnet definition.
The label is required if there
are multiple subnets with the
same subnet id.
virtual virtual sfill id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
same subnet id.

virtual virtual rotate id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
same subnet id.
virtual virtual srotate id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
same subnet id.

virtual No None Specifies a virtual subnet
same subnet id.
inorder: inorder: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
with a policy of fill, which
means use all addresses in
the container before going
to the next container. There
can be as many IDs as
needed. id is either the
subnet ID from the subnet
definition or the label from
the subnet definition. The
label is required if there are
same subnet ID.
balance: balance: id id ... No None Specifies a virtual subnet
with a policy of rotate, which
means use the next address
in the next container. There
can be as many IDs as
needed. id is either the
subnet ID from the subnet
definition or the label from
the subnet definition. The
label is required if there are
same subnet ID.

bootstrapserver bootstrapserver IP No None Specifies the server clients
address should use from which to
TFTP files after receiving
BOOTP or DHCP packets. This
value fills in the siaddr field
in the packet. This is valid at
any container level.
giaddrfield giaddrfield IP address No None Specifies the giaddrfield for
response packets.
Note: This specification is
illegal in the BOOTP and
DHCP protocols, but some
clients require the giaddr
field to be the default
gateway for the network.
Because of this potential
conflict, giaddrfield should
only be used within a client
container, although it can
work at any level.
bootfile bootfile path No None Specifies the bootfile to use

in the file section of the
response packet. This can
be specified at any container
level. The bootfile policy
defines how items specified
in the file section of the
incoming packet interact with
the bootfile and the home
pxebootfile pxebootfile No None Specifies the bootfile to be
SystemArch MajorVer given to a PXEClient. The
MinorVer Bootfilename config file parser generates
Type Layer an error if the number of
parameters after the keyword
is less than 4 , ignore if more
than 7 and if 4 are there
then it assume the value for
Type = 0 and Layer = 0. This
keyword can be used only in a
container.
For details about other options, see “DHCP server file known options” on page 200 and “PXE vendor
container suboptions” on page 302.
TCP/IP daemons
Daemons (also known as servers) are processes that run continuously in the background and perform
functions required by other processes. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
provides daemons for implementing certain functions in the operating system.
These daemons are background processes that run without interrupting other processes (unless that is
part of the daemon function).

Daemons are invoked by commands at the system management level, by other daemons, or by shell
scripts. You can also control daemons with the inetd daemon, the rc.tcpip shell script, and the
System Resource Controller (SRC).
Subsystems and subservers

A subsystem is a daemon, or server, that is controlled by the SRC. A subserver is a daemon that is
controlled by a subsystem. (Daemon commands and daemon names are usually denoted by a d at the end
of the name.)
The categories of subsystem and subserver are mutually exclusive. That is, daemons are not listed as
both a subsystem and as a subserver. The only TCP/IP subsystem that controls other daemons is the
inetd daemon. All TCP/IP subservers are also inetd subservers.
For a list of the TCP/IP daemons, see “TCP/IP daemons” on page 444.
System Resource Control

Among other functions, SRC allows you to start daemons, stop them, and trace their activity. In addition,
SRC provides the ability to group daemons into subsystems and subservers.
System Resource Control is a tool designed to aid you in controlling daemons. SRC allows control beyond
the flags and parameters available with each daemon command.
See the System Resource Controller in Operating system and device management for more information
concerning the System Resource Controller.
For a list of the SRC commands, see “SRC commands” on page 441.
Configuring the inetd daemon

Use these steps to configure the TCP/IP inetd daemon.
To configure the inetd daemon:
1. Specify which subservers it will be invoked by adding an inetd daemon.
2. Specify the restart characteristics by changing the restart characteristics of the inetd daemon.
Table 76. Configuring the inetd daemon tasks

Starting the inetd Daemon smit mkinetd startsrc -s inetd
Changing Restart Characteristics smit chinetd or smit
of the inetd Daemon lsinetd
Stopping the inetd Daemon smit rminetd stopsrc -s inetd
Listing All inetd Subservers smit inetdconf
Adding an inetd Subserver1 smit mkinetdconf edit /etc/inetd.conf then
run refresh -s inetd or
kill -1 inetdPID2
Change/Show Characteristics of smit inetdconf edit /etc/inetd.conf then
an inetd Subserver run refresh -s inetd or
kill -1 inetdPID2
Removing an inetd Subserver smit rminetd edit /etc/inetd.conf then
run refresh -s inetd or
kill -1 inetdPID2
Note:

1. Adding an inetd subserver configures the inetd daemon so that it invokes the subserver when it is
needed.
2. Both the refresh and the kill commands inform the inetd daemon of changes to its configuration
file.
Client network services

Client Network Services (accessible using the the SMIT fast path, smit clientnet) refers to the TCP/IP
protocols available for use by this operating system.
Each protocol (or service) is known by the port number that it uses on the network, hence the term
well-known port. As a convenience to programmers, the port numbers can be referred to by names as well
as numbers. For example, the TCP/IP mail protocol uses port 25 and is known by the name smtp. If a
protocol is listed (uncommented) in the /etc/services file, then a host can use that protocol.
By default, all the TCP/IP protocols are defined in the /etc/services file. You do not have to configure
this file. If you write your own client/server programs, you might want to add your service to the /etc/
services file, and reserve a specific port number and name for your service. If you do decide to add your
service to /etc/services, note that port numbers 0 through 1024 are reserved for system use.
Table 77. Client network services tasks

Listing All Services smit lsservices view /etc/services
Adding a Service smit mkservices edit /etc/services
Change/Show Characteristics of a smit chservices edit /etc/services
Service
Removing a Service smit rmservices edit /etc/services
Server network services

Server network services include controlling remote access, starting or stopping TCP/IP, and managing the
pty device driver, as shown in this table.
The pty device driver is installed automatically with the system. By default, it is configured to support 16
BSD-style symbolic links, and it is available for use by the system at boot time.
Table 78. Server network services tasks

Controlling remote access See "Remote Command
Execution Access" and
"Restricted File Transfer Program
Users" in Security.
Start, restart, or stop TCP/IP smit otherserv See “System Resource Control”
subsystems on page 369.
Change/show characteristics of smit chgpty chdev -l pty0 -P -a num=X
the pty device driver where X ranges from 0 to 64
Make the pty device driver smit pty then select Remove No related command or file.
unavailable for use the PTY; Keep Definition
Make the pty device driver smit pty then select Configure No related command or file.
available for use the Defined PTY
Generate an error report smit errpt No related command or file.

Table 78. Server network services tasks (continued)
Trace the pty smit trace No related command or file.
TCP/IP routing
A route defines a path for sending packets through the Internet network to an address on another
network.
A route does not define the complete path, only the path segment from one host to a gateway that can
forward packets to a destination (or from one gateway to another). There are five types of routes:
Item Description
host route Defines a gateway that can forward packets to a specific host on another
network.
network route Defines a gateway that can forward packets to any of the hosts on a specific
network.
default route Defines a gateway to use when a host or network route to a destination is not
otherwise defined.
loopback route Default route for all packets sent to local network addresses. The loopback route
IP is always 127.0.0.1.
broadcast route Default route for all broadcast packets. Two broadcast routes are automatically
assigned to each subnet on which the network has an IP (one to the subnet
address and one to the broadcast address of the subnet).
Routes are defined in the kernel routing table. The route definitions include information on networks
reachable from the local host and on gateways that can be used to reach remote networks. When a
gateway receives a datagram, it checks the routing tables to find out where next to send the datagram
along the path to its destination.
You can add multiple routes for the same destination in the kernel routing table. A routing lookup
evaluates all routes that match the request then chooses the route with the lowest distance metric. If
multiple matching routes have equal distance, a lookup chooses the most specific route. If both criteria
are equal for multiple routes, routing lookups alternate choices of matching routes.
Static and dynamic routing

In TCP/IP, routing can be one of two types: static or dynamic.
With static routing, you maintain the routing table manually using the route command. Static routing is
practical for a single network communicating with one or two other networks. However, as your network
begins to communicate with more networks, the number of gateways increases, and so does the amount
of time and effort required to maintain the routing table manually.
With dynamic routing, daemons update the routing table automatically. Routing daemons continuously
receive information broadcast by other routing daemons, and so continuously update the routing table.
TCP/IP provides two daemons for use in dynamic routing, the routed and gated daemons. The
gated daemon supports Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Routing Information Protocol Next
Generation (RIPng), Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and BGP4+,
Defense Communications Network Local-Network Protocol (HELLO), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF),
Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP
and ICMPv6)/Router Discovery routing protocols simultaneously. In addition, the gated daemon
supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The routed daemon only supports Routing
Information Protocol.

Routing daemons can operate in one of two modes, passive or active, depending upon the options you
use when starting the daemons. In active mode, routing daemons both broadcast routing information
periodically about their local network to gateways and hosts, and receive routing information from
hosts and gateways. In passive mode, routing daemons receive routing information from hosts and
gateways, but do not attempt to keep remote gateways updated (they do not advertise their own routing
information).
These two types of routing can be used not only for gateways, but for other hosts on a network as well.
Static routing works the same for gateways as for other hosts. Dynamic routing daemons, however, must
be run in the passive (quiet) mode when run on a host that is not a gateway.
TCP/IP routing gateways

Gateways are a type of router. Routers connect two or more networks and provide the routing function.
Some routers, for example, route at the network interface level or at the physical level. Gateways,
however, route at the network level.
Gateways receive IP datagrams from other gateways or hosts for delivery to hosts on the local network,
and route IP datagrams from one network to another. For example, a gateway connecting two Token-Ring
networks has two Token-Ring adapter cards, each with its own Token-Ring network interface. To pass on
information, the gateway receives datagrams through one network interface and sends them out through
the other network interface. Gateways periodically verify their network connections through interface
status messages.
Gateways route packets according to the destination network, not according to the destination host.
That is, a gateway machine is not required to keep track of every possible host destination for a packet.
Instead, a gateway routes packets according to the network of the destination host. The destination
network then takes care of sending the packet to the destination host. Thus, a typical gateway machine
requires only limited disk storage capacity (if any) and limited main memory capacity.
The distance a message must travel from originating host to destination host depends upon the number
of gateway hops it must make. A gateway is zero hops from a network to which it is directly attached,
one hop from a network that is reachable through one gateway, and so on. Message distance is usually
expressed in the number of gateway hops required, or hop counts (also called the metric).
Interior and exterior routing gateways

Interior gateways are gateways that belong to the same autonomous system. They communicate
with each other using the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Routing Information Protocol Next
Generation (RIPng), Intermediate System to Intermediate System protocol, Open Shortest Path First
(OSPF) protocol, or the HELLO Protocol (HELLO). Exterior gateways belong to different autonomous
systems. They use the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), or
BGP4+.
For example, consider two autonomous systems. The first is all the networks administered by the Widget
Company. The second is all the networks administered by the Gadget Company. The Widget Company
has one machine, called apple, which is Widget's gateway to the Internet. The Gadget Company has one
machine, called orange, which is Gadget's gateway to the Internet. Both companies have several different
networks internal to the companies. The gateways connecting the internal networks are interior gateways.
But apple and orange are exterior gateways.
Each exterior gateway does not communicate with every other exterior gateway. Instead, the exterior
gateway acquires a set of neighbors (other exterior gateways) with which it communicates. These
neighbors are not defined by geographic proximity, but rather by their established communications with
each other. The neighboring gateways, in turn, have other exterior gateway neighbors. In this way, the
exterior gateway routing tables are updated and routing information is propagated among the exterior
gateways.
The routing information is sent in a pair, (N,D), where N is a network and D is a distance reflecting
the cost of reaching the specified network. Each gateway advertises the networks it can reach and
the costs of reaching them. The receiving gateway calculates the shortest paths to other networks and

passes this information along to its neighbors. Thus, each exterior gateway is continually receiving routing
information, updating its routing table and then passing that information to its exterior neighbors.
Gateway protocols
All gateways, whether interior or exterior, use protocols to communicate with each other. Here are brief
descriptions of the more commonly used TCP/IP gateway protocols:
HELLO Protocol (HELLO)
HELLO is one protocol that the interior gateways use to communicate among themselves. HELLO
calculates the shortest path to other networks by determining the path that has the least delay time.
Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
Routing Information Protocol is a protocol that the interior gateways use to communicate among
themselves. Like the HELLO Protocol, RIP calculates the shortest path to other networks. Unlike
HELLO, RIP estimates distance not by delay time, but by hop counts. Because the gated daemon
stores all metrics internally as time delays, it converts RIP hop counts into time delays.
Routing Information Protocol Next Generation
RIPng is the RIP protocol that is enhanced to support IPv6.
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
OPSF is a protocol that the interior gateways use to communicate among themselves. It is a link-state
protocol that is better suited than RIP for complex networks with many routers. It provides equal cost
multipath routing.
Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP)
The exterior gateways can use the Exterior Gateway Protocol to communicate among themselves.
The EGP does not calculate the shortest path to other networks. Instead, it merely indicates whether
a particular network is reachable or not.
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
The exterior gateways can use this protocol to communicate among themselves. It exchanges
reachability information between autonomous systems, but provides more capabilities than EGP.
BGP uses path attributes to provide more information about each route as an aid in selecting the best
route.
Border Gateway Protocol 4+
BGP4+ is the BGP protocol version 4, which supports IPv6 and has other enhancements over past
versions of the protocol.
Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
Interior gateways use IS-IS protocol to communicate among themselves. It is a link-state protocol
that can route IP and ISO/CLNP packets and, like OSPF, uses a "shorter path first" algorithm to
determine routes.
Gateway considerations
Take these actions before configuring your gateway.
Before you configure the gateways for your network, you must first do the following:
1. Consider the number of gateways to use.
The number of gateways you need to configure will depend upon:
• The number of networks you want to connect.
• How you want to connect the networks.
• The level of activity on the connected networks.
For example, suppose users on Network 1, Network 2, and Network 3 all need to communicate with
each other.
Figure 23. Simple gateway configuration

This illustration contains three network clouds numbered one, two, and three. Networks one and two
are connected with gateway A. Networks two and three are connected with gateway B.
To connect Network 1 directly to Network 2, you would use a single gateway (Gateway A). To connect
Network 2 directly to Network 3, you would use another gateway (Gateway B). Now, assuming the
proper routes are defined, all the users on all three networks can communicate.
However, if Network 2 is very busy, communication between Network 1 and Network 3 might suffer
unacceptable delays. Furthermore, if most of the inter-network communication occurs between
Network 1 and Network 3, you might want to connect Network 1 directly to Network 3. To do this, you
could use an additional pair of gateways, Gateway C (on Network 1) and Gateway D (on Network 3),
with a direct connection between these two additional gateways. This may be an inefficient solution,
however, because one gateway can connect more than two networks.
A more efficient solution would be to connect Gateway A to Gateway B directly, as well as to Network
2. This would require a second network adapter in both Gateway A and Gateway B. In general, the
number of networks you connect through a single gateway is limited by the number of network adapter
cards the gateway machine can support.
2. Decide on the type of routing to use.
If your network is small, and its configuration rarely changes, you probably want to use static routing.
But if you have a large network whose configuration changes frequently, you probably want to use
dynamic routing. You might decide to use a combination of static and dynamic routing. That is, you
might want to give static definitions to a few specific routes, while allowing other routes to be updated
by the daemons. The static routes you create are not advertised to other gateways and are not
updated by the routing daemons.
3. If you are using dynamic routing, choose the routing daemon according to the type of gateway you
need and the protocols your gateway must support.
If the gateway is an interior gateway, and only needs to support RIP, choose the routed daemon. If
the gateway must support any other protocol, or is an exterior gateway, choose the gated daemon.
Note: Unpredictable results can occur if the gated and routed daemons run on the same host at the
same time.
Configuring a gateway
To configure a machine to act as a gateway, use these instructions.
For clarity, this procedure assumes that the gateway machine connects two networks, and that the
gateway machine has already been minimally configured on one of the networks.
1. Install and configure the second network adapter, if you have not done so already. (See “Installing a
network adapter” on page 159 and “Adapter management and configuration” on page 160.)
2. Choose an IP address for the second network interface, and then configure the network interface by
following the instructions in “Network interface management” on page 165.
3. Add a route to the second network.
4. To use a machine as an internetwork router over TCP/IP networks, type:
no -o ipforwarding=1
The gateway machine can now access both of the networks to which it is directly attached.
1. If you want to use static routing to communicate with hosts or networks beyond these two networks,
add any other routes you want.
2. If you want to use dynamic routing, follow the instructions in either “Configuring the routed daemon”
on page 377 or “Configuring the gated daemon” on page 377. If your internetwork is to join the
Internet, you should also follow the instructions in “Autonomous system numbers” on page 380.

Table 79. Configuring gateway tasks
Task SMIT fast path Command file
Displaying the Routing Table smit lsroute netstat1
Adding a Static Route smit mkroute route add destination
gateway2
Removing a Static Route smit rmroute route delete destination
gateway2
Flushing the Routing Table smit fshrttbl route flush
Note:
1. The table is divided into columns for destination address, gateway address, flags, reference count
(hop count), and network interface. If frames are not reaching their destination and the routing tables
indicate the correct route, one or more of the following conditions might exist:
• Network is failing.
• Remote host or gateway is failing.
• Remote host or gateway is down or not ready to receive frames.
• Remote host does not have a route back to the source network.
2. The destination value is the dotted decimal address or symbolic name of the destination host or
network, and the gateway value is the dotted decimal address or symbolic name of the gateway. (A
default route specifies 0 as the destination.)
Route use restrictions

Routes can be restricted so they can be used only by some users. The restrictions are based on the
primary group IDs of users.
Using the route command, you can specify a list of up to 32 group IDs that are allowed or not allowed
to use a route. If the list is of allowed groups, any user that belongs to any group on the list can use the
route. If the list is of disallowed groups, only users that do not belong to any of the groups on the list can
use the route. The root user can use any route.
Groups can also be associated with an interface using the ifconfig command. In this case, a
forwardable packet can use any route allowed for the groups associated with its incoming interface.
If there are two or more routes to the same destination, any ICMP redirects that are received for that
destination will be ignored and path MTU discovery will not be done on those routes.
Dead gateway detection

A host can be configured to detect whether a gateway it is using is down, and can adjust its routing table
accordingly.
If the network option -passive_dgd is 1, passive dead gateway detection is enabled for the entire system.
If no response is received for consecutive dgd_packets_lost ARP requests to a gateway, that gateway is
assumed to be down and the distance metrics (also known as hopcount or cost) for all routes that use
that gateway are raised to the maximum possible value. After dgd_retry_time minutes have passed, the
route's costs are restored to their user-configured values. The host also takes action based on failing
TCP connections. If consecutive dgd_packets_lost TCP packets are lost, the ARP entry for the gateway
in use is deleted and the TCP connection tries the next-best route. The next time the gateway is used,
the above actions take place if the gateway is actually down. The passive_dgd, dgd_packets_lost, and
dgd_retry_time parameters can all be configured by using the no command.
Hosts can also be configured to use active dead gateway detection on a per-route basis with the
-active_dgd flag of the route command. Active dead gateway detection pings all gateways used
by routes for which it is enabled every dgd_ping_time second. If no response is received from a

gateway, it is pinged more rapidly up to dgd_packets_lost times. If still no response is received, the
costs of all routes that use that gateway are raised. The gateway continues to be pinged, and if a
response is eventually received, the costs on the routes are restored to their user-configured values. The
dgd_ping_time parameter can be configured by using the no command.
Dead gateway detection is most useful for hosts that use static rather than dynamic routing. Passive dead
gateway detection results in less performance issues and is recommended for use on any network that
has redundant gateways. However, passive dead gateway detection is done on a best-effort basis only.
Some protocols, such as UDP, do not provide any feedback to the host if a data transmission is failing, and
in this case no action can be taken by passive dead gateway detection.
Active dead gateway detection is most useful when a host must discover immediately when a gateway
goes down. Since it queries each gateway for which it is enabled every few seconds, there is some excess
network usage that is associated with its use. Active dead gateway detection is recommended only for
hosts that provide critical services and on networks with a limited number of hosts.
Note: Dead gateway detection and the routing protocols that are used by the gated and routed
daemons perform a similar function by discovering changes in the network configuration and adjusting
the routing table accordingly. However, they use different mechanisms to do this, and if they are run at
the same time, they might conflict with one another. For this reason, dead gateway detection must not be
used on systems that run the gated or routed daemons.
When dead gateway detection detects that the primary route is back online and the
dgd_flush_cached_route parameter is enabled, the current cached routes of all active connections are
flushed. The routes of all the current active connections are validated again, to find the best route for
sending data. The dgd_flush_cached_route parameter can be configured, by using the no command. By
default, the dgd_flush_cached_route parameter is disabled.
Note: The dgd_flush_cached_route parameter must be enabled only in a stable network environment.
Otherwise, there might be greater performance issues due to bad or unstable hardware routers, causing
dead gateway detection to frequently update the routing table. Frequent flushing of the cached routes can
also be expensive.
Route cloning
Route cloning allows a host route to be created for every host that a system communicates with.
When network traffic is about to be sent, a search is done of the routing table to find a route to that host.
If a specific host route is found, it will be used. If a specific host route is not found, a network route
or the default route may be found. If the route that is found has the cloning flag, 'c', set, a host route
for the destination will be created using the gateway from the route that is being cloned. Subsequent
routing table searches for that destination will find the cloned host route. Cloned routes have the 'W' flag
set. These routes will time out and be deleted from the routing table if they are unused for route_expire
minutes. You can modify route_expire by using the no command.
The route cloning feature is used mainly by the path MTU discovery protocol within AIX operating system,
to allow it to keep track of path MTU information for every destination it communicates with. If the
network options tcp_pmtu_discover or udp_pmtu_discover (settable with the no command) are 1, the
cloning flag is turned on for all network routes on the system. The path MTU discovery protocol is on by
default.
Note: To manually add a cloning route entry, you can manipulate the routing table through the route
command.
Related information
route command

Dynamic route removal
If you are using the routed daemon, a manually deleted route is not replaced by incoming RIP
information (because ioctl's are used).
If you are using the gated daemon, and the -n flag is not used, the manually deleted route is replaced by
the route as discovered in incoming RIP information.
Configuring the routed daemon

Follow these steps to configure the routed daemon.
To configure the routed daemon:
1. Remove the comment symbol (#) and modify the routed clause in the /etc/rc.tcpip shell script.
This automatically starts the routed daemon with each system startup.
• Specify whether you want the gateway to run in active (-s flag) or passive (-q flag) mode.
• Specify whether you want packet tracing on or off (-t flag). Packet tracing can also be turned on after
the routed daemon is already started by using the kill command to send a SIGUSR1 signal to
the daemon. This signal can also be used to increment the level of tracing through four levels. In
addition, packet tracing can be turned off while the routed daemon is running by using the kill
command to send a SIGUSR2 signal to the daemon. For more information, see the routed daemon
and the kill command.
• Specify whether you want debugging turned on or off (-d flag). If you use this flag, specify which log
file you want debugging information stored in, or choose for it to be directed to the console display.
• Specify whether you are running the routed daemon on a gateway (-g flag).
Note: A host that is not a gateway can run the routed daemon, but it must be run in passive mode.
2. Identify any known networks by listing them in the /etc/networks file.
See Networks File Format for TCP/IP in the Files Reference for more information. A sample networks
file is located in the /usr/samples/tcpip directory.
3. Set up routes in the /etc/gateways file to any known gateways that are not directly connected to
your network.
Refer to Gateways File Format for TCP/IP in Files Reference for detailed examples of entries in
the /etc/gateways file. A sample gateways file is located in the /usr/samples/tcpip directory.
Attention: Do not run the routed daemon and the gated daemon on the same machine.
Unpredictable results can occur.
Configuring the gated daemon

When configuring the gated daemon, you must decide which gateway protocols are most appropriate for
your system.
To configure the gated daemon:
1. Decide which gateway protocols are most appropriate for your system.
The choices for routing protocols are EGP, BGP, RIP, RIPng, HELLO, OSPF, ICMP/Router Discovery,
and IS-IS. You can also use SNMP, a protocol allowing you to change or show management
information for a network element from a remote host.
Note: Use EGP, BGP, or BGP4+ to advertise addresses of networks in an autonomous system to
gateways in other autonomous systems. If you are on the Internet, EGP, BGP, or BGP4+ must be used
to advertise network reachability to the core gateway system. Use the interior routing protocols to
advertise reachability information within an autonomous system.
2. Identify any known networks by listing them in the /etc/networks file.
See Networks File Format for TCP/IP in Files Reference for more information. A sample networks file
is located in the /usr/samples/tcpip directory.
3. Edit the /etc/gated.conf file to reflect the desired gated daemon configuration.

Note: The gated Daemon version on AIX 4.3.2 and higher is 3.5.9. The syntax of the /etc/
gated.conf file has changed. The examples given below are for the 3.5.9 version of gated. To
configure the /etc/gated.conf file for versions prior to AIX 4.3.2, use the syntax provided in
the /etc/gated.conf file itself.
a) Specify the level of trace output you want. If tracing is needed before the gated.conf file is
parsed, use the -t flag to turn tracing on when the daemon starts.
b) Specify the routing protocols you want to use.
Each protocol has its own protocol statement. Remove the comment symbols (#) and modify the
statements corresponding to the protocols you want to use.
• If using EGP:
– Set up the EGP autonomoussystem clause. Obtain an autonomous system number from the
Internet authority if you are on the Internet, or if not, assign an autonomous system number
considering the autonomous system numbers of other systems on your network.
– Set the EGP statement to yes.
– Set up a group clause for each autonomous system.
– Set up a neighbor clause for each neighbor in that autonomous system. For example:
autonomoussystem 283 ;
egp yes {
group maxup 1 {
neighbor nogendefault 192.9.201.1 ;
neighbor nogendefault 192.9.201.2 ;
} ;
group {
neighbor 192.10.201.1 ;
neighbor 192.10.201.2 ;
} ;
} ;
• If using RIP or HELLO:

– Set the RIP or HELLO statement to yes.
– Specify nobroadcast in the RIP or HELLO statement if you want the gateway only to accept
routing information, not broadcast information. Or specify broadcast in the RIP or HELLO
statement if you want the gateway to broadcast routing information as well as accept routing
information.
– If you want the gateway to send directly to source gateways, use the sourcegateways
statement. Specify a gateway name or Internet address in dotted decimal in the
sourcegateways clause. For example:
# Send directly to specific gateways
rip/hello yes {
sourcegateways
101.25.32.1
101.25.32.2 ;
} ;
The following example shows the RIP/HELLO stanza in the gated.conf file of a machine that
does not send RIP packets, and does not receive RIP packets on its tr0 interface.
rip/hello nobroadcast {
interface tr0 noripin ;
} ;
• If using BGP:
– Set up the BGP autonomoussystem clause. Obtain an autonomous system number from the
Internet authority if you are on the Internet, or if not, assign an autonomous system number
considering the autonomous system numbers of other systems on your network.

– Set the BGP statement to yes.
– Set up a peer clause for each neighbor in that autonomous system. For example:
# Perform all BGP operations
bgp yes {
peer 192.9.201.1 ;
} ;
• If using SNMP:
– Set the SNMP statement to yes.
snmp yes ;
Configuring the gated daemon to run IPv6

Use this procedure to configure the gated daemon to run Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).
To configure the gated daemon to run under Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), first ensure that your
system has been configured for IPv6 and IPv6 routing:
1. Run autoconf6 to automatically configure your interfaces for IPv6.

2. Configure site local addresses for each IPv6 interface on which you want to use IPv6 routing using the
following command:
ifconfig interface inet6 fec0:n::address/64 alias
where
interface
Is the name of the interface, such as tr0 or en0.
n
Is any decimal number; for example, 11
address
Is the portion of the IPv6 interface address that follows the double colons; for example,
given the IPv6 address fe80::204:acff:fe86:298d, the address entry would be
204:acff:fe86:298d.
Note: You can use the command netstat -i to see what your IPv6 address is for each
configured interface.
If token ring tr0 has an IPv6 address of fe80::204:acff:fe86:298d, you issue the following
command:
ifconfig tr0 inet6 fec0:13::204:acff:fe86:298d/64 alias
3. Turn on IPv6 forwarding with the following command:
4. Start ndpd-router with the following command:
ndpd-router -g
Starting ndpd-router allows your system to act as a router for the Neighbor Discovery Protocol.
Neighbor Discovery Protocol routers inform Neighbor Discovery hosts with routing information so
hosts can route IPv6 packets.
Any hosts on the network that you want to be part of the IPv6 network must run ndpd-host. Hosts
on the network that run ndpd-host will recognize themselves as part of an IPv6 network and use
Neighbor Discovery Protocol, which allows them to determine and monitor link-layer addresses both
to allow neighbor routing and to find neighboring routers for forwarding packets.

5. Next, configure the gated daemon:
a) Decide which IPv6 gateway protocols are most appropriate for your system.
The choices for IPv6 routing protocols are Border Gateway Protocol enhanced for IPv6 (BGP4+)
and Routing Information Protocol Next Generation (RIPng).
b) Edit the /etc/gated.conf file to reflect the desired gated daemon configuration.
Note: AIX 4.3.2 and later run gated version 3.5.9. The syntax of the gated.conf file has changed
slightly from earlier versions. Read the gated.conf documentation in in Files Reference, or use the
sample file that is shipped in the /usr/sample/tcpip directory for correct syntax.
When configuring BGP4+ or RIPng, use IPv6 addresses in which the syntax specifies an IP
address.
Note: By default, RIPng multicasts its packets.
After the /etc/gated.conf file has been modified, the gated daemon can be started.
Autonomous system numbers

If you use EGP or BGP, you should obtain an official autonomous system number for your gateway.
To obtain an official autonomous system number, contact the NIC at the following internet address:
INFO@INTERNIC.NET
Mobile IPv6
Mobile IPv6 provides mobility support for IPv6. It allows you to keep the same internet address all over
the world, and allows applications using that address to maintain transport and upper-layer connections
when changing locations. It allows mobility across homogenous and heterogeneous media.
For example, Mobile IPv6 facilitates node movement from an Ethernet segment to a wireless LAN cell
while the mobile node's IP address remains unchanged.
In Mobile IPv6, each mobile node is identified by two IP addresses: its home address and its care-of
address. The home address is a permanent IP address that identifies the mobile node regardless of its
location. The care-of address changes at each new point of attachment and provides information about
the mobile node's current situation. When a mobile node arrives to a visited network, it must acquire a
care-of address, which will be used during the time that the mobile node is under this location in the
visited network. It may use the methods of IPv6 Neighborhood Discovery to get the care-of address (see
“IPv6 expanded routing and addressing” on page 125). Both stateless and stateful autoconfiguration are
possible. The care-of address can also be manually configured. How the care-of address is acquired is
irrelevant to Mobile IPv6.
There must be at least one home agent configured on the home network, and the mobile node must
be configured to know the IP address of its home agent. The mobile node sends a packet containing
a binding update to the home agent. The home agent receives the packet and makes an association
between the home address to the mobile node and the care-of address it received. The home agent
responds with a packet containing a binding acknowledgment.
The home agent keeps a binding cache containing associations between the home addresses and the
care-of addresses for the mobile nodes it serves. The home agent will intercept any packets destined for
the home address and forward them to the mobile nodes. A mobile node will then send a binding update
to the correspondent node informing it of its care-of address, and the correspondent node will create a
binding cache entry so that it can send future traffic directly to the mobile node at its care-of address.
Mobility support in AIX provides the following basic functions:
As a Home Agent node:
• Maintain an entry in its binding cache for each mobile node for which it is serving.
• Intercept packets addressed to a mobile node for which it is currently serving as the home agent, on
that mobile node's home link, while the mobile node is away from home.

• Encapsulate such intercepted packets in order to tunnel them to the primary care-of address for the
mobile node indicated in its binding in the home agent's binding cache.
• Return a binding acknowledgment option in response to a binding update option received with the
acknowledge bit set.
• Process the Duplicate Address Detection on the mobile node's care-of address to ensure the IPv6
addresses are unique.
• Support Dynamic Home Agent Address Discovery to assist the mobile nodes is discovering the
addresses of the home agents.
• Support the reception of Mobile Prefix Solicitation and the sending of Mobile Prefix Advertisement.
As a Stationary Correspondent node:
• Process a home address option received in any IPv6 packet
• Process a binding update option received in a packet and to return a binding acknowledgement option if
the acknowledge (A) bit is set in the received binding update
• Maintain a binding cache of the bindings received in accepted binding updates
• Send packets using a routing header when there is a binding cache entry for a mobile node that contains
the mobile node's current care-of address
As a Router node in a Network visited by the mobile node:
• Send an advertisement interval option in its router advertisements to aid movement detection by mobile
nodes. It is configurable by the -m parameter in the ndpd-router daemon.
• Support sending unsolicited multicast router advertisements at the faster rate described in RFC 2461. It
is configurable by the -m and -D parameters in the ndpd-router daemon.
• Send a Home Agent Information option (home agent preference and lifetime) in its router
advertisements to aid mobile nodes to choose their home agent. It is configurable by the -H parameter
in the ndpd-router daemon.
Mobile IPv6 security

The binding update and binding acknowledgement messages exchanged between the mobile node and
the home agent must be protected by IP Security using Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protection
with a non-NULL payload authentication algorithm.
For more information about IP Security, see Security.
The binding establishment between the mobile node and the correspondent node is made secure by
using the Return Routability procedure. In this procedure, the messages that are exchanged between the
home agent node and the mobile nodes should also be protected by IP Security using ESP. Because the
binding update and binding acknowledgement messages exchanged between a correspondent node and
a mobile node are protected by the Return Routability procedure, there are no IP Security requirements
for the correspondents. But, if a correspondent uses IP Security to restrict its access, the messages with
protocol MH (135) must be permitted.
Tunnels can be defined manually or using IKE acting as responder (only aggressive mode is supported). At
a minimum, the following IP Security tunnels will be defined on the home agent using the ESP header:
• a tunnel in transport mode with protocol MH (135) between the home agent IP address and the home
address of each mobile node susceptible to be registered on this home agent.
• a tunnel in tunnel mode with protocol MH (135) between any IP address and the home address of each
mobile node susceptible to be registered on this home agent.
Corresponding tunnels must be defined on the mobile nodes.
Note: The binding update and binding acknowledgement messages are sent using a Mobility Header and
must be protected by IP Security using ESP.

In previous implementations of Mobile IPv6 in AIX, support was provided for mobile nodes using
Destination Option packets to send binding update messages. These messages could be protected with
IP Security using an Authentication Header.
For a home agent or a correspondent node to accept such binding update messages using a Destination
Option, edit the /etc/rc.mobip6 file and enable the Enable_Draft13_Mobile variable before starting
Mobile IPv6. In this case, if you use IP Security to protect the binding update messages, you must define
manual or IKE tunnels in transport mode on protocol 60, which will protect the Binding Update and
Acknowledgement messages.
For a home agent or a correspondent node to accept binding update messages not protected by IP
Security, edit the /etc/rc.mobip6 file and disable the Check_IPsec variable. This method is not
recommended because it presents a significant security vulnerability through the ability to affect the
routing of packets addressed to a mobile node.
Mobile IPv6 configuration

This introduces information about configuring Mobile IPv6. In order to use Mobile IPv6, you must first
install the bos.net.mobip6.rte fileset.
For information about installing filesets, see Installing optional software products and service updates in
Installation and migration
Starting Mobile IPv6 as a home agent

Use this procedure to start Mobile IPv6 as a home agent.
1. Define either IKE tunnels (phases 1 and 2) as responder using the ESP protocol or manual ESP
IP Security Association between the home agent IP address and each mobile home address the
correspondent may communicate with.
2. Enable the system as a Mobile IPv6 home agent and correspondent node. At the command line, type
smit enable_mobip6_home_agent.
3. Select when you want it enabled.
Starting Mobile IPv6 as a correspondent

Use this procedure to start Mobile IPv6 as a correspondent.
1. Define either IKE tunnels (phases 1 and 2) as responder using ESP protocol or manual ESP IP Security
Association between the home agent IP address and each mobile home address the correspondent
may communicate with.
2. Enable the system as a Mobile IPv6 correspondent node. At the command line, type smit
enable_mobip6_correspondent.
3. Select when you want it enabled.
Starting Mobile IPv6 as a router

Use this procedure to start Mobile IPv6 as a router.
Run the following command to facilitate movement detection:
ndpd-router -m
Stopping Mobile IPv6

Use this procedure to stop Mobile IPv6.
1. Type smit disable_mobip6 at the command line.
2. Select when you want Mobile IPv6 stopped.
3. Select whether you want to stop the ndpd-router daemon.
4. Select whether you want to disable IPv6 forwarding.

Troubleshooting Mobile IPv6
Use the mobip6ctrl -b command to troubleshoot Mobile IPv6.
1. Get the binding states by running the following:
mobip6ctrl -b
2. See “TCP/IP troubleshooting” on page 431 for information on using the TCP/IP troubleshooting
utilities.
Virtual IP address
A virtual IP address eliminates a host's dependency upon individual network interfaces.
Incoming packets are sent to the system's VIPA address, but all packets travel through the real network
interfaces.
Previously, if an interface failed, any connections to that interface were lost. With VIPA on your system
and routing protocols within the network providing automatic reroute, recovery from failures occurs
without disruption to the existing user connections that are using the virtual interface as long packets
can arrive through another physical interface. Systems running VIPA are more highly available because
adapter outages no longer affect active connections. Because multiple physical adapters carry the system
IP traffic, overall load is not concentrated on a single adapter and associated subnet.
The AIX VIPA function is transparent to the network equipment. No special network equipment or other
hardware is needed. To implement VIPA, you need to have the following items:
• two or more existing IP interfaces of any physical type on different subnets that connect into the
corporate network
• IP routing protocols running within the corporate network
Configuring VIPA
VIPA is configured, just as any IP network interface, in SMIT. In addition, you can specify a group of
interfaces while configuring VIPA.
When configured this way, for all the outgoing connections initiated by the VIPA host via these interfaces,
which are designated to use a VIPA, the virtual address becomes the source address placed in the TCP/IP
packet header of the outgoing packets.
1. For an IPv4 VIPA, type smit mkinetvi on the command line. For an IPv6 VIPA, type smit
mkinetvi6 on the command line.
2. Fill in the required fields. For additional information, see the “Sample VIPA environment” on page 384.
Press Enter.
Adding an adapter to a VIPA

Use this procedure to add an adapter to a virtual IP address.
To add an adapter to your VIPA interface, follow these steps:
1. Type smit chvi on the command line.
2. Select the VIPA to which you want to add an adapter and press Enter.
3. Enter the adapter that you want to add in the Interface Name(s) field.
4. Type ADD in the ADD/REMOVE interface(s) field and press Enter.
Removing an adapter from a VIPA

Use this procedure to remove an adapter from a virtual IP address.
To remove an adapter from a VIPA, follow these steps:
1. Type smit chvi on the command line.

2. Select the VIPA from which you want to remove an adapter, and press Enter.
3. Enter the adapter that you want to remove in the Interface Name(s) field.
4. Type REMOVE in the ADD/REMOVE interface(s) field and press Enter.
Sample VIPA environment

The following sample VIPA environment with Ethernet connections involves a system with a virtual IP
address and two physical connections.
A system has a virtual IP address, vi0, of 10.68.6.1 and two physical connections, en1 with IP
address 10.68.1.1 and en5, with IP address 10.68.5.1. In this example, both physical connections
are Ethernet, but any mixture of IP interfaces, such as token-ring or FDDI, would be supported as long as
the subnets were ultimately attached to the larger corporate network and were known to the corporate
routers.
Running the lsattr -El vi0 command produces the following results:
netaddr 10.68.6.1 N/A True

state up Standard Ethernet Network Interface True
netmask 255.255.255.0 Maximum IP Packet Size for This Device True
netaddr6 Maximum IP Packet Size for REMOTE Networks True
alias6 Internet Address True
prefixlen Current Interface Status True
alias4 TRAILER Link-Level Encapsulation True
interface_names en1,en5 Interfaces using the Virtual Address True
Running the ifconfig vi0 command produces the following results:
vi0: flags=84000041<UP,RUNNING,64BIT>
inet 10.68.6.1 netmask 0xffffff00
iflist : en1 en5
Running the netstat -rn command produces the following results:
Routing tables
Destination Gateway Flags Refs Use If PMTU Exp Groups
Route Tree for Protocol Family 2 (Internet):

default 10.68.1.2 UG 3 1055 en1 - -
10.68.1/24 10.68.1.1 U 0 665 en1 - -
10.68.5/24 10.68.5.1 U 0 1216 en5 - -
127/8 127.0.0.1 U 4 236 lo0 - -
10.68.6.1 127.0.0.1 UH 0 0 lo0 - -
The outgoing packets that do not have a source address set and that are routed via interfaces en1 and
en5 will have the source address set to the virtual address (10.68.6.1). Incoming packets are routed to
the VIPA address (10.68.6.1) advertised on the network. Because vi0 is virtual (that is, not associated
with any device) there should be no entries for it in the system-wide routing table displayed using the
netstat -rn command. This means no interface route is added when the interface is configured in
SMIT.
If one of the physical interfaces, a network attachment, or a network path fails, the network protocols
route to the other physical interface on the same system. If a remote system telnets to the vi0 address,
packets to vi0 can arrive using either en1 or en5. If en1 is down, for example, packets can still arrive on
en5. Note that routing protocols might take time to propagate the routes.
When using the VIPA, the end systems and intervening routers must be able to route the packets destined
for VIPA (vi0) to one of the physical interfaces (en1 or en5).
VIPA versus alias

The VIPA concept is similar to IP aliases except that the addresses are not associated with a hardware
interface.
VIPA offers several advantages that IP aliases does not:

• VIPA offers a virtual device that can be brought up and down independently without affecting the
physical interfaces
• VIPA addresses can be changed while aliases can only be added or deleted
Access using the IP address of the real adapters

Individual interfaces are still accessible to other systems after VIPA is implemented. However, using
the real IP addresses for ping and telnet sessions sidesteps the VIPA advantage of communicating
independent of the physical adapters. VIPA hides physical adapter failures from the outlying clients. Using
the real addresses reintroduces the dependency upon the physical adapters.
If the remote system contacts the VIPA system using the VIPA address or if an application on the VIPA
system initiates the communication to another system, the VIPA address will be used as the source IP
address in the packet. However, if the remote system initiates the session using the IP address of the
real interface, that real IP address will be the source IP address in the responding packets. There is one
exception. For applications that bind to a particular IP interface, the outgoing packets will carry the source
address of the interface to which they are bound.
VIPA and routing protocols

The gated daemon was modified for VIPA so that it would not add the interface route or send
advertisements over virtual interfaces.
The OSPF protocol, supported by gated, will advertise the virtual interface to neighboring routers. The
other hosts on the network will be able to talk to the VIPA host through the first-hop router.
Multiple VIPA addresses

Multiple virtual interfaces can be configured. Multiple VIPA interfaces would be useful, for example, if
network routers could give preferential treatment to packets sent to or from certain VIPA addresses.
Or, you might use multiple VIPA interfaces if they were binding applications to a specific VIPA interface.
For example, to run multiple web servers for multiple companies on a single machine, you could configure
the following:
• vi0 200.1.1.1 www.companyA.com
• vi1 200.1.1.2 www.companyB.com
• vi2 200.1.1.3 www.companyC.com
EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, Teaming

EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, and Teaming are network port aggregation technologies
that allow several Ethernet adapters to be aggregated together to form a single pseudo Ethernet device.
For example, ent0 and ent1 can be aggregated into an EtherChannel adapter called en3; interface en3
would then be configured with an IP address. The system considers these aggregated adapters as one
adapter. Therefore, IP is configured over them, as over any Ethernet adapter. In addition, all adapters in
the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation are given the same hardware (Mac) address, so they are treated
by remote systems as if they were one adapter. Both EtherChannel and IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
require support in the switch so that these two technologies are aware which switch ports must be
treated as one.
In Teaming aggregation mechanism, each adapter in the channel retains its original hardware (MAC)
address. Therefore, you do not need to configure any switches. EtherChannel and IEEE 802.3ad Link
Aggregation can have both a primary and a backup channel. However, Teaming aggregation mechanism
uses only one channel. If you select the Teaming mode, you cannot control how the channel sends
packets. The channel automatically uses the standard mode to send packets. The Teaming mode controls
which adapter in the EtherChannel receives traffic so that switch configuration is not necessary.

Note: The EtherChannel driver assigns an invalid media access control (MAC) address,
02:00:00:00:00:00, to the Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA) port of inactive channel of the EtherChannel
configuration. This invalid MAC address is assigned when the EtherChannel is created or when the HEA
ports are added to the inactive channel at run time. During the EtherChannel failover or recovery, the
invalid MAC address is swapped with the valid MAC address, and the valid MAC address is swapped with
the invalid MAC address at the run time.
The main benefit of EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, and Teaming is that they have the
network bandwidth of all of their adapters in a single network presence. If an adapter fails, network traffic
is automatically sent on the next available adapter without disruption to existing user connections. The
adapter is automatically returned to service on the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation when it recovers.
There are some differences between EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, and teaming
aggregation mechanism. Consider the differences listed in Table 80 on page 386 to determine which
technology best suits your requirement.
Table 80. Differences between EtherChannel, IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, and Teaming.
EtherChannel IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Teaming
Requires switch configuration. Requires switch configuration for Does not require switch
Link Aggregation Control Protocol
configuration.
Data Unit (LACPDU) exchange.
Heartbeats are not exchanged Heartbeats (LACPDU) are Heartbeats are not exchanged
between the switch port and the exchanged at the interval that between the switch port and the
adjacent system port. is defined by the IEEE 802.3ad
adjacent system port.
standard. Heartbeats provide
extra protection in a failure.
Both primary and backup Both primary and backup Only a single (primary) channel
channels can be used. channels can be used.
is used.
Dynamic Adapter Membership functionality is available in the AIX operating system. You can use this
functionality to add or remove adapters from an EtherChannel without having to disrupt any user
connections.
Related information
Dynamic Adapter Membership
EtherChannel
IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation configuration
Interoperability scenarios
EtherChannel
The adapters that belong to an EtherChannel must be connected to the same EtherChannel-enabled
switch. If the adapters are connected to different switches, those switches must be stacked and act as a
single switch.
You must manually configure this switch to treat the ports that belong to the EtherChannel as an
aggregated link. Your switch documentation might refer to this capability as link aggregation or trunking.
For EtherChannel to work correctly, the link polling mechanism that periodically verifies the status of the
link must be enabled on each adapter before the EtherChannel is created. Traffic is distributed across
the adapters in either the standard way (where the adapter over which the packets are sent is chosen
depending on an algorithm) or on a round-robin basis (where packets are sent evenly across all adapters).
Incoming traffic is distributed in accordance to the switch configuration and is not controlled by the
EtherChannel operation mode.
You can configure multiple EtherChannels per system. If all links in one EtherChanel are attached to
a single switch and if the switch is unplugged or fails, the entire EtherChannel is lost. To solve this

problem, a backup option is available that keeps the service active when the main EtherChannel fails.
The backup and EtherChannel adapters must be attached to different network switches, which must be
interconnected for this setup to work properly. If all adapters in the EtherChannel fail, the backup adapter
is used to send and receive all traffic. When any link in the EtherChannel is restored, the service is moved
back to the EtherChannel.
For example, ent0 and ent1 can be configured as the main EtherChannel adapters, and ent2 as the
backup adapter, creating an EtherChannel called en3. Ideally, ent0 and ent1 are connected to the same
EtherChannel-enabled switch, and ent2 is connected to a different switch. In this example, all traffic sent
over en3 (the interface of EtherChannel) is sent over ent0 or ent1 by default (depending on the packet
distribution scheme of EtherChannel), whereas ent2 is idle. If at any time both ent0 and ent1 fail, all
traffic is sent over the backup adapter ent2. When either ent0 or ent1 recover, they are again used for
all traffic.
Network Interface Backup, a mode of operation available for EtherChannel, protects against a single point
of Ethernet network failure. No special hardware is required to use Network Interface Backup, but the
backup adapter must be connected to a separate switch for maximum reliability. In Network Interface
Backup mode, only one adapter at a time is actively used for network traffic. The EtherChannel tests
the currently active adapter and, optionally, the network path to a user-specified node. When a failure is
detected, the next adapter will be used for all traffic. Network Interface Backup provides detection and
failover with no disruption to user connections. Network Interface Backup was originally implemented
as a mode in the EtherChannel system management interface tool (SMIT) menu. The backup adapter
provides the equivalent function, so the mode was eliminated from the SMIT menu. To configure network
interface backup, see “Network Interface Backup configuration” on page 391.
EtherChannel configuration considerations

Consult this list of recommendations before configuring EtherChannel.
• You can have up to eight primary Ethernet adapters and up to eight backup Ethernet adapters per
EtherChannel.
• You can configure multiple EtherChannels on a single system, but each EtherChannel constitutes
an additional Ethernet interface. The ifsize option of the no command might need to be increased
to include not only the Ethernet interfaces for each adapter, but also any EtherChannels that are
configured. In AIX 5.2 and earlier, the default ifsize is eight. The default size is 256.
• You can use any supported Ethernet adapter in an EtherChannel (see “Supported adapters” on page
403). However, the Ethernet adapters must be connected to a switch that supports EtherChannel. See
the documentation that came with your switch to determine if it supports EtherChannel (your switch
documentation may refer to this capability also as link aggregation or trunking).
• All adapters in the EtherChannel should be configured for the same speed (100 Mbps, for example) and
should be full duplex.
• The adapters used in the EtherChannel cannot be accessed by the system after the EtherChannel is
configured. To modify any of their attributes, such as media speed, transmit or receive queue sizes, and
so forth, you must do so before including them in the EtherChannel.
• The adapters that you plan to use for your EtherChannel must not have an IP address configured
on them before you start this procedure. When configuring an EtherChannel with adapters that were
previously configured with an IP address, make sure that their interfaces are in the detach state.
The adapters to be added to the EtherChannel cannot have interfaces configured in the up state
in the Object Data Manager (ODM), which will happen if their IP addresses were configured using
SMIT. This may cause problems bringing up the EtherChannel when the machine is rebooted because
the underlying interface is configured before the EtherChannel with the information found in ODM.
Therefore, when the EtherChannel is configured, it finds that one of its adapters is already being used.
To change this, before creating the EtherChannel, type smitty chinet, select each of the interfaces
of the adapters to be included in the EtherChannel, and change its state value to detach. This will
ensure that when the machine is rebooted the EtherChannel can be configured without errors.
For more information about ODM, see Object Data Manager (ODM) in General Programming Concepts:
Writing and Debugging Programs.

• If you will be using 10/100 Ethernet adapters in the EtherChannel for AIX versions prior to AIX 5L
Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package, you may need to enable link polling
on those adapters before you add them to the EtherChannel. Type smitty chgenet at the command
line. Change the Enable Link Polling value to yes, and press Enter.
Note: In AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package and later, enabling
the link polling mechanism is not necessary. The link poller will be started automatically.
• If you plan to use jumbo frames, you may need to enable this feature in every adapter before creating
the EtherChannel and in the EtherChannel itself. Type smitty chgenet at the command line. Change
the Enable Jumbo Frames value to yes and press Enter. Do this for every adapter for which you want to
enable Jumbo Frames. You will enable jumbo frames in the EtherChannel itself later.
Note: Enabling jumbo frames in every underlying adapter is not necessary once it is enabled in the
EtherChannel itself. The feature will be enabled automatically if you set the Enable Jumbo Frames
attribute to yes.
• AIX 5.3 and AIX 6.1 levels support the following configurations for Host Ethernet Adapters (HEA).
– Link aggregation between dedicated HEA port and PCI/PCI-E adapter is supported for both manual
aggregation and LACP aggregation.
– EtherChannel configuration that includes non-dedicated HEA port support, EtherChannel with backup
adapter configured as PCI/PCI-E, or virtual Ethernet.
Note: For non-dedicated HEA port in EtherChannel configuration, limitations about Link aggregation
apply.
• AIX Version 6.1 with the 6100-06 Technology Level and later supports EtherChannel on stacked
switches.
• Network boot or network installation over EtherChannel on Network Installation Management (NIM)
client is not supported.
Configuring an EtherChannel
Use this procedure to configure an EtherChannel.
1. Type smitty etherchannel at the command line.
2. Select Add an EtherChannel / Link Aggregation from the list and press Enter.
3. Select the primary Ethernet adapters that you want on your EtherChannel and press Enter.
If you are planning to use EtherChannel backup, do not select the adapter that you plan to use for the
backup at this point.
Note: The Available Network Adapters displays all Ethernet adapters. If you select an Ethernet
adapter that is already being used (has an interface defined), you will get an error message. You first
need to detach this interface if you want to use it.
4. Enter the information in the fields according to the following guidelines:
• Parent Adapter: Provides information of an EtherChannel's parent device (for example, when an
EtherChannel belongs to a Shared Ethernet Adapter). This field displays a value of NONE if the
EtherChannel is not contained within another adapter (the default). If the EtherChannel is contained
within another adapter, this field displays the parent adapter's name (for example, ent6). This field
is informational only and cannot be modified. The parent adapter option is available in AIX 5.3 and
later.
• EtherChannel / Link Aggregation Adapters: You should see all primary adapters that you are using
in your EtherChannel. You selected these adapters in the previous step.
• Enable Alternate Address: This field is optional. Setting this to yes will enable you to specify a MAC
address that you want the EtherChannel to use. If you set this option to no, the EtherChannel will
use the MAC address of the first adapter.
• Alternate Address: If you set Enable Alternate Address to yes, specify the MAC address that you
want to use here. The address you specify must start with 0x and be a 12-digit hexadecimal address
(for example, 0x001122334455).

• Enable Gigabit Ethernet Jumbo Frames: This field is optional. In order to use this, your switch must
support jumbo frames. This will only work with a Standard Ethernet (en) interface, not an IEEE 802.3
(et) interface. Set this to yes if you want to enable it.
• Mode: You can choose from the following modes:
– standard: In this mode the EtherChannel uses an algorithm to choose which adapter it will send
the packets out on. The algorithm consists of taking a data value, dividing it by the number of
adapters in the EtherChannel, and using the remainder (using the modulus operator) to identify
the outgoing link. The Hash Mode value determines which data value is fed into this algorithm (see
the Hash Mode attribute for an explanation of the different hash modes). For example, if the Hash
Mode is standard, it will use the packet's destination IP address. If this is 10.10.10.11 and there
are 2 adapters in the EtherChannel, (1 / 2) = 0 with remainder 1, so the second adapter is used
(the adapters are numbered starting from 0). The adapters are numbered in the order they are
listed in the SMIT menu. This is the default operation mode.
– round_robin: In this mode the EtherChannel will rotate through the adapters, giving each adapter
one packet before repeating. The packets may be sent out in a slightly different order than they
were given to the EtherChannel, but it will make the best use of its bandwidth. It is an invalid
combination to select this mode with a Hash Mode other than default. If you choose the
round-robin mode, leave the Hash Mode value as default.
– netif_backup: To enable Network Interface Backup Mode, you can configure one or more
adapters in the primary EtherChannel and the backup EtherChannel. For more information, see
“Configuring Network Interface Backup” on page 392.
– 8023ad: This option enables the use of the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol
(LACP) for automatic link aggregation. For more details about this feature, see “IEEE 802.3ad Link
Aggregation configuration” on page 399.
• IEEE 802.3ad Interval: You can choose from the following values:
– long: This is the default value of the interval. When selected, the EtherChannel will request LACP
packets from its partner at long interval value as specified by the protocol
– short: When selected, the EtherChannel will request LACP packets from its partner at short
interval value as specified by the protocol.
Note: The interval value is only used when EtherChannel is operating in IEEE 802.3ad mode.
Otherwise, the value is ignored.
Note: AIX honors both long and short interval request from its partner.
• Hash Mode: Choose from the following hash modes, which will determine the data value that will be
used by the algorithm to determine the outgoing adapter:
– default: The destination IP address of the packet is used to determine the outgoing adapter.
For non-IP traffic (such as ARP), the last byte of the destination MAC address is used to do the
calculation. This mode guarantees packets are sent out over the EtherChannel in the order they
were received, but it may not make full use of the bandwidth.
– src_port: The source UDP or TCP port value of the packet is used to determine the outgoing
adapter. If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the last byte of the destination IP address will be
used. If the packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination MAC address will be used.
– dst_port: The destination UDP or TCP port value of the packet is used to determine the outgoing
adapter. If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the last byte of the destination IP will be used. If
the packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination MAC address is used.
– src_dst_port: The source and destination UDP or TCP port values of the packet is used to
determine the outgoing adapter (specifically, the source and destination ports are added and
then divided by two before being fed into the algorithm). If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the
last byte of the destination IP is used. If the packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination
MAC address will be used. This mode can give good packet distribution in most situations, both for
clients and servers.

Note: It is an invalid combination to select a Hash Mode other than default with a Mode of
round_robin.
To learn more about packet distribution and load balancing, see “EtherChannel load-balancing
options” on page 393.
• Backup Adapter: This field is optional. Enter a list of adapters that you want to use as EtherChannel
backup.
• Internet Address to Ping: This field is optional and takes effect only if you are running Network
Interface Backup mode or if you have one or more adapters in EtherChannel and one or more
adapters in the backup list. EtherChannel pings the IP address or host name that you specify. If
EtherChannel is unable to ping the IP address for the number of times specified in the Number of
Retries field and within the time interval that is specified in the Retry Timeout field, EtherChannel
changes over to the other adapters in the backup list. To reset this field such that the previously
entered value for this option is removed, enter the Internet Address to Ping: option value as 0.
Note: Monitoring pings in the multipath routing environment is not supported. But as a workaround,
use a separate address to ping for each EtherChannel and add a specific host route with the right
EtherChannel interface name for the destination IP to the routing table.
• Number of Retries: Enter the number of ping response failures that are allowed before the
EtherChannel switches adapters. The default is three. This field is optional and valid only if you
have set an Internet Address to Ping.
• Retry Timeout: Enter the number of seconds between the times when the EtherChannel will ping
the Internet Address to Ping. The default is one second. This field is optional and valid only if you
• MAC swap: Select "yes" if you want to enable MAC swap. MAC swap is only allowed on an
EtherChannel in Network Interface Backup configuration (one primary adapter and one backup
adapter). Enabling mac_swap will cause the backup adapter to retain its MAC address and then if
failover occurs, this MAC will be swapped to the primary adapter and the primary adapter's MAC will
be swapped to the backup adapter. The default behavior (mac_swap=no) is for the primary adapter's
MAC to be assigned to the backup adapter. In certain network configurations such as a VNIC/SR-IOV
EtherChannel setup, this could result in duplicate packets coming in on the inactive primary adapter
after a failover. Enabling mac_swap will avoid this situation. You are not allowed to configure an
EtherChannel with mac_swap enabled unless there is exactly one primary adapter and exactly one
backup adapter.
5. Press Enter after changing the desired fields to create the EtherChannel.
6. Configure IP over the newly-created EtherChannel device by typing smitty chinet at the command
line.
7. Select your new EtherChannel interface from the list.
8. Fill in all of the required fields and press Enter.
For additional tasks that can be performed after the EtherChannel is configured, see “Listing
EtherChannels or Link Aggregations” on page 395.
Recovery and failover options

Recovery and failover features are available for EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation.
With these features, the following improvements are available:
• packet loss can be prevented during recovery
• failovers can be set to occur instantaneously
• automatic recovery can be turned off so that the backup adapter continues operations
• Link Aggregations can be forced to failover from the primary channel to the backup, or the other way
around

Lossless recovery
The lossless recovery feature ensures that recovery from the backup adapter to the primary channel loses
as few packets as possible.
Before lossless recovery, EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad would recover to the primary channel at the
same instant it detected the recovery of one of the primary adapters. In some cases, the adapter's
switch would not be in a state in which it could send or receive data, and some packets would get lost
immediately after a recovery.
With lossless recovery, the EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad adapter recovers to the primary channel only
when it has been able to actually receive traffic on it. This ensures that the switch port is fully initialized
and no packets get lost.
Lossless failover
The lossless failover feature modifies the behavior of the lossless recovery feature.
When ping failures cause a failover, lossless recovery is observed by default. This involves a period
of waiting until the inactive adapter's switch receives traffic before finalizing the failover. If the
noloss_failover attribute is set to no, however, ping failovers occur immediately.
Automatic recovery
After a failover from the primary channel to the backup channel, EtherChannel automatically starts a
recovery to the primary channel that failed when at least one of its adapters recovers.
This default behavior can be modified by setting the auto_recovery attribute to no. With this setting,
the EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation continues operating on the backup channel after the
failover. Operations on the backup channel continue until one of the following events occur:
• A failover is forced.
• The backup channel fails.
• A ping failure is detected on the backup channel.
Automatic recovery is not supported in IEEE 802.3ad mode so regardless of the setting of the
auto_recovery attribute, it will behave as if it were set to no. Therefore, if a failover to the backup channel
is forced, traffic will continue on the backup channel even though the primary channel is up.
Forced failovers
EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation can be forced to fail over from the primary channel to the
backup adapter, or from the backup adapter to the primary channel.
Forced failovers work only if there is a backup adapter defined, and if the inactive channel is up and
running. For example, to force a failover from the primary channel to the backup adapter, the backup
adapter must be running.
To use this feature, enter smitty etherchannel and select the Force A Failover In An EtherChannel /
Link Aggregation option from the screen. Then select the EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
where the failover needs to be forced.
Network Interface Backup configuration

Network Interface Backup protects against a single point of network failure by providing failure detection
and failover with no disruption to user connections. When operating in this mode, only one adapter is
active at any given time.
If the active adapter fails, another adapter in the EtherChannel will be used for all traffic. When operating
in Network Interface Backup mode, it is not necessary to connect to EtherChannel-enabled switches.
The Network Interface Backup setup is most effective when the adapters are connected to different
network switches, as this provides greater redundancy than connecting all adapters to one switch. When
connecting to different switches, make sure there is a connection between the switches. This provides
failover capabilities from one adapter to another by ensuring that there is always a route to the currently-
active adapter.

Priority is given to the adapter configured in the primary EtherChannel, over the backup adapter. As long
as the primary adapter is functional, it is used. This contrasts from the behavior of Network Interface
Backup mode in earlier releases, where the backup adapter was used until it also failed, regardless of
whether the primary adapter had already recovered.
For example, ent0 could be configured as the main adapter, and ent2 as the backup adapter, creating
an EtherChannel called ent3. Ideally, ent0 and ent2 would be connected to two different switches.
In this example, all traffic sent over ent3 (the EtherChannel's interface) is sent over ent0 by default,
whereas ent2 is idle. If at any time ent0 fails, all traffic is sent over the backup adapter, ent2. When
ent0 recovers, it is again used for all traffic.
It is now possible to configure the EtherChannel to detect link failure and network unreachability for
multiple EtherChannels with a backup adapter. To do this, use the netaddr attribute to specify the IP
address or host name of a remote host where connectivity should always be present. The EtherChannel
will periodically ping this host to determine whether there is still a network path to it. If a specified
number of ping attempts go unanswered, the EtherChannel will fail over to the other adapter in the hope
that there is a network path to the remote host through the other adapter. In this setup, not only should
every adapter be connected to a different switch, but each switch should also have a different route to the
host that is pinged.
This ping feature is available for one or more EtherChannels with a backup adapter. However, if there is a
failover due to unanswered pings on the primary adapter, the backup adapter remains the active channel
as long as it is working. There is no way of knowing, while operating on the backup adapter, whether it
is possible to reach the host being pinged from the primary adapter. To avoid failing over back and forth
between the primary and the backup, it keeps operating on the backup (unless the pings go unanswered
on the backup adapter as well, or if the backup adapter itself fails, in which case it would fail over to the
primary adapter). However, if the failover occurred because the primary adapter failed (not because the
pings went unanswered), the EtherChannel will then come back to the primary adapter as soon it has
come back up, as usual.
To configure Network Interface Backup in the newer versions, see “Configuring Network Interface
Backup” on page 392.
Configuring Network Interface Backup

Use this procedure to configure a network interface backup in the newer versions.
1. With root authority, type smitty etherchannel on the command line.
3. Select the primary Ethernet adapter and press Enter. This is the adapter that will be used until it fails.
Note: The Available Network Adapters field displays all of the Ethernet adapters. If you select an
Ethernet adapter that is already being used, you will get an error message and will need to detach
this interface before you can use it. Refer to “Making changes to an EtherChannel with 5200-01 and
earlier” on page 398 for information on how to detach an interface.
4. Enter the information in the following fields according to the following guidelines:
• Parent Adapter: This field provides information of an EtherChannel's parent device (for example,
when an EtherChannel belongs to a Shared Ethernet Adapter). This field displays a value of NONE
if the EtherChannel is not contained within another adapter (the default). If the EtherChannel is
contained within another adapter, this field displays the parent adapter's name (for example, ent6).
This field is informational only and cannot be modified. The backup adapter option is available in the
AIX operating system.
• EtherChannel / Link Aggregation Adapters: You should see the primary adapter you selected in the
previous step.
• Enable Alternate Address: This field is optional. Setting this to yes will enable you to specify a MAC
address that you want the EtherChannel to use. If you set this option to no, the EtherChannel will
use the MAC address of the primary adapter.

(for example 0x001122334455).
support jumbo frames. This only works with a Standard Ethernet (en) interface, not an IEEE 802.3
(et) interface. Set this to yes if you want to use it.
• Mode: It is irrelevant which mode of operation you select because there is only one adapter in the
main EtherChannel. All packets are sent over that adapter until it fails. There is no netif_backup
mode because that mode can be emulated using a backup adapter.
• Hash Mode: It is irrelevant which hash mode you select because there is only one adapter in the
main EtherChannel. All packets are sent over that adapter until it fails.
• Backup Adapter: Enter one adapter for the EtherChannel backup. After a failover event due to the
loss of the primary EtherChannel adapter, the backup adapter is used until the primary EtherChannel
recovers.
• Internet Address to Ping: This field is optional. The EtherChannel pings the IP address or host name
that you specify here. If the EtherChannel is unable to ping this address for the number of times
specified in the Number of Retries field and in the intervals specified in the Retry Timeout field, the
EtherChannel switches adapters.
• Number of Retries: Enter the number of ping response failures that are allowed before the
EtherChannel switches adapters. The default is three. This field is optional and valid only if you
• Retry Timeout: Enter the number of seconds between the times when the EtherChannel pings the
Internet Address to Ping. The default is one second. This field is optional and valid only if you have
set an Internet Address to Ping.
5. Press Enter after changing the desired fields to create the EtherChannel.
6. Configure IP over the newly-created interface by typing smitty chinet at the command line.
7. Select your new EtherChannel interface from the list.
8. Fill in all of the required fields and press Enter.
Your network interface backup is now configured.
EtherChannel load-balancing options

There are two load balancing methods for outgoing traffic in EtherChannel, as follows: round-robin, which
spreads the outgoing traffic evenly across all of the adapters in the EtherChannel; and standard, which
selects the adapter using an algorithm.
The Hash Mode parameter determines the numerical value that is fed to the algorithm.
The following table summarizes the valid load-balancing option combinations offered.
Table 81. Mode and Hash Mode combinations and the outgoing traffic distributions each produces.
Mode Hash Mode Outgoing Traffic Distribution
The traditional AIX behavior. The
adapter selection algorithm uses
the last byte of the destination
IP address (for TCP/IP traffic)
standard or 8023ad default or MAC address (for ARP and
other non-IP traffic). This mode is
typically a good initial choice for
a server with a large number of
clients.

Table 81. Mode and Hash Mode combinations and the outgoing traffic distributions each produces.
(continued)
Mode Hash Mode Outgoing Traffic Distribution
The outgoing adapter path
is selected by an algorithm
using the combined source and
destination TCP or UDP port
values. Because each connection
has a unique TCP or UDP
standard or 8023ad src_dst_port
port, the three port-based hash
modes provide additional adapter
distribution flexibility when there
are several, separate TCP or
UDP connections between an IP
address pair.
The adapter selection algorithm
uses the source TCP or UDP
port value. In the netstat -an
standard or 8023ad src_port
command output, the port is the
TCP/IP address suffix value in the
Local column.
The outgoing adapter path is
selected by the algorithm using
the destination system port
value. In the netstat -an
standard or 8023ad dst_port
command output, the TCP/IP
address suffix in the Foreign
column is the TCP or UDP
destination port value.
Outgoing traffic is spread evenly
across all of the adapter ports in
the EtherChannel. This mode is
round-robin default
the typical choice for two hosts
connected back-to-back (without
an intervening switch).
Round-Robin distribution
All outgoing traffic is spread evenly across all of the adapters in the EtherChannel. It provides the highest
bandwidth optimization for the AIX server system. While round-robin distribution is the ideal way to
use all of the links equally, consider that it also introduces the potential for out-of-order packets at the
receiving system.
In general, round-robin mode is ideal for back-to-back connections running jumbo frames. In this
environment, there is no intervening switch, so there is no chance that processing at the switch could
alter the packet delivery time, order, or adapter path. On this direct cable network path, packets are
received exactly as sent. Jumbo frames (9000 byte MTU) always yield better file transfer performance
than traditional 1500 byte MTUs. In this case, however, they add another benefit. These larger packets
take longer to send so it is less likely that the receiving host would be continuously interrupted with
out-of-order packets.
Round-robin mode can be implemented in other environments but at increased risk of out-of-order
packets at the receiving system. This risk is particularly high when there are few, long-lived, streaming
TCP connections. When there are many such connections between a host pair, packets from different
connections could be intermingled, thereby decreasing the chance of packets for the same connection
arriving out-of-order. Check for out-of-order packet statistics in the tcp section of the netstat -s

command output. A steadily-increasing value indicates a potential problem in traffic sent from an
EtherChannel.
If out-of-order packets are a problem on a system that must use traditional Ethernet MTUs and must be
connected through a switch, try the various hash modes offered in standard mode operation. Each mode
has a particular strength, but the default and src_dst_port modes are the logical starting points as they
are more widely applicable.
Standard or 802.3ad algorithm

There are advantages to using the EtherChannel standard algorithm.
The standard algorithm is used for both standard and IEEE 802.3ad-style link aggregations. AIX divides
the last byte of the "numerical value" by the number of adapters in the EtherChannel and uses the
remainder to identify the outgoing link. If the remainder is zero, the first adapter in the EtherChannel is
selected; a remainder of one means the second adapter is selected, and so on (the adapters are selected
in the order that they are listed in the adapter_names attribute).
The Hash Mode selection determines the numerical value used in the calculation. By default, the last byte
of the destination IP address or MAC address is used in the calculation, but the source and destination
TCP or UDP port values can also be used. These alternatives allow you to fine-tune the distribution of
outgoing traffic across the real adapters in the EtherChannel.
In default hash mode, the adapter selection algorithm is applied to the last byte of the destination IP
address for IP traffic. For ARP and other non-IP traffic, the same formula is applied on the last byte of
the destination MAC address. Unless there is an adapter failure that causes a failover, all traffic between a
host pair in default standard mode goes out over the same adapter. The default hash mode may be ideal
when the local host establishes connections to many different IP addresses.
If the local host establishes lengthy connections to few IP addresses, however, you will notice that some
adapters carry a greater load than others, because all of the traffic sent to a specific destination is sent
over the same adapter. While this prevents packets from arriving out-of-order, it may not use bandwidth
in the most effective fashion in all cases. The port-based hash modes still send packets in order, but
they allow packets belonging to different UDP or TCP connections, even if they are sent to the same
destination, to be sent over different adapters, thus better using the bandwidth of all of the adapters.
In src_dst_port hash mode, the TCP or UDP source and destination port values of the outgoing packet
are added, then divided by two. The resultant whole number (no decimals) is plugged into the standard
algorithm. TCP or UDP traffic is sent on the adapter selected by the standard algorithm and selected hash
mode value. Non-TCP or UDP traffic will fall back to the default hash mode, meaning the last byte of
either the destination IP address or MAC address. The src_dst_port hash mode option considers both the
source and the destination TCP or UDP port values. In this mode, all of the packets in one TCP or UDP
connection are sent over a single adapter so they are guaranteed to arrive in order, but the traffic is still
spread out because connections (even to the same host) may be sent over different adapters. The results
of this hash mode are not skewed by the connection establishment direction because it uses both the
source and destination TCP or UDP port values.
In src_port hash mode, the source TCP or UDP port value of the outgoing packet is used. In dst_port hash
mode, the destination TCP or UDP port value of the outgoing packet is used. Use the src_port or dst_port
hash mode options if port values change from one connection to another and if the src_dst_port option is
not yielding a desirable distribution.
Listing EtherChannels or Link Aggregations

Use this procedure to list EtherChannels or Link Aggregations.
1. On the command line, type smitty etherchannel.
2. Select List All EtherChannels / Link Aggregations and press Enter.

Changing the alternate address
To specify a MAC address for your EtherChannel or Link Aggregation, follow these steps.
1. Depending on which version of AIX you are running, you might have to detach the interface:
• On AIX 5.2 with 5200-01 and earlier, type smitty chinet and select the interface belonging to
your EtherChannel. Change the Current STATE attribute to detach, and press Enter.
• On AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package and later, you can
change the alternate address of the EtherChannel without detaching its interface.
3. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an EtherChannel and press Enter.
4. If you have multiple EtherChannels, select the EtherChannel for which you want to create an alternate
address.
5. Change the value in Enable Alternate EtherChannel Address to yes.
6. Enter the alternate address in the Alternate EtherChannel Address field. The address must start with
0x and be a 12-digit hexadecimal address (for example, 0x001122334455).
7. Press Enter to complete the process.
Note: Changing the EtherChannel's MAC address at runtime can cause a temporary loss of
connectivity. This is because the adapters need to be reset so they learn the new hardware address,
and some adapters take a few seconds to be initialized.
Dynamic Adapter Membership

Prior to AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package, in order to add or
remove an adapter from an EtherChannel, its interface first had to be detached, temporarily interrupting
all user traffic. To overcome this limitation, Dynamic Adapter Membership (DAM) was added in AIX 5L
Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package.
It allows adapters to be added or removed from an EtherChannel without having to disrupt any user
connections. A backup adapter can also be added or removed; an EtherChannel can be initially created
without a backup adapter, and one can be added at a later date if the need arises.
Not only can adapters be added or removed without disrupting user connections, it is also possible to
modify most of the EtherChannel attributes at runtime. For example, you may begin using the "ping"
feature of Network Interface Backup while the EtherChannel is in use, or change the remote host being
pinged at any point.
You can also turn a regular EtherChannel into an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation (or the other way
around), allowing users to experiment with this feature without having to remove and recreate the
EtherChannel.
Furthermore, with DAM, you may choose to create a one-adapter EtherChannel. A one-adapter
EtherChannel behaves exactly like a regular adapter; however, should this adapter ever fail, it is possible
to replace it at runtime without ever losing connectivity. To accomplish this, you add a temporary adapter
to the EtherChannel, remove the defective adapter from the EtherChannel, replace the defective adapter
with a working one using Hot Plug, add the new adapter to the EtherChannel, and then remove the
temporary adapter. During this process you never notice a loss in connectivity. If the adapter had been
working as a standalone adapter, however, it must be detached before being removed using Hot Plug, and
during that time any traffic going over it is lost.
Adapter additions, removals, or changes in an EtherChannel or Link

Aggregation
There are two ways to add, remove, or change an adapter in an EtherChannel or Link Aggregation.
One method requires the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation interface to be detached, while the other
does not (using Dynamic Adapter Membership, which is available in AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03
Recommended Maintenance package and later).

Making changes to an EtherChannel using Dynamic Adapter Membership
Making changes using Dynamic Adapter Membership does not require you to stop all traffic going over the
EtherChannel by detaching its interface.
Consider the following before proceeding:
1. When adding an adapter at runtime, note that different Ethernet adapters support different capabilities
(for example, the ability to do checksum offload, to use private segments, to do large sends,
and so forth). If different types of adapters are used in the same EtherChannel, the capabilities
reported to the interface layer are those supported by all of the adapters (for example, if all but
one adapter supports the use of private segments, the EtherChannel will state it does not support
private segments; if all adapters do support large send, the channel will state it supports large send).
When adding an adapter to an EtherChannel at runtime, be sure that it supports at least the same
capabilities as the other adapters already in the EtherChannel. If you attempt to add an adapter
that does not support all of the capabilities the EtherChannel supports, the addition will fail. Note,
however, that if the EtherChannel's interface is detached, you may add any adapter (regardless of the
capabilities it supports), and when the interface is reactivated the EtherChannel will recalculate the
capabilities it supports based on the new list of adapters.
2. If you are not using an alternate address and you plan to delete the adapter whose MAC address
was used for the EtherChannel (the MAC address used for the EtherChannel is "owned" by one of
the adapters), the EtherChannel will use the MAC address of the next adapter available. In other
words, the one that becomes the first adapter after the deletion, or the backup adapter in case all
main adapters are deleted. For example, if an EtherChannel has main adapters ent0 and ent1 and
backup adapter ent2, it uses by default ent0's MAC address (it is then said that ent0 "owns" the
MAC address). If ent0 is deleted, the EtherChannel then uses ent1's MAC address. If ent1 is then
deleted, the EtherChannel uses ent2's MAC address. If ent0 is later re-added to the EtherChannel,
it continues to use ent2's MAC address because ent2 is now the owner of the MAC address. If ent2
were then deleted from the EtherChannel, it starts using ent0's MAC address again.
Deleting the adapter whose MAC address was used for the EtherChannel may cause a temporary loss
of connectivity, because all of the adapters in the EtherChannel need to be reset so they learn of their
new hardware address. Some adapters take a few seconds to be initialized.
If your EtherChannel is using an alternate address (a MAC address you specified), it keeps using this
MAC address regardless of which adapters are added or deleted. Furthermore, it means that there
is no temporary loss of connectivity when adding or deleting adapters because none of the adapters
"owns" the EtherChannel's MAC address.
3. Almost all EtherChannel attributes can now be modified at runtime. The only exception is Enable
Gigabit Ethernet Jumbo Frames. To modify the Enable Gigabit Ethernet Jumbo Frames attribute,
you must first detach the EtherChannel's interface before attempting to modify this value.
4. For any attribute that cannot be changed at runtime (currently, only Enable Gigabit Ethernet Jumbo
Frames), there is a field called Apply change to DATABASE only. If this attribute is set to yes,
it is possible to change, at runtime, the value of an attribute that usually cannot be modified at
runtime. With the Apply change to DATABASE only field set to yes the attribute will only be
changed in the ODM and will not be reflected in the running EtherChannel until it is reloaded into
memory (by detaching its interface, using rmdev -l EtherChannel_device and then mkdev -l
EtherChannel_device commands), or until the machine is rebooted. This is a convenient way of
making sure that the attribute is modified the next time the machine boots, without having to disrupt
the running EtherChannel.
5. In a logical partition, when you remove an adapter from an EtherChannel, you must also remove the
associated switch port from the EtherChannel in the switch. Otherwise, the connectivity might be lost
because the switch might be using the same switch port for communication.
To make changes to the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation using Dynamic Adapter Membership, follow
these steps:
1. At the command line, type smitty etherchannel.
2. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an EtherChannel / Link Aggregation.

3. Select the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation that you want to modify.
4. Fill in the required fields according to the following guidelines:
• In the Add adapter or Remove adapter field, select the Ethernet adapter you want to add or
remove.
• In the Add backup adapter or Remove backup adapter fields, select the Ethernet adapter you want
to start or stop using as a backup.
• Almost all of the EtherChannel attributes can be modified at runtime, although the Enable Gigabit
Ethernet Jumbo Frames attribute cannot.
• To turn a regular EtherChannel into an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, change the Mode attribute to
8023ad. To turn an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation into an EtherChannel, change the Mode attribute
to standard or round_robin.
5. Fill in the necessary data, and press Enter.
Making changes to an EtherChannel with 5200-01 and earlier

Use this procedure to detach the interface and make changes to an EtherChannel with 5200-01 and
earlier.
1. Type smitty chinet and select the interface belonging to your EtherChannel. Change the Current
STATE attribute to detach, and press Enter.
2. On the command line type, smitty etherchannel.
3. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an EtherChannel / Link Aggregation and press Enter.
4. Select the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation that you want to modify.
5. Modify the attributes you want to change in your EtherChannel or Link Aggregation and press Enter.
6. Fill in the necessary fields and press Enter.
Removing an EtherChannel or Link Aggregation

Use this procedure to remove an EtherChannel or Link Aggregation.
2. On the command line type smitty etherchannel.
3. Select Remove an EtherChannel and press Enter.
4. Select the EtherChannel that you want to remove and press Enter.
Configuring or removing a backup adapter on an existing EtherChannel or Link

Aggregation
The following procedure configures or removes a backup adapter on an EtherChannel or Link Aggregation.
3. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an EtherChannel / Link Aggregation.
4. Select the EtherChannel or Link Aggregation that you are adding or modifying the backup adapter on.
5. Enter the adapter that you want to use as your backup adapter in the Backup Adapter field, or select
NONE if you wish to stop using the backup adapter.

IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation configuration
IEEE 802.3ad is a standard way of doing link aggregation. Conceptually, it works the same as
EtherChannel in that several Ethernet adapters are aggregated into a single virtual adapter, providing
greater bandwidth and protection against failures.
For example, ent0 and ent1 can be aggregated into an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation called ent3;
interface ent3 would then be configured with an IP address. The system considers these aggregated
adapters as one adapter. Therefore, IP is configured over them as over any Ethernet adapter.
IEEE 802.3ad requires support in the switch.
The advantages of using IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation instead of EtherChannel are that you can use
switches that support the IEEE 802.3ad standard but do not support EtherChannel and it provides
protection against adapter failures.
When an IEEE 802.3ad aggregation is configured, link aggregation control protocol data units (LACPDUs)
are exchanged between the server machine (host system) and the adjacent switch. Only the active
channel, which could be either the primary channel or the backup adapter, exchanges LACPDU with the
adjacent switch.
To be able to aggregate adapters (meaning that the switch allows them to belong to the same
aggregation) they must be of the same line speed (for example, all 100 Mbps, or all 1 Gbps) and they must
all be full duplex. If you attempt to place adapters of different line speeds or different duplex modes, the
creation of the aggregation on the AIX system succeeds, but the switch might not aggregate the adapters
together. If the switch does not successfully aggregate the adapters together, you might notice a decrease
in network performance. For information on how to determine whether an aggregation on a switch was
successful, see “IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation troubleshooting” on page 401.
According to the IEEE 802.3ad specification, packets that are being sent to the same IP address are sent
over the same adapter. Thus, when being operated in 802.3ad mode, the packets are always distributed
in the standard fashion, never in a round-robin fashion.
The backup adapter feature is available for IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregations just as it is for EtherChannel.
The backup adapter also follows the IEEE 802.3ad LACP. The switch port connected to the backup
adapter must also have IEEE 802.3ad enabled.
Note: The steps to enable the use of IEEE 802.3ad varies from switch to switch. You must consult the
documentation for your switch to determine what initial steps, if any, must be performed to enable LACP
in the switch.
For information in how to configure an IEEE 802.3ad aggregation, see “Configuring IEEE 802.3ad Link
Aggregation” on page 399.
Consider the following before you configure an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation:
• Although not officially supported, the AIX implementation of IEEE 802.3ad allows the Link Aggregation
to contain adapters of different line speeds. However, you must aggregate only those adapters that
are set to the same line speed and are set to full duplex. This helps to avoid potential problems
in configuring the Link Aggregation on the switch. For more information on the types of aggregation
allowed by your switch, see the documentation of your switch.
• If you are using 10/100 Ethernet adapters in the Link Aggregation, you must enable link polling on those
adapters before you add them to the aggregation. Type smitty chgenet at the command line. Change
the Enable Link Polling value to yes, and press Enter. Perform this action for every 10/100 Ethernet
adapter that you are adding to your Link Aggregation.
Note: In AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package and later, enabling
the link polling mechanism is not necessary. The link poller is started automatically.
Configuring IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation

Follow these steps to configure an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation.
1. Type smitty etherchannel at the command line.

3. Select the primary Ethernet adapters that you want on your Link Aggregation and press Enter.
If you are planning to use a backup adapter, do not select the adapter that you plan to use for the
backup at this point.
Note: The Available Network Adapters displays all Ethernet adapters. If you select an Ethernet
adapter that is already being used (has an interface defined), you will get an error message. You first
need to detach these interfaces if you want to use them.
4. Enter the information in the fields according to the following guidelines:
• Parent Adapter: Provides information about an EtherChannel's parent device (for example, when
an EtherChannel belongs to a Shared Ethernet Adapter). This field displays a value of NONE if the
EtherChannel is not contained within another adapter (the default). If the EtherChannel is contained
within another adapter, this field displays the parent adapter's name (for example, ent6). This field
is informational only and cannot be modified. The parent adapter option is available in AIX 5.3 and
later.
• EtherChannel / Link Aggregation Adapters: You should see all primary adapters that you are using
in your Link Aggregation. You selected these adapters in the previous step.
• Enable Alternate Address: This field is optional. Setting this to yes enables you to specify a MAC
address that you want the Link Aggregation to use. If you set this option to no, the Link Aggregation
uses the MAC address of the first adapter.
(for example, 0x001122334455).
support jumbo frames. This only works with a Standard Ethernet (en) interface, not an IEEE 802.3
(et) interface. Set this to yes if you want to enable it.
• Mode: Enter 8023ad.
• Hash Mode: You can choose from the following hash modes, which determines the data value to be
used by the algorithm to determine the outgoing adapter:
– default: In this hash mode the destination IP address of the packet will be used to determine the
outgoing adapter. For non-IP traffic (such as ARP), the last byte of the destination MAC address is
used to do the calculation. This mode will guarantee packets are sent out over the EtherChannel in
the order they were received, but it may not make full use of the bandwidth.
– src_port: The source UDP or TCP port value of the packet is used to determine the outgoing
adapter. If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the last byte of the destination IP address is used.
If the packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination MAC address is used.
– dst_port: The destination UDP or TCP port value of the packet is used to determine the outgoing
adapter. If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the last byte of the destination IP is used. If the
packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination MAC address is used.
– src_dst_port: Both the source and destination UDP or TCP port values of the packet are used to
determine the outgoing adapter (specifically, the source and destination ports are added and then
divided by two before being fed into the algorithm). If the packet is not UDP or TCP traffic, the last
byte of the destination IP is used. If the packet is not IP traffic, the last byte of the destination
MAC address is used. This mode can give good packet distribution in most situations, both for
clients and servers.
To learn more about packet distribution and load balancing, see “EtherChannel load-balancing
options” on page 393.
• Backup Adapter: This field is optional. Enter the adapter that you want to use as your backup.
• Internet Address to Ping: This field is optional and is available if you have one or more adapters in
the main aggregation and a backup adapter. The Link Aggregation pings the IP address or host name
that you specify here. If the Link Aggregation is unable to ping this address for the number of times
specified by the Number of Retries field and in the intervals specified by the Retry Timeout field,
the Link Aggregation switches adapters.

• Number of Retries: Enter the number of ping response failures that are allowed before the Link
Aggregation switches adapters. The default is three. This field is optional and valid only if you have
set an Internet Address to Ping.
• Retry Timeout: Enter the number of seconds between the times when the Link Aggregation pings
the Internet Address to Ping. The default is one second. This field is optional and valid only if you
5. Press Enter after changing the desired fields to create the Link Aggregation.
6. Configure IP over the newly-created Link Aggregation device by typing smitty chinet at the
command line.
7. Select your new Link Aggregation interface from the list.
8. Fill in all the required fields and press Enter.
IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation troubleshooting

Use the entstat command to troubleshoot IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation.
If you are having trouble with your IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, use the following command to verify
the mode of operation of the Link Aggregation:
entstat -d device
where device is the Link Aggregation device.

This will also make a best-effort determination of the status of the progress of LACP based on the
LACPDUs received from the switch. The following status values are possible:
• Inactive: LACP has not been initiated. This is the status when a Link Aggregation has not yet been
configured, either because it has not yet been assigned an IP address or because its interface has been
detached.
• Negotiating: LACP is in progress, but the switch has not yet aggregated the adapters. If the Link
Aggregation remains on this status for longer than one minute, verify that the switch is correctly
configured. For instance, you should verify that LACP is enabled on the ports.
• Aggregated: LACP has succeeded and the switch has aggregated the adapters together.
• Failed: LACP has failed. Some possible causes are that the adapters in the aggregation are set to
different line speeds or duplex modes or that they are plugged into different switches. Verify the
adapters' configuration.
In addition, some switches allow only contiguous ports to be aggregated and may have a limitation on
the number of adapters that can be aggregated. Consult the switch documentation to determine any
limitations that the switch may have, then verify the switch configuration.
Note: The Link Aggregation status is a diagnostic value and does not affect the AIX side of the
configuration. This status value was derived using a best-effort attempt. To debug any aggregation
problems, it is best to verify the switch's configuration.
The following IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation statistics represent the status of the LACP on each port of
the aggregation.
They are shown for both the Actor (the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation) and for the Partner (the switch
port).
System Priority: priority value for this system

System: value that uniquely identifies this system
Operational Key: value that denotes which ports may be
aggregated together
Port Priority: priority value for this port
Port: unique value that identifies this port in the aggregation
State:
LACP activity: Active or Passive - whether to initiate
sending LACPDUs always, or only in response to

another LACPDU: the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
will always operate in Active mode
LACP timeout: Long or Short - time to wait before
sending LACPDUs: the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
will always use the long timeout
Aggregation: Individual or Aggregatable - whether this
port can form an aggregation with other ports, or
if it can only form an aggregation with itself:
the port in a one-adapter IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
will be marked as Individual, or Aggregatable
if there are more than one ports
Synchronization: IN_SYNC or OUT_OF_SYNC - whether the
aggregation has determined it has reached
synchronization with the partner
Collecting: Enabled or Disabled - whether the IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation is collecting (receiving) packets
Distributing: Enabled or Disabled - whether the IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation is distributing (sending) packets
Defaulted: True or False - whether the IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation is using default values for
the partner's information
Expired: True or False - whether the IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation is operated in expired mode
The following statistics are shown on both a port-by-port and aggregate basis:
Received LACPDUs: LACPDU packets received

Transmitted LACPDUs: LACPDU packets sent out
Received marker PDUs: marker PDUs received
Transmitted marker PDUs: marker PDUs sent:
this version of the protocol does not implement the
marker protocol, so this statistic will always be zero
Received marker response PDUs: marker PDUs received
Transmitted marker response PDUs: marker response PDUs sent:
this version of the protocol does not implement the
marker protocol, so this statistic will always be zero
Received unknown PDUs: PDUs received of unknown type
Received illegal PDUs: PDUs received of known type, but which
were malformed, of unexpected length, or unknown subtype
Interoperability scenarios
Consider the following interoperability scenarios when configuring your EtherChannel or IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation.
Additional explanation of each scenario is given after the table.
Table 82. Different AIX and switch configuration combinations and the results each combination will
produce.
EtherChannel mode Switch configuration Result
OK - AIX initiates LACPDUs,
8023ad IEEE 802.3ad LACP which triggers an IEEE 802.3ad
Link Aggregation on the switch.
OK - Results in traditional
standard or round_robin EtherChannel
EtherChannel behavior.

Table 82. Different AIX and switch configuration combinations and the results each combination will
produce. (continued)
EtherChannel mode Switch configuration Result
Undesirable - AIX and Switch
cannot aggregate. AIX initates
LACPDUs, but the switch ignores
them and do not send LACPDUs
8023ad EtherChannel
to AIX. Due to missing LACPDU,
AIX does not distribute packets
on the link/port. The result is loss
of network connectivity.
Undesirable - Switch cannot
aggregate. The result might be
standard or round_robin IEEE 802.3ad LACP from poor performance as the
switch moves the MAC address
between switch ports
A brief description of each configuration combination follows:

• 8023ad with EtherChannel :
In this case, AIX will send LACPDUs, but they will go unanswered because the switch is operating as an
EtherChannel. As a result, due to missing LACPDU, AIX will not use the link/port for packets distribution.
This will cause loss of network connectivity.
Note: In this case, the entstat -d command will always report the aggregation is in the Negotiating
state. Also, in the entstat output, the section IEEE 802.3ad Port Statistics will show the Distributing is
disabled for the Actor.
• standard or round_robin with EtherChannel:
This is the most common EtherChannel configuration.
• standard or round_robin with IEEE 802.3ad LACP:
This setup is invalid. If the switch is using LACP to create an aggregation, the aggregation will never
happen because AIX will never reply to LACPDUs. For this to work correctly, 8023ad should be the
mode set on AIX.
Supported adapters
EtherChannel and IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation are supported on IBM Power Systems Peripheral
Component Interconnect-X (PCI-X) and PCI Express (PCIe) Ethernet adapters.
Additional considerations are as follows:
• Virtual I/O Ethernet Adapter
Virtual I/O Ethernet Adapters are supported in only two possible EtherChannel configurations:
– One Virtual I/O Ethernet Adapter as the primary, one Virtual I/O Ethernet Adapter as the backup. In
this configuration, the Internet Address to Ping attribute must be enabled so that the EtherChannel
can detect remote connectivity failures. For Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) 2.2.3.0, or later, and AIX
Version 7.1 with Technology Level 3, or later, you can use the virtual Ethernet uplink status feature
to detect the serving VIOS or Shared Ethernet Adapter (SEA) failure by setting the poll_uplink
attribute of the virtual Ethernet device to yes.
– One supported physical Ethernet adapter as the primary, one Virtual I/O Ethernet Adapter as the
backup. In this configuration, the Internet Address to Ping attribute must be enabled so that the
EtherChannel can detect remote connectivity failures.
• Host Ethernet Adapter (HEA)

HEA logical ports are supported under EtherChannel if all adapters within the EtherChannel are HEA
logical ports. For dedicated HEA port, link aggregation with the PCI/PCI-E adapter is supported. In
addition, a PCI/PCI-E and virtual Ethernet adapter as a backup adapter is also supported (when the
primary adapter contain HEA).
When using multiple HEA logical ports as primary adapters in an EtherChannel, the physical ports
associated with the HEA logical ports must also be placed in an EtherChannel in the Ethernet switch.
Consequently, all partitions that use HEA logical ports going to the same HEA physical ports must also
be placed in an EtherChannel.
For example, assume that Partition 1 is configured as follows:
– A logical HEA port out of physical HEA port 0
– A logical HEA port out of physical HEA port 1
– An EtherChannel created using the logical HEA ports listed above
If another partition on the same system needs to use a logical HEA port out of physical HEA port 0 or
out of physical HEA port 1, you must create an EtherChannel for the partition over both of the logical
HEA ports, similar to the configuration of Partition 1. Attempting to use either of those logical HEA ports
as stand-alone ports in other partitions might cause connectivity problems because packets might not
be delivered to the correct logical HEA port.
The restriction does not exist when using logical HEA ports in a Network interface backup configuration
(1 primary and 1 backup), because the physical HEA ports do not require specific configuration on the
Ethernet switch.
Note: If logical ports from physical HEA ports are configured as part of LACP aggregation (802.3ad),
then those physical ports must be exclusive to that LPAR. HMC does not prevent the ports from being
assigned to other LPARs, but does not support the configuration.
• Fibre Channel over Ethernet converged network adapters
Link aggregation between a shared port (a port that is used for both Ethernet and Fiber Channel traffic)
and other supported adapters is only supported if the switch that is connected to the shared port can
support the link aggregation without impacting the Fiber Channel traffic.
• Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) adapters
Link aggregation with SR-IOV logical ports can be approached by using one of the following methods:
– IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation, also known as Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
– Network Interface Backup (NIB)
– Both LACP and NIB
For network applications where bandwidth of more than a single port is required, IEEE 802.3ad Link
Aggregation can be used to aggregate multiple SR-IOV logical ports. An SR-IOV logical port that is
aggregated by using IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation must be the only logical port that is configured for
the physical port. Multiple SR-IOV logical ports that are configured for the same physical port, where
one of the multiple SR-IOV logical ports is configured to be part of an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
configuration, might not be managed properly by the switch because more than one LACP partner might
be communicating across the physical port. To prevent configuration of a second SR-IOV logical port on
the same physical port as SR-IOV logical port in an IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation configuration, the
capacity value of the logical port must be set to 100 (100%) when the logical port is configured.
For network applications where bandwidth of less than a single port is required along with protection
against a single network failure, SR-IOV logical ports can be a part of NIB configuration. When an
SR-IOV logical port is configured as either a primary or backup adapter in an NIB configuration, the
physical port can be shared by other SR-IOV logical ports. In this configuration, the Internet Address
to Ping attribute can be enabled to detect remote connectivity failures. SR-IOV logical ports can be
the primary or backup adapter for another SR-IOV logical port, a virtual Ethernet adapter, or a physical
adapter port.
For additional release information about new adapters, see the AIX Release Notes that correspond to
your level of AIX.

Important: Mixing adapters of different speeds in the same EtherChannel, even if one of them is
operating as the backup adapter, is not supported. This does not mean that such configurations will not
work. The EtherChannel driver makes every reasonable attempt to work even in a mixed-speed scenario.
Related information
Single root I/O virtualization
EtherChannel troubleshooting
If you are having trouble with your EtherChannel, there are many scenarios to consider.
You can use tracing and statistics to help diagnose the problem, which can involve issues with failover and
jumbo frames.
EtherChannel tracing
Use tcpdump and iptrace to troubleshoot the EtherChannel.
The trace hook ID for the transmission packets is 2FA and for other events is 2FB. You cannot trace
receive packets on the EtherChannel as a whole, but you can trace each adapter's receive trace hooks.
EtherChannel statistics
Use the entstat command to get the aggregate statistics of all of the adapters in the EtherChannel.
For example, entstat ent3 will display the aggregate statistics of ent3. Adding the -d flag will also
display the statistics of each adapter individually. For example, typing entstat -d ent3 will show you
the aggregate statistics of the EtherChannel as well as the statistics of each individual adapter in the
EtherChannel.
Note: In the General Statistics section, the number shown in Adapter Reset Count is the
number of failovers. In EtherChannel backup, coming back to the main EtherChannel from the backup
adapter is not counted as a failover. Only failing over from the main channel to the backup is counted.
In the Number of Adapters field, the backup adapter is counted in the number displayed.
Slow failover
If the failover time when you are using network interface backup mode or EtherChannel backup is slow,
verify that your switch is not running the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
When the switch detects a change in its mapping of switch port to MAC address, it runs the spanning
tree algorithm to see if there are any loops in the network. Network Interface Backup and EtherChannel
backup may cause a change in the port to MAC address mapping.
Switch ports have a forwarding delay counter that determines how soon after initialization each port
should begin forwarding or sending packets. For this reason, when the main channel is re-enabled, there
is a delay before the connection is reestablished, whereas the failover to the backup adapter is faster.
Check the forwarding delay counter on your switch and make it as small as possible so that coming back
to the main channel occurs as fast as possible.
For the EtherChannel backup function to work correctly, the forwarding delay counter must not be
more than 10 seconds, or coming back to the main EtherChannel might not work correctly. Setting the
forwarding delay counter to the lowest value allowed by the switch is recommended.
Adapters not failing over

If adapter failures are not triggering failovers and you are running AIX 5.2 with 5200-01 or earlier, check
to see if your adapter card needs to have link polling enabled to detect link failure.
Some adapters cannot automatically detect their link status. To detect this condition, these adapters
must enable a link polling mechanism that starts a timer that periodically verifies the status of the link.
Link polling is disabled by default. For EtherChannel to work correctly with these adapters, however, the
link polling mechanism must be enabled on each adapter before the EtherChannel is created. If you are
running AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package and later, the link
polling is started automatically and this cannot be an issue.

Adapters that have a link polling mechanism have an ODM attribute called poll_link, which must be set to
yes for the link polling to be enabled. Before creating the EtherChannel, use the following command on
every adapter to be included in the channel:
smitty chgenet
Change the Enable Link Polling value to yes and press Enter.
Jumbo frames
Aside from enabling the use_jumbo_frame attribute on the EtherChannel, you must also enable jumbo
frames on each adapter before creating the EtherChannel.
To do this, run the following command:
smitty chgenet
Jumbo frames are enabled automatically in every underlying adapter when the use_jumbo_frame
attribute of an EtherChannel is set to yes.
Remote dump
Remote dump is not supported over an EtherChannel.
Internet Protocol over InfiniBand (IPoIB)

Internet protocol (IP) packets can be sent over an InfiniBand (IB) interface. This transport is
accomplished by encapsulating IP packets of IB packets using a network interface.
In order to use IP over IB, you must install and configure the InfiniBand connection manager (ICM) driver
and at least one IB device in the system. To see if an IB device is already installed, run the lsdev -C |
grep iba command. The name of the fileset containing the IB interface is: devices.common.IBM.ib.
The devices.chrp.IBM.lhca fileset is an example of a currently supported adapter fileset.
To configure an ICM driver, refer to “Configuring an InfiniBand Communication Manager driver” on page
408.
In order to create the InfiniBand interface (IB IF), the IB IF must be able to join an existing broadcast-
multicast group with a user-provided PKEY (or a default PKEY = 0xFFFF is used if the user did not provide
one) and a user provided Q_Key (or a default Q_Key = 0x1E is used if the user did not provide one). A
broadcast-multicast group is a multicast group that the interface must join in order to send broadcast and
ARP packets. If such a broadcast-multicast group does not exist, or can not be created by the interface,
the creation of the IB IF will fail.
You can create or change an IB IF using the command-line interface or the SMIT user interface. The
parameters required to create an IB IF are the following:
• interface name
• adapter name
• port number
• interface IP address
The following parameters are for changing the IB IF:
• internet address
• network mask
• MTU size (equal to the MTU desired, less 4 bytes for the IB header)
• state
• Send and Receive queue size (default is 4000)
• Multicast Queue Key
• Super packet on or off

The following is an example of the command used to create an IB IF from the command line:
$ /usr/sbin/mkiba -i ib0 -p 1 -A iba0 -a 1.2.3.8 [-P -1 -S "up" -m "255.255.254.0" -M 2044]
where:
Item Description
-M 2044 Maximum transmit unit.
-m Net mask.
"255.255.254.0"
-p 1 Port number (defaults to 1 if not provided).
-A iba0 IB device name.
-a 1.2.3.8 IF IP address.
-i ib0 Interface name.
-P -1 Partition key (defaults to PKEY if not provided. After the interface is created,
PKEY cannot be changed; the user must obtain a non-default PKEY from the
network administrator.)
-S "up" Interface state.
-q 8000 Receive and Transmit Queues size (each).
-Q 0x1E Multicast Queue Key assigned to the Multicast group (defaults to Q_KEY = 0x1E if
not provided).
-k "on" Superpacket will allow the interface TCP/IP MTU to be 64K. It has to be enabled
in the remote host also to be able to work.
The following is an example of the command used to create an IB IF from the SMIT user interface:
$ smitty inet
After the Network Interface Selection menu is displayed, follow this procedure:
1. Select Add a Network Interface or Change / Show Characteristics of a Network Interface. The Add
a Network Interface menu displays.
2. In the Add a Network Interface menu, select Add an IB Network Interface. The Add an IB Network
Interface menu displays.
3. In the Add an IB Network Interface menu, make the necessary changes and press Enter.
Creating, displaying, adding, deleting ARP entries and modifying ARP timers
An Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) entry allows an interface to communicate with another interface
even if they are not in the same multicast group.
An ARP entry can be created manually using the arp -t ib command.
To display all ARP entries, run the$ arp -t ib -a command. If you want to display a specific number
of ARP entries, you can specify the number. For example, $ arp -t ib -a 5 displays 5 ARP entries.
The following command adds an ARP entry:
$ arp -t ib -s IB interface name dlid <16 bits DLID> dqp

16 bits hex Destination Queue Pair Number
ipaddr <Destination IP Address>
where:

Item Description
DLID is the Destination Local ID.
DGID is the Destination Global ID.
The following command removes an ARP entry:
$ arp -t ib -d IP Address
The following modify the ARP entry’s timer values for complete and incomplete ARP entries. These values
are used to remove the ARP entries after a period of time:
arp –t ib –i <number in complete minutes to remove incomplete ARP entries>

-c <number in complete minutes to remove complete ARP entries>
The current default time for incomplete ARP entries to be removed is 3 minutes. For complete ARP
entries, the default time is 24 hours. If the values need to be changed, the execution of the command will
change only the values for all the current interfaces configured (or in defined state). If new interfaces are
configured, the command must be executed again. The values are also changed in ODM.
The values can be changed dynamically to one specific interface by running the ifconfig command:
To change the incomplete ARP entry timer

ifconfig ib0 inc_timer 4
ifconfig ib0 com_timer 60
Changing the parameters of an InfiniBand interface

To change the parameters of an IB IF, use the SMIT user interface or command-line commands.
To change the parameters of an IB IF using SMIT:
1. Run the $ smitty inet command.
The Network Interface Selection menu displays.
2. In the Network Interface Selection menu, select Change / Show Characteristics of a Network
Interface.
The Available Network Interfaces menu displays.
3. In the Available Network Interfaces menu, select InfiniBand Interface.
The Change / Show an IB Interface menu displays.
4. Change the desired parameters.
To change the IB IF parameters at the command line, run the $ ifconfig command. The following
command changes the IB IF parameters from the command line:
$ ifconfig ib0 [ib_port port number mtu maximum transmission unit p_key
16 bits hex partition key ib_adapter InfiniBand adapter name netmask
dotted decimals]
$ ifconfig ib0 inc_timer 3 com_timer 60
• inc_timer is the time in minutes that an incomplete ARP entry will expire. Default is 2 mintues.
• com_timer is the time in minutes that a complete ARP entry will expire. Default is 24 hours.
Configuring an InfiniBand Communication Manager driver

Use this procedure to configure an InfiniBand Communication Manager.
1. Run the $ smitty icm command.
The InfiniBand Communication Manager menu displays.

2. In the InfiniBand Communication Manager menu, select Add an InfiniBand Communication
Manager.
3. In the Add an InfiniBand Communication Manager menu, select Add an InfiniBand Communication
Manager.
The Name of IB Communication Manager to Add menu displays.
4. In the Name of IB Communication Manager to Add menu, select management icm InfiniBand.
5. Use the defaults or change any necessary parameters, and then press Enter.
iSCSI software initiator and software target

The iSCSI software initiator enables AIX to access storage devices using TCP/IP on Ethernet network
adapters. The iSCSI software target enables AIX to export local storage to be accessed by other iSCSI
initiators using the iSCSI protocol that is defined in the RFC 3720.
The use of iSCSI technology, often referred to as SAN over IP technology, allows the deployment of
storage area networking over an IP network. iSCSI is an open, standards-based approach by which
SCSI information is encapsulated by TCP/IP to allow its transport over Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet
networks. iSCSI allows an existing Ethernet network to transfer SCSI commands and data with total
location independence. iSCSI solutions use the following different, but integrally related, components:
• Initiators
These are the device drivers that reside on the client. They encapsulate SCSI commands and route
them over the IP network to the target device.
• Target software
The software receives the encapsulated SCSI commands over the IP network. The software can also
provide configuration support and storage-management support.
• Target hardware
The hardware can be a storage appliance that contains embedded storage. The hardware can also be a
gateway or bridge product that contains no internal storage of its own.
Configuring iSCSI software initiator

The software initiator is configured by using SMIT as shown in this procedure.
1. Select Devices.
2. Select iSCSI.
3. Select Configure iSCSI Protocol Device.
4. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an iSCSI Protocol Device
5. Verify that the Initiator Name value is correct.
The Initiator Name value is used by the iSCSI target device during the login operation.
Note: A default initiator name is assigned when the software is installed. You can change the initiator
name to match local network naming conventions. When you use multiple iSCSI initiator devices, you
must assign a unique name for each initiator device.
6. The Maximum Targets Allowed field corresponds to the maximum number of iSCSI target devices
that can be configured.
If you reduce this number, you also reduce the amount of network memory pre-allocated for the iSCSI
protocol driver during configuration.
7. Configure the iSCSI discovery method by using the Discovery Policy field to discover the iSCSI target
devices.
The iSCSI initiator software supports the following discovery methods:
file
The information about target devices is stored in a configuration file.

Note: When the Discovery Policy field is set to file, the names of the iSCSI target devices are
read from the file that you specify in the Discovery file name attribute. When you use multiple
instances of the iSCSI software initiator, you must create multiple discovery files if the initiator
devices access different iSCSI target devices.
odm
The information about targets is stored in the Object Data Manager (ODM) objects. When using an
iSCSI disk as a boot disk or as part of the rootvg boot, the odm discovery method must be used.
See Adding a statically-discovered iSCSI target into ODM.
isns
The information about targets is stored on an internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) server and
automatically retrieved during the iSCSI initiator configuration.
slp
The information about targets is stored on a Service Location Protocol (SLP) service agent or
directory agent and automatically retrieved during the iSCSI initiator configuration.
8. Select a value for the isw_err_recov attribute, either delayed_fail or fast_fail. This attribute
allows you to set how many times the iSCSI initiator attempts to recover from network errors.
The delayed_fail value represents the default behavior that the iSCSI software initiator uses. The
delayed_fail value is recommended for environments that have a single iSCSI path to the devices. The
fast_fail value reduces various times out values and retry values used by the iSCSI software initiator.
This value is the recommended when using multiple paths to the iSCSI device (MPIO), or when the
iSCSI devices are utilizing LVM Mirroring. In these situations, if you use the fast_fail value, the AIX
operating system switches more quickly to a working path when one path has a network outage.
9. Select the required values for the initial_r2t and immediate_data attributes. By default, the
initial_r2t attribute is set to yes and the immediate_data attribute is set to no. You can toggle
these values.
When you set the intial_r2t attribute to no, the iSCSI software initiator device can negotiate with
the iSCSI target device to not use an initial ready-to-transfer Protocol Data Unit (PDU) while writing
data to the iSCSI disk. When you set the immediate_data attribute to yes, the iSCSI software
initiator device can negotiate with the iSCSI target device to send the data immediately to the iSCSI
disk. If you select the appropriate values for the intial_r2t and immediate_data attributes, the
performance of writing data to the iSCSI disks will improve.
After the software initiator is configured, do the following:
1. If the discovery policy is file, edit the /etc/iscsi/targets file to include the iSCSI targets needed
during device configuration.
Each uncommented line in the file represents an iSCSI target. For more information, see targets File in
Files Reference.
If the discovery policy is odm, use the mkiscsi command or smit panels to create the target definitions
in ODM. For more information, see Adding a statically-discovered iSCSI target into ODM.
If the discovery policy is isns or slp, ensure that the iSNS or SLP server is properly configured and
accessible by the iSCSI initiator.
iSCSI device configuration requires that the iSCSI targets can be reached through a properly
configured network interface. Although the iSCSI software initiator can work by using a 10/100
Ethernet LAN, it is designed for use with a gigabit Ethernet network that is separate from other
network traffic.
2. After defining the targets, type the following command:
cfgmgr -l iscsi0
This command reconfigures the software initiator driver. It causes the driver to attempt to
communicate with the targets listed in the /etc/iscsi/targets file, and to define a new hdisk for
each LUN on the targets that are found. For more information, see the cfgmgr command description.

Note: If the appropriate disks are not defined, review the configuration of the initiator, the target, and
any iSCSI gateways to ensure correctness, and then rerun the cfgmgr command.
If you want to further configure parameters for iSCSI software initiator devices, use SMIT as follows:
1. Select Devices.
2. Select Fixed Disk.
A typical software initiator device is displayed similar to the following example:
hdisk2 Available Other iSCSI Disk Drive
If the iSCSI disk supports command tag queuing and NACA=1 in the control byte, consider changing the
queue depth setting of the disk to a larger value. A larger value might help improve device performance.
The optimal queue depth setting cannot exceed the actual queue size on the drive. Setting the queue
depth to a value larger than the drive's queue size would possibly degrade performance. To determine the
drive's queue size, refer the drive documentation.
Configuring multiple iSCSI software initiator devices

The internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) software creates a device to represent the iSCSI
software initiator. By default, the device is named iscsi0. This device has an initiator_name attribute
that contains the iSCSI name that is associated with the device.
You can create multiple iSCSI software initiator devices in a single AIX operating system instance. Having
multiple iSCSI software initiator devices provides the following advantages:
• You can easily create multiple Multipath I/O (MPIO) paths for an iSCSI disk that supports MPIO. Each
MPIO path creates its own TCP/IP socket connection, so the iSCSI data traffic is spread across more
connections to improve performance by increasing concurrent processing.
• Multiple iSCSI I/O requests can be separated logically. The disks in the iscsi0 device might be used
by an application while the disks in the iscsi1 device might be used by another application. In such
cases, separating the I/O requests reduces the chances of I/O request conflicts between applications.
To create an iSCSI software initiator device, run the following command:
mkdev -c driver -s node -t iscsi -d
This command creates an iSCSI software initiator device and prints the name of the device. You can
create multiple initiator devices by using the mkdev command. You are suggested not to create or use
more than 8 iSCSI initiator devices.
After the device is created, you must assign a unique name to the device. You can use the chdev
command to set the initiator_name attribute of the new device. You must also configure the new
device to access certain iSCSI target devices similar to the configuration of the iscsi0 device. When you
create multiple iSCSI software initiator devices, you can configure the devices to access the same iSCSI
target devices or different iSCSI target devices.
If two initiator devices are accessing the same target devices and are using the file discovery policy
(that is, if the disc_policy attribute is set to file), the two initiator devices might point to the same
file name. If two initiator devices access different target devices, the two initiator devices must point
to different file names. If two initiator devices are accessing the same target devices and are using the
Object Data Manager (ODM) discovery policy (that is, if the disc_policy attribute is set to odm), the
ODM entries for the first initiator device must be duplicated to be listed for the second initiator device. You
can use the cpiscsi command to duplicate the iSCSI target device configuration.

Configuring the iSCSI software target
The iSCSI software target driver enables AIX to act as one iSCSI target device or as several iSCSI target
devices. The iSCSI target driver exports local disks, logical volumes, or local files to iSCSI initiators that
connect to AIX using the iSCSI protocol and TCP/IP.
Each target device has an iSCSI Qualified Name and a set of logical unit numbers (LUNs) that are available
to initiators that connect to the virtual iSCSI target. For each target device, you can specify which network
interface and which TCP/IP port numbers the target driver can use to accept incoming connections.
Note: You need to have the iSCSI target fileset installed. The fileset name is devices.tmiscsw.rte and the
fileset is contained on the AIX Expansion pack.
To configure an iSCSI target driver, complete the following steps:
1. Create a single instance of the iSCSI target driver using the following SMIT path. This instance acts as a
container for the other iSCSI objects.
Devices > iSCSI > iSCSI Target Device > iSCSI Target Protocol Device > Add an iSCSI Target
Protocol Device
2. Create one iSCSI target device for each virtual iSCSI target that is allocated by the iSCSI target driver.
Use the following SMIT path to create each iSCSI target device:
Devices > iSCSI > iSCSI Target Device > iSCSI Targets > Add an iSCSI Targets
3. Define one or more LUNs for each target device using the following SMIT path:
Note: The LUNs are accessible by initiators that connect to a virtual target. On the iSCSI target, each
LUN can be associated with either a previously defined logical volume, with a physical volume, or with
a file previously created on a local file system. Any physical volume that is associated with an iSCSI
target logical unit cannot be used in any other way by the AIX system that is running the iSCSI target
driver.
Devices > iSCSI > iSCSI Target Device > iSCSI Target LUNs
This step generally completes the configuration. However, if you are using Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol (CHAP), or if you are using Access Control Lists (ACLs) to indicate which
initiators can access which LUNs, an additional step is required to complete the target configuration.
• If you are using CHAP authentication of the initiators, edit the /etc/tmiscsi/autosecrets file
and add the secrets used by the initiators to log in. The /etc/tmiscsi/autosecrets file contains
one entry per target. Each entry has the following format:
target_name chap_name chap_secret
• If you are using ACLs to indicate which initiators can access which LUNs, edit the /etc/tmiscsi/
access_lists file and add one entry per target. Each entry has the following format:
target_name|lun_name iSCSI_name, iSCSI_name,...
Related information
/etc/tmiscsi/autosecrets
/etc/tmiscsi/access_lists
/etc/tmiscsi/isns_servers
iSCSI software initiator considerations

Consider the following when dealing with iSCSI software initiators.
• Target discovery
The iSCSI software initiator supports the following 4 forms of target discovery:
file
A text file is used to configure each target.

odm
ODM objects are used to configure each target. When using an iSCSI disk as a boot disk or as part of
the rootvg boot, the odm discovery method must be used.
isns
Each target is registered in one or more Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) servers.
slp
Each target is registered in one or more Service Location Protocol (SLP) service agents or directory
agents.
• iSCSI Authentication
The iSCSI software initiator uses the local iSCSI qualified name as the Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol (CHAP) name if the CHAP name is not specified. The targets file or the ODM
configuration might specify an alternate CHAP name. For more information about specifying the CHAP
name, see the reference information for the targets file or the mkiscsi command.
Only CHAP (MD5) can be used to configure Initiator authentication. Target authentication is not
implemented.
• iSCSI Software Initiator MPIO
The AIX iSCSI Software Initiator supports Multiple Path I/O (MPIO). If you are using either the file or
the ODM discovery policy, add entries to contact multiple ports of a storage device, by using multiple
network interfaces in AIX. The iSCSI driver recognizes multiple paths to the same device and configures
them in an MPIO configuration. This is similar to the MPIO configuration for other storage device
protocols.
If you are using third party iSCSI disk ODM definitions, ensure that the latest available version of those
definitions is installed in order to use multiple paths to iSCSI disks.
• Number of configured LUNs
The maximum number of configured LUNs tested using the iSCSI software initiator is 128 per iSCSI
target. The software initiator uses a single TCP connection for each iSCSI target (one connection
per iSCSI session). This TCP connection is shared among all LUNs that are configured for a target.
The software initiator's TCP socket send and receive space are both set to the system socket buffer
maximum. The maximum is set by the sb_max network option. The default is 1 MB.
• Volumes Groups
To avoid configuration problems and error log entries when you create volume groups using iSCSI
devices, follow these guidelines:
– Configure volume groups that are created using iSCSI devices to be in an inactive state after reboot.
After the iSCSI devices are configured, manually activate the iSCSI-backed volume groups. Then,
mount any associated file systems.
Volume groups are activated during a different boot phase than the iSCSI software driver. For this
reason, it is not possible to activate iSCSI volume groups during the boot process.
– Do not span volume groups across non-iSCSI devices.
• I/O Failures
If connectivity to iSCSI target devices is lost, I/O failures occur. To prevent I/O failures and file system
corruption, stop all I/O activity and unmount iSCSI backed file systems before doing anything that will
cause long term loss of connectivity to active iSCSI targets.
If a loss of connectivity to iSCSI targets occurs while applications are attempting I/O activities with
iSCSI devices, I/O errors will eventually occur. It might not be possible to unmount iSCSI backed file
systems because the underlying iSCSI device stays busy.
File system maintenance must be performed if I/O failures occur due to loss of connectivity to active
iSCSI targets. To do file system maintenance, run the fsck command.
• Do not use the AIX iSCSI software initiator or the AIX iSCSI software target with the loopback interface
(lo0). The processing of the loopback interface interrupt differs from the processing of the physical or

virtual Ethernet adapter network interface interrupt. The AIX operating system might stop operations if
the loopback interface is used with the iSCSI software drivers.
Related information
Adding a statically-discovered iSCSI target into ODM
iSCSI security considerations

The /etc/iscsi directory, the /etc/tmiscsi directory, and the files in those directories are protected
from non-privileged users through file permission and ownership.
CHAP secrets are saved in the /etc/iscsi/targets file and the /etc/tmiscsi/autosecrets file in
clear text.
Note: Do not to change the original file permission and ownership of these files.
iSCSI performance considerations

Set the following configurations to get the best performance from iSCSI.
To ensure the best performance:
• Enable the TCP Large Send, TCP send and receive flow control, and Jumbo Frame features of the AIX
Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and the iSCSI Target interface.
• Tune network options and interface parameters for maximum iSCSI I/O throughput on the AIX system
as follows:
– Enable the RFC 1323 network option.
– Set up the tcp_sendspace, tcp_recvspace, sb_max, and mtu_size network options and network
interface options to appropriate values.
The iSCSI Software Initiator's maximum transfer size is 256 KB. Assuming that the system
maximums for tcp_sendspace and tcp_recvspace are set to 262144 bytes, an ifconfig command
used to configure a gigabit Ethernet interface might look like the following:
ifconfig en2 10.1.2.216 mtu 9000 tcp_sendspace 262144 tcp_recvspace 262144
– Set the sb_max network option to at least 524288, and preferably 1048576.
– Set the mtu_size to 9000.
– For some iSCSI targets, the TCP Nagle algorithm must be disabled for best performance. Use the no
command to set the tcp_nagle_limit parameter to 0, which will disable the Nagle algorithm.
For more information and additional tuning parameters, see TCP and UDP performance tuning.
iSCSI software target considerations

Consider the following when you are defining an iSCSI software target and exporting logical unit numbers
(LUNs):
• The iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) of each virtual target is specified in SMIT when a software target
is defined. The SMIT panel does not restrict the format of the name. However, some iSCSI initiators
require that the IQN is specified in the format defined by the iSCSI protocol. Using an incorrect name
format might prevent the initiator from logging to the target and accessing the disks exported by the
target.
To display the current name of an iSCSI target device, complete the following steps:
1. Run a command similar to the following. For this example, assume the iSCSI target device is
target0.
lsattr -E -l target0
2. Check the iscsi_name attribute.

• The inquiry data returned for an exported LUN has the following values:

– Vendor ID: AIX
– Product ID: iSCSI_VDASD
– ANSI version number: 3
• Do not use the AIX iSCSI software initiator or the AIX iSCSI software target with the loopback interface
(lo0). The processing of the loopback interface interrupt differs from the processing of the physical or
virtual Ethernet adapter network interface interrupt. The AIX operating system might stop operations if
the loopback interface is used with the iSCSI software drivers.
Stream Control Transmission Protocol

Stream Transmission Control Protocol (SCTP) is a connection-oriented protocol, similar to TCP, but
provides message-oriented data transfer, similar to UDP. The AIX operating system is compliant with RFC
4960.
The following table highlights the general differences in behavior between SCTP and existing transport
protocols, TCP and UDP.
Table 83. Differences between TCP, UDP, and SCTP

Attribute TCP UDP SCTP
Reliability Reliable Unreliable Reliable
Connection Connection-oriented Connectionless Connection-oriented
Management
Transmission Byte-oriented Message-oriented Message-oriented
Flow Control Yes No Yes
Congestion Control Yes No Yes
Fault Tolerance No No Yes
Data Delivery Strictly Ordered Unordered Partially ordered
Security Yes Yes Improved
In general, SCTP may provide more flexibility for certain applications, like Voice over IP (VoIP), that
require the reliable but message-oriented data transfer. For this category of applications, SCTP is most
likely better-suited than TCP or UDP.
• TCP provides reliable and strict order-of-transmission data delivery. For applications that need
reliability, but can tolerate unordered or partially ordered data delivery, TCP may cause some
unnecessary delay because of head-of-line blocking. With the concept of multiple streams within a
single connection, SCTP can provide strictly ordered delivery within a stream while logically isolating
data from different streams.
• SCTP is message-oriented, unlike TCP, which is byte-oriented. Because of the byte-oriented nature of
TCP, the application has to add its own record marking to maintain message boundaries.
• SCTP provides some degree of fault tolerance by using the Multihoming feature. A host is considered
multihomed when it has more than one network interface attached, either on the same or different
networks. An SCTP association can be established between two multihomed hosts. In this case, all IP
addresses of both endpoints are exchanged at association startup; this allows each endpoint to use any
of these addresses over the life of the connection if one of the interfaces is down for any reason, as long
as the peer is reachable through the alternate interfaces.
• SCTP provides additional security features that TCP and UDP do not. In SCTP, resource allocation
during association setup is delayed until the client's identity can be verified using a cookie exchange
mechanism, thus reducing the possibility of Denial of Service attacks.

SCTP association startup and shutdown
SCTP association startup and shutdown guidelines are described here.
SCTP association is comprised of a four way handshake that takes place in the following order:
1. The client sends an INIT signal to the server to initiate an association.
2. On receipt of the INIT signal, the server sends an INIT-ACK response to the client. This INIT-ACK
signal contains a state cookie. This state cookie must contain a Message Authentication Code (MAC),
along with a time stamp corresponding to the creation of the cookie, the life span of the state cookie,
and the information necessary to establish the association. The MAC is computed by the server based
on a secret key only known to it.
3. On receipt of this INIT-ACK signal, the client sends a COOKIE-ECHO response, which just echoes the
state cookie.
4. After verifying the authenticity of the state cookie using the secret key, the server then allocates
the resources for the association, sends a COOKIE-ACK response acknowledging the COOKIE-ECHO
signal, and moves the association to ESTABLISHED state.
SCTP supports also graceful close of an active association upon request from the SCTP user. The
following sequence of events occurs:
1. The client sends a SHUTDOWN signal to the server, which tells the server that the client is ready to
close the connection.
2. The server responds by sending a SHUTDOWN-ACK acknowledgement.
3. The client then sends a SHUTDOWN-COMPLETE signal back to the server.
SCTP also supports abrupt close (ABORT signal) of an active association upon the request from the SCTP
client or due to an error in the SCTP stack. However, SCTP does not support half open connections. More
information about the protocol and its internals can be found in RFC 4960.
In addition to the differences specified above between SCTP and existing transport protocols, SCTP
provides the following features:
• Sequenced delivery within streams: A stream in SCTP context refers to a sequence of user messages
that are transferred between endpoints. An SCTP association can support multiple streams. At the time
of association setup, the user can specify the number of streams. The effective value of number of
stream is fixed after negotiating with the peer. Within each stream the order of data delivery is strictly
maintained. However across the streams data delivery is independent. Thus, the loss of data from one
stream does not prevent data from being delivered in another stream. This allows a user application to
use different streams for logically independent data. Data can also be delivered in an unordered fashion
using a special option. This can be useful to send urgent data.
• User data fragmentation: SCTP can fragment user messages to ensure that the packet size passed to
the lower layer does not exceed the path MTU. At the time of receipt the fragments are reassembled
into a complete message and passed to the user. Although fragmentation can also be performed at the
network level, transport-layer fragmentation provides various advantages over IP-layer fragmentation.
Some of these advantages including not having to re-send entire messages when fragments are lost in
the network and reducing the burden on routers, which would otherwise possibly have to perform IP
fragmentation.
• Acknowledgment and Congestion Control: Packet acknowledgment is necessary for reliable data
delivery. When SCTP does not get a acknowledgment for a packet it sends within a specified time, it
triggers a retransmission of the same packet. SCTP follows congestion control algorithms similar to
those used by TCP. In addition to using cumulative acknowledgements like TCP, SCTP uses Selective
Acknowledgment (SACK) mechanism which allows it to acknowledge packets selectively.
• Chunk bundling: A chunk may contain user data or SCTP control information. Multiple chunks can be
bundled together under the same SCTP header. Chunk bundling requires assembly of chunks into SCTP
packet at the sending end and subsequently disassembly of the packet into chunks at the receiver end.
• Packet validation: Each SCTP packet has a verification tag field that is set during the time of
association startup by each endpoint. All packets are sent with the same verification tag through
the lifetime of the association. If, during the lifetime of the association, a packet is received with an

unexpected verification tag, the packet is discarded. Also the CRC-32 checksum should be set by
sender of each SCTP packet to provide increased protection for the data corruption in the network. Any
packet received with an invalid CRC-32 checksum is discarded.
• Path management: At the time of association setup, each endpoint may advertise the list of transport
addresses it has. However only one primary path is defined for the SCTP association and is used for
the normal data transfer. In case the primary path goes down, the other transport addresses are used.
During the lifetime of the association, heartbeats are sent at regular interval through all the paths to
monitor the status of the path.
SCTP socket APIs

The features of SCTP socket APIs include consistency, accessibility, and compatibility.
SCTP Socket APIs were designed to provide the following features:
• Maintain consistency with existing socket APIs
• Provide a base for access to new SCTP Features
• Provide compatibility so that most existing TCP and UDP applications can be migrated to SCTP with few
changes
In order to facilitate easy migration of existing TCP and UDP applications, two different styles of SCTP
APIs have been formulated:
• UDP-Style API – Semantics are similar to that defined for connectionless protocols like UDP
• TCP-Style API – Semantics are similar to that defined for connection-oriented protocols like TCP
Though SCTP allows for both TCP and UDP style of socket APIs to be defined and used, in AIX 5.3, only
support for UDP-style socket syntax is provided because the UDP-style API provides more flexibility in
accessing new features of SCTP. Using the UDP-style API a typical server uses the following sequence of
calls during the lifetime of an association.
1. socket()
2. bind()
3. listen()
4. recvmsg()
5. sendmsg()
6. close()
A typical client uses the following sequence of socket API calls:
1. socket()
2. sendmsg()
3. recvmsg()
4. close()
The associations created using the above call sequence are called explicitly created associations. An
association can be created implicitly after creating a socket, by simply calling sendmsg(), recvmsg()
or sendto() and recvto(). In the case of implicit association, the bind() and listen() calls are
not required. The syntax of all these system calls are similar to those used with UDP sockets. For
the socket subroutine, the Type field should be set to SOCK_SEQPACKET and the Protocol field
should be IPPROTO_SCTP. In addition to these standard socket APIs SCTP provides two new APIs:
sctp_peeloff() and sctp_opt_info(). More information about the use of Socket API for SCTP can be
found in the SCTP Socket API Draft. SCTP has been implemented as a kernel extension in AIX 5.3. A user
can use the sctpctrl command to load and unload the SCTP kernel extension.
In addition, this command can also be used to view and change various other statistics and tunable
parameters of the SCTP kernel extension using different options like get and set.

sctp_bindx subroutine
Adds or removes bind address on a socket.
Library
/usr/lib/libsctp.a
Syntax
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/sctp.h>
int sctp_bindx(int sd, struct sockaddr * addrs, int addrcnt, int flags);
Description
The sctp_bindx subroutine adds or removes a set of bind addresses passed in the addrs array to or from
the socket sd. The addrcnt parameter is the number of addresses in the array, and the flags parameter
specifies if the addresses need to be added or removed.
If the socket sd is an IPv4 socket, the addresses passed must be IPv4 addresses. If the socket sd is an
IPv6 socket, the addresses passed can be either IPv4 or IPv6 addresses.
The addrs parameter is a pointer to an array of one or more socket addresses. Each address is contained
in its appropriate structure, that is, struct sockaddr_in or struct sockaddr_in6. The family of the address
type must be used to distinguish the address length. The caller specifies the number of addresses in the
array along with addrcnt.
The flags parameter can be either SCTP_BINDX_ADD_ADDR or SCTP_BINDX_REM_ADDR. An
application can use SCTP_BINDX_ADD_ADDR to associate additional addresses with an endpoint after
calling the bind command. The SCTP_BINDX_REM_ADDR parameter directs SCTP to remove the given
addresses from the association. A caller might not remove all addresses from an association. The
command fails resulting in the EINVAL error code.
Return values
Upon successful completion, the sctp_bindx() command returns 0. On failure, the sctp_bindx() command
returns -1 and sets the errno parameter to the appropriate error code.
Error codes
Error Description
EINVAL The EINVAL error code indicates that the port or address is invalid or the
command is trying to remove all addresses from an association.
EOPNOTSUPP The EOPNOTSUPP error code indicates that the command is trying to add or
remove addresses from a connected association.
sctp_getladdrs and sctp_freeladdrs subroutines

Returns all locally bound addresses on a socket.
Library
/usr/lib/libsctp.a

Syntax
int sctp_getladdrs(int sd, sctp_assoc_t assoc_id, struct sockaddr **addrs);

void sctp_freeladdrs(struct sockaddr *addrs);
Description
The sctp_getladdrs subroutine returns all locally bound addresses on a socket. On return, the addrs
parameter points to a dynamically allocated packed array of the sockaddr structures of the appropriate
type for each local address. You must use the sctp_freeladdrs parameter to free the memory.
Note: The in or out parameter addrs must not be NULL.
If the sd parameter is an IPv4 socket, the addresses returned are all IPv4 addresses. If the sd parameter
is an IPv6 socket, the addresses returned can be a mix of IPv4 or IPv6 addresses.
For one-to-many style sockets, the id field specifies the association to query. For one-to-one style
sockets, the id field is ignored. If the id field is set to 0, the locally bound addresses are returned without
regard to any particular association.
The sctp_freeladdrs subroutine frees all the resources allocated by the sctp_getladdrs subroutine.
Return value
On success, the sctp_getladdrs subroutine returns the number of local addresses bound to the socket.
If the socket is unbound, 0 is returned and the value of the *addrs field is undefined. On error, the
sctp_getladdrs subroutine returns -1, and the value of the *addrs field is undefined.
sctp_getpaddrs and sctp_freepaddrs subroutines

Returns all peer addresses in an association.
Library
/usr/lib/libsctp.a
Syntax
int sctp_getpaddrs(int sd, sctp_assoc_t assoc_id, struct sockaddr **addrs);

void sctp_freepaddrs(struct sockaddr *addrs);
Description
The sctp_getpaddrs subroutine returns all the peer addresses in an association. On return, the addrs
parameter points to a dynamically allocated packed array of the sockaddr structures of the appropriate
type for each address. You must use the sctp_freepaddrs subroutine to free the memory.
Note: The in or out parameter addrs must not be NULL.
If the sd parameter is an IPv4 socket, the addresses returned are all IPv4 addresses. If the sd parameter
is an IPv6 socket, the addresses returned can be a mix of IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. For one-to-many
style sockets, the id field specifies the association to query. For one-to-one style sockets, the id field is
ignored.
The sctp_freepaddrs subroutine frees all the resources allocated by the sctp_getpaddrs subroutine.

Return value
On success, the sctp_getpaddrs subroutine returns the number of peer addresses in the association. If
there is no association on this socket, 0 is returned and the value of the *addrs field is undefined. On
error, the sctp_getpaddrs subroutine returns -1, and the value of the *addrs field is undefined.
Path MTU discovery

For two hosts communicating across a path of multiple networks, a transmitted packet becomes
fragmented if its size is greater than the smallest MTU of any network in the path. Because packet
fragmentation can result in reduced network performance, it is desirable to avoid fragmentation by
transmitting packets with a size is no greater than the smallest MTU in the network path. This size is
called the path MTU.
The operating system supports a path MTU discovery algorithm as described in RFC 1191. Path MTU
discovery can be enabled for TCP and UDP applications by modifying the tcp_pmtu_discover and
udp_pmtu_discover options of the no command. When enabled for TCP, path MTU discovery will
automatically force the size of all packets transmitted by TCP applications to not exceed the path
MTU. Because UDP applications themselves determine the size of their transmitted packets, UDP
applications must be specifically written to utilize path MTU information by using the IP_FINDPMTU
socket option, even if the udp_pmtu_discover no option is enabled. By default, the tcp_pmtu_discover
and udp_pmtu_discover are enabled.
When the Path MTU discovery is attempted for a destination, a pmtu entry gets created in a Path MTU
(PMTU) table. This table can be displayed using the pmtu display command. Accumulation of pmtu
entries can be avoided by allowing unused pmtu entries to expire and be deleted. PMTU entry expiration
is controlled by the pmtu_expire option of the no command. pmtu_expire is set to 10 minutes by default.
Since routes can change dynamically, the path MTU value for a path might also change over time.
Decreases in the path MTU value will result in packet fragmentation, so discovered path MTU values are
periodically checked for decreases. By default, decreases are checked for every 10 minutes, and this
value can be changed by modifying the value of the pmtu_default_age option of the no command.
UDP applications will always need to set the IP_DONTFRAG socket option to detect decreases in PMTU.
This will enable immediate detection of decreases in Path MTU rather than checking for decreases every
pmtu_default_age minutes.
Increases in the path MTU value can result in a potential increase in network performance, so discovered
path MTU values are periodically checked for increases. By default, increases are checked for every 30
minutes, and this value can be changed by modifying the value of the pmtu_rediscover_interval option of
the no command.
If not all of the routers in the network path support RFC 1191, then it might not be possible to determine
an exact path MTU value. In these cases, the mmtu command can be used to add or delete path MTU
values that are attempted.
Note:
1. Path MTU discovery cannot be used on duplicate routes, including those configured for group routing
(see “Route use restrictions” on page 375). Path MTU discovery can be used on duplicate routes
2. Enabling path MTU discovery sets the value of the arpqsize option of the no command to a minimum
value of 5. This value is not decreased if path MTU discovery is subsequently disabled.
TCP/IP Quality of Service

Quality of Service (QoS) is a family of evolving Internet standards that provides ways to give preferential
treatment to certain types of IP traffic.
With the proper support for QoS along a route, this can ameliorate the effects of variable queueing delays
and congestion that contribute to poor network performance. The operating system provides host support
for QoS to classify outbound traffic into distinct classes of service and to announce and establish resource
reservations as requested by client applications.

QoS can be used by an institution to deploy and enforce network policies governing the use of network
bandwidth. With QoS, a host can:
• Regulate the amount of traffic of a certain type injected into the network;
• Mark selected packets according to some policy so that subsequent routers can deliver the indicated
service;
• Support services such as the virtual leased line service with proper QoS support along the route; and
• Participate in the resource reservation requests from receivers and announce sender sessions available
for resource reservation requests.
The QoS support provides the following functions:
• Differentiated services as defined in RFC 2474
• Traffic policing
• In-profile and out-of-profile packet marking
• Traffic shaping
• Metering
• Integrated services for client and server applications as defined in RFC 1633
• RSVP signaling (RFC 2205)
• Guaranteed service (RFC 2212)
• Controlled-Load service (RFC 2211)
• Policy-based networking
• RAPI shared library for application
The QoS subsystem consists of four components:
QoS kernel extension (/usr/lib/drivers/qos)
The QoS kernel extension resides in /usr/lib/drivers/qos and is loaded and unloaded using the
cfgqos and ucfgqos configuration methods. This kernel extension enables QoS support.
Policy agent (/usr/sbin/policyd)
The policy agent is a user-level daemon that resides in /usr/sbin/policyd. It provides support for
policy management and interfaces with the QoS kernel extension to install, modify, and delete policy
rules. Policy rules can be defined in the local configuration file (/etc/policyd.conf), retrieved from
a central network policy server using LDAP, or both.
RSVP agent (/usr/sbin/rsvpd)
The RSVP agent is a user-level daemon that resides in /usr/sbin/rsvpd. It implements the RSVP
signaling protocol semantics.
RAPI shared library (/usr/lib/librapi.a)
Applications can use the RSVP API (RAPI) to request enhanced quality of service as defined by the
Integrated Services Internet QoS model. This library interacts with the local RSVP agent to propagate
the QoS request along the path of the data flow using the RSVP protocol. This API is an open standard.
Note: This implementation of QoS is based on a set of evolving Internet standards and draft standards
currently under development by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and its various working
groups. This technology will become more consistent and well defined as these standardization efforts
progress within the IETF. It is also important to note that QoS is an emerging Internet technology that
is just beginning to be deployed within the Internet. There are many benefits of QoS at all stages of
deployment. However, true end-to-end services can only be realized when QoS support exists all along a
particular route.

QoS models
The QoS models for the Internet are open standards defined by the IETF.
There are two Internet QoS models currently being standardized within the IETF: integrated services and
differentiated services. These two Internet QoS models augment the traditional best-effort service model
described in RFC 1812.
Integrated services
Integrated Services (IS) is a dynamic resource reservation model for the Internet described in RFC 1633.
Hosts use a signaling protocol called Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) to dynamically request a
specific quality of service from the network. QoS parameters are carried in these RSVP messages and
each network node along the path installs the parameters to obtain the requested quality of service.
These QoS parameters describe one of two currently defined services, guaranteed service and controlled-
load service. An important characteristic of IS is that this signaling is done for each traffic flow and
reservations are installed at each hop along the route. Although this model is well-suited for meeting
the dynamically changing needs of applications, there exist some significant scaling issues that imply it
cannot be deployed in a network in which single routers handle many simultaneous flows.
Differentiated services
Differentiated Services (DS) removes the per-flow and per-hop scalability issues, replacing them with a
simplified mechanism of classifying packets.
Rather than a dynamic signaling approach, DS uses bits in the IP type of service (TOS) byte to separate
packets into classes. The particular bit pattern in the IP TOS byte is called the DS codepoint and is
used by routers to define the quality of service delivered at that particular hop, in much the same way
routers do IP forwarding using routing table lookups. The treatment given to a packet with a particular DS
codepoint is called a per-hop behavior (PHB) and is administered independently at each network node.
When the effects of these individual, independent PHBs are concatenated, this results in an end-to-end
service.
Differentiated services is being standardized by an IETF working group, which has defined three PHBs:
the Expedited Forwarding (EF) PHB, the Assured Forwarding (AF) PHB group, and the Default (DE) PHB.
The EF PHB can be used to implement a low latency, low jitter, low loss, end-to-end service such as
a virtual leased line (VLL). AF is a family of PHBs, called a PHB group, that is used to classify packets
into various drop precedence levels. The drop precedence assigned to a packet determines the relative
importance of a packet within the AF class. It can be used to implement the so-called Olympic service,
which consists of three classes: bronze, silver, and gold. The DE PHB is the traditional best-effort service
model as standardized in RFC 1812.
Supported standards and draft standards

These RFCs and Internet drafts describe the standards on which this QoS implementation is based.
Item Description
RFC 2474 Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6
Headers
RFC 2475 An Architecture for Differentiated Services
RFC 1633 Integrated Services in the Internet Architecture: an Overview
RFC 2205 Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP)
RFC 2210 The Use of RSVP with IETF Integrated Services
RFC 2211 Specification of the Controlled-Load Network Element Service
RFC 2212 Specification of Guaranteed Quality of Service
RFC 2215 General Characterization Parameters for Integrated Service Network
Elements

Item Description
draft-ietf-diffserv-framework-01.txt, October A Framework for Differentiated Services
1998
draft-ietf-diffserv-rsvp-01.txt, November 1998 A Framework for Use of RSVP with DIFF-serv
Networks
draft-ietf-diffserv-phb-ef-01.txt An Expedited Forwarding PHB
draft-ietf-diffserv-af-04.txt Assured Forwarding PHB Group
draft-rajan-policy-qosschema-00.txt, October Schema for Differentiated Services and Integrated
1998 Services in Networks
draft-ietf-rap-framework-01.txt, November A Framework for Policy-based Admission Control[25]
1998
draft-ietf-rap-rsvp-ext-01.txt, November 1998 RSVP Extensions for Policy Control
Note: QoS is an emerging Internet technology. There are many benefits of QoS at all stages of
deployment. However, true end-to-end services can only be realized when QoS support exists all along a
particular route.
QoS installation
QoS is packaged with bos.net.tcp.server. This fileset must be installed in order to use QoS.
To use the RAPI shared library, bos.adt.include must also be installed.
Stopping and starting the QoS subsystem

QoS can be started or stopped through SMIT with the smit qos fast path or with the mkqos and rmqos
commands.
1. To disable the QoS subsystem now and on the next system restart:
/usr/sbin/rmqos -B
2. To enable the QoS subsystem now only:
/usr/sbin/mkqos -N
See the command descriptions for mkqos and rmqos for the startup and removal command flags.
The policyd and rsvpd daemons are configured through the /etc/policyd.conf and /etc/
rsvpd.conf configuration files, respectively. These configuration files must be edited to customize
the QoS subsystem to the local environment. QoS does not work correctly with the supplied example
configurations.
RSVP agent configuration

The RSVP agent is required if the host is to support the RSVP protocol.
The /etc/rsvpd.conf configuration file is used to configure the RSVP agent. The syntax of the
configuration file is described in the sample configuration file installed in /etc/rsvpd.conf.
The following example illustrates a possible RSVP configuration in which the host has 4 interfaces (virtual
or physical) given by the 4 IP addresses, 1.2.3.1, 1.2.3.2, 1.2.3.3, and 1.2.3.4.
interface 1.2.3.1
interface 1.2.3.2 disabled
interface 1.2.3.3 disabled
interface 1.2.3.4
{
trafficControl
}

rsvp 1.2.3.1
{
maxFlows 64
}
rsvp 1.2.3.4
{
maxFlows 100
}
Interface 1.2.3.1 has been enabled for RSVP. However, traffic control has not been specified and
incoming RSVP RESV messages do not cause resource reservation within the TCP subsystem. This
interface can support a maximum of 64 simultaneous RSVP sessions.
Interfaces 1.2.3.2 and 1.2.3.3 have been disabled. The RSVP agent cannot use this interface to
transmit or receive RSVP messages.
Interface 1.2.3.4 has been enabled for RSVP. In addition, it can install resource reservations into the
TCP subsystem in response to an RSVP RESV message. This interface can support up to 100 RSVP
sessions.
Any other interfaces present on the host but not mentioned explicitly in /etc/rsvpd.conf are disabled.
Policy agent configuration

The policy agent is a required component of the QoS subsystem.
The /etc/policyd.conf configuration file is used to configure the policy agent. The syntax of this
configuration file is described in the sample configuration file installed in /etc/policyd.conf.
The policy agent can be configured by editing /etc/policyd.conf. Additionally, the following
commands are provided to assist in configuring policies:
• qosadd
• qosmod
• qoslist
• qosremove
In the following example, a premium service category is created and used in the tcptraffic policy rule.
This service category has a maximum rate of 110000 Kbps, a token bucket depth of 10000 bits, and an
outgoing IP TOS value of 11100000 in binary. The tcptraffic policy rule gives this premium service to all
traffic with source IP address given by 1.2.3.6, destination address 1.2.3.3, and destination port in
the range 0 to 1024.
ServiceCategories premium
{
PolicyScope DataTraffic
MaxRate 110000
MaxTokenBucket 10000
OutgoingTOS 11100000
}
ServicePolicyRules tcptraffic
{
PolicyScope DataTraffic
ProtocolNumber 6 # tcp
SourceAddressRange 1.2.3.6-1.2.3.6
DestinationAddressRange 1.2.3.3-1.2.3.3
DestinationPortRange 0-1024
ServiceReference premium
}
The following statements set up a default service category and use it to restrict the UDP traffic flowing
from interfaces 1.2.3.1 through 1.2.3.4 to IP addresses 1.2.3.6 through 1.2.3.10, port 8000.
ServiceCategories default
{
MaxRate 110000
MaxTokenBucket 10000

OutgoingTOS 00000000
}
ServicePolicyRules udptraffic
{
ProtocolNumber 17 # udp
SourceAddressRange 1.2.3.1-1.2.3.4
DestinationAddressRange 1.2.3.6-1.2.3.10
DestinationPortRange 8000-8000
ServiceReference default
}
The following example configuration can be used to download rules from an LDAP server using the
distinguished subtree name, to lookup the policies on the LDAP server host.
ReadFromDirectory
{
LDAP_Server 1.2.3.27
Base ou=NetworkPolicies,o=myhost.mydomain.com,c=us
}
QoS troubleshooting
The qosstat command may be used to display status information about the installed and active policies
in the QoS subsystem. This information may be useful to you in determining where a problem exists if you
are troubleshooting your QoS configuration.
qosstat can be used to generate the following report.
Action:
Token bucket rate (B/sec): 10240
Token bucket depth (B): 1024
Peak rate (B/sec): 10240
Min policied unit (B): 20
Max packet size (B): 1452
Type: IS-CL
Flags: 0x00001001 (POLICE,SHAPE)
Statistics:
Compliant packets: 1423 (440538 bytes)
Conditions:
Source address Dest address Protocol
192.168.127.39:8000 192.168.256.29:35049 tcp (1 connection)
Action:
Token bucket rate (B/sec): 10240
Token bucket depth (B): 1024
Peak rate (B/sec): 10240
Outgoing TOS (compliant): 0xc0
Outgoing TOS (non-compliant): 0x00
Flags: 0x00001011 (POLICE,MARK)
Type: DS
Statistics:
Compliant packets: 335172 (20721355 bytes)
Non-compliant packets: 5629 (187719 bytes)
Conditions:
Source address Dest address Protocol
192.168.127.39:80 *:* tcp (1 connection)
192.168.127.40:80 *:* tcp (5 connections)
QoS policy specification

The object classes and attributes used by the policy agent to specify policies for quality of service (QoS)
on outgoing traffic are described here.
The object classes and attributes are defined, followed by guidelines to enable marking, policing, and
shaping.
These conventions are used in the explanations that follow.

p : choose one in the allowed parameter set
B : integer value of a byte (i.e., 0 =< B =< 255)
b : bit string starting with left most bit (e.g., 101 is
equivalent 10100000 in a byte field)
i : integer value
s : a character string
a : IP address format B.B.B.B
(R) : Required parameter
(O) : Optional parameter
ReadFromDirectory statement
This statement specifies parameters for establishing an LDAP session.
The ReadFromDirectory statement is used in the /etc/policyd.conf file to establish the LDAP
session.
ReadFromDirectory
{
LDAP_Server a # IP address of directory server running LDAP
LDAP_Port i # Port number LDAP server is listening to
Base s # Distinguished Name for LDAP usage
LDAP_SelectedTag s # Tag to match SelectorTag in object classes
}
where
LDAP_Server (R): IP address of LDAP server

LDAP_Port (0): Unique port number, default port is 389
Base (R): Example is o=ibm, c=us where o is your organization and c is country
LDAP_SelectedTag (R): Unique string matching SelectorTag attribute in the object class
ServiceCategories statement
This statement specifies the type of service that a flow of IP packets (for example, from a TCP connection
or UDP data) should receive end-to-end as they traverse the network.
ServiceCategories can be repeated with each having a different name so that they can be referred to
later. A ServiceCategories object requires ServicePolicyRules to complete the policy definition.
ServiceCategories s
{
SelectorTag s # Required tag for LDAP Search
MaxRate i # Target rate for traffic in this service class
MaxTokenBucket i # The bucket depth
OutgoingTOS b # TOS value of outbound traffic for this service class
FlowServiceType p # Type of traffic
where
s (R) : is the name of this service category

SelectorTag (R) : Required only for LDAP to Search object classes
MaxRate (O) : in Kbps (K bits per second), default is 0
MaxTokenBucket(O) : in Kb, default is system defined maximum
OutgoingTOS (O) : default is 0
FlowServiceType (O): ControlledLoad | Guaranteed, default is ControlledLoad
ServicePolicyRules statement
This statement specifies characteristics of IP packets that are used to match to a corresponding service
category.
In other words, it defines a set of IP datagrams that should receive a particular service.
ServicePolicyRules are associated with ServiceCategories through the ServiceReference
attribute. If two rules refer to the same ServiceCategory, each rule is associated with a unique
instance of the ServiceCategory.
ServicePolicyRules s
{

SelectorTag s # Required tag for LDAP Search
ProtocolNumber i # Transport protocol id for the policy rule
SourceAddressRange a1-a2
DestinationAddressRange a1-a2
SourcePortRange i1-i2
DestinationPortRange i1-i2
PolicyRulePriority i # Highest value is enforced first
ServiceReference s # Service category name which for this policy rule
}
where
s (R): is the name of this policy rule

SelectorTag (R): required only for LDAP to Search object class
ProtocolNumber (R): default is 0 which causes no match, must explicity specify
SourceAddressRange (O): from a1 to a2 where a2 >= a1, default is 0, any source address
SourcePortRange (O): from i1 to i2 where i2 >= i1, default is 0, any source port
DestinationAddressRange (O): same as SourceAddressRange
DestinationPortRange (O): same as SourcePortRange
PolicyRulePriority (O): Important to specify when ovelapping policies exist
ServiceReference (R): service category this rule uses
Guidelines for DiffServ environments

The following are guidelines to specify policies for marking, shaping, and/or policing in a DiffServ
environment.
1. Marking Only
OutgoingTOS : Desired Type Of Service

FlowServiceType : ControlledLoad
MaxRate : Take default of 0
2. Shaping Only
OutgoingTOS : Take default of 0

FlowServiceType : Guaranteed
MaxRate : Target rate desired for traffic as a positive integer
3. Marking and Policing (See Note)
OutgoingTOS : Desired Type of Service

FlowServiceType : ControlledLoad
4. Marking and Shaping
OutgoingTOS : Desired Type of Service

FlowServiceType : Guaranteed
Note: The type of service set for the out of profile packets is set to zero in the case of policing.
Sample policyd configuration file

This is a complete example of the /etc/policyd.conf configuration file.
#loglevel 511 # Verbose logging
######################################################################
#
# Mark rsh traffic on TCP source ports 513 and 514.
ServiceCategories tcp_513_514_svc
{
MaxRate 0 # Mark only
OutgoingTOS 00011100 # binary
FlowServiceType ControlledLoad
}
ServicePolicyRules tcp_513_514_flt
{
ProtocolNumber 6 # TCP

SourceAddressRange 0.0.0.0-0.0.0.0 # Any IP src addr
DestinationAddressRange 0.0.0.0-0.0.0.0 # Any IP dst addr
SourcePortRange 513-514
DestinationPortRange 0-0 # Any dst port
ServiceReference tcp_513_514_svc
}
#
######################################################################
#
# Shape connected UDP traffic on source port 9000.
ServiceCategories udp_9000_svc
{
MaxRate 8192 # kilobits
MaxTokenBucket 64 # kilobits
FlowServiceType Guaranteed
}
ServicePolicyRules udp_9000_flt
{
ProtocolNumber 17 # UDP
ServiceReference udp_9000_svc
}
#
######################################################################
#
# Mark and police finger traffic on TCP source port 79.
ServiceCategories tcp_79_svc
{
FlowServiceType ControlledLoad
}
ServicePolicyRules tcp_79_flt
{
ServiceReference tcp_79_svc
}
#
######################################################################
#
# Mark and shape ftp-data traffic on TCP source port 20.
ServiceCategories tcp_20_svc
{
FlowServiceType Guaranteed
}
ServicePolicyRules tcp_20_flt
{
ServiceReference tcp_20_svc
}
#
######################################################################
#
# LDAP server entry.
#ReadFromDirectory
#{
# LDAP_Server 9.3.33.138 # IP address of LDAP server
# Base o=ibm,c=us # Base distinguished name
# LDAP_SelectedTag myhost # Typically client hostname
#}
#
######################################################################

IBM SecureWay Directory Server policy loads
If the policy daemon is used with the IBM SecureWay Directory LDAP Server, use this schema as a guide
to update /etc/ldapschema/V3.modifiedschema before starting the LDAP server.
Refer to “Planning and configuring for LDAP name resolution (IBM SecureWay Directory schema)” on page
185 for details.
objectClasses {
( ServiceCategories-OID NAME 'ServiceCategories' SUP top MUST
( objectClass $ SelectorTag $ serviceName ) MAY
( description $ FlowServiceType $ MaxRate $ MaxTokenBucket $ OutgoingTos ) )
( ServicePolicyRules-OID NAME 'ServicePolicyRules' SUP top MUST
( objectClass $ PolicyName $ SelectorTag ) MAY
( description $ DestinationAddressRange $ DestinationPortRange $
ProtocolNumber $ ServiceReference $ SourceAddressRange $ SourcePortRange ) )
}
attributeTypes {
( DestinationAddressRange-OID NAME 'DestinationAddressRange' SYNTAX
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( DestinationPortRange-OID NAME 'DestinationPortRange' SYNTAX
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( FlowServiceType-OID NAME 'FlowServiceType'
SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( MaxRate-OID NAME 'MaxRate' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( MaxTokenBucket-OID NAME 'MaxTokenBucket' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( OutgoingTos-OID NAME 'OutgoingTos' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( PolicyName-OID NAME 'PolicyName' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( ProtocolNumber-OID NAME 'ProtocolNumber' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( SelectorTag-OID NAME 'SelectorTag' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( ServiceReference-OID NAME 'ServiceReference' SYNTAX
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( SourceAddressRange-OID NAME 'SourceAddressRange' SYNTAX
1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
( SourcePortRange-OID NAME 'SourcePortRange' SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15 SINGLE-VALUE )
}
IBMattributeTypes {
( DestinationAddressRange-OID DBNAME ( 'DestinationAddressRange' 'DestinationAddressRange' ) )
( DestinationPortRange-OID DBNAME ( 'DestinationPortRange' 'DestinationPortRange' ) )
( FlowServiceType-OID DBNAME ( 'FlowServiceType' 'FlowServiceType' ) )
( MaxRate-OID DBNAME ( 'MaxRate' 'MaxRate' ) )
( MaxTokenBucket-OID DBNAME ( 'MaxTokenBucket' 'MaxTokenBucket' ) )
( OutgoingTos-OID DBNAME ( 'OutgoingTos' 'OutgoingTos' ) )
( PolicyName-OID DBNAME ( 'PolicyName' 'PolicyName' ) )
( ProtocolNumber-OID DBNAME ( 'ProtocolNumber' 'ProtocolNumber' ) )
( SelectorTag-OID DBNAME ( 'SelectorTag' 'SelectorTag' ) )
( ServiceReference-OID DBNAME ( 'ServiceReference' 'ServiceReference' ) )
( SourceAddressRange-OID DBNAME ( 'SourceAddressRange' 'SourceAddressRange' ) )
( SourcePortRange-OID DBNAME ( 'SourcePortRange' 'SourcePortRange' ) )
}
ldapSyntaxes {
}
matchingRules {
}
QoS system configuration

Policies that overlap are installed in the QoS Manager in a nondeterministic ordering. In the case
of overlapping policies the PolicyRulePriority attribute of the ServicePolicyRules should be
specified to determine the ordering of enforcement of policies. The PolicyRulePriority attribute
takes an integer as a parameter and, in the case of overlapping policies, the rule with the highest integer
value is enforced.
Only connected UDP sockets are supported for QoS.
The policy and RSVP agents as mutually independent. Thus, care must be taken not to specify a policy
that conflicts with, or is covered by, an existing RSVP reservation. In the presence of such conflicts, the
system accepts the first policy or reservation while flagging a violation for the others.
For correct operation, the MaxTokenBucket attribute must be set to at least the maximum MTU of all
interfaces configured in the system.

Policy modifications are handled by the policy agent by automatically deleting the existing policies
and installing the new ones. This may result in a short, temporary window of time during which the
corresponding traffic receives default (typically best effort) service.
IETF standards compliance for IntServ and DiffServ models

This release is compatible with evolving Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards for
Differentiated (DiffServ) and Integrated Services (IntServ) on the Internet.
The following RFCs describe various components of the IntServ model:
• The Use of RSVP with IETF Integrated Services (RFC 2210)
• Specification of the Controlled-Load Network Element Service (RFC 2211)
• Specification of Guaranteed Quality of Service (RFC 2212)
The following RFCs describe various components of the DiffServ model:
• Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers (RFC 2474)
• An Architecture for Differentiated Services (RFC 2475)
The following RFC outlines the current usage of the IP TOS octet:
• Type of Service in the Internet Protocol Suite (RFC 1349)
The following RFCs outline future practices governing usage of the IP TOS octet:
• Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers (RFC 2474)
• Assured Forwarding PHB Group (RFC 2597)
• An Expedited Forwarding PHB (RFC 2598)
IPv6 Support
QoS only supports IPv4. IPv6 is not supported.
Policy daemon control

You can control the policy daemon by using the system resource controller (SRC).
For example, the command:
startsrc -s policyd -a "-i 60"
starts the policy agent with a refresh interval of 60 seconds.

The command
stopsrc -s policyd
stops the policy daemon.

Note: Stopping the policy daemon does not remove the installed policies in the kernel. When you start
the policy daemon again, the old policies (previously installed in the kernel) are deleted, and the policies
defined in the /etc/policyd.conf file are reinstalled.
The refresh SRC command is not currently supported.
QoS commands and methods

The TCP/IP quality of service commands and methods are listed here.
For important updates to this documentation, consult the README file in /usr/samples/tcpip/qos.
The following QoS commands are supported:
• qosadd

• qoslist
• qosmod
• qosremove
• qosstat
• mkqos
• rmqos
The following QoS methods are supported:
• cfgqos
• ucfgqos
TCP/IP troubleshooting
The netstat command is a good tool for diagnosing common problems in a Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network environment.
The netstat command lets you determine which area of the network has a problem. After you have
isolated the problem to an area, you can use more sophisticated tools to proceed. For example, you might
use the netstat -i and netstat -v to determine if you have a problem with a particular hardware
interface, and then run diagnostics to further isolate the problem. Or, if the netstat -s command shows
that there are protocol errors, you could then use the trpt or iptrace commands.
Communication problems
Common TCP/IP communication problems include the inability to communicate with a host on your
network and routing problems. These are some solutions.
If you cannot communicate with a host on your network:
• Try to contact the host, using the ping command. Run the ping command on the local host to verify
that the local interface to the network is up and running.
• Try to resolve the name of the host, using the host command. If the name does not resolve, you have a
name resolution problem. See “Name resolution problems” on page 431 for more information.
If the name resolves and you are trying to contact a host on another network, you may have a routing
problem. See “TCP/IP routing problems” on page 433 for more information.
• If your network is a token-ring network, check to see if the target host is on another ring. If so, the
allcast field is probably set incorrectly. Use the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) fast path
smit chinet to access the Network Interfaces menu. Then, set the Confine Broadcast to Local Ring
field to no in the token-ring dialog.
• If there are a large number of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets on your network, verify that
your subnet mask is set correctly. This condition is known as a broadcast storm and can affect your
system performance.
Name resolution problems

Resolver routines on hosts running TCP/IP attempt to resolve names, using these sources in the order
listed.
1. DOMAIN name server (named)
2. Network Information Service (NIS)
3. Local /etc/hosts file

Resolving client host problems
If you cannot get a host name resolved, and you are using flat name resolution (using the /etc/hosts
file), verify that the host name and correct Internet Protocol (IP) address information is in the /etc/
hosts file.
If you cannot get a host name resolved, and you are using a name server, follow these steps:
1. Verify that you have a resolv.conf file specifying the domain name and Internet address of a name
server.
2. Verify that the local name server is up by issuing the ping command with the IP address of the name
server (found in the local resolv.conf file).
3. If the local name server is up, verify that the named daemon on your local name server is active by
issuing the lssrc -s named command on the name server.
4. If you are running the syslogd, check for logged messages.
The output for these messages is defined in the /etc/syslog.conf file.
If these steps do not identify the problem, check the name server host.
Resolving name server host problems

Use this procedure to resolve host name server problems.
If you cannot get a host name resolved:
1. Verify that the named daemon is active by issuing the following command:
lssrc -s named
2. Verify that the address of the target host exists and is correct in the name server database.
Send a SIGINT signal to the named daemon to dump the database and cache to the file /var/tmp/
named_dump.db. Verify that the address you are trying to resolve is there and is correct.
Add or correct name-to-address resolution information in the named hosts data file for the controller
name server of the domain. Then issue the following SRC command to reread the data files:
refresh -s named
3. Verify that the name resolution requests are being processed.

To do this, enter the named daemon from the command line and specify a debugging level. Valid debug
levels are 1 through 9. The higher the level, the more information the debug mechanism logs.
startsrc -s named -a "-d DebugLevel"
4. Check for configuration problems in the named data files.

For more information, see “Name server resolution” on page 180. In addition, see the "DOMAIN Data
File Format,", "DOMAIN Reverse Data File Format," "DOMAIN Cache File Format," and the "DOMAIN
Local Data File Format" in the Files Reference.
Note: A common error is the incorrect use of the . (period) and the @ (at sign) in the DOMAIN data
files.
If external users cannot reach your domains, make sure that all your non-master name servers (worker,
hint) have equal time-to-live (TTL) information in the DOMAIN data files.
If external resolvers query your servers constantly, make sure your servers are distributing DOMAIN data
files with reasonable TTL values. If the TTL is zero or another small value, the data you transfer times out
very quickly. Set the minimum value in your start of authority (SOA) records to a week or more to solve
this problem.

TCP/IP routing problems
If you cannot reach a destination host, consider the solutions to the following situations.
• If you receive a Network Unreachable error message, make sure that a route to the gateway host
has been defined and is correct. Check this by using the netstat -r command to list kernel routing
tables.
• If you receive a No route to host error message, verify that the local network interface is up by
issuing the ifconfig interface_name command. The output indicates whether or not the interface is
up. Use the ping command to try and reach another host on your network.
• If you receive a Connection timed out error message:
– Verify that the local gateway is up using the ping command with the name or Internet address of the
gateway.
– Make sure that a route to the gateway host has been defined and is correct. Check this by using the
netstat -r command to list kernel routing tables.
– Make sure the host you want to communicate with has a routing table entry back to your machine.
• If you are using static routing, make sure that a route to the target host and gateway host has been
defined. Check this by using the netstat -r command to list kernel routing tables.
Note: Make sure the host you want to communicate with has a routing table entry to your machine.
• If you are using dynamic routing, verify that the gateway is listed and correct in the kernel routing tables
by issuing the netstat -r command.
• If the gateway host is using the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) with the routed daemon, make
sure that a static route to the target host is set up in the /etc/gateways file.
Note: You need to do this only if the routing daemon cannot identify the route to a distant host through
queries to other gateways.
• If the gateway host is using the RIP with the gated daemon, make sure that a static route to the target
host is set up in the gated.conf file.
• If you are using dynamic routing with the routed daemon:
– If routed cannot identify the route through queries (for example, if the target host is not running the
RIP, check the /etc/gateways file to verify that a route to the target host is defined.
– Make sure that gateways responsible for forwarding packets to the host are up and running the RIP.
Otherwise, you'll need to define a static route.
– Run the routed daemon using the debug option to log such information as bad packets received.
Invoke the daemon from the command line using the following command:
startsrc -s routed -a "-d"
– Run the routed daemon using the -t flag, which causes all packets sent or received to be written to
standard output. When routed is run in this mode, it remains under the control of the terminal that
started it. Therefore, an interrupt from the controlling terminal kills the daemon.
• If you are using dynamic routing with the gated daemon:
– Verify that the /etc/gated.conf file is configured correctly and that you are running the correct
protocols.
– Make sure the gateway on the source network is using the same protocol as the gateway on the
destination network.
– Make sure that the machine with which you are trying to communicate has a route back to your host
machine.
– Verify that the gateway names in the gated.conf file correspond to the gateway names listed in
the /etc/networks file.

• If you are using the RIP or HELLO protocols, and routes to the destination cannot be identified through
routing queries, check the gated.conf file to verify that a route to the target host is defined. Set static
routes under the following conditions:
– The destination host is not running the same protocol as the source host so cannot exchange routing
information.
– The host must be reached by a distant gateway (a gateway that is on a different autonomous system
than the source host). The RIP can be used only among hosts on the same autonomous system.
If all else fails, you might want to turn on tracing for your routing daemon (either routed or gated). Use
the SRC traceson command from the command line, or send a signal to the daemon to specify different
levels of tracing. See the gated daemon or the routed daemon for specifics on sending signals to these
daemons.
Resolving problems with SRC support

Use these suggestions to resolve common problems with the System Resource Controller.
• If changes to the /etc/inetd.conf file do not take effect:
Update the inetd daemon by issuing the refresh -s inetd command or the kill -1 InetdPID
command.
• If the startsrc -s [subsystem name] returns the following error message:
0513-00 The System Resource Controller is not active.
The System Resource Controller subsystem has not been activated. Issue the srcmstr & command to
start SRC, then reissue the startsrc command.
You might also want to try starting the daemon from the command line without SRC support.
• If the refresh -s [subsystem name] or lssrc -ls [subsystem name] returns the following error
message:
[subsystem name] does not support this option.
The subsystem does not support the SRC option issued. Check the subsystem documentation to verify
options the subsystem supports.
• If the following message is displayed:
SRC was not found, continuing without SRC support.
A daemon was invoked directly from the command line instead of using the startsrc command. This
is not a problem. However, SRC commands, such as stopsrc and refresh, will not manipulate a
subsystem that is invoked directly.
If the inetd daemon is up and running correctly and the appropriate service seems to be correct but you
still cannot connect, try running the inetd daemon processes through a debugger.
1. Stop the inetd daemon temporarily:
stopsrc -s inetd
The stopsrc command stops subsystems like the inetd daemon.

2. Edit the syslog.conf file to add a debugging line at the bottom. For example:
vi /etc/syslog.conf
a. Add the line *.debug /tmp/myfile at the bottom of the file and exit.
b. The file that you specify must exist (/tmp/myfile in this example). You can use the touch
command to make your file exists.
3. Refresh the file:

• If you are using SRC, enter:
refresh -s syslogd
• If you are not using SRC, kill the syslogd daemon:
kill -1 `ps -e | grep /etc/syslogd | cut -c1-7`
4. Start the inetd daemon backup with debugging enabled:
startsrc -s inetd -a "-d"
The -d flag enables debugging.

5. Try to make a connection to log errors in the /tmp/myfile debugging file. For example:
tn bastet
Trying...
connected to bastet
login:>
Connection closed
6. See if anything shows up as a problem in the debugging file. For example:
tail -f /tmp/myfile
Resolving telnet or rlogin problems

These explanations can be useful in solving problems with the telnet or rlogin command.
If you are having trouble with screen distortion in full-screen applications:
1. Check the TERM environment variable by issuing one of the following commands:
env
echo $TERM
2. Verify that the TERM variable is set to a value that matches the type of terminal display you are using.
telnet subcommands that can help in debugging problems include:
Item Description
display Displays set and toggle values.
toggle Toggles the display of all network data in hex.
toggle options Toggles the display of internal telnet process options.
If the inetd daemon could execute the telnet service but you still cannot connect using the telnet
command, there may be something wrong with the telnet interface.
1. Verify that telnet is using the correct terminal type.
a. Check the $TERM variable on your machine:
echo $TERM
b. Log in to the machine to which you are trying to attach and check the $TERM variable:
echo $TERM
2. Use the telnet interface's debugging capabilities by entering the telnet command without flags.
telnet
tn>

a. Type open host where host is the name of the machine.
b. Press Ctrl-T to get to the tn%gt; prompt.
c. At the tn> prompt, type debug for debugging mode.
3. Try to connect to another machine using the telnet interface:
telnet bastet
Trying...
Connected to bastet
Escape character is '^T'.
Watch the display as the various commands scroll up the screen. For example:
SENT do ECHO
SENT do SUPPRESS GO AHEAD
SENT will TERMINAL TYPE (reply)
SENT do SUPPORT SAK
SENT will SUPPORT SAK (reply)
RCVD do TERMINAL TYPE (don't reply)
RCVD will ECHO (don't reply)
RCVD will SUPPRESS GO AHEAD (don't reply)
RCVD wont SUPPORT SAK (reply)
SENT dont SUPPORT SAK (reply)
RCVD do SUPPORT SAK (don't reply)
SENT suboption TELOPT_NAWS Width 80, Height 25
RCVD suboption TELOPT_TTYPE SEND
RCVD suboption TELOPT_TTYPE aixterm
...
4. Check /etc/termcap or /usr/lib/terminfo for the aixterm definition. For example:
ls -a /usr/lib/terminfo
5. If the aixterm definition is missing, add it by building the ibm.ti file. For example:
tic ibm.ti
The tic command is a terminal information compiler.

Problems with function and arrow keys can arise when using the rlogin and telnet commands with
programs using extended curses. Function and arrow keys generate escape sequences, which are split if
too little time is allotted for the entire key sequence. Curses waits a specific amount of time to decide
whether an Esc indicates the escape key only or the start of a multibyte escape sequence generated by
other keys, such as cursor keys, the action key, and function keys.
If no data, or data that is not valid, follows the Esc in the allotted amount of time, curses decides that
the Esc is the escape key, and the key sequence is split. The delay resulting from the rlogin or telnet
command is network dependent. Sometimes arrow and function keys work and sometimes they do not,
depending on the speed of the network to which you are connecting. Setting the ESCDELAY environment
variable to a large value (1000 to 1500) effectively solves this problem.
TCP/IP configuration problems

Network interfaces are automatically configured during the first system startup after the adapter card
is installed. However, you still need to set some initial values for TCP/IP including the host name, the
Internet address, and the subnet mask.
To do this, you can use the SMIT interface in the following ways:
• Use the smit mktcpip fast path to set the initial values for the host name, the Internet address, and
the subnet mask.
• Use the smit mktcpip fast path to specify a name server to provide name resolution service. (Note
that smit mktcpip configures one network interface only.)
• Use the smit chinet fast path to set other network attributes.

You may also want to set up any static routes the host needs for sending transmitting information, such as
a route to the local gateway. Use the SMIT fast path, smit mkroute, to set these up permanently in the
configuration database.
If you are having other problems with your configuration, see the “Configuration of TCP/IP” on page 105
for more information.
Common TCP/IP problems with network interfaces

Network interfaces are configured automatically during the first system startup after the adapter card is
installed. However, there are certain values that must be set in order for TCP/IP to start. These include
the host name and Internet address and can be set using the SMIT fast path, smit mktcpip.
If you choose the SMIT method, use the smit mktcpip fast path to set these values permanently in
the configuration database. Use the smit chinet and smit hostname fast paths to change them in
a running system. The smit mktcpip fast path minimally configures TCP/IP. To add adapters, use the
Further Configuration menu, which can be reached with the smit tcpip fast path.
If you have already checked these to verify accuracy and you are still having trouble sending and receiving
information, check the following:
• Verify that your network adapter has a network interface by executing the netstat -i command.
The output should list an interface, such as tr0, in the Name column. If it does not, create a network
interface by entering the SMIT fast path smit mkinet.
• Verify that IP address for the interface is correct by executing the netstat -i command. The output
should list the IP address in the Network column. If it is incorrect, set the IP address by entering the
SMIT fast path smit chinet.
• Use the arp command to make sure you have the complete IP address for the target machine. For
example:
arp -a
The arp command looks for the physical adapter address. This command might show an incomplete
address. For example:
? (192.100.61.210) at (incomplete)
This could be due to an unplugged machine, a stray address with no machine at that particular address,
or a hardware problem (such as a machine that connects and receives packets but is not able to send
packets back).
• Look for errors on the adapter card. For example:
netstat -v
The netstat -v command shows statistics for the Ethernet, Token Ring, X.25, and 802.3 adapter
device drivers. The command also shows network and error logging data for all device drivers
active on an interface including: No Mbufs Errors, No Mbuf Extension Errors, and Packets
Transmitted and Adapter Errors Detected.
• Check the error log by running the errpt command to ensure that there are no adapter problems.
• Verify that the adapter card is good by running diagnostics. Use the smit diag fast path, or the diag
command.
TCP/IP problems with a SLIP network interface

In general, the most effective method for debugging problems with a Serial Line Interface Protocol
(SLIP) interface is to retrace your configuration, verifying each step.
However, you can also:

• Verify that the slattach process is running and using the correct tty port by issuing the ps -ef
command. If it is not, run the slattach command. (See “Configuring SLIP over a modem” on page 634
or “Configuring SLIP over a null modem cable” on page 636 for the exact syntax you should use.)
• Verify that the point-to-point addresses are specified correctly by entering the smit chinet fast path.
Select the SLIP interface. Make sure that the INTERNET ADDRESS and DESTINATION ADDRESS fields
are correct.
If the modem is not functioning correctly:
• Make sure that the modem was installed correctly. See the modem installation manual.
• Verify that any flow control the modem does is turned off.
If the tty is not functioning correctly, verify that the tty baud rate and modem characteristics are set
correctly in the configuration database by entering the smit tty fast path.
TCP/IP problems with an Ethernet network interface

Refer to this checklist if TCP/IP problems persist with an Ethernet network interface.
If the network interface has been initialized, the addresses correctly specified, and you have verified that
the adapter card is good:
• Verify that you are using a T-connector plugged directly into the inboard/outboard transceiver.
• Make sure you are using an Ethernet cable. (Ethernet cable is 50 OHM.)
• Make sure you are using Ethernet terminators. (Ethernet terminators are 50 OHM.)
• Ethernet adapters can be used with either the transceiver that is on the card or with an external
transceiver. There is a jumper on the adapter to specify which you are using. Verify that your jumper is
set correctly (see your adapter manual for instructions).
• Verify that you are using the correct Ethernet connector type (thin is BNC; thick is DIX). If you change
this connector type, use the smit chgenet SMIT fast path to set the Apply Change to Database
Only field. (Set to Yes in SMIT.) Restart the machine to apply the configuration change. (See “Adapter
management and configuration” on page 160.)
TCP/IP problems with a Token-Ring network interface

Use these guidelines to resolve communication problems with your network interface.
If you cannot communicate with some of the machines on your network although the network interface
has been initialized, the addresses correctly specified, and you have verified that the adapter card is good:
• Check to see if the hosts with whom you cannot communicate are on a different ring. If they are, use the
SMIT fast path smit chinet to check the Confine BROADCAST to Local Token-Ring field. Do not set to
No in SMIT.
• Check to see whether the token-ring adapter is configured to run at the correct ring speed. If it
is configured incorrectly, use the SMIT to change the adapter ring speed attribute (see “Adapter
management and configuration” on page 160). When TCP/IP is restarted, the token-ring adapter has
the same ring speed as the rest of the network.
TCP/IP problems with a Token-Ring/Ethernet bridge

If you cannot communicate between a token-ring and an Ethernet network, using a bridge, and you have
verified that the bridge is functioning correctly, the Ethernet adapter might be dropping packets.
A machine drops packets if the incoming packet (including headers) is greater than the network adapter
maximum transmission unit (MTU) value. For instance, a 1500-byte packet sent by a token-ring adapter
over the bridge collects an 8-byte logical link control (LLC) header, making the total packet size 1508. If
the receiving Ethernet adapter MTU is set to 1500, the packet is dropped.
Check the MTU values of both network adapters. To allow for the eight-byte LLL header, the token-ring
adapter attaches to outgoing packets, set the MTU value for the token-ring adapter at least eight bytes
lower than the MTU value for the Ethernet adapter. For example, set the MTU for a token-ring adapter to
1492 to communicate with an Ethernet adapter with an MTU of 1500.

TCP/IP problems with a Token-Ring/Token-Ring bridge
When operating through a bridge, change the default value of 1500 for the maximum transmission unit
(MTU) to a value that is eight less than the maximum information field (maximum I-frame) advertised by
the bridge in the routing control field.
To find the routing control field value, use the iptrace daemon to look at incoming packets. Bits 1, 2,
and 3 of Byte 1 are the Largest Frame Bits, which specify the maximum information field that can be
transmitted between two communicating stations on a specific route. See the following for the format of
the routing control field:
Figure 24. Routing control field
This illustration shows byte 0 and byte 1 of a routing control field. The eight bits of byte one are B, B, B, B,
L, L, L, L. The eight bits of byte 1 are D, F, F, F, r, r, r, r.
Values for the Largest Frame Bits are as follows:
Ite Description
m
00 Specifies a maximum of 516 bytes in the information field.
0
1
0
1
0
10 Reserved.
1
11 Reserved.
0
11 Used in all-routes broadcast frames.
1
For example, if the maximum I-frame value is 2052 in the routing control field, the MTU size should be set
to 2044. This is for token-ring network interfaces only.
Note: When using iptrace, the output file must not be on a Network File System (NFS).
TCP/IP problems communicating with a remote host

If you cannot communicate with a remote host, try the these suggestions.
• Run the ping command on the local host to verify that the local interface to the network is up and
running.
• Use the ping command for hosts and gateways that are progressively more hops from the local host to
determine the point at which communication fails.
If you are having trouble with packet loss or are experiencing delays in packet delivery, try the following:
• Use the trpt command to trace packets at the socket level.
• Use the iptrace command to trace all protocol layers.

If you cannot communicate between a token-ring and an Ethernet network using a bridge, and you have
verified that the bridge is good:
• Check the MTU values of both adapters. The MTU values must be compatible to allow communication.
A machine drops packets if the incoming packet (including headers) is greater than the adapter's MTU
values. For instance, a 1500-byte packet sent over the bridge collects an 8-byte LLC header, making the
total packet size 1508. If the receiving machine MTU is set to 1500, a packet of 1508 bytes is dropped.
TCP/IP problems with snmpd response to queries

If snmpd is not responding to queries and there are no log messages received, the packet might be to
large for the kernel User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet handler.
If this is the case, increase the kernel variables, udp_sendspace and udp_recvspace by issuing the
following commands:
no -o udp_sendspace=64000
no -o udp_recvspace=64000
The maximum size for a UDP packet is 64K. If your query is larger than 64K, it will be rejected. Split the
packet into smaller packets to avoid this problem.
TCP/IP problems with Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

In the event that you cannot obtain configuration data, try the following solutions.
If you cannot get an IP address or other configuration parameters:
• Check to see that you have specified an interface to be configured. This can be done by using the SMIT
fast path smit dhcp.
• Check to see that there is a server on the local network or a relay agent configured to get your requests
off the local network.
• Check to see that the dhcpcd program is running. If it is not, use the startsrc -s dhcpcd
command.
TCP/IP commands
TCP/IP is part of the underlying structure of your system. It allows you to communicate with another
terminal or system merely by executing a command or program.
TCP/IP is part of the underlying structure of your system. It allows you to communicate with another
terminal or system merely by executing a command or program. Your system takes care of the rest.
Item Description
chnamsv Changes Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) based
name service configuration on a host.
chprtsv Changes a print service configuration on a client or server machine.
hostent Directly manipulates address-mapping entries in the system configuration
database.
ifconfig Configures or displays network interface parameters for a network, using TCP/IP.
mknamsv Configures TCP/IP-based name service on a host for a client.
mkprtsv Configures TCP/IP-based print service on a host.
mktcpip Sets the required values for starting TCP/IP on a host.
no Configures network options.
rmnamsv Unconfigures TCP/IP-based name service on a host.
rmprtsv Unconfigures a print service on a client or server machine.

Item Description
slattach Attaches serial lines as network interfaces.
arp Displays or changes the Internet address to hardware address translation tables
used by the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).
gettable Gets Network Information Center (NIC) format host tables from a host.
hostid Sets or displays the identifier of the current local host.
hostname Sets or displays the name of the current host system.
htable Converts host files to the format used by network library routines.
ipreport Generates a packet trace report from the specified packet trace file.
iptrace Provides interface-level packet tracing for Internet protocols.
lsnamsv Shows name service information stored in the database.
lsprtsv Shows print service information stored in the database.
mkhosts Generates the host table file.
namerslv Directly manipulates domain name server entries for local resolver routines in the
system configuration database.
netstat Shows network status.
route Manually manipulates the routing tables.
ruser Directly manipulates entries in three separate system databases that control
foreign host access to programs.
ruptime Displays the status of each host on a network.
securetcpip Enables the network security feature.
setclock Sets the time and date for a host on a network.
timedc Returns information about the timed daemon.
trpt Performs protocol tracing on Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) sockets.
SRC commands
SRC commands can affect one daemon, a group of daemons, or a daemon and those daemons it controls
(subsystem with subservers).
In addition, some TCP/IP daemons do not respond to all SRC commands. The following is a list of SRC
commands that can be used to control TCP/IP daemons and their exceptions.
Item Description
startsrc Starts all TCP/IP subsystems and inetd subservers. The startsrc command
works for all TCP/IPP subsystems and inetd subservers.
stopsrc Stops all TCP/IP subsystems and inetd subservers. This command is also called
the stop normal command. The stop normal command allows subsystems to
process all outstanding work and terminate gracefully. For inetd subservers, all
pending connections are allowed to start and all existing connections are allowed
to complete. The stop normal command works for all TCP/IP subsystems and
inetd subservers.
stopsrc -f Stops all TCP/IP subsystems and inetd subservers. This command is also
called the stop force. The stop force command immediately terminates
all subsystems. For inetd subservers, all pending connections and existing
connections are terminated immediately.

Item Description
refresh Refreshes the following subsystems and subservers: the inetd, syslogd, named,
dhcpsd, and gated subsystems.
lssrc Provides short status for subsystems, which is the state of the specified subsystem
(active or inoperative). Also provides short status for inetd subservers. The
short status for inetd subservers includes: subserver name, state, subserver
description, command name, and the arguments with which it was invoked.
lssrc -l Provides the short status plus additional information (long status) for the following
subsystems:
gated
State of debug or trace, routing protocols activated, routing tables, signals
accepted and their function.
inetd
State of debug, list of active subservers and their short status; signals accepted
and their function.
named
State of debug, named.conf file information.
dhcpsd
State of debug, all controlled IP addresses and their current state.
routed
State of debug and trace, state of supplying routing information, routing tables.
syslogd
syslogd configuration information.
The lssrc -l command also provides long status for inetd subservers. The
long status includes short status information and active connection information.
Some subservers will provide additional information. The additional information by
subserver includes:
ftpd
State of debug and logging
telnetd
Type of terminal emulating
rlogind
State of debug
fingerd
State of debug and logging
The rwhod and timed subservers do not provide long status.
traceson Turns on socket-level debugging. Use the trpt command to format the output. The
timed and iptraced subsystems do not support the traceson command.
tracesoff Turns off socket-level debugging. Use the trpt command to format the output.
The timed and iptraced subsystems do not support the tracesoff command.
For examples of how to use these commands, see the topics about the individual commands. For more
information on the System Resource Controller, see System Resource Controller in Operating system and
device management.

File transfer commands
Brief descriptions of the file transfer commands are listed here.
Item Description
ftp hostname Transfers files between a local and a remote host.
rcpfile host:file Transfers files between local and remote host or between two remote hosts.
tftp Transfers files between hosts.
Remote login commands

Brief descriptions of the TCP/IP remote login commands are listed here.
Item Description
rexec host command Executes commands one at a time on a remote host.
rlogin remotehost Connects a local host with a remote host.
rsh and remsh remotehost Executes specified command at remote host or logs into the remote
command host.
telnet, tn and tn3270 Connects the local host with a remote host, using the TELNET
hostname interface.
Status commands
Brief descriptions of the TCP/IP status commands are listed here.
Item Description
finger or f Shows user information.
user@host
host hostname Resolves a host name into an Internet address or an Internet address into a host
name.
ping hostname Sends an echo request to a network host.
rwho Shows which users are logged in to hosts on the local network.
whois name Identifies a user by user ID or alias.
Remote communication command

The TCP/IP remote communication command, talk User@Host, lets you converse with another user.
Item Description
talk User@Host Converse with another user.
Print commands
Brief descriptions of the TCP/IP print commands are listed here.
Item Description
enq file Enqueues a file.
refresh Requests a refresh of a subsystem or group of subsystems.
smit Performs system management.

TCP/IP daemons
A subsystem is a daemon, or server, that is controlled by the SRC. A subserver is a daemon that is
controlled by a subsystem. (Daemon commands and daemon names are usually denoted by a d at the end
of the name.)
The categories of subsystem and subserver are mutually exclusive. That is, daemons are not listed as
both a subsystem and as a subserver. The only TCP/IP subsystem that controls other daemons is the
inetd daemon. All TCP/IP subservers are also inetd subservers.
The following are TCP/IP daemons controlled by the SRC:
Subsystems
Item Description
gated Provides gateway routing functions and supports the Routing Information
Protocol (RIP), the Routing Information Protocol Next Generation (RIPng),
Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and
BGP4+, the Defense Communications Network Local-Network Protocol (HELLO),
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Intermediate System to Intermediate System
(IS-IS), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP and ICMPv6)/Router
Discovery routing protocols. In addition, the gated daemon supports the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The gated daemon is one of two routing
daemons available for routing to network addresses and is the preferred routing
daemon. The gated daemon is preferred over the routed daemon because the
gated daemon supports more gateway protocols.
inetd Invokes and schedules other daemons when requests for the daemon services are
received. This daemon can also start other daemons. The inetd daemon is also
known as the super daemon.
iptrace Provides interface-level packet-tracing function for Internet protocols.
named Provides the naming function for the Domain Name Server protocol (DOMAIN).
routed Manages the network routing tables and supports the Routing Information
Protocol (RIP). The gated daemon is preferred over the routed daemon because
the gated daemon supports more gateway protocols.
rwhod Sends broadcasts to all other hosts every three minutes and stores information
about logged-in users and network status. Use the rwhod daemon with extreme
care, because it can use significant amounts of machine resources.
timed Provides the time server function.
Note: Both the routed and gated daemons are listed as TCP/IP subsystems. Do not run the startsrc
-g tcpip command, which initiates both of these routing daemons, along with all the other TCP/IP
subsystems. Running both daemons simultaneously on one machine can produce unpredictable results.
TCP/IP daemons controlled by the inetd subsystem are the following:
inetd Subservers
Item Description
comsat Notifies users of incoming mail.
fingerd Provides a status report on all logged-in users and network status at the specified
remote host. This daemon uses the Finger protocol.
ftpd Provides the file transfer function for a client process using the File Transfer
Protocol (FTP).
rexecd Provides the foreign host server function for the rexec command.

Item Description
rlogind Provides the remote login facility function for the rlogin command.
rshd Provides the remote command execution server function for the rcp and rsh
commands.
talkd Provides the conversation function for the talk command.
syslogd Reads and logs system messages. This daemon is in the Remote Access Service
(RAS) group of subsystems.
telnetd Provides the server function for the TELNET protocol.
tftpd Provides the server function for the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).
uucpd Handles communications between the Basic Network Utilities (BNU) and TCP/IP.
Device methods
Device methods are programs associated with a device that perform basic device configuration
operations.
See List of TCP/IP Programming References in Communications Programming Concepts for information
about TCP/IP methods.
Request for comments

The following TCP/IP Request for Comments (RFCs) are supported in the AIX system.
For a list of the RFCs (Request for Comments) supported by this operating system, see the List of TCP/IP
Programming References in Communications Programming Concepts.
• RFC 1359 Connecting to the Internet: What connecting institutions should anticipate
• RFC 1325 FYI on questions and answers: Answers to commonly asked 'new Internet user' questions
• RFC 1244 Site Security Handbook
• RFC 1178 Choosing a Name for Your Computer
• RFC 1173 Responsibilities of host and network managers: A summary of the òral tradition' of the
Internet
Basic Networking Utilities

The BNUs are a group of programs, directories, and files that establish communications between
computer systems on local and remote networks. It can be used to communicate with any UNIX system
on which a version of the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) is running. BNU is one of the extended
services programs that can be installed with the base operating system.
A group of commands related to UUCP, a UNIX-to-UNIX communication program developed by AT&T
and modified as part of the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) are contained in BNU. BNU provides
commands, processes, and a supporting database for connections to local and remote systems.
Communication networks such as Token-Ring and Ethernet are used to connect systems on local
networks. A local network can be connected to a remote system by hardwire or telephone modem.
Commands and files can then be exchanged between the local network and the remote system.
Before users on your system can run BNU programs, BNU must be installed and configured.
BNU is controlled by a set of configuration files that determine whether remote systems can log in to the
local system and what they can do after they log in. These configuration files must be set up according to
the requirements and resources of your system.
To maintain BNU, you must read and remove log files periodically and check the BNU queues to ensure
jobs are correctly transferring to remote systems. You must also periodically update the configuration files
to reflect changes in your system or remote systems.

How BNU works
BNU uses a set of hardware connections and software programs to communicate between systems.
A structure of directories and files tracks BNU activities. This structure includes a set of public directories,
a group of administrative directories and files, configuration files, and lock files. Most of the directories
for BNU are created during the installation process. Some of the administrative directories and files are
created by various BNU programs.
With the exception of the remote login commands, BNU works as a batch system. When a user requests
a job sent to a remote system, BNU stores the information needed to complete the job. This is known as
queuing the job. At scheduled times, or when a user instructs it to do so, BNU contacts various remote
systems, transfers queued work, and accepts jobs. These transfers are controlled by the configuration
files on your system and those of the remote system.
National Language Support for BNU commands

All BNU commands, except uucpadm, are available for for National Language Support.
User names need not be in ASCII characters. However, all system names must be in ASCII characters. If a
user attempts to schedule a transfer or a remote command execution involving non-ASCII system names,
BNU returns an error message.
BNU file and directory structure

BNU uses a structure of directories and files to keep track of activities.
This structure includes the public directories, configuration files, administrative directories, and lock files.
Most of the directories for BNU are created during the installation process. Some of the administrative
directories and files are created by various BNU programs as they run.
BNU public directories

When specified, the BNU public directory (/var/spool/uucppublic) stores files that have been
transferred to the local system from other systems.
The files wait in the public directory until users claim them. The public directory is created when BNU is
installed. Within the public directory, BNU creates a subdirectory for each remote system that sends files
to the local system.
BNU configuration files

The BNU configuration files, also known as the BNU supporting database, reside in the /etc/uucp
directory. The files must be configured specifically for your system.
They are owned by the uucp login ID and can be edited only with root authority. The configuration files
contain information about:
• Accessible remote systems
• Devices for contacting the remote systems
• Times to contact the remote systems
• What the remote systems are allowed to do on your system.
Some configuration files also specify limits on BNU activities that prevent your system from becoming
overloaded.
The BNU configuration files include:
Item Description
Devices Contains information about available devices, including both modems and direct
connections.

Item Description
Dialcodes Contains dialing code abbreviations, which allow you to shorten phone numbers in
the Systems file.
Dialers Specifies calling command syntax for a specific modem type ("dialer").
Maxuuscheds Limits simultaneous scheduled jobs.
Maxuuxqts Limits simultaneous remote command executions.
Permissions Contains access permission codes. This file is the primary file for determining the
security for BNU.
Poll Specifies when the BNU program should poll remote systems to initiate tasks.
Sysfiles Lists files that serve as the Systems, Devices, and Dialers files for the
BNU configuration. If this file is not used, the default files are /etc/uucp/
Systems, /etc/uucp/Devices, and /etc/uucp/Dialers.
Systems Lists accessible remote systems and information needed to contact them, including
the device to use and the user name and password combinations you need to log
in. Also specifies the times when the systems can be contacted.
The configuration files cross-reference each other when BNU is in use. For example:
• The Devices file contains a Token field that refers to entries in the Dialers file.
• The Systems file contains an entry for a Class of device. A device of each Class referred to in the
Systems file must be defined in the Devices file.
• The Poll file contains entries for systems your system calls. Each of these systems must be defined in
the Systems file.
Entries in the BNU configuration files depend on the types of connections between your system and each
remote system. For example, special entries must be made if Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) or direct connections are used to contact other systems. If modems are used to contact
other systems, the modems must be defined in the Dialers file.
The Systems, Devices, and Permissions files must be configured on your system before you can
contact remote systems using BNU. Other configuration files enable you to use BNU capabilities, such as
automatic polling. Many of the configuration files must be modified periodically to reflect changes to your
system or the systems you contact. The Sysfiles file can be used to specify files other than the default
Systems, Devices, and Dialers files to fulfill the same role.
BNU administrative directories and files

The BNU administrative directories and files are in subdirectories of the /var/spool/uucp directory.
These directories and files contain two types of information:
• Data waiting to be transferred to other systems
• Log and error information about BNU activities.
Under the /var/spool/uucp directory, BNU creates the following directories:
Item Description
.Admin Contains four administrative files:
• audit
• Foreign
• errors
• xferstats
These files contain error and log information about BNU activities.

Item Description
.Corrupt Contains copies of files that cannot be processed by the BNU program.
.Log and .Old Contain log files from BNU transactions.
.Status Stores the last time the uucico daemon tried to contact remote systems.
.Workspace Holds temporary files that the file transport programs use internally.
.Xqtdir Contains execute files with lists of commands that remote systems can run.
SystemName Contains files used by file transport programs. These files are:
• Command (C.*)
• Data (D.*)
• Execute (X.*)
• Temporary (TM.*)
BNU creates a SystemName directory for each remote system it contacts.
The directories whose names begin with a dot are hidden. They cannot be found with an ls or li
command unless the -a flag is used. When the uucico daemon is started, it searches the /var/spool/
uucp directory for work files and transfers the files from any directory that is not hidden. The uucico
daemon sees only the SystemName directories, not the other administrative directories.
The files in the hidden directories are owned by the uucp login ID. These files can be accessed only with
root authority or with a login ID with a UID of 5.
For further information about maintaining the BNU administrative directories, see “BNU maintenance” on
page 461.
BNU lock files

The BNU lock files are stored in the /var/locks directory. When BNU uses a device to connect to a
remote computer, it places a lock file for that device in the /var/locks directory.
When another BNU program or any other program needs the device, that program checks the /var/
locks directory for a lock file. If a lock file exists, the program waits until the device is available or uses
another device for the communication.
In addition, the uucico daemon places lock files for remote systems in the /var/locks directory.
Before contacting a remote system, the uucico daemon checks the /var/locks directory for a lock file
for that system. These files prevent other instances of the uucico daemon from establishing duplicate
connections to the same remote system.
Note: Other software besides BNU, such as Asynchronous Terminal Emulation (ATE) and TCP/IP, uses
the /var/locks directory.
Configuring BNU
This procedure explains how to configure Basic Network Utilities (BNU) for various types of connections,
such as direct, modem, and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connections.
Prerequisites
• BNU must be installed on your system.
• You must have root user authority to edit the BNU configuration files.
• If you use direct connections for BNU communications, the appropriate connections between your
system and the remote systems must be set up.
• If you use modems for BNU communications, you must install and configure each modem.
• If one or more of your connections uses TCP/IP, then TCP/IP must be running between your system and
the appropriate remote systems.

• Collect the information that you require to configure BNU (see the following list). This information
includes a list of remote systems and lists of devices and modems to use for connecting to the systems.
Gathering required system information
Before you configure BNU, gather the following information:
• For each remote system that your system calls, collect the following information:
– The system name
– The login name that your system uses on the remote system
– The password for the login name.
– Login and password prompts on the remote system.
– The type of connection you use to reach the remote system (direct, modem, or TCP/IP)
If the connection is direct, collect the following information:
– The bit rate of the connection
– The port on the local system to which the connection is attached.
If the connection is through a modem (telephone connection), collect the following information:
– The telephone number of the remote system.
– The speed of your modem that is compatible with the speed of the remote system.
Note: If any of the remote systems calls your system, ensure that the BNU administrator on each of the
remote systems has all the preceding information about your system.
• For each local modem that you use for BNU connections, collect the following information:
– The chat script for the modem (consult the modem documentation).
Note: For some modems, the chat script is available in the /etc/uucp/Dialers file.
– The local port of the modem.
Creating a list of system devices
Use the information that you collected to make a list of each system device that you need to connect to a
remote system. The following is a sample list for the local system morgan:
direct:
hera 9600 tty5
zeus& 2400 tty2
ariadne 2400 tty1
hayes modem (tty3): apollo, athena
TCP/IP: merlin, arthur, percy
In the previous example, to connect to system hera, a direct connection at a speed of 9600 from port
tty5 is used. To connect to system apollo, the hayes modem, which is connected to port tty3, is
used. TCP/IP is used to connect to systems merlin, arthur, and percy.
Configuring remote communication facilities
For BNU to function correctly at your site, you must configure the remote communication facilities as
follows:
• List the devices that are used to establish a direct, telephone, or modem communications link.
• List the modems that are used to contact remote systems over the telephone network.
• List the accessible remote systems.
• List the abbreviations by representing the prefixes of telephone numbers that are used to contact the
specified remote systems (optional).
• Set access permissions by specifying the ways in which local and remote systems communicate.
• Schedule monitoring for the networked remote systems (optional).

To create these lists, permissions, and schedules, complete the following steps:
• Change the BNU configuration files.
• Edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file to remove the comment characters (#) from the
beginning of the lines that schedule the automatic maintenance routines.
Note: You must configure the Systems, Devices, and Permissions files to ensure that BNU runs
correctly at your site. However, it is not necessary to change the BNU configuration files in any particular
order.
After you complete the preceding procedures, you can configure BNU on your system.
Configuring BNU on your system
To configure BNU, complete the following steps:
1. Ensure that BNU is installed on your system by running the following command:
lslpp -h bos.net.uucp
If BNU is installed, bos.net.uucp is displayed in the output. If you do not see it, install BNU from the
installation tape.
2. Set appropriate login IDs and passwords for the remote systems that call your system, and provide the
person responsible for administering BNU or the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) on each remote
system with the login and password.
This step is completed by editing the /etc/passwd, /etc/group, /etc/security/login.cfg,
and /etc/security/passwd files.
Attention: If you allow the remote systems to log in to the local system with the UUCP login
ID, the security of your system is at risk. Remote systems that are logged in with the UUCP ID
can display and possibly change the local Systems and Permissions files. These actions of
the remote system depend on the permissions that are specified in the LOGNAME entry of the
Permissions file. It is recommended that you create other BNU login IDs for remote systems
and reserve the UUCP login ID for the person administering BNU on the local system. For the
best security, each remote system that contacts the local system must have a unique login
ID with a unique user ID (UID) number. These login IDs must have group IDs (GIDs) of 5. By
default, the operating system includes the NUUCP login ID for transferring files.
a) If you need to maintain complete control over the access of each individual system, you must
create separate login IDs and combine the MACHINE and LOGNAME entries in the Permissions
file. You have the option of maintaining separate logins, or having one login for all BNU connections.
A few example /etc/passwd entries follow:
Umicrtk:!:105:5:micrtk uucp:/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico
Ufloydl:!:106:5:floydl uucp:/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico
Uicus:!:107:5:icus uucp:/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico
Urisctkr:!:108:5::/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico
b) If you want to have one set of permissions and do not want to maintain separate control of any of
the UUCP connections, you can have a single login for all the systems. An example entry for such a
scenario follows:
nuucp:!:6:5::/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico
Note:
• The UID, which is the third colon-separated field, must be unique to avoid any security risk.
• The GID, which is the fourth colon-separated field, must be 5 to ensure that it is in the same
group as UUCP.
• The home directory, which is the sixth colon-separated field, can be changed to any valid
directory.

• The login shell, which is the seventh colon-separated field, must always be /usr/sbin/uucp/
uucico.
c) Ensure that the /etc/group file contains the new users. An example of such an entry follows:
uucp:!:5:uucp,uucpadm,nuucp,Umicrtk,Uicus,Urisctakr
d) Add any users to the UUCP group, who use modems to connect with programs other than the cu
command.
e) After you edit these files as root, set a password for the new users with the command passwd
UserName.
Note: If you change a password from the root login, the flags entry in the stanza for the user in
the /etc/security/passwd file contains the following line:
flags = ADMCHG
You must change the preceding line, as shown in the following example:
flags =
Otherwise, when the remote uucico process logs in to your system, the system prompts it to enter
a new password. This action is not possible and hence the login fails.
f) To avoid interruptions in the login process that are caused by the uucico process, which might be
started by the default herald with all of its Ctrl-J's, comment the default stanza (with asterisks) and
define a stanza for your tty, as shown in the following example:
/dev/tty0:
herald = "\nrisc001 login:"
g) Use an ASCII text editor or the uucpadm command to edit the Poll file. Add an entry for each
system that your system polls.
Note: The systems that are listed in the Poll file must also be listed in the /etc/uucp/Systems
file.
h) Use an ASCII text editor to edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file. Remove the
comment characters (#) from the lines that run the uudemon.hour and uudemon.poll
commands.
You can change the number of times these commands are run. However, be sure to schedule
the uudemon.poll command approximately 5 minutes before you schedule the uudemon.hour
command.
i) Ensure that your changes took effect by running the following command:
crontab -l uucp
j) Set up the following BNU data files: Systems, Permissions, Devices, Dialers, and Sysfiles.
You might use the /usr/sbin/uucp/uucpadm command to initially set up the files and then
edit them to suit your needs. Use the Sysfiles file to specify files other than /etc/uucp/
Systems, /etc/uucp/Devices, and /etc/uucp/Dialers for BNU configuration. For more
information, see Sysfiles.
3. If you decide to use dial-code abbreviations for telephone numbers in the Systems files, set up the
Dialcodes entry for each abbreviation. For details, see Dialcodes File Format for BNU.
If you use TCP/IP for your BNU connections, use the netstat command to see whether the uucpd
daemon is working, by entering the following command:
netstat -a
The uucpd daemon is started by the inetd daemon. If the uucpd daemon does not run, reconfigure
the inetd daemon to start the uucpd daemon. For more information, see “Configuring the inetd
daemon” on page 369).

4. Use the list of devices that you collected, before you begin this procedure, to change the Devices
file on your system. Make an entry for each modem and each direct connection. If you use TCP/IP,
uncomment the TCP/IP entry in the Devices file.
You can configure the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file to specify other files to be used for configuration of
devices. For details about the Devices file, see the Devices File Format for BNU.
Also, if you use TCP/IP, verify that the /etc/services file includes the following line:
uucp 540/tcp uucpd
If not, add this line to the file.

5. Use the information about each remote system that you collected, before you begin this procedure,
to change the Systems file on your system. Use the commented examples in the Systems file as
a guide when you specify your configuration. If you use TCP/IP, ensure that the host name table in
the /etc/hosts file includes the name of the remote computer with which you want to connect.
You can configure the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file to specify other files to be used for configuration of
systems.
6. Use the information about devices and modems that you collected, before you begin this procedure,
to ensure that the Dialers file on your system contains an entry for each modem. If you use TCP/IP
and direct connections, ensure that the TCP/IP entry and direct entries are present in the file. You can
configure the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file to specify other files to be used for configuration of dialers.
7. Decide how much access to your system you want to provide to each remote system that you call and
to each remote system that calls you. Set up appropriate entries for each system and each login name
in the Permissions file.
8. Use the uucheck command to verify that the directories, programs, and support files are set up
properly:
/usr/sbin/uucp/uucheck -v
The uucheck command verifies that the directories, programs, and support files are set up properly
and that the Permissions file entries are consistent. If the uucheck command reports any errors, fix
the errors.
9. Optional: Set up automatic monitoring of BNU operations and automatic polling of remote systems. For
more information, see “Setting up automatic monitoring of BNU” on page 452 and “Setting up BNU
polling of remote systems” on page 453).
Setting up automatic monitoring of BNU

BNU uses the cron daemon to start BNU daemons and to monitor BNU activity.
Prerequisites
• Complete the steps listed in “Configuring BNU” on page 448.
• You must have root user authority to edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file.
The cron daemon reads the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file for instructions about when to
start BNU procedures.
To set up automatic monitoring of BNU, complete the following steps:
1. Log in as a user with root user authority.
2. Use an ASCII text editor to edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file.
3. Uncomment the lines for the BNU maintenance procedures, uudemon.admin and
uudemon.cleanup.
You can change the times that these procedures are run if your system needs maintenance at more or
less frequent intervals. It is best, however, to run the uudemon.admin command at least once a day
and the uudemon.cleanup command at least once a week.
4. Use the crontabs/uucp file to schedule other BNU maintenance commands, such as the uulog,
uuclean, or uucleanup commands.

In addition, you can use the crontabs/uucp file to instruct the cron daemon to start the uucico,
uuxqt, or uusched daemons at specific times.
Setting up BNU polling of remote systems

To enable BNU to poll remote systems for jobs, list the systems in the /etc/uucp/Poll file.
Prerequisites
• Complete the steps that are listed in “Configuring BNU” on page 448.
• You must have root authority to edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file and the /etc/
uucp/Poll file.
In addition to listing the systems in the /etc/uucp/Poll file, run the uudemon.hour and
uudemon.poll commands periodically.
To set up BNU polling of remote systems, complete the following steps:
1. Decide which remote systems to automatically poll. Decide how often you want to poll each system.
Specify the times for each system with the Poll file, which can be as seldom as once a day or as often
as you want.
2. Log in as a user with root authority.
3. Using an ASCII text editor or the uucpadm command, edit the Poll file. Add an entry for each system
that your system is set up to poll.
Note: The systems that are listed in the Poll file must also be listed in the /etc/uucp/Systems file.
4. Using an ASCII text editor, edit the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file. Remove the comment
characters (#) from the lines that run the uudemon.hour and uudemon.poll commands.
You can change the times that these commands are run. However, be sure to schedule the
uudemon.poll command approximately 5 minutes before you schedule the uudemon.hour
command.
BNU is now set up to automatically poll the systems that are listed in the Poll file at the times you
specified.
/etc/uucp/Systems file
The remote systems are listed in the /etc/uucp/Systems files.
The /etc/uucp/Systems file is the default Systems file. The system administrator can specify
additional files in the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file.
Each entry in a Systems file contains the following items:
• The name of the remote system
• The times when users can connect to the remote system
• The type of link (direct line or modem)
• The speed of transmission over the link
• The information that is needed to log in to the remote system
Each entry in a Systems file represents one remote system. To establish communications, the remote
system must be listed in the local Systems file. A Systems file must be present on every system that
uses the BNU facility. Normally, only the root user can read the Systems files. Any user, however, can list
the names of remote BNU systems, by using the uuname command.
Editing the Devices files for a direct connection

To edit the Devices file for a direct connection, you must have root authority to edit the /etc/uucp/
Devices file or another file that is specified in the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file as a Devices file.
To set up a direct connection that specifies a port and a remote system, make an entry as follows:

1. Enter the name of the remote system to which you want to connect the local computer over the direct
line in theType field in the second line of the entry.
2. Enter the device name appropriate for the direct connection that is used at your site in the Line field in
both lines of the entry.
3. Enter a hyphen (-) for a placeholder in the Line2 field in both lines of the entry.
4. Enter the transmission rate appropriate for the direct connection that is used at your site in the Speed
field in both lines of the entry.
5. Enter direct (all lowercase) in the Dialer-Token Pairs field in both lines of the entry.
For example:
type device - speed direct
Continue adding entries to the Devices file until you have listed each device that connects the local
system directly to a remote system.
To set up a direct connection between two systems that use a permanent asynchronous serial connection,
make a one-line entry as follows:
1. Enter the name of the remote system in the Type field.
2. Enter the name of the tty device in the Line field.
3. Enter a hyphen (-) for a placeholder in the Line2 field.
4. Enter the transmission rate appropriate for the direct connection that is used at your site in the Class
field.
5. Enter direct (all lowercase) in the Dialer-Token Pairs field.
For example:
type device - speed direct
Continue adding entries to the Devices file until you have listed each direct device that connects the
local system to a remote system.
Editing the Devices file for an autodialer connection

Follow these steps when you edit the /etc/uucp/Devices file.
You must have root authority to edit the /etc/uucp/Devices file or another file that is specified in
the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file as a Devices file.
In telephone-connection entries, the Type field is specified as an automatic calling unit (ACU). Enter
ACU as the Type field entry in all remote connections that are established over a phone line. To set up
Devices file entries for autodialer connections, make a one-line entry for each modem:
1. In the Type field, enter ACU.
2. In the Line field, enter the device name that is attached to the modem.
3. In the Line2 field, enter a hyphen (-) as a placeholder, unless the autodialer is a standard 801 dialer. If
the autodialer is a standard 801 dialer, enter 801.
4. In the Speed field, enter the baud rate appropriate for your modem and line, or the class of your
modem (for example, D2400). The value of baud rate can be 300, 1200, 2400, or higher, depending on
the modem.
Note: If the modem can be used at more than one specified baud rate, make a separate entry in the
Devices file for each rate. If the modem can be used at any baud rate, enter the word Any in the
Speed field.
5. Enter the name of the modem as the Dialer field entry in the Dialer-Token Pair field.
If you are planning to include complete phone numbers in the /etc/uucp/Systems file or another
Systems file, which is specified in the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file, leave the Token field blank. A

blank instructs the BNU program to use the default \D token. If you are planning to use the dialing-
code abbreviations that are specified in the /etc/uucp/Dialcodes file, enter the \T token.
For example:
type line - speed dialer - token pair
Continue adding entries to the Devices file until you have listed each connection between the local
system and a remote system that uses a telephone line and a modem.
Editing the Devices file for TCP/IP

Follow these steps when you edit the /etc/uucp/Devices file.
You must have root authority to edit the /etc/uucp/Devices file, or another file that is specified in
the /etc/uucp/Sysfiles file as a Devices file.
If your site is using the TCP/IP to connect systems, include the relevant TCP/IP entry in the Devices file.
To set up the file for use with the TCP/IP, enter the following line in the Devices file:
TCP - - - TCP
Examples: BNU configuration for a TCP/IP connection

This group of examples configures BNU for a TCP/IP connection.
The following files are set up for a TCP/IP connection between systems zeus and hera, where zeus is
the local system and hera is the remote system.
BNU files for TCP/IP connection entries in the local system files
These BNU files are entries on the local system zeus.
• Systems file: The Systems file on system zeus contains the following entry so that zeus can contact
system hera:
hera Any TCP,t - - in:--in: uzeus word: birthday
This example specifies that system zeus can call system hera at any time, by using the t protocol for
communications with system hera. System zeus logs in to system hera as uzeus with the password
birthday.
Note: The t protocol supports TCP. Therefore, always use the t protocol for BNU communications over
TCP/IP connections. However, the t protocol cannot be used when the Type field is ACU (automatic
calling unit) or when a modem connection is used.
BNU uses the Type and Class fields in the Systems file to find the appropriate device for the
connection. It checks the Devices file for an entry of type TCP.
• Devices file: The Devices file that is used by the uucico daemon on system zeus contains the
following entry for TCP/IP connections:
TCP - - - TCP
Because the device type is TCP, there are no Class, Line, or Line2 entries. The Dialer is also specified as
TCP. BNU looks in the Dialers files for a TCP entry.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file that is used by the uucico daemon on system zeus contains a TCP/IP
entry as follows:
TCP
This entry specifies that no dialer configuration is required.

Note: Dialer configuration is never required over a TCP/IP connection.

• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system zeus contains the following entry, which grants
system hera access to system zeus:
LOGNAME=uhera SENDFILES=yes REQUEST=yes \

MACHINE=zeus:hera VALIDATE=uhera \
READ=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/hera \
WRITE=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/hera COMMANDS=ALL
The combined LOGNAME and MACHINE entries provide the following permissions to system hera,
when system zeus and system hera are connected:
– System hera can request and send files regardless of who initiated the call.
– System hera can read and write to the public directory and to the /home/hera directory on system
zeus.
– System hera can run all commands on system zeus.
– System hera must log in to system zeus as user uhera, and system hera cannot use any other login
ID for BNU transactions.
Note: Because the permissions are the same regardless of which system initiates the call, the
preceding LOGNAME and MACHINE entries are combined. If the permissions are not the same for
system hera and system zeus, the LOGNAME and MACHINE entries are as follows:
LOGNAME=uhera VALIDATE=hera SENDFILES=yes REQUEST=yes \

WRITE=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/hera
MACHINE=zeus:hera REQUEST=yes COMMANDS=ALL\

WRITE=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/hera
BNU files for TCP/IP connection entries in the remote system's files
These files are on the remote system hera.
• Systems file: A Systems file on system hera contains the following entry to allow hera to contact
system zeus:
zeus Any TCP,t - - ogin:--ogin: uhera ord: lightning
This example specifies that system hera can call system zeus at any time, by using the t protocol
for communications with system zeus. System hera logs in to system zeus as user uhera with the
password lightning. Again, BNU next checks the Devices files for an entry of type TCP.
Note: The t protocol supports the TCP. Therefore, always use the t protocol for BNU communications
over TCP/IP connections. However, the t protocol cannot be used when the Type field is ACU or when a
modem connection is being used.
• Devices file: The Devices file that is used by the uucico daemon on system hera contains the
following entry for TCP/IP connections:
TCP - - - TCP
Because the device type is TCP, there are no Type, Line, or Line2 entries. The Dialer is also specified as
TCP. BNU looks in the Dialers files for a TCP entry.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file that is used by the uucico daemon on system hera contains a TCP/IP
entry as follows:
TCP
This entry specifies that no dialer configuration is required.

Note: Dialer configuration is never required over a TCP/IP connection.
• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system hera contains the following entry, which grants
system zeus access to system hera:

LOGNAME=uzeus SENDFILES=yes REQUEST=yes \
MACHINE=hera:zeus VALIDATE=zeus COMMANDS=rmail:who:uucp
The combined LOGNAME and MACHINE entries provide the following permissions to system zeus,
when system zeus and system hera are connected:
– System zeus can request and send files regardless of who initiated the call.
– System zeus can read and write only to the public directory (the default).
– System zeus can run only the rmail, who, and uucp commands.
– System zeus must log in to system hera as user uzeus and system zeus cannot use any other login
ID for BNU transactions.
Note: If the permissions are not the same for system hera and system zeus, the LOGNAME and
MACHINE entries are as follows:
LOGNAME=uzeus VALIDATE=zeus SENDFILES=yes REQUEST=yes

MACHINE=hera:zeus COMMANDS=rmail:who:uucp REQUEST=yes
Examples: BNU configuration for a telephone connection

Example files are set up to connect systems venus and merlin over a telephone line by using modems.
The system venus is the local system, and the system merlin is the remote system.
On both systems, the device tty1 is connected to a Hayes modem at 1200 baud. The login ID used for
system venus to log in to system merlin is uvenus, and the associated password is mirror. The login
ID for system merlin to log in to system venus is umerlin, and the associated password is oaktree.
The phone number for the modem that is attached to venus is 9=3251436; the number of the merlin
modem is 9=4458784. Both computers include partial phone numbers in their Systems files and include
dial-codes in their Dialcodes files.
The following example files are set up to connect systems venus and merlin:
• Systems File: The Systems file on system venus contains the following entry for system merlin,
including a phone number and a dialing prefix:
merlin Any ACU 1200 local8784 "" in:--in: uvenus word: mirror
System venus can call system merlin at any time, by using an ACU device at 1200 baud and logging in
as uvenus with the password mirror. The telephone number is expanded based on the code local in
the Dialcodes file, and the device to be used is determined based on the Type and Class entries. BNU
checks the Devices files for a device of type ACU and class 1200.
• Dialcodes File: The Dialcodes file on system venus contains the following dial-code prefix for use
with the number in the Systems file:
local 9=445
Given this code, the telephone number for system merlin in the Systems file is expanded to
9=4458784.
• Devices file: The Devices file on system venus contains the following entry for the connection to
system merlin:
ACU tty1 - 1200 hayes \T
The port to be used is tty1, and the Dialer entry in the Dialer-Token Pairs field is hayes. The Token
entry, \T, indicates that the telephone number is to be expanded by using a code from the Dialcodes
file. BNU checks the Dialers files for a hayes dialer type.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file that is used by the uucico daemon on system venus contains the
following entry for the hayes modem:

hayes =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK \pATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
Note: The expect-send characters are defined in the Dialers file format.
• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system venus contains the following entries, which specify
the ways in which system merlin can conduct uucico and uuxqt transactions with system venus:
LOGNAME=umerlin REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes \

READ=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/merlin \
WRITE=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/merlin
MACHINE=venus:merlin VALIDATE=umerlin REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes \
COMMANDS=ALL \
System merlin logs in to system venus as umerlin, which is a unique login for system merlin.
System merlin can request and send files regardless of who initiated the call. Also, system merlin
can read and write to the /var/spool/uucppublic directory and to the /home/merlin directory on
system venus. System merlin can issue all commands in the default command-set on system venus.
BNU files with telephone connection entries on the local system

These files contain telephone connection entries on the local system venus.
• Systems file: A Systems file on system venus contains the following entry for system merlin,
merlin Any ACU 1200 local8784 "" in:--in: uvenus word: mirror
System venus can call system merlin at any time, by using an ACU device at 1200 baud and logging
in as user uvenus with the password mirror. The telephone number is expanded based on the code
local in the Dialcodes file, and the device to be used is determined based on the Type and Class
entries. BNU checks the Devices files for a device of type ACU and class 1200.
• Dialcodes file: The Dialcodes file on system venus contains the following dial-code prefix for use
local 9=445
Given this code, the telephone number for system merlin in the Systems file is expanded to
9=4458784.
• Devices file: The Devices file on system venus contains the following entry for the connection to
system merlin:
The port to be used is tty1, and the Dialer entry in the Dialer-Token Pairs field is hayes. The Token
entry, \T, indicates that the telephone number is to be expanded by using a code from the Dialcodes
file. BNU checks the Dialers files for an entry of a hayes dialer type.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file that is used by the uucico daemon on system venus contains the
following entry for the hayes modem:
Note: The expect-send characters are defined in the Dialers file format.
• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system venus contains the following entries, which specify
the ways in which system merlin can conduct uucico and uuxqt transactions with system venus:
LOGNAME=umerlin REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes \

MACHINE=venus:merlin VALIDATE=umerlin REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes \
COMMANDS=ALL \

System merlin logs in to system venus as umerlin, which is a unique login for system merlin.
System merlin can request and send files regardless of who initiated the call. Also, system merlin
can read and write to the /var/spool/uucppublic directory and to the /home/merlin directory on
system venus. System merlin can issue all commands in the default command-set on system venus.
BNU files with telephone connection entries on the remote system

These files contain telephone connection entries on the remote system merlin.
• Systems file: The Systems file on system merlin contains the following entry for system venus,
venus Any ACU 1200 intown4362 "" in:--in: umerlin word: oaktree
System merlin can call system venus at any time, by using an ACU device at 1200 baud and logging in
as user umerlin with the password oaktree. The telephone number is expanded based on the code
intown in the Dialcodes file, and the device to be used is determined based on the Type and Class
entries. BNU checks the Devices files for a device of type ACU and class 1200.
• Dialcodes file: The Dialcodes file on system merlin contains the following dial-code prefix for use
intown 9=325
Therefore, the expanded telephone number to reach system venus is 9=3254362.

• Devices file: The Devices file on system merlin contains the following entry for the connection to
system venus:
The ACU is attached to port tty1, and the dialer is hayes. The telephone number is expanded with
information from the Dialcodes file. BNU checks the Dialers files for an entry of the hayes modem.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file that is used by the uucico daemon on system merlin contains the
following entry for its modem:
• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system merlin contains the following entries, which grant
system venus access to system merlin:
LOGNAME=uvenus SENDFILES=call REQUEST=no \

WRITE=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/venus \
READ=/var/spool/uucppublic:/home/venus
MACHINE=merlin:venus VALIDATE=uvenus \
READ=/ WRITE=/ COMMANDS=ALL REQUEST=yes \
NOREAD=/etc/uucp:/usr/etc/secure \
NOWRITE=/etc/uucp:/usr/etc/secure
Examples: BNU configuration for a direct connection

The following example files are set up for a direct connection between systems zeus and hera, where
zeus is the local system and hera is the remote system.
The direct device on system zeus is tty5. On system hera, the direct device is tty1. The speed of
the connection is 1200 bps. The login ID for system zeus on system hera is uzeus, and the associated
password is thunder. The login ID for system hera on system zeus is uhera, and the associated
password is portent.

BNU files with direct connection in the local system's files
These files contain telephone connection entries on the local system zeus.
• Systems file: The Systems file on system zeus contains the following entry for the remote system
hera:
hera Any hera 1200 - "" \r\d\r\d\r in:--in: uzeus word: thunder
This entry specifies that system hera can log in to system zeus at any time, by using a direct
connection, which is specified in the Devices files. To find the entry in the Devices files, BNU uses
the third and fourth fields of the Systems entry. Thus, BNU looks for an entry in the Devices files
with a Type of hera and a Class of 1200. System zeus logs in to system hera as user uzeus with the
password thunder.
• Devices file: The Devices file on system zeus contains the following entry to connect to the remote
system hera:
hera tty5 - 1200 direct
This entry specifies that system zeus uses device tty5 at 1200 bps to communicate with system
hera. Note that the Dialer in both Dialer-Token Pairs fields is direct. When you connect to system
hera, BNU checks the Dialers file for a direct entry.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file on system zeus contains the following entry for direct connections:
direct
This entry specifies that no handshaking is required for direct connection.

• Permissions file: The Permissions file on the local system zeus contains the following entry, which
specifies the ways in which the remote system hera can conduct uucico and uuxqt transactions with
system zeus:
LOGNAME=uhera MACHINE=hera VALIDATE=uhera REQUEST=yes \

SENDFILES=yes MACHINE=zeus READ=/ WRITE=/ COMMANDS=ALL
This entry specifies that system hera logs in as uhera. Because the VALIDATE=uhera option is
included, system hera cannot log in to system zeus with any other login ID, nor can any other remote
system use the uhera ID. System hera can read and write to any directory on system zeus, and can
send and request files regardless of who initiated the call. System hera can also initiate any commands
on system zeus.
Note: Because the permissions that are granted are the same regardless of which system initiated the
connection, the LOGNAME and MACHINE entries have been combined. If the permissions are not the
same for system hera and system zeus, the LOGNAME and MACHINE entries are as follows:
LOGNAME=uhera REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes READ=/ WRITE=/

MACHINE=zeus:hera VALIDATE=uhera READ=/ WRITE=/ REQUEST=yes \
COMMANDS=ALL
Attention: Providing the permissions in the preceding example is equivalent to giving any user
on the remote system a login ID on the local system. Such liberal permissions can jeopardize
your security and are given only to well-trusted remote systems at the same site.
BNU files with direct connection in the remote system files

These files contain telephone connection entries on the remote system hera.
• Systems file: The Systems file on system hera contains the following entry for system zeus:
zeus Any zeus 1200 - "" \r\d\r\d\r in:--in: uhera word: portent
This entry specifies that system hera can log in to system zeus at any time, by using a direct
connection, which is specified in the Devices files. To find the entry in the Devices files, BNU uses the

third and fourth fields of the Systems entry. Thus, BNU looks for an entry in the Devices files with the
Type field of value zeus and a Class field of value 1200. System hera logs in to system zeus as user
uhera with the password portent.
• Devices file: The Devices file on system hera contains the following entry for communications with
the system zeus:
zeus tty1 - 1200 direct
This entry specifies that system hera uses device tty1 at 1200 bps to communicate with system
zeus. Because the Dialer is specified as direct, BNU checks the Dialers files for a direct entry.
• Dialers file: The Dialers file on system hera contains the following entry for direct connections:
direct
This entry specifies that no dialer configuration is required on the direct connection.
• Permissions file: The Permissions file on system hera contains the following entries, which specify
the ways in which zeus can conduct uucico and uuxqt transactions with system hera:
LOGNAME=uzeus REQUEST=yes SENDFILES=yes READ=/ WRITE=/

MACHINE=hera:zeus VALIDATE=uzeus REQUEST=yes COMMANDS=ALL READ=/\
WRITE=/
These entries specify that system zeus logs in to system hera as uzeus. Because the
VALIDATE=uzeus parameter is included, system zeus cannot log in to system hera with any other
login ID, nor can any other remote system use the uzeus ID. System zeus can read and write to any
directory on system hera, and can send and request files regardless of who initiated the call. System
zeus can also initiate any commands on system hera.
Attention: If you provide all the permissions in the preceding example, it is equivalent to giving
any user on the remote system a login ID on the local system. Such liberal permissions can
jeopardize your security and are given only to remote systems at the same site.
BNU maintenance
BNU must be maintained to work correctly on your system.
To maintain BNU:
• Read and remove log files periodically.
• Use the uuq and uustat commands to check the BNU queues to ensure jobs are transferring to remote
systems correctly.
• Schedule automatic commands that poll remote systems for jobs, return unsent files to users, and send
you periodic messages about BNU status.
• Periodically update the configuration files to reflect changes in your system.
In addition, occasionally check with administrators of remote systems to keep up with changes on
their systems that might affect your configuration. For example, if the supervisor of system venus
changes your system password, you must put the new password in the /etc/uucp/Systems file (or the
appropriate Systems file specified by /etc/uucp/Sysfiles) before your system can log in to system
venus.
BNU log files

BNU creates log files and error files to track its own activities.
These files must be checked and removed periodically to keep them from filling the storage space on your
system. BNU provides several commands for use in cleaning log files:
• uulog
• uuclean

• uucleanup
• uudemon.cleanu.
Run these commands manually or use entries in the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file to run the
commands by the cron daemon.
Log files in the .Log and .Old directories

BNU creates individual log files in the /var/spool/uucp/.Log directory.
BNU creates these log files for each accessible remote system, using the uucp, uucico, uux, and uuxqt
commands. BNU places status information about each transaction in the appropriate log file each time
someone on the system uses BNU. When more than one BNU process is running the system cannot
access the log file. Instead, it places the status information in a separate file with a .LOG prefix.
The uulog command displays a summary of uucp or uux requests, by user or by system. The uulog
command displays the files. However, you can also have BNU automatically combine the log files into
a primary log file. This is called compacting the log files and can be done with the uudemon.cleanu
command, usually run by the cron daemon.
The cron daemon runs the uudemon.cleanu command. The uudemon.cleanu command combines
the uucico and uuxqt log files on the local system and stores them in the /var/spool/uucp/.Old
directory. At the same time, the command removes old log files previously stored in the .Old directory.
By default, the uudemon.cleanu command saves log files that are two days old.
If storage space is a problem, consider reducing the number of days that files are kept. To track BNU
transactions over a longer period of time, consider increasing the number of days that files are kept.
To change the default time for saving log files, modify the shell procedure for the uudemon.cleanu
command. This script is stored in the /usr/sbin/uucp directory and can be modified with root
authority.
BNU /.Admin log files

BNU also collects information and stores it in the /var/spool/uucp/.Admin directory. This directory
contains the errors, xferstats, Foreign, and audit files.
These files must be checked and removed occasionally to save storage space. BNU creates each file when
it is needed.
When another system contacts your system with the uucico daemon debugging mode on, it invokes the
uucico daemon on your system with debugging turned on. The debugging messages generated by the
daemon on the local system are stored in the audit file. This file can get quite large. Check and remove
the audit file often.
The errors file records errors encountered by the uucico daemon. Checking this file can help you
correct problems such as incorrect permissions on BNU work files.
The xferstats file contains information about the status of every file transfer. Check and remove this
file occasionally.
The Foreign file is important to the security of your system. Whenever an unknown system attempts
to log in to the local system, BNU calls the remote.unknown shell procedure. This shell procedure
logs the attempt in the Foreign file. The Foreign file contains the names of the systems that have
attempted to call the local system and been refused. If a system has been attempting frequent calls, use
this information when considering whether to allow that system access.
Systemwide log files used by BNU

Because many BNU processes need root authority to complete their tasks, BNU creates frequent entries
in the /var/spool/sulog log file.
Similarly, using the cron daemon to schedule BNU tasks creates multiple entries in the /var/spool/
cron/log file. When using BNU, check and clean these files.

BNU maintenance commands
The Basic Networking Utilities contain several commands for monitoring BNU activities and cleaning BNU
directories and files.
BNU cleanup commands

BNU contains three commands that clean directories and remove files that have not been sent.
Item Description
uuclean Deletes all files older than a specified number of hours, from the BNU
administrative directories. Use the uuclean command to specify a directory
to be cleaned or a type of file to be deleted. You can also instruct the
command to notify the owners of the deleted files. The uuclean command is
the Berkeley equivalent of the uucleanup command.
uucleanup Performs functions similar to the uuclean command. However, the
uucleanup command checks the age of files based on days rather than
hours. Use the uucleanup command to send a warning message to users
whose files have not been transferred, notifying them that the files are still
in the queue. The uucleanup command also removes files relating to a
specified remote system.
uudemon.cleanu A shell procedure that issues the uulog and uucleanup commands to
compress the BNU log files and remove log and work files over three days
old. The uudemon.cleanu command is run by the cron daemon.
BNU status-checking commands

BNU also provides commands for checking the status of transfers and log files.
Item Description
uuq Displays jobs currently in the BNU job queue. Use the uuq command to display the status of
a specified job or of all jobs. With root authority, you can use the uuq command to delete a
job from the queue.
uustat Provides information similar to that provided by the uuq command, in a different format.
Use the uustat command to check the status of jobs and delete jobs you own. With root
authority, you can also delete jobs belonging to other users.
uulog Displays a summary of uucp or uux requests, by user or by system. The uulog command
displays the file names. See “BNU log files” on page 461 .
uupoll Forces a poll of a remote system. This is helpful when work for that system is waiting
in the queue and needs to be transferred, before the system is scheduled to be called
automatically.
uusnap Displays a very brief summary of BNU status. For each remote system, this command shows
the number of files awaiting transfer. However, it does not show how long they have been
waiting. The uusnap command is the Berkeley equivalent of the uustat command.
BNU shell procedures

BNU is delivered with two shell procedures used for maintenance:
Item Description
uudemon.cleanu Discussed in “BNU cleanup commands” on page 463.

Item Description
uudemon.admin Issues the uustat command The uustat command reports the status of BNU
jobs. It sends the results to the uucp login ID as mail. You can modify the
uudemon.admin shell procedure to send the mail elsewhere, or use a mail
program to reroute all mail for the uucp login ID to the user responsible for BNU
administration.
These shell procedures are stored in the /usr/sbin/uucp directory. Copy the procedures and modify
the copy, if you want to change what they do. Run the procedures from the command line or schedule
them to be run by the cron daemon.
To automatically run the uudemon.cleanu and uudemon.admin commands, remove the comment
characters (#) from the beginning of the relevant lines in the /var/spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file.
BNU path names

Path names used with Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) commands can be entered in a number of
different ways.
Path names consist of either the root directory or a shortcut path to the target, which is the name of a
remote system or systems. Each path variation follows specific guidelines.
Full path name

A full path name starts at the root and traces all the directories down to the target directory and file.
For example, /etc/uucp/Devices refers to the Devices file in the uucp directory in the root directory
etc.
Always type a preceding forward slash (/) to signify a root directory. Always separate elements in paths
with a forward slash (/).
Relative path name

The relative path name lists only those directories that are relative to the current directory.
For example, if your current directory is /usr/bin and your target directory is /usr/bin/reports, type
the relative path name reports (without the leading slash).
Relative path names can be used with the cu, uucp, and uux commands, and with the name of the source
file in the uuto command.
Note: Relative path names might not work with all BNU commands. If you have trouble using a
relative path name, type the command again with the full path name.
~ [option] path name

The ~ [option] path name represents the home directory of the specified user.
The tilde (~) can be used as a shortcut to certain directories.
For example, ~jane refers to the home directory of the user jane. The entry, ~uucp or ~ (tilde alone)
refers to the BNU public directory on the remote system. The full path name for the BNU public directory
is /var/spool/uucppublic.
Note: This use of the tilde should not be confused with the other use of the tilde in BNU. The
tilde is also used to preface commands for execution on a local system when logged in to a
remote system when using the cu command.

system_name! path name
The system_name! path name identifies the path to a file on another system.
For example, distant!/account/march refers to the march file in the account directory on the
remote system distant.
system_name!system_name! path name

The system_name!system_name! path name identifies a path through multiple systems.
For example, if the system named distant can only be reached through another system called near,
then the path name is near!distant!/account/march.
Separate system names with an exclamation mark (!). In the case of multiple-system path names, the rule
of separating elements with a forward slash (/) does not apply to the system names. However, the rule
does hold for the termination system, where directories and files are stipulated.
Note: When you use a bourne shell, separate system names with an exclamation mark (!). When
you use BNU in either a C or korn shell, precede the exclamation mark with a backward slash
(\). The backward slash is an escape character necessary to interpret the next character literally
rather than as the special character.
BNU daemons
The BNU software includes four daemons stored in the /usr/sbin/uucp directory.
Item Description
uucico Facilitates file transfers (see “uucico daemon” on page 465)
uusched Facilitates work request scheduling of files queued in the local
spooling directory (see “uusched daemon” on page 466)
uuxqt Facilitates remote command executions (see “uuxqt daemon” on
page 466)
uucpd Facilitates communications using TCP/IP (see “uucpd daemon” on
page 466)
The uucico, uusched, and uuxqt daemons are started by the cron daemon according to a schedule
set by the BNU administrator. With root authority, you can also start these daemons manually. The uucpd
daemon should be started by the TCP/IP inetd daemon.
uucico daemon
The uucico daemon transports the files required to send data from one system to another.
The uucp and uux commands start the uucico daemon to transfer command, data, and execute files
to the designated system. The uucico daemon is also started periodically by the BNU scheduler, the
uusched daemon. When started by the uusched daemon, the uucico daemon attempts to contact other
systems and execute the instructions in the command files.
To run the instructions in the command files, the uucico daemon first checks the /etc/uucp/Systems
file (or one or more other files specified by /etc/uucp/Sysfiles) for the system to be called. The
daemon then checks the Systems file entry for a valid time to call. If the time is valid, the uucico
daemon checks the Type and Class fields and accesses the /etc/uucp/Devices file (or one or more
other files specified by /etc/uucp/Sysfiles) for a device that matches.
After finding a device, the uucico daemon checks the /var/locks directory for a lock file for the device.
If one exists, the daemon checks for another device of the requested type and speed.
When no device is available, the daemon returns to the Systems files for another entry for the remote
system. If one exists, the daemon repeats the process of searching for a device. If another entry is
not found, the daemon makes an entry in the /var/spool/uucp/.Status/SystemName file for that

remote system and goes on to the next request. The command file remains in the queue. The uucico
daemon attempts the transfer again at a later time. The later attempt is called a retry.
When the uucico daemon reaches the remote system, it uses the instructions in the Systems files to log
in. This causes an instance of the uucico daemon to be invoked on the remote system as well.
The two uucico daemons, one on each system, work together to make the transfer. The uucico daemon
on the calling system controls the link, specifying the requests to be performed. The uucico daemon on
the remote system checks the local permissions for whether they allow the request to be performed. If
so, the file transfer starts.
After the uucico daemon on the calling system has finished transferring all requests it has for the remote
system, it sends a hangup request. When the remote uucico daemon has transactions to send to the
calling system, it denies the hangup request, and the two daemons reverse roles.
Note: Either the /etc/uucp/Permissions file on the local system or the /etc/uucp/Permissions
file on the remote system can forbid the daemons to reverse roles. In this case, the remote system must
wait to transfer files until it calls the local system.
When nothing is left to be transferred in either direction, the two uucico daemons hang up. At this point,
the uuxqt daemon (“uuxqt daemon” on page 466) is called to execute remote command requests.
Throughout the transfer process, the uucico daemons on both systems log messages in the BNU log and
error files.
uusched daemon
The uusched daemon schedules the transfer of files that are queued in the spooling directory on the local
system.
The spooling directory is /var/spool/uucppublic. When the uusched daemon is invoked, it scans
the spooling directory for command files, then randomizes the files and starts the uucico daemon. The
uucico daemon transfers the files.
uuxqt daemon
When a user issues the uux command to run a specified command on a designated system, the uuxqt
daemon runs the command.
After creating the necessary files, the uux command starts the uucico daemon, which transfers those
files to the public spooling directory on the specified system.
The uuxqt daemon periodically searches the spooling directory for command-execution requests on
every connected system. When it locates such a request, the uuxqt daemon checks for necessary files
and permissions. Then, if permitted, the daemon runs the specified command.
uucpd daemon
The uucpd daemon must be able to run on the remote system before BNU can establish communications
with a remote computer with Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
The uucpd daemon is a subserver of the TCP/IP inetd daemon and is started by the inetd daemon.
By default, the uucpd daemon is commented in the inetd.conf file. To use it, you must remove the
comment character and restart inetd. However, if this has been changed on your system, you might need
to reconfigure the inetd daemon to start the uucpd daemon.
BNU security
Because other systems contact your system to log in, transfer files, and enter commands, BNU provides a
means to establish security.
BNU security enables you to restrict what users of remote systems can do on the local system (users
of remote systems can also restrict what you can do on their systems). BNU runs several daemons to

complete its activities and uses administrative directories to store the files it needs. BNU also keeps a log
of its own activities.
BNU security works on several levels. When you configure BNU, you can determine:
• Who on your system has access to BNU files.
• Which remote systems your system can contact.
• How users on remote systems log in to your system.
• What users on remote systems can do on your system once they log in.
uucp login ID
When BNU is installed, all of the configuration files, daemons, and many of the commands and shell
procedures are owned by the uucp login ID.
The uucp login ID has a user ID (UID) of 5 and a group ID (GID) of 5. The cron daemon reads the /var/
spool/cron/crontabs/uucp file to schedule automatic jobs for BNU.
Usually, logging in as user uucp is not allowed. To change files that are owned by the uucp login ID, log in
with root authority.
Attention: Allowing remote systems to log in to the local system with the uucp login ID seriously
jeopardizes the security of the local system. Remote systems logged in with the uucp ID can
display and possibly modify the local Systems and Permissions files depending on the other
permissions specified in the LOGNAME entry. It is strongly recommended that you create other
BNU login IDs for remote systems and reserve the uucp login ID for the person responsible for
administering BNU on the local system. For the best security, each remote system that contacts
the local system must have a unique login ID with a unique UID number.
The operating system provides a default nuucp login ID for transferring files.
BNU login IDs

The startup shell for BNU login IDs is the uucico daemon (/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico).
When remote systems call your system, they automatically start the uucico daemon on your system.
Login IDs for BNU have a uucp group ID of 5.
Login IDs used by remote systems need passwords. In order to prevent security from prompting a new
BNU login ID for a new password when the remote system logs in, you must set the password as soon
as you create the account. To do this, use the passwd command followed by the pwdadm command.
For example, to set a password for the login ID nuucp, log in as the root user and enter the following
commands:
passwd nuucp
pwadm -f NOCHECK
nuucp
The system prompts you for a password for the nuucp login ID. Completing these steps allows the remote
system to log in without being immediately prompted for a new password (which the batch-oriented
nuucp login ID cannot provide).
After creating the login ID for a remote system, notify that system BNU administrator of the login ID and
password to access your system.
A user with root authority can set up a BNU administrative login ID. This is useful if you want to delegate
BNU administration duties to a user without root authority. The BNU administrative login ID should have
password security, a UID of 5, and be in a uucp group ID 5. The login shell for the administrative login
should be the /usr/bin/sh program (instead of the uucico daemon). Giving the BNU administrative
login a UID of 5 causes it to have the same privileges as the uucp login ID. Thus, for security, remote
systems should not be allowed to log in as the BNU administrator.

Security and the Systems and remote.unknown files
On most BNU systems, only remote systems listed in the /etc/uucp/Systems file or one of its
substitutes (specified in the Sysfiles file) can log in to the local system.
The /usr/sbin/uucp/remote.unknown script is executed whenever an unknown system attempts
to call the local system. This script refuses to let the unknown system log in and makes an entry in
the /var/spool/uucp/.Admin/Foreign file recording the time of the login attempt.
With root authority, or as a BNU administrator, you can modify the remote.unknown shell procedure to
log more information about the remote system or to store the information in a different file. For example,
you can modify the shell procedure to send mail to the BNU administrator whenever an unknown system
tries to log in.
By taking away execute permissions on the remote.unknown shell procedure, you enable unknown
machines to log in. In this case, you should add a MACHINE=OTHER entry to the /etc/uucp/
Permissions file to establish permissions for the unknown machines.
Your system can contact only remote systems listed in the Systems file. This prevents users on your
system from contacting unknown systems.
Security and the Permissions file

Consider the following security issues when using the Permissions file.
The /etc/uucp/Permissions file determines:
• Remote login user names for logging in to the local system
• Approved commands and privileges for remote systems logging in to the local system.
The /etc/uucp/Permissions file contains two types of entries:
Item Description
LOGNAME Defines login names and the privileges associated with them. LOGNAME entries
take effect when a remote system calls the local system and attempts to log in.
MACHINE Defines machine names and the privileges associated with them. MACHINE entries
take effect when the remote system attempts to carry out commands on the local
system.
Options in the Permissions file enable you to establish various levels of security for each remote
system. For example, if many remote systems share one login ID on the local system, use the VALIDATE
option to require each remote system to use a unique login ID. The SENDFILES, REQUEST, and CALLBACK
options specify which system has control, keeping the local system in control of transactions if necessary.
The READ, WRITE, NOREAD, and NOWRITE options define access to specific directories on the local
system. These options also control where on your system remote users can place data. The COMMANDS
option limits the number of commands users on remote systems can execute on the local system. The
COMMANDS=ALL option allows total privileges to systems closely associated with your system.
Attention: The COMMANDS=ALL option can seriously jeopardize the security of your system.
Communication between local and remote systems

In order to communicate between a remote system and a local system, the remote system must have a
hardwire or modem link to the local system, a UNIX-based operating system installed, and either BNU or
another version of UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) running.
Note: You can use BNU to communicate to a non-UNIX system, but such connections might
require additional hardware or software.

BNU has two commands that enable you to communicate with remote systems. The cu command
connects systems over either hardwire or telephone lines. The ct command connects systems over
telephone lines only, using a modem.
Use the cu command to establish communication between networks when you know either the phone
number or the name of the target system. To use the ct command, you must have the phone number of
the target system.
Note: A third command, tip, functions very much like the cu command. However, the tip
command is a component of the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) version of the UUCP
program. Its installation with BNU requires special configuration.
Communication with another system by hardwire or modem

Use the cu command from your local system to accomplish these communication tasks:
• Establish a connection to a specified remote system

• Log in to the remote system
• Perform tasks on the remote system
• Switch back and forth, working concurrently on both systems
If the remote system is running under the same operating system, you can issue regular commands from
your local system. For example, you can issue commands to change directories, list directory contents,
view files, or send files to the print queue on the remote system. To issue commands for use on your local
system, or to initiate remote command and file exchanges, use special cu local commands, prefaced with
a tilde (~).
Communication with another system by modem

Issue the ct command to communicate by modem with another system.
Enter the ct command, followed by a phone number, to call the remote modem. When the connection is
made, the remote login prompt is displayed on your screen.
The ct command can be useful under certain conditions. For details on using the BNU ct command, see:
• “Dialing a number until a connection is made” on page 469
• “Dialing multiple numbers until a connection is made” on page 470
Dialing a number until a connection is made

This procedure describes how to use the ct command to continue dialing a remote modem number until
a connection is made or until a specified time has passed.
The system to be called must be running Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) or some version of the UNIX-to-
UNIX Copy Program (UUCP).
At the command line on the local system, type:
ct -w3 5550990
This dials the remote modem at phone numbers 555-0990. The -w3 flag and number instructs the ct
command to dial the remote modem at one minute intervals until a connection is made or until three
minutes have passed.
Note: Type the phone number of the remote modem on the ct command line, either before or
after the flag.

Dialing multiple numbers until a connection is made
This procedure describes how to use the ct command to continue dialing multiple remote modem
numbers until a connection is made or until a specified time has passed.
The system to be called must be running Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) or some version of the UNIX-to-
UNIX Copy Program (UUCP).
At the command line on the local system, type:
ct -w6 5550990 5550991 5550992 5550993
This dials the remote modems at phone numbers 555-0990, 555-0991, 555-0992, and 555-0993. The
-w6 flag and number instructs the ct command to dial the remote modems at one minute intervals until a
connection is made or until six minutes have passed.
Note: Type the phone numbers of the remote modems on the ct command line, either before
or after the flag.
File exchanges between local and remote systems

The transfer of files among systems is the most common application of the Basic Networking Utilities
(BNU). BNU uses four commands, uucp, uusend, uuto, and uupick, to exchange files between local and
remote systems.
The uucp command is the primary BNU-data transfer utility. The uusend command is the Berkeley
Software Distribution (BSD) transfer command incorporated into BNU. The uuto and uupick commands
are specialized send and receive commands working with the uucp command.
The BNU commands, uuencode and uudecode, assist file transferring. These commands encode and
decode binary files transmitted through the BNU mail facility.
Sending and receiving files

The commands used for sending and receiving files through a BNU connection include the uucp and the
uusend commands.
Use the uucp command and options to exchange files within your local system, between your local and
a remote system, and between remote systems. The uucp options can, for example, create directories to
hold files on the receiving end or mail messages on the success or failure of file transfers.
Use the uusend command to send files to a remote system that is not directly linked to the sending
system but is accessible through a chain of BNU connections. Though equipped with fewer options
than the uucp command, uusend is included among the BNU utilities to satisfy the preferences of BSD
UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) users.
Sending files to a specific user

In order to send files to a specific user, the sending and receiving systems must be running either Basic
Networking Utilities (BNU) or some version of the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP).
Use the uuto command to send file from one system to another. It is part of the uucp command and
simplifies the file exchange process for senders and receivers. The uuto command sends files to a
specific user and deposits them directly into the user's personal directory under that system's BNU public
directory. It notifies the recipient that a file has arrived. The recipient uses the uupick command to
handle the new file.
Sending a file with the uuto command

When you use the uuto command to send a file, include the file to be sent, the remote system
destination, and the user at the destination.
For example:

uuto /home/bin/file1 distant!joe
This sends file1 from the local /home/bin directory to user joe on the remote system distant.
The uuto command runs under the uucp command. The file is transferred to the remote system,
in /var/spool/uucppublic. The file is deposited in the /var/spool/uucppublic/receive/user/
System directory on the remote system. If the target directory does not exist, it is created during the file
exchange.
The BNU rmail command notifies the receiver that a file has arrived.
Note: To send a file to a user on a local system, enter the uuto command, and include the file to
be sent, the local system destination, and the user at the local destination. For example:
uuto /home/bin/file2 near!nick
This sends file2 from the local /home/bin directory to user nick on the local system near.
Receiving files
In order to receive and handle files, the sending and receiving systems must be running either Basic
Networking Utilities (BNU) or some version of the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP).
Use the uupick command to receive and manipulate files sent with the uuto command. It has file-
handling options that allow the recipient to find sent files, move files to a specified directory, execute
commands, or delete files.
Receiving a file with the uupick command

Use the uupick command to receive a file.
For example:
uupick
The uupick command searches the public directory for files that include the remote user ID in the path
names. The uupick command then displays on the remote screen a message similar to:
from system base: file file1?
The ? (question mark) on the second line of the notification display prompts the receiver to use any
uupick options for handling files in BNU's public directory.
For a list of all available options, type an asterisk (*) on the line below the question mark (?) prompt. The
display, save, and quit options are:
Item Description
p Displays the contents of the file.
m [Directory] Saves the file to the directory specified by the [Directory] variable. If no
destination is given with the m option, the file is moved to the current working
directory.
q Quits (exits) from the uupick file-handling process.
Encoding and decoding files for transfer

Use the uuencode and uudecode commands to prepare files for transmission by modem.
The commands work in tandem. The uuencode command transforms binary files into ASCII files. These
files can be sent by the mail facility to a remote system.
With the uudecode command, the receiving user converts ASCII-encoded files back to binary format.

Command and file exchange status reports
You can view file exchange status reports using the uusnap, uuq, and uustat commands.
Displaying the status of systems connected by BNU

The uusnap command displays a table of information about all the systems connected by BNU.
The table shows a line for each system, reporting the names and the numbers of command files, data
files, and remote command executions holding in the systems' queues. The last item on each line is a
status message. This message indicates either a successful BNU connection or an explanation of why
BNU did not establish a link.
Refer to the uusnap command.
BNU job queue display

The uuq command lists any entries in the BNU job queue.
The format of the list is similar to the format displayed by the ls command. The display for each entry
includes the job number, followed on the same line by a summary, including the system name, the
number of jobs for the system, and the total number of bytes to send. Users with root authority can use
the uuq command to identify specific queued jobs by their job numbers.
Status of BNU operations

The uustat command provides the status of a particular command or file exchange in the BNU system.
Entered without flag options, the uustat command displays a single line for each job requested by the
current user, including:
• Job ID number
• Date and time
• Status (send or receive)
• System name
• User ID of the person who issued the command
• Size and name of the job file
Equipped with several flags, the uustat command can report on all jobs, by all users, in the queue, or on
jobs requested by other systems on the network.
The uustat command gives users limited control of jobs queued to run on a remote computer. You can
examine the status of BNU connections to other systems and track file and command exchanges. Then,
for example, you can cancel copy requests started by the uucp command.
Refer to the uustat command.
Command exchanges between local and remote systems

The Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) enable users to exchange commands between local and remote
systems.
The uux command runs commands on a remote system. The uupoll command controls the timing for
command execution.
Command execution requests on remote system

Use the uux command to request execution of a command on a remote system.
The uux command does not execute the commands on the remote system. Instead, it prepares the
necessary control and data files in /var/spool/uucp. The uucico daemon is invoked to do the transfer.
After the transfer is complete, the remote system's uucico creates an execute file in its spool directory.

When the two uucico daemons agree to hang up, the uuxt daemon scans the spool directory for
outstanding execution requests, checks permissions, and checks to see if additional information is
needed. It then forks a command to do what was requested.
Note: You can use the uux command on any system configured to run a specified command.
However, policies at some sites might restrict the use of certain commands for security reasons.
Some sites, for example, might only permit execution of the mail command.
After the files are received on the remote system, the uuxqt daemon runs the specified command on
that system. The uuxqt daemon periodically scans the remote system's public spool directory for files
received in uux transmissions. The uuxqt daemon checks that data to be accessed by the sent files is
present on the remote system. It also verifies that the sending system has permission to access the data.
The uuxqt daemon then either executes the command or notifies the sending system that the command
did not run.
Monitoring a BNU remote connection

Use the following procedure for monitoring a BNU remote connection.
• The BNU program must be installed on your system.
• A link (hardwired, modem, or TCP/IP) must be set up between your system and the remote system.
• The BNU configuration files, including the Systems file, Permissions file, Devices file, and Dialers
file (and Sysfiles file, if applicable), must be set up for communications between your system and the
remote system.
Note: You must have root user authority to modify the BNU configuration files.
The Uutry command can help you monitor the uucico daemon process if users at your site report
file-transfer problems.
1. Issue the uustat command to determine the status of all the transfer jobs in the current queue as
follows:
uustat -q
The system displays a status report like the following:
venus 3C (2) 05/09-11:02 CAN'T ACCESS DEVICE

hera 1C 05/09-11:12 SUCCESSFUL
merlin 2C 5/09-10:54 NO DEVICES AVAILABLE
This report indicates that three command (C.*) files intended for remote system venus have been in
the queue for two days. There could be several reasons for this delay. For example, perhaps system
venus has been shut down for maintenance or the modem has been turned off.
2. Before you begin more extensive troubleshooting activities, issue the Uutry command as follows to
determine whether your local system can contact system venus now:
/usr/sbin/uucp/Uutry -r venus
This command starts the uucico daemon with a moderate amount of debugging and the instruction
to override the default retry time. The Uutry command directs the debugging output to a temporary
file, /tmp/venus.
3. If your local system succeeds in establishing a connection to system venus, the debugging output
contains a good deal of information. However, the final line in this script, which follows, is the most
important:
Conversation Complete: Status SUCCEEDED
If the connection is successful, assume that the temporary file-transfer problems are now resolved.
Issue the uustat command again to make certain that the files in the spooling directory have been
transferred successfully to the remote system. If they have not, use the steps in “Monitoring a BNU

file transfer” on page 474 to check for file-transfer problems between your system and the remote
system.
4. If your local system cannot contact the remote system, the debugging output generated by the Uutry
command contains the following type of information (the exact form of the output might vary):
mchFind called (venus)

conn (venus)
getto ret -1
Call Failed: CAN'T ACCESS DEVICE
exit code 101
Conversation Complete: Status FAILED
First, check the physical connections between the local and remote systems. Make sure that the
remote computer is turned on and all cables are properly connected, that the ports are enabled or
disabled (as appropriate) on both systems, and that the modems (if applicable) are working.
If the physical connections are correct and secure, then verify all the relevant configuration files on
both the local and remote systems, including the following:
• Make certain that the entries in the Devices, Systems, and Permissions files (and Sysfiles file,
if applicable) in the /etc/uucp directory are correct on both systems.
• If you are using a modem, make sure that the /etc/uucp/Dialers file (or an alternate
file specified in /etc/uucp/Sysfiles) contains the correct entry. If you are using dial-code
abbreviations, be sure the abbreviations are defined in the /etc/uucp/Dialcodes file.
• If you are using a TCP/IP connection, make sure that the uucpd daemon can be run on the remote
system and that the configuration files contain the correct TCP entries.
5. After you have checked the physical connections and configuration files, issue the Uutry command
again.
If the debugging output still reports that the connection failed, you might need to confer with a
member of your systems support team. Save the debugging output produced by the Uutry command.
This might prove helpful in diagnosing the problem.
Transferring a file to a remote system for printing

Use the uux command to transfer a file to a remote system for printing.
To transfer a file to a remote system for printing, the following prerequisites must be met:
• A Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) connection must be established to the remote system
• You must have permission to execute operations on the remote system
On the command line of the local system, type:
uux remote!/usr/bin/lpr local!filename
This prints the local file filename on the remote system.
Monitoring a BNU file transfer

Use this procedure to monitor a file transfer to a remote system.
• The BNU program must be installed on and configured for your system.
• Establish a connection to a remote system using the steps given in “Monitoring a BNU remote
connection” on page 473.
Monitoring a file transfer is useful when file transfers to the remote system in question are failing for
unknown reasons. The debugging information produced by the uucico daemon (called by the Uutry
command) can help you find out what is working incorrectly.
The Uutry command enables you to monitor file transfers, as follows:
1. Prepare a file for transfer using the uucp command with the -r flag by entering:

uucp -r test1 venus!~/test2
The -r flag instructs the UUCP program to create and queue all necessary transfer files but not to start
the uucico daemon.
2. Issue the Uutry command with the -r flag to start the uucico daemon with debugging turned on by
entering:
/usr/sbin/uucp/Uutry -r venus
This instructs the uucico daemon to contact remote system venus overriding the default retry
time. The daemon contacts system venus, logs in, and transfers the file, while the Uutry command
produces debugging output that enables you to monitor the uucico process. Press the Interrupt key
sequence to stop the debugging output and return to the command prompt.
The Uutry command also stores the debugging output in the /tmp/SystemName file. If you break out
of the debugging output before the connection is complete, you can page through the output file to see
the outcome of the connection.
Spooled job transmissions

Use the uupoll command to start the transmission of jobs stored in the local system's public spooling
directory.
The uupoll command creates a null job in the public directory for the remote system and starts the
uucico daemon. This forces the uucico daemon to immediately contact the remote system and transfer
any queued jobs.
Identifying compatible systems

Use the uuname command to display a list of all systems accessible to the local system.
For example, when you type:
uuname
at the command line, the system displays a list such as:
arthur
hera
merlin
zeus
This information is used to determine the name of an accessible system before copying a file to it. The
uuname command is also used to establish the identity of the local system. The uuname command
acquires its information by reading the /etc/uucp/systems file.
Communication with connected UNIX systems using the tip command

Use the tip command to contact any connected system running the UNIX operating system.
The tip command is installed with the Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) and can use the same
asynchronous connections used by BNU.
The tip command uses variables and escape signals, as well as flags, to control its operations. The flags
can be entered at the command line. The escape signals can be used over a connection with a remote
system to start and stop file transfers, change the direction of a file transfer, and exit to a subshell.
tip command variables

The tip command variables define settings such as the end-of-line character, the break signal, and the
mode of file transfers.
Variable settings can be initialized at run time using a .tiprc file. Variable settings can also be changed
during execution using the ~s escape signal. Some variables, such as the end-of-line character, can be set
for an individual system in the system entry of the remote file.

The tip command reads three files, the phones file, remote file, and .tiprc file, to determine initial
settings for its variables. The .tiprc file must always be in the user home directory. The names and
locations of the remote and phones files can vary. The names of the remote file and the phones file can
be determined by environment variables:
Item Description
PHONES Specifies the name of the user phone file. The file can have any valid file name and must be
set up in the format of the file /usr/lib/phones-file. The default file is etc/phones. If
a file is specified with the PHONES variable, it is used in place of (not in addition to) the /etc/
phones file.
REMOTE Specifies the name of the user remote system definition file. The file can have any valid file
name and must be set up in the format of the /usr/lib/remote-file file. The default file
is /etc/remote. If a file is specified with the REMOTE variable, it is used in place of (not in
addition to) the /etc/remote file.
To use an environment variable, set it before starting the tip command. As an alternative, the names of
the phones and remote files can be determined using the tip command phones variable and remote
variable, respectively, in the .tiprc file.
Note: The tip command reads only the last remote or phones file specified. Thus, if you specify a
remote or phones file with a variable, the new file is used in place of (not in addition to) any previous files
you specified.
The tip command uses variable settings in the following order:
1. The command checks the settings of the PHONES and REMOTE environment variables for the files to
use as the phones and remote files.
2. The command reads the .tiprc file and sets all variables accordingly. If the phones or remote
variable is set in the .tiprc file, this setting overrides the environment variable setting.
3. When a connection to a remote system is initiated, the command reads the remote file entry for that
system. The settings in the remote file entry override settings made in the .tiprc file.
4. If the - BaudRate flag is used with the tip command, the specified rate overrides all previous baud
rate settings.
5. A setting made with the ~s escape signal overrides all previous settings of a variable.
Note: Any tip user can create a .tiprc file and use this file to specify initial settings for tip
variables. The .tiprc file must be placed in the user $HOME directory.
tip command configuration files

Before the tip command can connect to a remote system, the /etc/remote and /etc/phones files
must be established.
Item Description
/etc/remote Defines attributes of remote systems such as the port and type of device to use to
reach the system, as well as the signals to use to indicate the beginnings and endings
of transmissions.
/etc/phones Lists telephone numbers used to contact remote systems over a modem line.
Sample remote and phones files are delivered with the bos.net.uucp package. The sample remote
file is named /usr/lib/remote-file. The sample phones file is named /usr/lib/phones-file.
Copy /usr/lib/remote-file to /etc/remote and modify /etc/remote. To establish one of these
files, copy a sample file to the correct name and modify it to suit the needs of your site.
A tip user can also create customized remote and phones files. An individual remote file must be in
the format of the /usr/lib/remote-file file and specified with the remote variable or the REMOTE
environment variable. An individual phones file must be in the format of the /usr/lib/phones-file
file and specified with the phones variable or the PHONES environment variable. If an individual phones

or remote file is specified with one of the variables, that file is read in place of (not in addition to)
the /etc/phones or /etc/remote file.
Users of tip can use combinations of individual phones and remote files. For example, a user could
use the default remote file, /etc/remote, but use an individual phones file named with the phones
variable.
Canceling remote jobs

Use the uustat command to cancel a BNU process issued to a remote system.
To cancel a remote job, the following prerequisites must be met:
• A Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) connection must be established with the target remote system
• A remote job must have been issued from the local system
1. Determine the job ID number of the process, listed in the remote queue. On the command line of the
local system, type:
uustat -a
The -a option displays all jobs in the remote system's holding queue and the job requests of any other
BNU users on the system.
BNU responds with a message similar to:
heraC3113 11/06-17:47 S hera you 289 D.venus471afd8

merlinC3119 11/06-17:49 S merlin jane 338 D.venus471bc0a
2. Then type:
uustat -k heraC3113
The -k option cancels the heraC3113 job request.
BNU troubleshooting
BNU error messages can be linked to a specific phase in the conversation flow. Use the "BNU
conversation flow diagram" and the following error descriptions to help diagnose your BNU problems.
Some of the following messages might not be sent from BNU, but are included in case another UUCP
version is in use.
Figure 25. BNU conversion flow diagram
This illustration shows the flow and different phases of BNU conversion. From uucico at the top,
data is passed to Phase 1-System Verification, then Phase 2-Device Selection, and Phase 3-Link
Establishment, then Phase 4-Login Sequence, next Phase 5-Data Transfer and File Execution and last,
Phase 6-Disconnect.

BNU PHASE 1 status messages
There are five BNU PHASE 1 status messages. The following table decribes them.
Item Description
Assert Error The local system unit is having problems. Check the error report for
possible causes by issuing the command errpt -a | pg.
System not in Systems If you supply a remote system name that is not found in the
Systems files, this status message is created, BNU will terminate.
Use the uuname command to check the system name again.
Wrong time to call The Systems file has restrictions on times to allow outgoing calls.
BNU will keep trying until the time is right. Check the Systems file.
Callback required The network has restricted usage either for security or economic
reasons, and access is denied at this time.
Cannot call No Call These errors mean BNU recently tried to call the remote system
and failed. It will not immediately try again. They can also be
caused by an old system status file being retained thus keeping
the uucico daemon from trying again.

There are four BNU PHASE 2 status messages. The following table decribes them.
Item Description
Dialer Script Failed Your Dialers file script did not complete successfully.
No Device Available Can't The modem or the outgoing phone line from your system is busy.
Access Device Check for an error in the device entry of the Systems file. Also,
check the Devices and Dialers files to be sure logical devices
have physical devices associated with them. The file /etc/uucp/
Sysfiles might be specifying an alternate Systems, Devices, or
Dialers file that is not correctly configured. Is the device in use by
some other program? Check the /var/locks directory for lock on
port. If a lock file exists (for example, LCK..TTY0), check to see if
the process identified by the number in the lock file is still active. If
not, you can remove it (for example, rm /var/locks/LCK..TTY0 ).
Also check the permissions on the port.
Dial Failed Failed (call These errors appear when your system dials another successfully but
to system) the other system does not answer. It might also indicate a problem
in the Devices files. Enter the command uucico -r1 -x6 -s
SystemName. It could be that BNU is expecting some string that it is
not receiving. Make the connection by hand to find out what needs to
be incorporated into the Systems files entry to satisfy the request.
Please keep "timing" in mind; perhaps some delays in the modem
dial string are needed. This could also mean that the port is busy, you
dialed an incorrect number, or BNU lost ownership of the port.
OK Auto Dial These are informative messages only and do not indicate an error.

Item Description
Handshake Failed (LCK) The device is being used by someone else; the process could not
create the LCK file. Sometimes LCK files must be manually removed
by the administrator. After a number of retries, see your system
administrator. See if another process has control of the port (for
example, another instance of the uucico daemon).
Login Failed The login failed due to a bad connection or possibly a slow machine.
Timeout The remote system did not respond within a set period of time. This
could also indicate a problem with the chat script.
Succeeded (Call to The call was completed.
System)
BNU (continued) These are informative messages only and do not indicate an error.

There are six BNU PHASE 4 status messages. The following table decribes them.
Item Description
Startup Failed Remote After login, the uucico daemon is started on the remote system.
reject after login If there is a problem initiating a conversation between the two
systems, these messages are created. You might have also logged
into the incorrect BNU account or the initial handshake failed.
Wrong machine name A machine was called incorrectly or the machine name was changed.
Bad login/machine The login to the remote system failed. The problem could be an
combination incorrect phone number, an incorrect login or password, or an error in
the chat script.
Remote has a LCK file for Both systems were simultaneously trying to call each other. The local
me request will fail temporarily.
OK Talking These are informative messages only and do not indicate an error.
LOGIN: PASSWORD: If the login or password prompt is in all capital letters, the modem
might be in echo mode (E1 on Hayes compatibles). This causes the
modem to echo back, or send, a RING to your system when an
incoming call is received. The getty command receives the string
and accordingly changes the login: or password: into all caps.
Change the echo mode on the modem to off (use ATE0 for Hayes
compatibles).
Note: Keep in mind that once this change is made, you should use
ATE1 in the chat script of your Dialers files, or you will not get the
expected OK back from the modem.
If the remote port is set for delay or getty -r and the chat script
expects key input, then the ports set for delay are expecting one or
more carriage returns before proceeding with the login. Try beginning
the chat script on the dialing system with the following:
"" \r\d\r\d\r\d\r in:--in: ...
Interpreted, this chat script reads as follows: expect nothing, send

return, delay, return, delay, return, delay, return.

Item Description
Alarm The uucico daemon is having trouble with the connection. Either
the connection is bad or "xon/xoff" is set to yes on the modem.
Remote access to path/ These messages indicate a permission problem; check file and path
file denied copy (failed) permissions.
Bad read The remote system ran out of space, most likely in the spool area, or
the uucico daemon could not read or write to device.
Conversation failed The modem carrier detect was lost. Possibly the modem was turned
off, the cable is loose or disconnected, or the remote system crashed
or is shut down. Telephone disconnection can also cause this error.
Requested Copy These are informative messages only and do not indicate an error.
(succeeded)

There are two BNU PHASE 6 status messages. The following table decribes them.
Item Description
OK (Conversation The remote system can deny the hangup request and reverse the
Complete) roles (meaning the remote system has work for the local system to
do). After the two uucico daemons agree that no more work exists,
they hang up.
Conversation succeeded This is an informative message only and does not indicate an error.
Debugging BNU login failures using the uucico daemon

Use the uucico daemon to debut BNU login failures.
• BNU must be installed on your system.
• A link (hardwired, modem, or TCP/IP) must be set up between your system and the remote system.
• The BNU configuration files, including the Sysfiles file (if applicable), the Systems file,
Permissions file, Devices file, and Dialers file, must be set up for communications between your
system and the remote system.
Note: You must have root user authority to modify the BNU configuration files.
• You must have root user authority to invoke the uucico daemon in debugging mode.
1. To produce debugging information about a local-to-remote system connection that is not working,
start the uucico daemon with the -x flag as follows:
/usr/sbin/uucp/uucico -r 1 -s venus -x 9
where -r 1 specifies the master, or caller mode; -s venus, the name of the remote system to which
you are trying to connect; and -x 9, the debug level that produces the most detailed debugging
information.
2. If the expect-send sequence entry in a Systems file in the format of /etc/uucp/Systems is:
venus Any venus 1200 - "" \n in:--in: uucp1 word:

mirror

theuucico daemon connects the local system to the remote system venus. The debugging output is
similar to:
expect: ""
got it
sendthem (^J^M)
expect (in:)^
M^Jlogin:got it
sendthem (uucp1^M)
expect (word:)^
M^JPassword:got it
sendthem (mirror^M)
imsg >^M^J^PShere^@Login Successful: System=venus
where:
Item Description
expect: "" Specifies that the local system will not wait for
any information from the remote system.
got it Acknowledges that the message has been
received.
sendthem (^J^M) Specifies that the local system will send the
remote system a carriage return and a new line.
expect (in:) Specifies that the local system expects to receive
the remote system login prompt, which ends in
the in: character string.
^M^Jlogin:got it Confirms that the local system received the
remote login prompt.
sendthem (uucp1^M) Specifies that the local system will send the
uucp1 login ID to the remote system.
expect (word:) Specifies that the local system expects to receive
the remote system password prompt, which ends
in the word: character string.
^M^JPassword:got it Confirms the local system received the remote
password prompt.
sendthem (mirror^M) Specifies that the local system will send the
password for the uucp1 login ID to the remote
system.
imsg >^M^J^PShere^@Login Successful: Confirms the local system is successfully logged
System=venus in to remote system venus.
Note:
1. The expect-send debugging output produced by the uucico command can come either from
information in the /etc/uucp/Dialers file or from information in the /etc/uucp/Systems file.
Information about communication with the modem comes from the Dialers file, while information
about communication with the remote system comes from the Systems file. (Note that /etc/uucp/
Systems and /etc/uucp/Dialers are default BNU configuration files. Other files can be specified
in /etc/uucp/Sysfiles to serve the same role.)
2. To set up a connection with a remote system, you must be familiar with the login sequence of that
system.

SNMP for network management
The Network Management facility provides comprehensive management of system networks through
the use of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), enabling network hosts to exchange
management information.
SNMP is an internetworking protocol designed for use with TCP/IP-based internets.
When the AIX operating system is installed, the SNMPv3 non-encrypted version is installed by default
and is started at system boot time. If you have your own communities, traps, and SMUX entries configured
in your /etc/snmpd.conf file, you will need to migrate those manually to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
For information on migrating the communities, see “Migrating from SNMPv1 to SNMPv3” on page 491.
You might also want to consult the information in SNMP Overview for Programmers in Communications
Programming Concepts.
SNMP network management is based on the familiar client/server model that is widely used in TCP/
IP-based network applications. Each host that is to be managed runs a process called an agent. The
agent is a server process that maintains the Management Information Base (MIB) database for the host.
Hosts that are involved in network management decision-making can run a process called a manager. A
manager is a client application that generates requests for MIB information and processes responses. In
addition, a manager can send requests to agent servers to modify MIB information.
SNMP in AIX provides support for the following RFCs:
Item Description
RFC 1155 Structure and Identification of Management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets
RFC 1157 A Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
RFC 1213 Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP-based internets: MIB-
II
RFC 1227 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) single multiplexer (SMUX) protocol and
Management Information Base (MIB)
RFC 1229 Extensions to the generic interface Management Information Base (MIB)
RFC 1231 IEEE 802.5 token-ring Management Information Base (MIB)
RFC 1398 Definitions of Managed Objects for the Ethernet-like Interface Types
RFC 1512 FDDI Management Information Base
RFC 1514 Host Resources MIB
RFC 1592 Simple Network Management Protocol-Distributed Program Interface Version 2
RFC 1905 Protocol Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv2)
RFC 1907 Management Information Base for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMPv2)
RFC 2572 Message Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP)
RFC 2573 SNMP Applications
RFC 2574 User-based Security Model (USM) for version 3 of the Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMPv3)
RFC 2575 View-based Access Control Model (VACM) for the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP)

SNMPv3
In earlier versions of the AIX operating system, SNMPv1 was the only available version of SNMP for AIX.
SNMPv3, provided in the AIX operating system, delivers a powerful and flexible framework for message
security and access control.
The information in this section applies to SNMPv3 only.
Message security involves providing the following:
• Data integrity checking to ensure that the data was not altered in transit.
• Data origin verification to ensure that the request or response originates from the source that it claims
to have come from.
• Message timeliness checking and, optionally, data confidentiality to protect against eavesdropping.
The SNMPv3 architecture introduces the User-based Security Model (USM) for message security and the
View-based Access Control Model (VACM) for access control. The architecture supports the concurrent
use of different security, access control, and message processing models. For example, community-based
security can be used concurrently with USM, if desired.
USM uses the concept of a user for which security parameters (levels of security, authentication and
privacy protocols, and keys) are configured at both the agent and the manager. Messages sent using USM
are better protected than messages sent with community-based security, where passwords are sent in
the clear and displayed in traces. With USM, messages exchanged between the manager and the agent
have data integrity checking and data origin authentication. Message delays and message replays (beyond
what happens normally due to a connectionless transport protocol) are prevented by the use of time
indicators and request IDs. Data confidentiality, or encryption, is also available, where permitted, as a
separately installable product. The SNMP encrypted version can be found on the AIX Expansion Pack.
The use of VACM involves defining collections of data (called views), groups of users of the data, and
access statements that define which views a particular group of users can use for reading, writing, or
receipt in a trap.
SNMPv3 also introduces the ability to dynamically configure the SNMP agent using SNMP SET commands
against the MIB objects that represent the agent's configuration. This dynamic configuration support
enables addition, deletion, and modification of configuration entries either locally or remotely.
SNMPv3 access policies and security parameters are specified in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file on the
SNMP agent and /etc/clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP manager. For a scenario on how to configure
these files, see “Creating users in SNMPv3” on page 494. You can also refer to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf
and /etc/clsnmp.conf file formats in Files Reference.
SNMPv3 architecture
There are four main parts to the SNMPv3 architecture.
The interaction between these systems to provide the necessary data requested is depicted in the
following figure:
Figure 26. The primary parts of the SNMPv3 architecture

This illustration shows and example of the SNMPv3 architecture. The DPI2 subagent, smux peer, SNMP
manager, and SNMP agent are shown. In addition, how they communicate with each other is shown.
SNMP agent
The SNMP agent receives requests from, and makes responses to, the SNMP manager.
In addition, the SNMP agent communicates with all DPI2 subagents and SMUX peers on the system. The
SNMP agent manages some MIB variables, and all DPI2 subagents and SMUX peers register their MIB
variables with the SNMP agent.
When clsnmp (the SNMP manager) issues a request, it is sent to UDP 161 on the SNMP agent. If the
request is an SNMPv1 or SNMPv2c request, the SNMP agent will verify the community name and process
the request. If the request is an SNMPv3 request, the SNMP agent will attempt to authenticate the user
requesting the data and ensure that the user has the access permissions required to fulfill the request by
using the authentication keys, and, if the encrypted version is running, privacy keys. If the SNMP agent
cannot authenticate the user, or if the user does not have the correct access permissions to fulfill the
request, the SNMP agent will not honor the request. For information on creating users in SNMPv3, see
“Creating users in SNMPv3” on page 494.
If the user is authenticated and has the correct access permissions, the SNMP agent will fulfill the
request. The SNMP agent will locate the MIB variables being requested. If the SNMP agent itself is
managing the requested MIB variables, it will process the request and send a response back to the SNMP
manager. If a DPI2 subagent or SMUX peer is managing the requested MIB variables, the SNMP agent will
forward the request to the DPI2 subagent or SMUX peer on which the MIB variables are managed, allow it
to process the request, and will then respond to the SNMP manager.
DPI2 subagents
A DPI2 subagent, such as hostmibd, communicates with the DPI2 agent, which, in SNMPv3, is part of
the SNMP agent.
The DPI2 subagent sends responses and traps to the DPI2 agent through dpiPortForTCP.0. Because
this is not a well-known port, the DPI2 subagent must first issue a request for the port number for
dpiPortForTCP.0. This request is issued to UDP 161 on the SNMP agent, after which the SNMP agent
responds to the DPI2 subagent with the port number for dpiPortForTCP.0. After the port number is
received, the DPI2 subagent establishes a connection with the DPI2 agent using the port number given.
The DPI2 subagent then registers its MIB subtrees with the DPI2 agent.
Note: To enable the SNMP Agent to listen on a port other than UDP 161, you must set the SNMP_PORT
environment. There are two ways to set this variable:
• Method 1: Stop the DPI2 subagent and type the following commands:
– SNMP_PORT=<port_number> /usr/sbin/aixmibd -d 128
– SNMP_PORT=<port_number> /usr/sbin/hostmibd -d 128
– SNMP_PORT=<port_number> /usr/sbin/snmpmibd -d 128
where port_number is the number of the port that you want to use.
After the commands have completed executing, start the DPI2 subagent.
• Method 2: Include the SNMP_PORT variable in the /etc/environment file and assign the new
port value to it. Allow the aixmibd, hostmibd, snmpmibd, and snmpd daemons to run from /etc/
rc.tcpip as is. In this method, you do not have to run the aixmibd, hostmibd, and snmpmibd
commands from the command line.
After the connection is established and the MIB subtrees have been registered, the DPI2 subagent
is ready to respond to requests received from the DPI2 agent. When a request is received, the DPI2
subagent processes the request and responds with the necessary information.
The DPI2 subagent is also ready to send traps, if necessary. When a trap is sent, the SNMP agent will
check its /etc/snmpdv3.conf file to determine the IP address or addresses to which the trap must be
forwarded to, and it will send the trap to those addresses.

SMUX peers
A SNMP Multiplexing (SMUX) peer, such as gated, when started, will establish the connection to TCP 199
and will initialize the SMUX association.
Following the initialization, the SMUX peer will register the MIB subtrees it is going to manage.
After the registration, the SMUX peer is ready to accept any incoming request from the SMUX server and
send responses back. When the SMUX peer receives a request, it will process the request and send a
response back the SMUX server.
The SMUX peer can also send a trap to the SMUX server. If a trap is sent, the SNMP agent will check
the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file to determine the IP address or addresses to which the trap must be
forwarded, and it will send the trap to those addresses.
SNMP manager
The SNMP manager runs clsnmp, which is compatible with SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3.
Use the clsnmp command to issue a request, such as a get, get-next, get-bulk, or set request. The
request is sent to UDP 161 on the SNMP agent, after which it waits for the response from the SNMP
agent.
Note: To allow the SNMP Manager to use a port other than UDP 161, you need to declare the port
number you want to use and the IP address in the targetAgent field of the /etc/clsnmp.conf file. For
information on the /etc/clsnmp.conf file, see clsnmp.conf File in Files Reference.
It also can listen to SNMP traps on UDP 162. The SNMP manager will receive traps if its IP address is so
specified in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file on the SNMP agent.
MIB variables
Information on MIB variables can be found in the following locations.
For information on MIB variables, see Management Information Base, Terminology Related to
Management Information Base Variables, Working with Management Information Base Variables, and
Management Information Base Database in Communications Programming Concepts.
If you want to configure your own DPI2 subagent or smux peer, see the /usr/samples/snmpd/smux
and /usr/samples/snmpd/dpi2 directories.
SNMPv3 authentication keys

Authentication is generally required for SNMPv3 requests to be processed (unless the security level
requested is noAuth).
When authenticating a request, the SNMP agent verifies that the authentication key sent in an SNMPv3
request can be used to create a message digest that matches the message digest created from the
authentication key defined by the user.
When a request is issued from the SNMP manager, the clsnmp command uses the authentication
key found on an entry in the /etc/clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP manager. It needs to correlate
with the authentication key specified on a USM_USER entry for that user in the SNMP agent's /etc/
snmpdv3.conf file. Authentication keys are generated using the pwtokey command.
The authentication key is generated from two pieces of information:
• The specified password
• The identification of the SNMP agent at which the key will be used. If the agent is an IBM agent, and its
engineID was generated using the vendor-specific engineID formula, the agent may be identified by IP
address or host name. Otherwise, the engineID must be provided as the agent identification.
A key that incorporates the identification of the agent at which it will be used is called a localized key. It
can be used only at that agent. A key that does not incorporate the engineID of the agent at which it will
be used is called non-localized.

Keys stored in the clsnmp command's configuration file, /etc/clsnmp.conf, are expected to be non-
localized keys. Keys stored in the SNMP agent's configuration file, /etc/snmpdv3.conf, can be either
localized or non-localized, though using localized keys is considered more secure.
As an alternative to storing authentication keys in the client configuration file, the clsnmp command
allows user passwords to be stored. If the clsnmp command is configured with a password, the code
generates an authentication key (and a privacy key if requested, and if the encrypted version is installed)
for the user. These keys must produce the same authentication values as the keys configured for
the USM_USER in the agent's /etc/snmpdv3.conf file or configured dynamically with the SNMP SET
commands. However, the use of passwords in the client configuration file is considered less secure that
the use of keys in the configuration file.
SNMPv3 privacy keys

Encryption is available as a separate product on the AIX Expansion Pack where export laws allow. Keys
used for encryption are generated using the same algorithms as those used for authentication.
However, key lengths may differ. For example, an HMAC-SHA authentication key is 20 bytes long, but a
localized encryption key used with HMAC-SHA is only 16 bytes long.
The encrypted version is automatically activated after installation. To switch back to the non-encrypted
version, use the snmpv3_ssw command.
SNMPv3 generating keys

AIX uses the pwtokey command to generate authentication and, when applicable, privacy keys.
The pwtokey command enables the conversion of passwords into localized and non-localized
authentication and privacy keys. The pwtokey procedure takes a password and an identifier as the agent
and generates authentication and privacy keys. Because the procedure used by the pwtokey command is
the same algorithm used by the clsnmp command, the person configuring the SNMP agent can generate
appropriate authentication (and privacy) keys to put into the /etc/clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP
manager for a user, given a particular password and the IP address at which the target will run on.
After you have generated the authentication keys (and privacy keys if you are running the encrypted
version), you will need to enter those keys in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file on the SNMP agent and in
the /etc/clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP manager.
In SNMPv3, there are nine possible user configurations. Each possible configuration, along with an
example of each, is given below. These particular keys were generated using defaultpassword for the
password and 9.3.149.49 as the IP address. The following command was used:
pwtokey -u all -p all defaultpassword 9.3.149.49
The following authentication and privacy keys were generated:
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 authKey:

18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 localized authKey:

a59fa9783c04bcbe00359fb1e181a4b4
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 privKey:

18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 localized privKey:

a59fa9783c04bcbe00359fb1e181a4b4
Display of 20 byte HMAC-SHA authKey:

754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9
Display of 20 byte HMAC-SHA localized authKey:

cd988a098b4b627a0e8adc24b8f8cd02550463e3
Display of 20 byte HMAC-SHA privKey:

754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9

Display of 16 byte HMAC-SHA localized privKey:
cd988a098b4b627a0e8adc24b8f8cd02
These entries would appear in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. The following nine configurations are
possible:
• Localized authentication and privacy keys using the HMAC-MD5 protocol:
USM_USER user1 - HMAC-MD5 a59fa9783c04bcbe00359fb1e181a4b4 DES

a59fa9783c04bcbe00359fb1e181a4b4 L - -
• Non-localized authentication and privacy keys using the HMAC-MD5 protocol:
USM_USER user2 - HMAC-MD5 18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f DES

18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f N - -
• Localized authentication key using the HMAC-MD5 protocol:
USM_USER user3 - HMAC-MD5 a59fa9783c04bcbe00359fb1e181a4b4 - - L -
• Non-localized authentication key using the HMAC-MD5 protocol:
USM_USER user4 - HMAC-MD5 18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f - - N -
• Localized authentication and privacy keys using the HMAC-SHA protocol:
USM_USER user5 - HMAC-SHA cd988a098b4b627a0e8adc24b8f8cd02550463e3 DES

cd988a098b4b627a0e8adc24b8f8cd02 L -
• Non-localized authentication and privacy keys using the HMAC-SHA protocol:
USM_USER user6 - HMAC-SHA 754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9 DES

754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9 N -
• Localized authentication key using the HMAC-SHA protocol:
USM_USER user7 - HMAC-SHA cd988a098b4b627a0e8adc24b8f8cd02550463e3 - - L -
• Non-localized authentication key using the HMAC-SHA protocol:
USM_USER user8 - HMAC-SHA 754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9 - - N -
• Neither authentication nor privacy keys used (SNMPv1)
USM_USER user9 - none - none - - -
Configuring users in SNMPv3 requires configuration of both the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file and the /etc/
clsnmp.conf file. For a scenario on generating user keys and editing the necessary configuration
files, see “Creating users in SNMPv3” on page 494. You can also refer to the sample snmpdv3.conf
configuration file and clsnmp.conf configuration file located in the /usr/samples/snmpdv3 directory.
SNMPv3 updating keys

SNMPv3 offers the capability of updating user keys based on new passwords dynamically.
This is done by using the pwchange command to generate new user keys based on an updated password,
using the clsnmp command to dynamically update the user key in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, and
editing the /etc/clsnmp.conf file with the new keys. During this process, the new password is never
communicated between machines.
For step-by-step instructions on updating user keys, see “Dynamically updating authentication and
privacy keys in SNMPv3” on page 488.

Dynamically updating authentication and privacy keys in SNMPv3
This scenario shows how to dynamically update the authentication keys for a user in SNMPv3.
In this scenario, user u4 will update the authentication keys for user u8. Both users u4 and u8
have already had authentication keys created based on password defaultpassword and IP address
9.3.149.49, and everything is working.
During this scenario, new keys will be created for user u8 and the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file will be
dynamically updated. The authentication key for user u8 in the manager side's /etc/clsnmp.conf file
will then need to be manually edited to reflect the new keys.
Make a backup of the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file on the SNMP agent and a backup of the /etc/
clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP manager before you start this procedure.
Below is the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file that will be dynamically updated:
USM_USER u4 - HMAC-MD5 18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f - - N -

USM_USER u8 - HMAC-SHA 754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9 - - N -
VACM_GROUP group1 SNMPv1 public -

VACM_GROUP group2 USM u4 -
VACM_VIEW defaultView internet - included -
VACM_ACCESS group1 - - noAuthNoPriv SNMPv1 defaultView - defaultView -

VACM_ACCESS group2 - - noAuthNoPriv USM defaultView defaultView defaultView -
VACM_ACCESS group2 - - AuthNoPriv USM defaultView defaultView defaultView -
VACM_ACCESS group2 - - AuthPriv USM defaultView defaultView defaultView -
NOTIFY notify1 traptag trap -
TARGET_ADDRESS Target1 UDP 127.0.0.1 traptag trapparms1 - - -

TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms1 SNMPv1 SNMPv1 public noAuthNoPriv -

TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms3 SNMPv2c SNMPv2c publicv2c noAuthNoPriv -
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms4 SNMPv3 USM u4 AuthNoPriv -
Below is the /etc/clsnmp.conf file that will be updated for user u8:
testu4 9.3.149.49 snmpv3 u4 - - AuthNoPriv HMAC-MD5 18a2c7b78f3df552367383eef9db2e9f - -

testu8 9.3.149.49 snmpv3 u8 - - AuthNoPriv HMAC-SHA 754ebf6ab740556be9f0930b2a2256ca40e76ef9 - -
Things to consider
Update your password and authentication keys

The community names in the /etc/snmpd.conf file become part of the VACM_GROUP entries in
the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. Each community must be placed in a group. You will then give the groups
the view and access permissions needed.
1. On the SNMP manager side, run the pwchange command. In this scenario, we ran the following
command:
pwchange -u auth -p HMAC-SHA defaultpassword newpassword 9.3.149.49
This command will generate a new authentication key.

• -u auth specifies that only an authentication key will be created. If you are updating privacy keys
as well, use -u all.

• -p HMAC-SHA specifies the protocol that will be used to create the authentication key. If you are
updating privacy keys as well, us -p all.
• defaultpassword is the password used to create the latest authentication key (for example, if
bluepen would have been used to create the latest authentication key, bluepen would be used
here as well)
• newpassword is the new password that will be used to generate the authentication key. Keep this
password for future reference
• 9.3.149.49 is the IP address where the SNMP agent is running.
This command produced the following output:
Dump of 40 byte HMAC-SHA authKey keyChange value:

8173701d7c00913af002a3379d4b150a
f9566f56a4dbde21dd778bb166a86249
4aa3a477e3b96e7d
You will use this authentication key in the next step.

Note: Keep the new passwords you use in a safe place. You will need to use them again when making
changes in the future.
2. On the SNMP manager, user u4 will change the authentication key for user u8 by entering the
following command:
clsnmp -h testu4 set usmUserAuthKeyChange.12.0.0.0.2.0.0.0.0.9.3.149.49.2.117.56

\'8173701d7c00913af002a3379d4b150af9566f56a4dbde21dd778bb166a862494aa3a477e3b96e7d\'h
• testu4 is used because it is mapped to user u4 in the /etc/clsnmp.conf file.

• The instance ID of usmUserAuthKeyChange includes, in decimal values, the engine ID of the SNMP
agent where the update is taking place and username whose authentication key is being updated.
The engine ID can be found in the /etc/snmpd.boots file (the /etc/snmpd.boots file contains
two strings of numbers. The engine ID is the first string. Ignore the second string of numbers).
The engine ID will need to be converted from hexadecimal values to decimal values in order to
be used here. Each two numbers in the hexadecimal engine ID convert to one decimal value. For
example, engine ID 000000020000000009039531 would be read as 00 00 00 02 00 00 00
00 09 03 95 31. Each of those numbers must be converted to decimal values, resulting in,
0.0.0.2.0.0.0.0.9.3.149.49 (For a conversion table, see ASCII, decimal, hexadecimal, octal,
and binary conversion table.). The first number in the string is the number of bytes in the decimal
string. In this case, it is 12, resulting in 12.0.0.0.2.0.0.0.0.9.3.149.49.
The following number is the number of bytes in the username, followed by the decimal values for the
username itself. In this case, the username is u8. When converted to decimal values, u8 becomes
117.56. Because the username is 2 bytes long, the value representing the username becomes
2.117.56. Add that to the end of the decimal engine ID (For a conversion table, see ASCII, decimal,
hexadecimal, octal, and binary conversion table.).
In this case, the result is 12.0.0.0.2.0.0.0.0.9.3.149.49.2.117.56.
• The next value in the command is the new authentication key generated using the pwchange
command in the previous step.
Note: If the user also has privacy keys configured, this procedure must be repeated to update the
privacy keys. When updating the privacy keys, use the usmUserPrivKeyChange value instead of
the usmUserAuthKeyChange value.
Using usmUserOwnAuthKeyChange instead of usmUserAuthKeyChange will allow a user to
change his or her own authentication key. For example, user u4 could change its own authentication
key using usmUserOwnAuthKeyChange.
The output of the command follows:
1.3.6.1.6.3.15.1.2.2.1.6.12.0.0.0.2.0.0.0.0.9.3.149.49.2.117.56 = '8173701d7c00913af002a3379
d4b150af9566f56a4dbde21dd778bb166a862494aa3a477e3b96e7d'h

After this command is completed, the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file will be automatically updated after
five minutes on the SNMP agent side. You can also stop and start the SNMP daemon to update the file.
The following entry for user u8 will be dynamically updated in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file:
USM_USER u8 000000020000000009039531 HMAC-SHA 4be657b3ae92beee322ee5eaeef665b338caf2d9

None - L nonVolatile
3. On the SNMP manager side, run the pwtokey command to generate the new authentication key based
on the new password to place in the /etc/clsnmp.conf file. In this scenario, we ran the following
command:
pwtokey -u auth -p HMAC-SHA newpassword 9.3.149.49
• -u auth specifies that only an authentication key will be created. If you are updating privacy keys
as well, use -u all.
• -p HMAC-SHA specifies the protocol that will be used in creating the authentication key. If you are
updating privacy keys as well, use -p all.
• The password used (in this case newpassword) must be the same as the password used when
generating new authentication keys with the pwchange command.
• The IP address used (in this case 9.3.149.49) must be the IP address where the agent is running.
The result gives the localized and non-localized authentication keys:
Display of 20 byte HMAC-SHA authKey:

79ce23370c820332a7f2c7840c3439d12826c10d
Display of 20 byte HMAC-SHA localized authKey:

b07086b278163a4b873aace53a1a9ca250913f91
4. Open the /etc/clsnmp.conf file with your favorite text editor and place the non-localized
authentication key in the line for the user whose keys are being updated. In this scenario, the entry is
as follows:
testu8 9.3.149.49 snmpv3 u8 - - AuthNoPriv HMAC-SHA 79ce23370c820332a7f2c7840c3439d12826c10d

- -
Save and close the file.

5. Test the updated configuration by running the following command:
clsnmp -v -h testu8 walk mib
where mib is a MIB variable to which user u8 has read access. In this case, user u8 has access to
internet.
SNMPv3 requests
The clsnmp command is used to send SNMP requests to SNMP agents on local or remote hosts.
The requests can be SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, or SNMPv3 requests. In order to process requests, the /etc/
clsnmp.conf file must be configured.
The clsnmp command can issue get, getnext, getbulk, set, walk, and findname requests. Each of these
requests is briefly described below:
get
allows the user to gather data from one MIB variable
getnext
gives the next MIB variable in the MIB subtree
getbulk
gives all MIB variables from multiple MIB subtrees
set
allows the user to set a MIB variable

walk
gives all MIB variables of one subtree
findname
maps the OID to the variable name
trap
allows clsnmp to listen to traps on port 162
Migrating from SNMPv1 to SNMPv3

This scenario shows a typical migration from SNMPv1 to SNMPv3.
In the AIX operating system, the default SNMP agent running at system boot time is the non-encrypted
version of SNMPv3. SNMPv3 uses the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file as its configuration file. Any parameters
that you had configured in the /etc/snmpd.conf file, which is used by SNMPv1 in earlier versions of the
AIX operating system, will need to be manually migrated to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
In this scenario, the communities and traps that were configured in the /etc/snmpd.conf file will be
migrated to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. By the end of the scenario, SNMPv3 will provide identical
functionality that SNMPv1 offered. If you did not configure any of your own SNMPv1 communities or
traps, there is no need for you to complete this procedure.
This file does not contain any information about features available in SNMPv3. For information about
creating users using SNMPv3 features not available in SNMPv1, see “Creating users in SNMPv3” on page
494.
The following file is the example /etc/snmpd.conf file that is going to be migrated. The following
communities are configured: daniel, vasu, and david. These communities must be migrated manually.
logging file=/usr/tmp/snmpd.log enabled

logging size=0 level=0
community daniel 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 readWrite 1.17.35

community vasu 9.3.149.49 255.255.255.255 readOnly 10.3.5
community david 9.53.150.67 255.255.255.255 readWrite 1.17.35
view 1.17.35 udp icmp snmp 1.3.6.1.2.1.25

view 10.3.5 system interfaces tcp icmp
trap daniel 9.3.149.49 1.17.35 fe

trap vasu 9.3.149.49 10.3.5 fe
trap david 9.53.150.67 1.17.35 fe
smux 1.3.6.1.4.1.2.3.1.2.3.1.1 sampled_password # sampled
To complete the steps in this scenario, refer to your /etc/snmpd.conf file. Have a copy of that file ready
when you start this procedure.
Things to consider
Step 1. Migrate the community information

The community names in the /etc/snmpd.conf file become part of the VACM_GROUP entries in
the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. Each community must be placed in a group. You will then give the groups
the view and access permissions needed.
1. With root authority, open the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file with your favorite text editor. Locate the
VACM_GROUP entries in the file.
2. Create a VACM_GROUP entry for each community that you want to migrate. If multiple communities
are going to share the same view and access permissions, you need to create only one group for

them. The community names in the /etc/snmpd.conf file become the securityName values for the
VACM_GROUP entries. In this scenario, the following entries were added for vasu, daniel, and david:
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
# VACM_GROUP entries
# Defines a security group (made up of users or communities)
# for the View-based Access Control Model (VACM).
# Format is:
# groupName securityModel securityName storageType
VACM_GROUP group2 SNMPv1 vasu -
VACM_GROUP group3 SNMPv1 daniel -
VACM_GROUP group3 SNMPv1 david -
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
• groupName can be any value you choose, except group1.

• securityModel remains SNMPv1 because we are migrating the SNMPv1 communities.
• In this scenario, daniel and david share the same view and access permissions in the /etc/
snmpd.conf file. Therefore, they are both members of group3 in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
Community vasu is placed in a different group because its view and access permissions are different
than those for david and daniel.
The communities are now placed in groups.
Step 2. Migrate the view information

The view information in the /etc/snmpd.conf file will become COMMUNITY, VACM_VIEW, and
VACM_ACCESS entries in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. These entries will determine the view and access
permissions for each group.
1. Create COMMUNITY entries for daniel, vasu, and david, maintaining the same IP addresses for
netAddr and netMask as were specified in the /etc/snmpd.conf file.
#------------------------------------------------------------------------
# COMMUNITY
# Defines a community for community-based security.
# Format is:
# communityName securityName securityLevel netAddr netMask storageType
COMMUNITY public public noAuthNoPriv 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 -
COMMUNITY daniel daniel noAuthNoPriv 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 -
COMMUNITY vasu vasu noAuthNoPriv 9.3.149.49 255.255.255.255 -
COMMUNITY david david noAuthNoPriv 9.53.150.67 255.255.255.255 -
#------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Create a VACM_VIEW entry for every MIB object or variable that each group has access to.
According to the /etc/snmpd.conf file, daniel and david have access to udp, icmp, snmp,
and 1.3.6.1.2.1.25 (host subtree as defined in RFC 1514), and vasu has access to system,
interfaces, tcp, and icmp. These view entries are migrated to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file as
follows:
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
# VACM_VIEW entries
# Defines a particular set of MIB data, called a view, for the
# View-based Access Control Model.
# Format is:
# viewName viewSubtree viewMask viewType storageType
VACM_VIEW group2View system - included -

VACM_VIEW group2View interfaces - included -
VACM_VIEW group2View tcp - included -
VACM_VIEW group2View icmp - included -
VACM_VIEW group3View udp - included -

VACM_VIEW group3View snmp - included -
VACM_VIEW group3View 1.3.6.1.2.1.25 - included -
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Define access permissions to the MIB variables defined in the VACM_VIEW entries by adding
VACM_ACCESS entries. In the /etc/snmpd.conf file, daniel and david both have readWrite
permission to their MIB variables, whereas vasu has readOnly.
Define these permissions by adding VACM_ACCESS entries. In this scenario, we gave group2 (vasu)
the group2View for readView, but gave it - for writeView because vasu had readOnly in
the /etc/snmpd.conf file. We gave group3 (daniel and david) the group3View for both
readView and writeView because those groups had readWrite access in /etc/snmpd.conf.
See the following example.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
# VACM_ACCESS entries
# Identifies the access permitted to different security groups
# for the View-based Access Control Model.
# Format is:
# groupName contextPrefix contextMatch securityLevel securityModel readView writeView notifyView
storageType
VACM_ACCESS group2 - - noAuthNoPriv SNMPv1 group2View - group2View -
VACM_ACCESS group3 - - noAuthNoPriv SNMPv1 group3View group3View group3View -
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Step 3. Migrate the trap information

The trap entries in the /etc/snmpd.conf file will become the NOTIFY, TARGET_ADDRESS, and
TARGET_PARAMETERS entries in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. However, only the TARGET_ADDRESS
and TARGET_PARAMETERS will need to be migrated.
1. The IP addresses listed in the trap entries in the /etc/snmpd.conf file become part of the
TARGET_ADDRESS entries in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. This line specifies the host where the
trap will be sent. You can define the targetParams entries. In this scenario, we use trapparms1,
trapparms2, trapparms3, and trapparms4, which will be defined in the TARGET_PARAMETERS
entries.
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TARGET_ADDRESS
# Defines a management application's address and parameters
# to be used in sending notifications.
# Format is:
# targetAddrName tDomain tAddress tagList targetParams timeout retryCount storageType
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. The community names specified in the trap entries in the /etc/snmpd.conf file become part of
the TARGET_PARAMETERS entries in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. The community names must
be mapped to a specific TARGET_ADDRESS entry using the targetParams values. For example,
community daniel is mapped with trapparms2, which, under the TARGET_ADDRESS entry, maps
to IP address 9.3.149.49. Community daniel and IP address 9.3.149.49 were originally a trap
entry in the /etc/snmpd.conf file. See the following example:
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TARGET_PARAMETERS
# Defines the message processing and security parameters
# to be used in sending notifications to a particular management target.
# Format is:
# paramsName mpModel securityModel securityName securityLevel storageType
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms1 SNMPv1 SNMPv1 public noAuthNoPriv -
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms2 SNMPv1 SNMPv1 daniel noAuthNoPriv -
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms3 SNMPv1 SNMPv1 vasu noAuthNoPriv -
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms4 SNMPv1 SNMPv1 david noAuthNoPriv -
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. The trapmask information in the /etc/snmpd.conf file does not migrate to the /etc/
snmpdv3.conf file.

Step 4. Migrate the smux information
If you have smux information that you need to migrate, you can copy those lines directly into the new file.
In this scenario, the sampled smux entry was configured in the /etc/snmpd.conf file. That line must
be copied to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# smux <client OIdentifier> <password> <address> <netmask>
smux 1.3.6.1.4.1.2.3.1.2.3.1.1 sampled_password # sampled
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5. Stop and Start the snmpd daemon

After the migration of the /etc/snmpd.conf file to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file is complete, stop and
then start the snmpd daemon. You will need to stop and start the snmpd daemon each time you make
changes to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
1. Type the following command to stop the daemon:
stopsrc -s snmpd
2. Type the following command to restart the daemon:
startsrc -s snmpd
Note: Simply refreshing the SNMPv3 agent will not work as it did in SNMPv1. If you make changes to
the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, you must stop and start the daemon as instructed above. The dynamic
configuration function supported in SNMPv3 will not allow you to refresh.
Creating users in SNMPv3

This scenario shows how to create a user in SNMPv3 by manually editing the /etc/snmpdv3.conf
and /etc/clsnmp.conf files.
User u1 will be created in this scenario. User u1 will be given authorization keys, but will not be given
privacy keys (which are available only if you have the snmp.crypto fileset installed). The HMAC-MD5
protocol will be used to create u1's authorization keys. After u1 is configured, it will be put into a group,
after which that group will have its view and access permissions defined. Finally, trap entries for u1 will be
created.
Each individual value used in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf and /etc/clsnmp.conf files must not exceed
32 bytes.
Things to Consider
Step 1. Create the user

1. Decide which security protocols you want to use, either HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA. In this scenario,
HMAC-MD5 will be used.
2. Generate the authentication keys by using the pwtokey command. Your output may look different
based on the authentication protocol you are using and if you are using privacy keys. These keys will
be used in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf and /etc/clsnmp.conf files. The command used for user u1
follows:
pwtokey -p HMAC-MD5 -u auth anypassword 9.3.230.119

The IP address specified is the IP address where the agent is running. The password can by any
password, but be sure to save it in a secure place for future use. The output should look similar to the
following:
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 authKey:

63960c12520dc8829d27f7fbaf5a0470
Display of 16 byte HMAC-MD5 localized authKey:

b3b6c6306d67e9c6f8e7e664a47ef9a0
3. With root authority, open the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file with your favorite text editor.
4. Create a user by adding a USM_USER entry following the format given in the file. The authKey value
will be the localized authentication key that was generated using the pwtokey command. The entry for
user u1 follows:
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# USM_USER entries
# Defines a user for the User-based Security Model (USM).
# Format is:
# userName engineID authProto authKey privProto privKey keyType storageType
#
USM_USER u1 - HMAC-MD5 b3b6c6306d67e9c6f8e7e664a47ef9a0 - - L -
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
• userName is the name of the user. In this case, it is u1.

• authProto must be the protocol that you used when you created the keys. In this case, it is
HMAC-MD5.
• authKey is the localized authentication key that was created using the pwtokey command.
• privProto and privkey are not specified because we are not using the privacy keys in this
scenario.
• keyType is L because we are using the localized authentication key.
5. Save and close the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
6. Open the /etc/clsnmp.conf file on the SNMP manager with your favorite text editor.
7. Add the new user according to the format given in the file. The entry for u1 follows:
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
#
# Format of entries:
# winSnmpName targetAgent admin secName password context secLevel authProto authKey
privProto privKey
#
user1 9.3.230.119 SNMPv3 u1 - - AuthNoPriv HMAC-MD5
63960c12520dc8829d27f7fbaf5a0470 - -
#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
• winSnmpName can be any value. This value will be used when making SNMP requests using the
clsnmp command.
• targetAgent is the IP address where the agent is running, which was also used in creating the
authentication keys.
• admin is set to SNMPv3 because we will be sending SNMPv3 requests.
• secName is the name of the user that you are creating. In this case, it is u1.
• seclevel is set to AuthNoPriv because it is being configured to use authentication but not privacy
(as a result, there are no values for privProto and privKey).
• authproto is set to the authentication protocol that was used in creating the authentication keys.
• authKey is the non-localized key that was generated by the pwtokey command.
8. Save and close the /etc/clsnmp.conf file.

Step 2. Configure the group
The user must now be placed in a group. If you already have a group that is configured with all of the view
and access permissions that you want to give this user, you can put this user in that group. If you want
to give this user view and access permissions that no other groups have, or if you do not have any groups
configured, create a group and add this user to it.
To add the user to a new group, create a new VACM_GROUP entry in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. The
group entry for u1 follows:
#--------------------------------------------------------------
# VACM_GROUP entries
# Defines a security group (made up of users or communities)
# for the View-based Access Control Model (VACM).
# Format is:
# groupName securityModel securityName storageType
#--------------------------------------------------------------
• groupName can be any name. It becomes that name of your group. In this case, it is group1.
• securityModel is set to USM, which takes advantage of the SNMPv3 security features.
• securityName is the name of the user. In this case, it is u1.
Step 3. Configure view and access permissions

The view and access permissions must be set for the new group that was just created. These permissions
are set by adding VACM_VIEW and VACM_ACCESS entries to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
1. Decide what view and access permissions you want the new group to have.
2. Add VACM_VIEW entries to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file to define what MIB objects the group can
access. In this scenario, group1 will have access to the interfaces, tcp, icmp, and system MIB
subtrees. However, we will restrict group1's access to the sysObjectID MIB variable within the
system MIB subtree.
#----------------------------------------------------------------
# VACM_VIEW entries
# Defines a particular set of MIB data, called a view, for the
# View-based Access Control Model.
# Format is:
# viewName viewSubtree viewMask viewType storageType
VACM_VIEW group1View interfaces - included -
VACM_VIEW group1View tcp - included -
VACM_VIEW group1View system - included -
VACM_VIEW group1View sysObjectID - excluded -
#----------------------------------------------------------------
• viewName is the name of the view. In this scenario, it is group1View.

• viewSubtree is the MIB subtree that you want to give access to.
• viewType determines whether the MIB subtrees defined are included in the view. In this case, all
subtrees are included, but the MIB variable sysObjectID, which is part of the system subtree, is
excluded.
3. Add a VACM_ACCESS entry to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file to define the permissions that the group
has to the MIB objects specified above. For group1, read only access is given.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
# VACM_ACCESS entries
# Identifies the access permitted to different security groups
# for the View-based Access Control Model.
# Format is:
# groupName contextPrefix contextMatch securityLevel securityModel readView writeView notifyView
storageType
VACM_ACCESS group1 - - AuthNoPriv USM group1View - group1View -
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

• groupName is the name of the group. In this case, it is group1.
• securityLevel is the level of security that is being used. In this scenario, authentication keys are
used but not privacy keys. The value is therefore set to AuthNoPriv.
• securityModel is the security model that you are using (SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, or USM). In this
scenario, it is set to USM to allow the SNMPv3 security features to be used.
• readView determines which VACM_VIEWs the group has read access to. In this scenario,
group1View is given, which gives group1 read access to the group1View VACM_VIEW entries.
• writeView determines which VACM_VIEWs the group has write access to. In this scenario, no write
access is given to group1.
• notifyView specifies the name of the view to be applied when a trap is performed under control of
the entry in the access table.
Note: In some cases, multiple VACM_ACCESS entries for one group may be necessary. If users
in the group have different authentication and privacy settings (noAuthNoPriv, AuthNoPriv, or
AuthPriv) multiple VACM_ACCESS entries are required with the securityLevel parameter set
accordingly.
Step 4. Configure trap entries for the user

Trap entries in SNMPv3 are created by adding NOTIFY, TARGET_ADDRESS and TARGET_PARAMETERS
entries to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. The TARGET_ADDRESS entry will specify where you want the
traps to be sent, and the TARGET_PARAMETERS entry will map the TARGET_ADDRESS information to
group1.
The NOTIFY entry has been configured by default. Following is the default NOTIFY entry:
NOTIFY notify1 traptag trap -
In this scenario, we use the value that is specified in the default entry, traptag.
1. Add a TARGET_ADDRESS entry to specify where you want traps to be sent.
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TARGET_ADDRESS
# Defines a management application's address and parameters
# to be used in sending notifications.
# Format is:
# targetAddrName tDomain tAddress tagList targetParams timeout retryCount storageType
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• targetAddrName can be any name. In this scenario, we used Target1.

• tAddress is the IP address where the traps for the group should be sent.
• tagList is the name configured in the NOTIFY entry. In this scenario, it is traptag.
• targetParams can be any value. We used is trapparms1, which will be used in the
TARGET_PARAMETERS entry.
2. Add a TARGET_PARAMETERS entry.
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TARGET_PARAMETERS
# Defines the message processing and security parameters
# to be used in sending notifications to a particular management target.
# Format is:
# paramsName mpModel securityModel securityName securityLevel storageType
#-------------------------------------------------------------------------
TARGET_PARAMETERS trapparms1 SNMPv3 USM u1 AuthNoPriv -
• paramsName is the same as the targetParams value in the TARGET_ADDRESS entry, which, in this
case, is trapparms1.
• mpModel is the version of SNMP being used.

• securityModel is the security model that you are using (SNMPv1, SNMPv3, or USM). In this
scenario, it is set to USM to allow the SNMPv3 security features to be used.
• securityName is the user name specified in the USM_USER entry, which, in this case, is u1.
• securityLevel is set to AuthNoPriv because we are using authentication keys but not privacy
keys.
Step 5. Stop and start the snmpd daemon

After making the changes the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, stop and the start the snmpd daemon.
1. Type the following command to stop the snmpd daemon:
stopsrc -s snmpd
2. Type the following command to start the snmpd daemon:
startsrc -s snmpd
The new settings will now take effect.

Note: Simply refreshing the SNMPv3 agent using refresh -s snmpd will not work as it did in SNMPv1.
If you make changes to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, you must stop and start the daemon as instructed
above. The dynamic configuration function supported in SNMPv3 will not allow you to refresh.
Step 6. Test your configuration

To verify that your configuration is correct, you can run the following command on the SNMP manager .
clsnmp -h user1 walk mib
where mib is a MIB subtree to which the user has access. In this scenario, it could be interfaces, tcp,
icmp, or system. If the configuration is correct, you will see the information from the specified subtree.
If you did not get the correct output, review the steps in this document and verify that you have entered
all information correctly.
SNMPv3 troubleshooting
These problems might be encountered using SNMPv3.
• While migrating, you need to migrate the community and SMUX entries defined in the /etc/
snmpd.conf file to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. For information on migrating this information, see
“Migrating from SNMPv1 to SNMPv3” on page 491.
• Requests are not generating any responses.
The most likely cause of this problem is a configuration error in either the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file
or the /etc/clsnmp.conf file, or both. Carefully review these files to ensure that all information is
entered correctly. For information on editing these files when creating new users, see “Creating users in
SNMPv3” on page 494.
• A new user was configured using both authentication and privacy keys, but an error message is returned
when using this user.
The most likely cause is that you are not running the SNMPv3 encrypted version. Follow these steps to
determine what version you are running:
1. Run ps -e|grep snmpd.
– If you receive no output, you probably need to start the snmpd daemon. Run startsrc -s
snmpd.
– If your output included snmpdv1, you are running SNMPv1. You will be able to make SNMPv1
requests when running this version.

– If your output included snmpdv3ne, you are running the SNMPv3 non-encrypted version. After
installing the AIX operating system, this version will be running by default. This version does not
allow you to use privacy keys.
– If your output included snmpdv3e, you are running the SNMPv3 encrypted version, which is a
separately-installable product. The SNMPv3 encrypted version is available on the AIX Expansion
Pack where allowed. The SNMPv3 encrypted version allows the use of privacy keys.
2. Determine if the version that you are running is the intended version. If it is not, use the
snmpv3_ssw command to change the version as follows:
– snmpv3_ssw -1 will switch to SNMPv1
– snmpv3_ssw -n will switch to SNMPv3 non-encrypted
– snmpv3_ssw -e will switch to SNMPv3 encrypted if it is installed
• After making changes to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file and refreshing the daemon, my changes are not
taking effect.
After making changes to the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, the SNMP daemon must be stopped and
started. Refreshing the daemon will not work. Use the following procedure:
1. Stop the SNMP daemon by running stopsrc -s snmpd.
2. Start the SNMP daemon by running startsrc -s snmpd.
• The DPI2 subagent is started, but no MIB variables can be queried from it.
The most likely cause is that the public community is not configured in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file.
By default, and DPI2 subagent shipped with AIX uses the community name public to connect itself to
the SNMP agent. The public community is configured in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file by default. If
you have removed the public community from the /etc/snmpd.conf file, add the following lines to
the file:
VACM_GROUP group1 SNMPv1 public -

VACM_VIEW defaultView 1.3.6.1.4.1.2.2.1.1.1.0 - included -
COMMUNITY public public noAuthNoPriv 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 -
1.3.6.1.4.1.2.2.1.1.1.0 is the OID for dpiPortForTCP.0.

• MIB variables managed by the SMUX peer that could be queried before migration can no longer be
queried.
Ensure that your SMUX entry is present in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file and the /etc/snmpd.peers
file. If you configure new SMUX peers, ensure that they are entered in both of these files as well.
• A personal set of MIB variables was implemented, but the variables cannot be included or excluded
from viewing by other users.
In the VACM_VIEW entry in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file, you must specify the OID of the MIB variable
rather than the MIB variable name.
• Receiving traps are not being received.
Ensure that you have configured the trap entries correctly in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file. In addition,
if the trap is an SNMPv3 trap, the /etc/clsnmp.conf file must also be configured. For instructions on
configuring traps, see “Creating users in SNMPv3” on page 494.
In addition, make sure that the machine specified to receive traps (in the /etc/snmpdv3.conf file)
is listening for them. You can start this process by running clsnmp trap on the command line of the
receiving machine.
• Why is the DPI2 server not running in the SNMPv3 environment?
In the SNMPv3 architecture, the SNMPv3 agent itself runs the DPI2 server. See “SNMPv3 architecture”
on page 483 for more information.

SNMPv1
This information is specific to SNMPv1. When using SNMPv1, the snmpd agent uses a simple
authentication scheme to determine which Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) manager
stations can access its Management Information Base (MIB) variables.
This authentication scheme involves the specification of SNMP access policies for SNMPv1. An SNMP
access policy is an administrative relationship involving an association among an SNMP community, an
access mode, and an MIB view.
An SNMP community is a group of one or more hosts and a community name. A community name is
a string of octets that an SNMP manager must embed in an SNMP request packet for authentication
purposes.
The access mode specifies the access the hosts in the community are allowed with respect to retrieving
and modifying the MIB variables from a specific SNMP agent. The access mode must be one of the
following: none, read-only, read-write, or write-only.
A MIB view defines one or more MIB subtrees that a specific SNMP community can access. The MIB view
can be the entire MIB tree or a limited subset of the entire MIB tree.
When the SNMP agent receives a request, the agent verifies the community name with the requesting
host IP address to determine if the requesting host is a member of the SNMP community identified by
the community name. If the requesting host is a member of the SNMP community, the SNMP agent
then determines if the requesting host is allowed the specified access for the specified MIB variables
as defined in the access policy associated with that community. If all criteria are met, the SNMP agent
attempts to honor the request. Otherwise, the SNMP agent generates an authenticationFailure trap or
returns the appropriate error message to the requesting host.
The SNMPv1 access policies for the snmpd agent are user-configurable and are specified in the /etc/
snmpd.conf file. To configure the SNMP access policies for the snmpd agent, see the /etc/
snmpd.conf file in Files Reference.
SNMP daemon configuration

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) daemon is a background server process that can be
run on any Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) workstation host.
The daemon, acting as SNMP agent, receives, authenticates, and processes SNMP requests from
manager applications. See Simple Network Management Protocol, How a Manager Functions, and How an
Agent Functions in Communications Programming Concepts for more detailed information on agent and
manager functions.
Note: The terms SNMP daemon, SNMP agent, and agent are used interchangeably.
The snmpd daemon requires the loopback TCP/IP interface to be active for minimal configuration. Enter
the following command before starting TCP/IP:
ifconfig lo0 loopback up
The SNMP daemon will attempt to bind sockets to certain well-known User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports, which must be defined in the /etc/services file as
follows:
snmp 161/udp
snmp-trap 162/udp
smux 199/tcp
The snmp service must be assigned port 161, as required by RFC 1157. The /etc/services file assigns
ports 161, 162, and 199 to these services. If the /etc/services file is being serviced off another
machine, these assigned ports must be made available in the served /etc/services file on the server
before the SNMP daemon can run.

The SNMP daemon reads the configuration file on the running SNMP version on startup and when a
refresh command (if the snmpd daemon is invoked under System Resource Controller control) or kill
-1 signal is issued.
/etc/snmpd.conf file
The /etc/snmpd.conf configuration file specifies community names and associated access privileges
and views, hosts for trap notification, logging attributes, snmpd-specific parameter configurations, and
single multiplexer (SMUX) configurations for the SNMP daemon for SNMPv1.
See the /etc/snmpd.conf file in Files Reference for more information.
SNMP daemon processing

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) daemon processes SNMP requests from manager
applications.
Read Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), How a Manager Functions, and How an Agent
Functions in Communications Programming Concepts for more detailed information on agent and manager
functions.
SNMP message processing and authentication

All requests, traps, and responses are transmitted in the form of ASN.1-encoded messages.
A message, as defined by RFC 1157, has the following structure:
Version Community PDU
where Version is the SNMP version (currently version 1), Community is the community name, and PDU is
the protocol data unit that contains the SNMP request, response, or trap data. A PDU is also encoded
according to ASN.1 rules.
Figure 27. The primary parts of the SNMPv1 architecture
This illustration shows and example of the SNMPv1 architecture. The DPI2 subagent, smux peer, SNMP
manager, and SNMP agent are shown. In addition, how they communicate with each other is shown.
The SNMP daemon receives and transmits all SNMP protocol messages through the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Requests are accepted
on well-known port 161. Traps are transmitted to the hosts listed in the trap entries in the /etc/
snmpd.conf file that are listening on well-known port 162.
When a request is received, the source IP address and the community name are checked against a list
containing the IP addresses, community names, permissions, and views as specified in the community
and view entries in the /etc/snmpd.conf file. The snmpd agent reads this file at startup and on a
refresh command or a kill -1 signal. If no matching entry is found, the request is ignored. If a
matching entry is found, access is allowed according to the permissions specified in the community and
view entries for that IP address, community, and view name association in the /etc/snmpd.conf file.
Both the message and the PDU must be encoded according to the ASN.1 rules.

This authentication scheme is not intended to provide full security. If the SNMP daemon is used only for
get and get-next requests, security might not be a problem. If set requests are allowed, the set privilege
can be restricted.
See the /etc/snmpd.conf file in Files Reference for further information. See Management Information
Base (MIB) in Communications Programming Concepts for further information.
SNMP request processing

There are three types of request PDUs that can be received by the SNMP daemon.
The request types are defined in RFC 1157, and the PDUs all have the following format:
Table 84. Request PDU format

request-ID error-status error-index variable-bindings
GET 0 0 VarBindList
GET-NEXT 0 0 VarBindList
SET 0 0 VarBindList
The request-ID field identifies the nature of the request; the error-status field and error-index field are
unused and must be set to 0 (zero); and the variable-bindings field contains a variable-length list of
numeric-format instance IDs whose values are being requested. If the value of the request-ID field is SET,
the variable-bindings field is a list of pairs of instance IDs and values.
Read Using the Management Information Base (MIB) Database in Communications Programming Concepts
for a discussion of the three request types.
SNMP response processing

Response PDUs have nearly the same format as request PDUs.
Table 85. Response PDU format

request-ID error-status error-index variable-bindings
GET-RESPONSE ErrorStatus ErrorIndex VarBindList
If the request was successfully processed, the value for both the error-status and error-index field is 0
(zero), and the variable-bindings field contains a complete list of pairs of instance IDs and values.
If any instance ID in the variable-bindings field of the request PDU was not successfully processed,
the SNMP agent stops processing, writes the index of the failing instance ID into the error-index field,
records an error code in the error-status field, and copies the partially completed result list into the
variable-bindings field.
RFC 1157 defines the following values for the error-status field:
Table 86. Values for the error-status field

Value Value Explanation
noError 0 Processing successfully
completed (error-index is 0).
tooBig 1 The size of the response
PDU would exceed an
implementation-defined limit
(error-index is 0).

Table 86. Values for the error-status field (continued)
Value Value Explanation
noSuchName 2 An instance ID does not exist in
the relevant MIB view for GET
and SET request types or has no
successor in the MIB tree in the
relevant MIB view for GET-NEXT
requests (nonzero error-index).
badValue 3 For SET requests only, a
specified value is syntactically
incompatible with the type
attribute of the corresponding
instance ID (nonzero error-
index).
readOnly 4 Not defined.
genErr 5 An implementation-defined error
occurred (nonzero error- index);
for example, an attempt to
assign a value that exceeds
implementation limits.
SNMP trap processing

Trap PDUs are defined by RFC 1157 to have the format shown in this table.
Table 87. Trap PDU format

enterprise agent-address generic-trap specific-trap time- variable-bindings
stamp
Object ID Integer Integer Integer TimeTicks VarBindList
The fields are used as follows:
Item Description
enterprise The object identifier assigned to the vendor implementing the agent.
This is the value of the sysObjectID variable, and it is unique
for each implementer of an SNMP agent. The value assigned to
this implementation of the agent is 1.3.6.1.4.1.2.3.1.2.1.1.3, or
risc6000snmpd.3.
agent-address IP address of the object generating the trap.

Item Description
generic-trap Integer, as follows:
0
coldStart
1
warmStart
2
linkDown
3
linkUp
4
authenticationFailure
5
egpNeighborLoss
6
enterpriseSpecific
specific-trap Unused, reserved for future development.

time-stamp Elapsed time, in hundredths of a second, from the last reinitialization of
the agent to the event generating the trap.
variable-bindings Extra information, dependent on generic-trap type.
The following generic-trap values indicate that certain system events have been detected:
Item Description
coldStart The agent is reinitializing. Configuration data or MIB variable
values, or both, might have changed. Restart the measurement
epochs.
warmStart The agent is reinitializing but configuration data or MIB variable
values have not changed. In this implementation of the SNMP
agent, a warmStart trap is generated when the /etc/snmpd.conf
file is reread. The configuration information in the /etc/
snmpd.conf file is for agent configuration that has no side effects
on SNMP manager databases. Measurement epochs should not be
restarted.
linkDown The agent has detected that a known communications interface
has been disabled.
linkUp The agent has detected that a known communications interface
has been enabled.
authenticationFailure A message was received that could not be authenticated.
egpNeighborLoss An Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) neighbor was lost. This value
is only generated when the agent is running on a host that runs the
gated daemon using EGP.
enterpriseSpecific Not implemented; reserved for future use.
The linkDown and linkUp traps contain a single instance ID/value pair in the variable-bindings list. The
instance ID identifies the ifIndex of the adapter that was disabled or enabled, and the value is the ifIndex
value. The trap for egpNeighborLoss also contains a binding consisting of the instance ID and value of
egpNeighAddr for the lost neighbor.

SNMP daemon support for the EGP family of MIB variables
If the agent host is running the gated daemon with the Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) enabled, there
are several Management Information Base (MIB) variables in the EGP group supported by the gated
daemon which the snmpd agent can access.
The following EGP MIB variables have a single, unique instance:
Item Description
egpInMsgs Number of EGP messages received without error.
egpInErrors Number of EGP messages received in error.
egpOutMsgs Total number of EGP messages transmitted by the gated daemon running on the
agent's host.
egpOutErrors Number of EGP messages that could not be sent by the agent host gated daemon
because of resource limitations.
egpAs Autonomous system number of the agent host gated daemon.
The following EGP MIB variables have an instance for each EGP peer or neighbor acquired by the agent
host gated daemon:
Item Description
egpNeighState The state of this EGP peer:
1
idle
2
acquisition
3
down
4
up
5
cease.
egpNeighAddr IP address of this EGP peer.

egpNeighAs Autonomous system number of this EGP peer. Zero (0) indicates
the autonomous system number of this peer is not yet known.
egpInNeighMsgs Number of EGP messages received without error from this EGP
peer.
egpNeighInErrs Number of EGP messages received in error from this EGP peer.
egpNeighOutMsgs Number of locally generated EGP messages to this EGP peer.
egpNeighOutErrs Number of locally generated EGP messages not sent to this EGP
peer because of resource limitations.
egpNeighInErrMsgs Number of EGP-defined error messages received from this EGP
peer
egpNeighOutErrMsgs Number of EGP-defined error messages sent to this EGP peer.
egpNeighStateUp Number of EGP state transitions to the UP state with this EGP peer.
egpNeighStateDowns Number of EGP state transitions from the UP state to any other
state with this EGP peer.

Item Description
egpNeighIntervalHello Interval between EGP Hello command retransmissions in
hundredths of a second.
egpNeighIntervalPoll Interval between EGP poll command retransmissions in
hundredths of a second.
egpNeighMode Polling mode of this EGP peer. The mode can be either active (1) or
passive (2).
egpNeighEventTrigger Control variable triggers operator-initiated start and stop events to
this EGP peer. This MIB variable can be set to start (1) or stop (2).
If the gated daemon is not running, or if the gated daemon is running but is not configured to
communicate with the snmpd agent, or if the gated daemon is not configured for EGP, get and set
requests for the values of these variables will return the noSuchName error response code.
The gated daemon configuration file, /etc/gated.conf, should contain the following statement:
snmp yes;
The gated daemon is internally configured to be an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
single multiplexer (SMUX) protocol peer, or proxy agent, of the snmpd daemon. When the gated daemon
starts up, it registers the ipRouteTable MIB variable tree with the snmpd agent. If the gated daemon
is configured for EGP, then thegated daemon also registers the EGP MIB variable tree. After this
registration is complete, an SNMP manager can successfully make requests to the snmpd agent for
the ipRouteTable an EGP MIB variables supported by this agent host gated daemon. When the gated
daemon is running, all MIB routing information is obtained using the gated daemon. In this case, set
requests to the ipRouteTable are not allowed.
The SMUX communication between the gated daemon and the snmpd daemon takes place over the
well-known Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port 199. If the gated daemon terminates, snmpd
immediately unregisters the trees the gated daemon previously registered. If the gated daemon is
started before the snmpd daemon, the gated daemon periodically checks for the snmpd daemon until the
SMUX association can be established.
To configure the snmpd agent to recognize and allow the SMUX association with the gated daemon
client, the user must add a SMUX entry to the /etc/snmpd.conf file. The client object identifier and
password specified in this SMUX entry for the gated daemon must match those specified in the /etc/
snmpd.peers file.
The snmpd agent supports set requests for the following read-write MIB I and MIB II variables:
sysContact
The textual identification of the contact person for this agent host. This information includes the name
of this person and how to contact this person: for example, "Bob Smith, 555-5555, ext 5." The value
is limited to 256 characters. If, for a set request, the string for this MIB variable is greater than 256
characters, the snmpd agent will return the error badValue, and the set operation is not performed.
The initial value of sysContact is defined in /etc.snmp.conf. If nothing is defined, the value is null
string.
Instance Value Action

0 "string" The MIB variable is set to "string".
sysName
The host name for this agent host. Typically this is the fully qualified domain name of the node. The
value is limited to 256 characters. If, for a set request, the string for this MIB variable is greater than
256 characters, the snmpd agent returns the error badValue, and the set operation is not performed.

sysLocation
A textual string stating the physical location of the machine on which this snmpd agent resides: for
example, "Austin site, building 802, lab 3C-23." The value is limited to 256 characters. If, for a set
request, the string for this MIB variable is greater than 256 characters, the snmpd agent returns the
error badValue, and the set operation is not performed. The initial value of sysLocation is defined
in /etc/snmp.conf. If nothing is defined, the value is null string.

ifAdminStatus
The desired state of an interface adapter on the agent's host. Supported states are up and down. The
state can be set to testing but such an action has no effect on the operational state of the interface.

f 1 The interface adapter with ifIndex f is enabled.
Note: It is possible that the ifAdminStatus value can be set to up or down, yet the actual operational
change of the interface failed. In such a case, a get request of the ifAdminStatus might reflect up
while an ifOperStatus for that interface might reflect down. If such a situation occurs, the network
administrator would issue another set request to set ifAdminStatus to up to attempt the operational
change again.
atPhysAddress
The hardware address portion of an address table binding on the agent host (an entry in the Address
Resolution Protocol table). This is the same MIB variable as ipNetToMediaPhysAddress.

f.1.n.n.n.n hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh For the interface with ifIndex
f, any existing ARP table
binding for IP address n.n.n.n
is replaced with the binding
(n.n.n.n, hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh).
If a binding did not exist,
the new binding is added.
hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh is a twelve-
hexadecimal-digit hardware
address.
atN0etAddress
The IP address corresponding to the hardware or physical address specified in atPhysAddress. This is
the same MIB variable as ipNetToMediaNetAddress.

f.1.n.n.n.n m.m.m.m For the interface with ifIndex f,
an existing ARP table entry for
IP address n.n.n.n is replaced
with IP address m.m.m.m.
ipForwarding
Indicates whether this agent host is forwarding datagrams.

Table 88. ipforwarding
0 1 If the agent host has more
than one active interface, then
the TCP/IP kernel is configured
to forward packets. If the
agent host has only one active
interface, the set request fails.
0 2 The TCP/IP kernel on the agent
host is configured to not forward
packets.
ipDefaultTTL
The default time-to-live (TTL) value inserted into IP headers of datagrams originated by the agent
host.

0 n The default time-to-live value
used by IP protocol support is
set to the integer n.
ipRouteDest
The destination IP address of a route in the route table.

n.n.n.n m.m.m.m The destination route for route
n.n.n.n is set to the IP address
m.m.m.m.
ipRouteNextHop
The gateway by which a destination IP address can be reached from the agent host (an entry in the
route table).

n.n.n.n m.m.m.m A route table entry to reach
network n.n.n.n using gateway
m.m.m.m is added to the route
table. The host portion of the
IP address n.n.n.n must be 0 to
indicate a network address.
ipRouteType
The state of a route table entry on the agent host (used to delete entries).

h.h.h.h 1 Any route to host IP address h.h.h.h is deleted.
n.n.n.n 2 Any route to host IP address n.n.n.n is deleted.
ipNetToMediaPhysAddress
The hardware address portion of an address table binding on the agent host (an entry in the ARP
table). This is the same MIB variable as atPhysAddress.

f.1.n.n.n.n hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh For the interface with ifIndex
f, any existing ARP table
binding for IP address n.n.n.n
is replaced with the binding
(n.n.n.n, hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh).
If a binding did not exist,
the new binding is added.
hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh is a 12-
hexadecimal-digit hardware
address.
ipNetToMediaNetAddress
The IP address corresponding to the hardware or physical address specified in
ipNetToMediaPhysAddress. This is the same MIB variable as atNetAddress.

f.1.n.n.n.n m.m.m.m For the interface with ifIndex f, an existing ARP table
entry for IP address n.n.n.n is replaced with IP address
m.m.m.m.
ipNetToMediaType
The type of mapping from the IP address to the physical address.

f.1.n.n.n.n 1 For the interface with ifIndex f, for an existing ARP binding
from IP address to physical address, the mapping type is
set to 1, or other.
set to 2, or invalid. As a side effect, the corresponding entry
in the ipNetMediaTable is invalidated; that is, the interface
is disassociated from this ipNetToMediaTable entry.
set to 3, or dynamic.
set to 4, or static.
snmpEnableAuthenTraps
Indicates whether the snmpd agent is configured to generate authenticationFailure traps.

0 1 The snmpd agent will generate authentication failure traps.
0 2 The snmpd agent will not generate authentication failure
traps.
smuxPstatus
The status of an SMUX protocol peer (used to delete SMUX peers).

n 1 snmpd agent does nothing.
n 2 snmpd agent stops communicating with SMUX peer n.
smuxTstatus
The status of a SMUX MIB tree (used to delete MIB tree mounts).

l.m.m.m._ _ _ .p 1 snmpd agent does nothing.
l.m.m.m._ _ _ .p 2 Unmounts SMUX mounting of MIB tree m.m.m... where l is
the length of MIB tree instance and p is the smuxTpriority.
The following variables are the settable variables as defined in RFC 1229. The snmpd daemon allows the
user to set these variables. The underlying device might not allow the setting of such variables. Check
with each device to see what is and is not supported.
ifExtnsPromiscuous
The status of the promiscuous mode on a given device. This is used to enable and disable
promiscuous mode on a given device. The snmpd action is final and complete. When snmpd is told
to turn off, promiscuous mode is turned completely off regardless of the other applications on the
machine.

n 1 Turns on the promiscuous mode for device n.
n 2 Turns off the promiscuous mode for device n.
ifExtnsTestType
The test initiation variable. When this variable is set, the appropriate test is run for that device. An
Object Identifier is the value of the variable. The specific value is dependent on the device type
and the test that is to be run. Currently, the only defined test that snmpd knows to run is the
testFullDuplexLoopBack test.

n oid Start the test specified by oid.
ifExtnsRcvAddrStatus
The address status variable. When this variable is set, the specified address comes into existence with
the appropriate level of duration. snmpd only allows the setting of temporary addresses because it is
not able to set device Object Data Manager (ODM) records and it is only allowed to set multicast or
broadcast addresses.

n.m.m.m.m.m. 1 Add the address as something other than a temporary or
m permanent address.
n.m.m.m.m.m. 2 Remove the address from usage.
m
n.m.m.m.m.m. 3 Add the address as a temporary address.
m
n.m.m.m.m.m. 4 Add the address as a permanent address.
m

The variables listed below are the settable variables as defined in RFC 1231. The snmpd daemon allows
the user to set these variables. The underlying device might not allow the setting of such variables. You
should check with each device to see what is supported.
dot5Commands
The command the token-ring device is to perform.

n 1 Does nothing. Returned.
n 2 Tells the token-ring device to open.
n 3 Tells the token-ring to reset.
n 4 Tells the token-ring device to close.
dot5RingSpeed
The current ring speed or bandwidth.

n 1 An unknown speed.
n 2 1 megabit ring speed.
dot5ActMonParticipate
The object specifies whether the device participates in the active monitor selection process.

n 1 Participates.
n 2 Not participate.
dot5Functional
The functional mask that allows the token-ring device to specify what addresses it receives frames
from.

n m.m.m.m.m.m Functional mask to be set.
The following complex timer manipulations variables are defined in the RFC as read-only but you are
encouraged to make them read-write. Review the RFC to gain a full understanding of their interactions.
snmpd allows the requestor to set them, but the device might not. Check the device driver documentation
for more information. The variables are:
• dot5TimerReturnRepeat
• dot5TimerHolding
• dot5TimerQueuePDU
• dot5TimerValidTransmit
• dot5TimerNoToken
• dot5TimerActiveMon
• dot5TimerStandbyMon
• dot5TimerErrorReport
• dot5TimerBeaconTransmit

• dot5TimerBeaconReceive.
The SNMP daemon allows the user to set the following variables. The daemon uses the FDDI Station
Management (SMT) 7.2 protocol standard to get the information and is determined at the microcode level.
Check the microcode on the FDDI documentation to ensure that the SMT 7.2 microcode is being used.
fddimibSMTUserData
A variable holding 32 bytes of user information.

n string Stores 32 bytes of user information.
fddimibSMTConfigPolicy
The status of the configuration policies, specifically the hold policy usage.

n 0 Do not use the hold policy.
n 1 Use the hold policy.
fddimibSMTConnectionPolicy
The status of the connection policies in the FDDI node. See RFC 1512 for more information about the
specific settable values.

n k Defines the connection policies.
fddimibSMTTNotify
The timer, expressed in seconds, used in the Neighbor Notification protocol. It has a range of 2
seconds to 30 seconds, and its default value is 30 seconds.

n k Defines the timer value.
fddimibSMTStatRptPolicy
The status of the status reporting frame generation.

n 1 Indicates that the node
generates status reporting
frames for implemented events.
n 2 Indicates that the node does
not create status reporting
frames.
fddimibSMTTraceMaxExpiration
This variable defines the maximum timer expiration value for trace.

n k Defines the maximum timer
expiration in milliseconds.
fddimibSMTStationAction
This variable causes the SMT entity to take a specific action. See the RFC to get specific information
about this variable.

n k Defines an action on the SMT
entity. Values range from 1 to 8.
fddimibMACRequestedPaths
Defines the paths the medium access control (MAC) should be inserted.

n.n k Defines the requested path for the MAC.
fddimibMACFrameErrorThreshold
Threshold for when a MAC status report is generated. Defines the number of error that must occur
before a report is generated.

n.n k Defines the number of errors
that must be observed before a
MAC status report is generated.
fddimibMACMAUnitdataEnable
This variable determines the value of the MA_UNITDATA_Enable flag in RMT. The default and initial
value of this flag is true (1).

n.n 1 Marks the MA_UNITDATA_Enable flag true.
n.n 2 Marks the MA_UNITDATA_Enable flag false.
fddimibMACNotCopiedThreshold
A threshold for determining when a MAC condition report is generated.

n.n k Defines the number of errors
that must be observed before
a MAC condition report is
generated.
The following three variables are timer variables that are interactive among themselves. Before changing
any of these variables, you should have a good understanding of their meaning as defined in RFC 1512.
• fddimibPATHTVXLowerBound
• fddimibPATHTMaxLowerBound
• fddimibPATHMaxTReq
fddimibPORTConnectionPolicies
Specifies the connection policies for the specified port.

n.n k Defines the connection policies
for the specified port.
fddimibPORTRequestedPaths
This variable is a list of permitted paths where each list element defines the port permitted paths. The
first octet corresponds to `none', the second octet to `tree', and the third octet to `peer'.

n.n ccc Defines the port paths.
fddimibPORTLerCutoff
The link error rate estimate at which a link connection is broken. It ranges from 10**-4 to 10**-15 and
is reported as the absolute value of the base 10 logarithm (default of 7).
Item Descripti
on
n.n k Defines the port LerCutoff.
fddimibPORTLerAlarm
The link error rate estimate at which a link connection generates an alarm. It ranges from 10**-4 to
10**-15 and is reported as the absolute value of the base 10 logarithm of the estimate (default is 8).

n.n k Defines the port LerAlarm.
fddimibPORTAction
This variable causes the port to take a specific action. See the RFC to get specific information about
this variable.

n k Defines an action on the defined
port. The values range from 1 to
6.
Note: RFC 1213 describes all variables in the atEntry and ipNetToMediaEntry tables as read-write.
Set support is implemented only for the atEntry variables atPhysAddress and atNetAddress, and the
ipNetToMediaEntry variables ipNetToMediaPhysAddress, ipNetToMediaNetAddress, and ipNetToMediaType.
To accept set requests that might specify the remaining unsupported attributes in these two tables,
set requests for the remaining variables are accepted in atIfIndex and ipNetToMediaIfIndex. No error
response is returned to the set request originator, but a subsequent get request will show that the original
values are retained.
In the ipRouteEntry table, RFC 1213 describes all variables except ipRouteProtoas read-write. As
mentioned above, set support is implemented only for the variables ipRouteDest, ipRouteNextHop, and
ipRouteType. To accept set requests that might specify several unsupported route attributes, set requests
for the remaining variables in the ipRouteEntry table are accepted: ipRouteIfIndex, ipRouteMetric1,
ipRouteMetric2, ipRouteMetric3, ipRouteMetric4, ipRouteMetric5, ipRouteAge, and ipRouteMask. No error
response is returned to the set request originator, but a subsequent get request will show that the original
values are retained. The snmpd daemon does not coordinate routing with the routed daemon. If the
gated daemon is running and has registered the ipRouteTable with the snmpd daemon, set requests to
the ipRouteTable are not allowed.
RFC 1229 describes settable variables that snmpd allows. See the previous entries for actual deviations.
The following examples use the snmpinfo command. It is assumed that the snmpinfo default
community name, public, has read-write access for the respective MIB subtree.
snmpinfo -m set sysContact.0="Primary contact: Bob Smith, office phone: 555-5555,

beeper: 9-123-4567. Secondary contact: John Harris, phone: 555-1234."
This command sets the value of sysContact.0 to the specified string. If an entry for sysContact.0
already exists, it is replaced.

snmpinfo -m set sysName.0="bears.austin.ibm.com"
This command sets the value of sysName.0 to the specified string. If an entry for sysName.0 already
exists, it is replaced.
snmpinfo -m set sysLocation.0="Austin site, building 802, lab 3C-23, southeast

corner of the room."
This command sets the value of sysLocation.0 to the specified string. If an entry for sysLocation.0
already exists, it is replaced.
snmpinfo -m set ifAdminStatus.2=2
This command disables the network interface adapter which has the ifIndex of 2. If the assigned value is
1, the interface adapter is enabled.
snmpinfo -m set atPhysAddress.2.1.192.100.154.2=02:60:8c:2e:c2:00

snmpinfo -m set ipNetToMediaPhysAddress.2.1.192.100.154.2=02:60:8c:2e:c2:00
These two commands change the hardware address in the ARP table entry for 192.100.154.2
to 02:60:8c:2e:c2:00. These two commands affect the same ARP table entry. The MIB
variable atPhysAddress is a deprecated variable and is being replaced with the MIB variable
ipNetToMediaPhysAddress. Thus, atPhysAddress and ipNetToMediaPhysAddress access the same
structure in the TCP/IP kernel ARP table.
snmpinfo -m set atNetAddress.2.1.192.100.154.2=192.100.154.3

snmpinfo -m set ipNetToMediaNetAddress.2.1.192.100.154.2=192.100.154.3
These commands change the IP address in the ARP table entry for 192.100.154.2 to 192.100.154.3.
These two commands affect the same ARP table entry. The MIB variable atNetAddress is a deprecated
variable and is being replaced with the MIB variable ipNetToMediaNetAddress. Thus, atNetAddress and
ipNetToMediaNetAddress access the same structure in the TCP/IP kernel ARP table.
snmpinfo -m set ipForwarding.0=1
This command sets the TCP/IP kernel so that it can forward packets if the agent host has more than one
interface that is up. If the host has only one active interface, then the set request fails and the snmpd
agent returns the error, badValue.
snmpinfo -m set ipDefaultTTL=50
This command allows an IP datagram using default time-to-live (TTL) to pass through up to 50 gateways
before being discarded. When each gateway processes a datagram, the gateway subtracts 1 from the
time-to-live field. In addition, each gateway decrements the time-to-live field by the number of seconds
the datagram waited for service at that gateway before passing the datagram on to the next destination.
snmpinfo -m set ipRouteDest.192.100.154.0=192.100.154.5
This command sets the destination IP address of the route associated with 192.100.154.0 to the IP
address 192.100.154.5, assuming route 192.100.154 already existed.
snmpinfo -m set ipRouteNextHop.192.100.154.1=129.35.38.47
This command sets a route to host 192.100.154.1 using the gateway host 129.35.38.47, assuming
route 192.100.154.1 already existed.
snmpinfo -m set ipRouteNextHop.192.100.154.0=192.100.154.7
This command sets a route to the class C network 192.100.154 using the gateway host
192.100.154.7, assuming route 192.100.154.0 already existed. Note that the host part of the
address must be 0 to indicate a network address.

snmpinfo -m set ipRouteType.192.100.154.5=2
This command deletes any route to host 192.100.154.5.
snmpinfo -m set ipRouteDest.129.35.128.1=129.35.128.1

ipRouteType.129.35.128.1=3
ipRouteNextHop.129.35.128.1=129.35.128.90
This command creates a new route from host 129.35.128.90 to 129.35.128.1 as a gateway.
snmpinfo -m set ipNetToMediaType.2.1.192.100.154.11=4
This command sets the ARP table entry for 192.100.154.11 to static.
snmpinfo -m set snmpEnableAuthenTraps=2
This command causes the snmpd agent on the specified host to not generate authenticationFailure traps.
snmpinfo -m set smuxPstatus.1=2
This command invalidates the SMUX peer 1. The result is that the connection between the snmpd agent
and this SMUX peer is terminated.
snmpinfo -m set smuxTstatus.8.1.3.6.1.2.1.4.21.0=2
This command invalidates or removes the mounting of the SMUX tree 1.3.6.1.2.1.4.21, the ipRoute
Table. The first number in the instance indicates the number of levels in the SMUX tree identifier. The final
number in the instance indicates the smuxTpriority. In this example, there are 8 levels in the SMUX tree
identifier: 1.3.6.1.2.1.4.21. The priority, 0, is the highest priority.
snmpinfo -m set ifExtnsPromiscuous.1=1 ifExtnsPromiscuous.2=2
This command turns on promiscuous mode for the first device in the interfaces table and turns off
promiscuous mode for the second device in the interfaces table.
snmpinfo -m set ifExtnsTestType.1=testFullDuplexLoopBack
This command starts the testFullDuplexLoopBack test on interface 1.
snmpinfo -m set ifExtnsRcvAddrStatus.1.129.35.128.1.3.2=2
This command tells interface 1 to remove physical address 129.35.128.1.3.2 from its list of
acceptable addresses.
snmpinfo -m set dot5Commands.1=2
This command tells the first interface to do an open.
snmpinfo -m set dot5RingSpeed.1=2
This command tells the first interface to set it ring speed to 1 megabit.
snmpinfo -m set dot5ActMonParticipate.1=1
This command tells the first interface to participate in the active monitor selection process.
snmpinfo -m set dot5Functional.1=255.255.255.255.255.255
This command sets the functional address mask to allow everything.
snmpinfo -m set fddimibSMTUserData.1="Greg's Data"

This command sets the user data on the first SMT entity to "Greg's Data".
snmpinfo -m set fddimibMACFrameErrorThreshold.1.1=345
This command sets the threshold for frame errors to 345 on the first MAC of the first SMT entity.
Note: All of the variables described previously fall into one of the listed methods used to set the variable.
See “Address Resolution Protocol” on page 142 and “Internet addresses” on page 168 for more
information on protocols and Internet addresses.
SNMP daemon troubleshooting

Troubleshooting tips for the SNMP daemon include solving termination problems, MIB variable access
problems, MIB variable access in community entry problems, noSuchName problems, no response from
agent problems, and daemon failures.
Daemon termination problem
If the snmpd agent is not behaving as expected, the following are some hints to help determine and
correct the problem. It is strongly recommended that you start up the snmpd agent with some type of
logging. If invoking the snmpd daemon causes problems, it is strongly recommended that the syslogd
daemon be set up for logging at the daemon facility and DEBUG severity level.
If the snmpd daemon terminates as soon as it is invoked, the following are possible reasons for failure and
probable solutions:
• The reason the snmpd daemon terminated will be logged in the snmpd log file or the configured
syslogd log file. Check the log file to see the FATAL error message.
Solution: Correct the problem and restart the snmpd daemon.
• The snmpd command line usage was incorrect. If the snmpd command was invoked without the System
Resource Controller (SRC), the required usage statement is echoed to the screen. If the snmpd daemon
was invoked under SRC control, the usage message is not echoed to the screen. Check the log file to see
the usage message.
Solution: Invoke the snmpd command with the correct usage statement.
• The snmpd daemon must be invoked by the root user.
Solution: Switch to the root user and restart the snmpd daemon.
• The snmpd.conf file must be owned by the root user. The snmpd agent verifies the ownership of the
configuration file. If the file is not owned by the root user, the snmpd agent terminates with a fatal error.
Solution: Make sure you are the root user, change the ownership of the configuration file to the root user,
and restart the snmpd daemon.
• The snmpd.conf file must exist. If the -c flag is not specified in the configuration file on the snmpd
command line, the /etc/snmpd.conf file does not exist. If the /etc/snmpd.conf file is accidentally
removed, reinstall the bos.net.tcp.client image or else reconstruct the file with the appropriate
configuration entries as defined in the snmpd.conf file management page. If the configuration file is
specified with the-c flag on the snmpd command line, make sure that the file exists and that the file is
owned by the root user. The full path and file name of the configuration file must be specified or else the
default /etc/snmpd.conf file will be used.
Solution: Make sure the specified configuration file exists and that this file is owned by the root user.
Restart the snmpd daemon.
• The udp port 161 is already bound. Make sure that the snmpd daemon is not already running.
Issue the ps -eaf | grep snmpd command to determine if an snmpd daemon process is already
executing. Only one snmpd agent can bind to udp port 161.
Solution: Either kill the existing snmpd agent or do not try to start up another snmpd daemon process.
Daemon failure problem

If the snmpd daemon fails when you issue a refresh or a kill -1 signal, the following are possible
reasons for failure and probable solutions:
• The reason the snmpd daemon terminated is logged in the snmpd log file or the configured syslogd log
file. Check the log file to see the FATAL error message.
Solution: Correct the problem and restart the snmpd daemon.
• Make sure that the complete path and file name of the configuration file is specified when the snmpd
daemon is invoked. The snmpd daemon forks and changes to the root directory at invocation. If the
complete path name of the configuration file is not specified, the snmpd agent cannot find the file on a
refresh. This is a fatal error and will cause the snmpd agent to terminate.
Solution: Specify the complete path and file name of the snmpd configuration file. Make sure the
configuration file is owned by the root user. Restart the snmpd daemon.
• Make sure that the snmpd configuration file still exists. The file may have been accidentally removed
after the snmpd agent was invoked. If the snmpd agent cannot open the configuration file, the snmpd
agent terminates.
Solution: Recreate the snmpd configuration file, make sure the configuration file is owned by the root
user, and restart the snmpd daemon.
MIB variable access problem
If Management Information Base (MIB) variables cannot be accessed from the snmpd agent; if the snmpd
agent is running, but the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) manager application times out
waiting for a response from the snmpd agent, try the following:
• Check the network configuration of the host on which the snmpd agent is running using the netstat
-in command. Verify the lo0, loopback, device is up. If the device is down, an * (asterisk) displays to
the left of the lo0. The lo0 must be up for the snmpd agent to service requests.
Solution: Issue the following command to start up the loopback interface:
ifconfig lo0 inet up
• Verify that the snmpd daemon has a route to the host where the requests are issued.
Solution: On the host where the snmpd daemon is running, add a route to the host where the route
add command is issued. For more information, see the route command.
• Check to see that the host name and the host IP address are the same value.
Solution: Reset the host name to correspond to the host IP address.
• Check to see that localhost is defined to be the lo0 IP address.
Solution: Define localhost to be the same address used by the lo0 IP address (usually 127.0.0.1).
MIB variable access in community entry problem
If a community entry is specified in the configuration file with a MIB view name, but MIB variables cannot
be accessed, check the following:
• Make sure that you have correctly specified the community entry. If you have specified a view name in
the community entry, all fields in the community are absolutely required.
Solution: Specify all fields in the community entry in the configuration file. Refresh the snmpd agent and
try your request again.
• Make sure the access mode in the community entry corresponds with your request type. If you are
issuing a get or get-next request, make sure that the community has read-only or read-write
permission. If you are issuing a set request, make sure that the community has read-write permission.
Solution: Specify the correct access mode in the community entry. Refresh the snmpd agent and try your
request again.
• Make sure that a view entry for the specified view name is specified in the community entry in
the configuration file. If there is a specified view name in the community entry, but there is no

corresponding view entry, the snmpd agent does not allow access for that community. A view entry
is absolutely required for a view name specified in a community entry in the configuration file.
Solution: Specify a view entry for the view name specified in the community entry. Refresh the snmpd
agent and try your request again.
• If iso is specified as the MIB subtree for the view entry, verify that iso.3 is specified. The instance of 3
is required for the snmpd agent to access the org portion of the iso tree.
Solution: Specify the MIB subtree as iso.3 in the view entry. Refresh the snmpd agent and try your
request again.
• Check the IP address and network mask in the community entry. Verify that the host issuing the SNMP
request is included in the community being specified with the community name.
Solution: Change the IP address and network mask fields in the community entry in the configuration file
to include the host that is issuing the SNMP request.
No response from agent problem
If the IP address in the community is specified as 0.0.0.0, but there is no response from the snmpd agent,
try the following:
• Check the network mask field in the community entry. For general access to this community name, the
network mask must be 0.0.0.0. If the network mask is specified to be 255.255.255.255, the snmpd
agent is configured to not allow any requests with the specified community name.
Solution: Specify the network mask in the community entry to 0.0.0.0. Refresh the snmpd agent and try
the request again.
• Make sure the access mode in the community entry corresponds with the request type. When issuing
a get or get-next request, make sure that the community has read-only or read-write permission. If
you are issuing a set request, make sure that the community has read-write permission.
Solution: specify the correct access mode in the community entry. Refresh the snmpd agent and try your
request again.
noSuchName Problem
If, in attempting to set an MIB variable that the snmpd agent is supposed to support, a noSuchName error
message is returned, the following might be the reason:
The set request issued did not include a community name for a valid community with write access. The
SNMP protocol dictates that a set request with a community with inappropriate access privileges be
answered with the noSuchName error message.
Solution: Issue the set request with a community name for a community that has write privileges and
includes the host from which the set request is issued.
Network File System

The Network File System (NFS) is a mechanism for storing files on a network. It is a distributed file system
that allows users to access files and directories located on remote computers and treat those files and
directories as if they were local.
For example, users can use operating system commands to create, remove, read, write, and set file
attributes for remote files and directories.
The NFS software package includes commands and daemons for NFS, Network Information Service (NIS),
and other services. Although NFS and NIS are installed together as one package, each is independent and
each is configured and administered individually.
AIX 5.3 and later supports the NFS version 2, 3, and 4 protocols. NFS version 4 is the most recently-
defined version of NFS, and it is described by RFC 3530. Additional details on AIX support of NFS version
4 will be discussed later in this section. NFS clients use the NFS version 3 protocol by default.

NFS services
NFS provides its services through a client-server relationship.
The computers that make their file systems, or directories, and other resources available for remote
access are called servers. The act of making file systems available is called exporting. The computers and
their processes that use server resources are considered clients. After a client mounts a file system that
a server exports, the client can access the individual server files (access to exported directories can be
restricted to specific clients).
The major services provided by NFS are:
Table 89. NFS services

Service Description
Mount service Mounts from the /usr/sbin/rpc.mountd daemon on the server and
the /usr/sbin/mount command on the client. This service is only available
on NFS version 2 and version 3.
Remote File access Accesses from the /usr/sbin/nfsd daemon on the server and the /usr/
sbin/biod daemon on the client.
Remote execution Executes from the /usr/sbin/rpc.rexd daemon on the server and
service the /usr/bin/on command on the client.
Remote System Compiles from the /usr/sbin/rpc.rstatd daemon on the server and
Statistics service the /usr/bin/rup command on the client.
Remote User Listing Lists from the /usr/lib/netsvc/rusers/rpc.rusersd daemon on the
service server and the /usr/bin/rusers command on the client.
Boot Parameters Provides startup parameters to Sun Operating System diskless clients from
service the /usr/sbin/rpc.bootparamd daemon on the server.
Remote Wall service Protects from the /usr/lib/netsvc/rwall/rpc.rwalld daemon on the
server and the /usr/sbin/rwall command on the client.
Spray service Sends a one-way stream of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) packets from
the /usr/lib/netsvc/spray/rpc.sprayd daemon on the server and
the /usr/sbin/spray command on the client.
PC authentication Provides a user authentication service for PC-NFS from the /usr/sbin/
service rpc.pcnfsd daemon on the server.
Enhanced security Provides access on both the client and server to more advanced security
service services, such as Kerberos 5. The /usr/sbin/gssd daemon provides NFS
with access to security services provided by the Network Authentication
Service. The Network Authentication Service and the Cryptographic Library
filesets (krb5.client.rte, krb5.server.rte, and modcrypt.base)
must be installed. These filesets can be installed from the AIX Expansion
Pack.
Identity translation Performs translation between security principals, NFS version 4 identity
service strings, and their corresponding numeric system IDs. In addition, mapping
of identity information from foreign NFS version 4 domains is provided. These
services are provided by the /usr/sbin/nfsrgyd daemon.
Note: A computer can be both an NFS server and an NFS client simultaneously.
NFS version 2 and 3 servers are stateless, meaning that the server does not retain any transaction
information about its clients. A single NFS transaction corresponds to a single, complete file operation.
NFS requires that the client remember any information needed for later NFS use.

An NFS version 4 server is stateful because of the file open and file locking operations defined in the NFS
version 4 protocol.
NFS Access Control Lists support

The AIX NFS version 4 implementation supports two ACL types: NFS4 and AIXC.
The authoritative source for access checking lies in the underlying file system exported by the NFS
server. The file system takes into consideration the file's access controls (ACLs or permission bits), the
caller's credentials, and other local system restrictions that might apply. Applications and users should
not assume that examination of UNIX mode bits or ACLs alone can be used to conclusively predict access.
The aclget, aclput, and acledit commands can be used on the client to manipulate either NFS or AIX
ACLs. For more information, see Access Control Lists in Security.
NFS RBAC
NFS provides support to Role Based Access Control (RBAC). The NFS client and server commands are
RBAC enabled.
This allows non-root users to execute NFS commands once the administrator assigns the RBAC role of
the command to the user. To see the list of authorization strings and privileges associated with NFS
commands, refer /etc/security/privcmds file on the system.
NFS4 ACL
NFS4 ACL is the ACL defined by the NFS version 4 protocol.
NFS4 ACL is platform-independent, so it can be supported by other vendors' clients or servers. NFS
version 4 clients and servers are not required to support NFS4 ACL.
In an AIX server, if an underlying physical file system instance supports NFS4 ACL, then the AIX NFS4
server supports NFS4 ACL for that file system instance. Most physical file systems types on AIX do not
support NFS4 ACL. These file system types include but are not limited to CFS, UDF, JFS, and JFS2 with
extended attribute version 1. All instances of JFS2 with extended attribute version 2 support NFS4 ACL.
NFS version 4 client file systems are able to read and write the NFS4 ACL if the exported NFS version 4 file
system instance on the server supports NFS4 ACL.
AIX ACL
The AIXC ACL is an access control list that is a proprietary of AIX servers.
It is not defined by the NFS version 4 protocol, and it is understood only by AIX servers and clients.
On an NFS version 4 server, AIXC ACL is supported when the underlying file system instance support AIXC
ACL. All instances of JFS and JFS2 support the AIXC ACL.
An NFS version 4 client has a mount option that enables or disables support for AIX ACL. The default is
to not support AIXC ACL. A user on an NFS version 4 client file system is able to read and write AIXC ACL
when both the client and the server are running AIX, the underlying physical file system instance on the
server supports AIXC ACL, and the AIX client mounts the file system instance with AIXC ACL enabled.
AIXC ACL support in NFS version 4 is similar to the AIXC ACL support in AIX NFS version 2 and NFS
version 3 implementations.
All instances of a JFS2 file system with extended attribute version 2 support both AIXC ACL and NFS4
ACL. A file in this type of file system may have mode bits only (no ACL), an NFS4 ACL, or an AIXC ACL. But,
it cannot have NFS4 ACL and AIXC ACL at the same time.
The aclgettypes command can be used to determine the ACL types the can be read and written on a
file system instance. This command may return different output when it runs against a physical file system
on an NFS version 4 server locally than when it runs against the same file system on a NFS version 4
client. For example, a NFS version 4 file system instance on and NFS version 4 server may support NFS4
ACL and AIXC ACL, but the client is only configured to send and receive NFS4 ACL. In this case, when

the aclgettypes command is executed from an NFS version 4 client file system, only NFS4 is returned.
Also, if a user on the client requests an AIXC ACL, an error is returned.
Cache File System support

The Cache File System (CacheFS) is a general-purpose file system caching mechanism that improves NFS
server performance and scalability by reducing server and network load.
Designed as a layered file system, CacheFS provides the ability to cache one file system on another. In
an NFS environment, CacheFS increases the client-per-server ratio, reduces server and network loads and
improves performance for clients on slow links, such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
A cache is created on the client machine so file systems specified to be mounted in the cache can be
accessed locally instead of across the network. Files are placed in the cache when a user first requests
access to them. The cache does not get filled until the user requests access to a file or files. Initial file
requests may seem slow, but subsequent uses of the same files may be faster.
Note:
1. You cannot cache the / (root) or /usr file systems.
2. You can mount only file systems that are shared. (See the exportfs command.)
3. There is no performance gain in caching a local Journaled File System (JFS) disk file system.
4. You must have root or system authority to do the tasks in the following table.
Table 90. CacheFS tasks

Set up a cache cachefs_admin_create cfsadmin -c MountDirectoryName1.
Specifying Files for cachefs_mount mount -F cachefs
Mounting -o backfstype=FileSysType,
cachedir=CacheDirectory[,options]
BackFileSystem MountDirectoryName2 or
edit /etc/filesystems.
Modify the Cache cachefs_admin_change remove the cache, then recreate it using
appropriate mount command options.
Display Cache cachefs_admin_change cfsadmin -l MountDirectoryName.
Information
Remove a Cache cachefs_admin_remove 1. Unmount the file system: umount
MountDirectoryName
2. Determine the cache ID: cfsadmin -l
MountDirectoryName
3. Delete the file system: cfsadmin -d CacheID
CacheDirectory
Check File System cachefs_admin_check fsck_cachefsCacheDirectory3.

Integrity
Notes:
1. After you have created the cache, do not perform any operations within the cache directory
(cachedir) itself. This causes conflicts within the CacheFS software.
2. If you use the mount command option to specify files for mounting, the command must be reissued
each time the system is restarted.
3. Use the -m or -o options of the fsck_cachefs command to check the file systems without making
any repairs.

4. After migrating the system to AIX Version 6.1 or later from previous versions of AIX, old cache file
systems that are created in the older version of AIX must be removed and recreated.
NFS mapped file support

NFS mapped file support allows programs on a client to access a file as though it were in memory.
By using the shmat subroutine, users can map areas of a file into their address space. As a program reads
and writes into this region of memory, the file is read into memory from the server or updated as needed
on the server.
Mapping files over NFS is limited in three ways:
• Files do not share information well between clients.
• Changes to a file on one client using a mapped file are not seen on another client.
• Locking and unlocking regions of a file is not an effective way to coordinate data between clients.
If an NFS file is to be used for data sharing between programs on different clients, use record locking and
the regular read and write subroutines.
Multiple programs on the same client can share data effectively using a mapped file. Advisory record
locking can coordinate updates to the file on the client, provided that the entire file is locked. Multiple
clients can share data-using mapped files only if the data never changes, as in a static database.
NFS proxy serving

AIX supports Network File System (NFS) proxy serving. An AIX server can concurrently export locally
accessible file systems and proxy exports. The exported proxy view can be mounted by NFS clients.
AIX NFS proxy serving uses disk caching of accessed data to serve similar subsequent requests locally
with reduced network traffic to the back-end server. Proxy serving can potentially extend NFS data access
over slower or less reliable networks with improved performance and reduced network traffic to the
primary server where the data resides. Depending on availability and content management requirements,
proxy serving can provide a solution for extending NFS access to network edges without the need for
copying data. You can configure AIX NFS proxy serving using the mknfsproxy command.
Proxy caching can be used with both the NFS v3 and the NFS v4 protocols. The protocol between the
proxy and the connected clients can be either NFS v3 or NFS v4 when the NFS v4 protocol is used
between the proxy and the back-end server. However, when the NFS v3 protocol is used, the protocol
between the proxy and the connected clients must be the NFS v3 protocol. Both reads and writes of data
are supported in addition to byte range advisory locks.
The krb5, krb5i, and krb5p security methods can be used between the proxy server and its connected
clients. These methods can also be used between the proxy server and the main server. Using ticket
forwarding technology through proxy, you can authenticate on the client and be authenticated to the
main server. To take advantage of this technology, use the kinit command with the -f option when
you are performing Kerberos authentication. If auth_sys security is used between the proxy and the
back-end server, when you access the back-end server, the proxy server maps Kerberos client accesses
into auth_sys attributes. For best results, the proxy server and the back-end server should share the
same user and group identity definitions.
The following restrictions apply to NFS proxy serving:
• Proxy serving requires connected clients using TCP.
• Because proxy serving provides a way for NFS v3 clients to browse through the NFS v4 exported
namespace without using the mount and unmount commands, you must use the mknfsproxy
command with the mfsid option when you are constructing the proxy file system.
• The cache file system used with proxy serving must be an Enhanced JFS file system (JFS2).
• Proxy serving runs CacheFS on top of an AIX client mounted to the back-end NFS server. The concurrent
I/O (CIO) feature, available with the AIX NFS client, enhances CacheFS performance. Attempts to

directly access the underlying NFS client mount might fail because of conflicts with open attempts of
CIO.
Types of NFS mounts

There are three types of NFS mounts: predefined, explicit, and automatic.
Predefined mounts are specified in the /etc/filesystems file. Each stanza (or entry) in this file defines
the characteristics of a mount. Data such as the host name, remote path, local path, and any mount
options are listed in this stanza. Predefined mounts are used when certain mounts are always required for
proper operation of a client.
Explicit mounts serve the needs of the root user. Explicit mounts are usually done for short periods of
time when there is a requirement for occasional unplanned mounts. Explicit mounts can also be used if
a mount is required for special tasks and that mount is not generally available on the NFS client. These
mounts are usually fully qualified on the command line by using the mount command with all needed
information. Explicit mounts do not require updating the /etc/filesystems file. File systems mounted
explicitly remain mounted unless explicitly unmounted with the umount command or until the system is
restarted.
Automatic mounts are controlled by the automount command, which causes the AutoFS kernel
extension to monitor specified directories for activity. If a program or user attempts to access a directory
that is not currently mounted, then AutoFS intercepts the request, arranges for the mount of the file
system, then services the request.
NFS exporting and mounting

Exporting and mounting directories must be understood in order to administer NFS.
An NFS server must export a file or directory, after which an NFS client may mount that file or directory.
More details about these concepts are included in this section.
NFS directory exports

Exporting a directory is done on the NFS server. Exporting a directory declares that a directory in the
server's namespace is available to client machines.
The exported directory is referred to as an export, and it includes all files under the directory that reside
on the exported directory's file system.
Each export also defines access restrictions. For example, the following restrictions may be defined:
• which clients may access the exported directory
• which NFS versions the client must use to access the directory
• whether the client can write files in the export
• what security methods the client must use to access directories and files in the export
For a full description of allowable export restrictions and export semantics, see the exportfs command
description and the /etc/exports file description.
Note: When an export's attributes are changed, the directory must be re-exported in order for the change
to take effect. A directory might need to be re-exported because of changes to other files or changes
external to the server. For instance, if a client name specified in an access list is a netgroup defined
in the /etc/netgroup file, and the definition of the client group is changed, all exports that use that
netgroup in an access list must be re-exported for the change to take effect.
Similarly, if a client's IP address is changed, all exports that specify that client in an access list must be
re-exported. The reason for this is because the NFS server maintains a cache of client access rights on
each export. The cache is flushed on each unexport or re-export. If the access rights of an export are
modified, particularly if the IP address of a client changes or if a client is removed from the access list,
an unexport or re-export must be done so the client's access is correctly reflected in the cache. The NFS

server calls the rpc.mountd daemon to get the access rights of each client, so the rpc.mountd daemon
must be running on the server even if the server only exports file systems for NFS version 4 access.
NFS directory mounts

An NFS client can mount a directory that has been exported by an NFS server. Mounting a directory makes
the files that reside on the NFS server available to an NFS client.
A client can access files on a server if the files were exported by the server and the export restrictions
allow the client to have access to the export's files. Once a client has successfully mounted a server's
export onto a mount point in its namespace, the server's files for that export will exist in the client's
namespace and appear as files on the local file system.
For example, assume you want to export the /tmp directory on server diamond and mount that directory
on client clip as the /mnt directory. On the server, type the following command:
exportfs -i -o access=clip /tmp
This makes the /tmp directory available to the client.

On the client, type the following command:
mount diamond:/tmp /mnt
The directories and files in the server's /tmp directory will now appear in the client's /mnt directory.
Note:
1. There are some differences between NFS versions 2 and 3 and NFS version 4 in how mounts are
handled. In NFS versions 2 and 3, the server exported the directories it wanted to make available for
mounting. The NFS version 2 or 3 client then had to explicitly mount each export to which it wanted
access.
With NFS version 4, the server still specifies export controls for each server directory or file system to
be exported for NFS access. From these export controls, the server renders a single directory tree of all
the exported data filling in gaps between the exported directories. This tree is known as a pseudo file
system and it starts at the NFS version 4 server's pseudo root. The NFS version 4 pseudo file system
model allows an NFS version 4 client, depending on its implementation, to perform a single mount of
the server's pseudo root in order to access all the server's exported data. The AIX NFS client supports
this feature. The actual content seen by the client is dependent on the server's export controls.
2. NFS version 4 does not allow file-to-file mounting.
Mounting NFS
Clients access files on the server by first mounting server exported directories. When a client mounts a
directory, it does not make a copy of that directory. Rather, the mounting process uses a series of remote
procedure calls to enable a client to transparently access the directories on the server.
The following describes the mounting process:
1. When the server starts, the /etc/rc.nfs script runs the exportfs command, which reads the
server /etc/exports file, and then tells the kernel which directories are to be exported and what
access restrictions they require.
2. The rpc.mountd daemon and several nfsd daemons are then started by the /etc/rc.nfs script.
3. Then the /etc/rc.nfs script executes the mount command, which reads the file systems listed in
the /etc/filesystems file.
4. The mount command locates one or more servers that export the information the client wants and
sets up communication between itself and that server.
This process is called binding.
5. The mount command then requests that one or more servers allow the client to access the directories
in the client /etc/filesystems file.

6. The server daemon receives the client mount requests and either grants or denies them.
If the requested directory is available to that client, the server daemon sends the client kernel an
identifier called a file handle.
7. The client kernel then ties the file handle to the mount point (a directory) by recording certain
information in a mount record.
Client communication with the rpc.mountd daemon does not occur with NFS version 4 mount
processing. Operations in the core NFS version 4 protocol are used to service client side mount
operations. The NFS version 4 server implementation does utilize support in the rpc.mountd daemon as
part of handling NFS version 4 access.
/etc/exports file
The /etc/exports file indicates all directories that a server exports to its clients.
Each line in the file specifies a single directory. A directory can be specified twice in the /etc/exports
file: once for NFS version 2 or NFS version 3, and once for NFS version 4. The server automatically
exports the listed directories each time the NFS server is started. These exported directories can then be
mounted by clients. The syntax of a line in the /etc/exports file is:
directory -option[,option]
The directory is the full path name of the directory. Options can designate a simple flag such as ro or a list
of host names. The /etc/rc.nfs script does not start the nfsd daemons or the rpc.mountd daemon if
the /etc/exports file does not exist.
The following example illustrates entries from an /etc/exports file:
/usr/games -ro,access=ballet:jazz:tap
/home -root=ballet,access=ballet
/var/tmp
/usr/lib -access=clients
/accounts/database -vers=4,sec=krb5,access=accmachines,root=accmachine1
/tmp -vers=3,ro
/tmp -vers=4,sec=krb5,access=accmachines,root=accmachine1
The first entry in this example specifies that the /usr/games directory can be mounted by the systems
named ballet, jazz, and tap. These systems can read data and run programs from the directory, but
they cannot write in the directory.
The second entry in this example specifies that the /home directory can be mounted by the system
ballet and that root access is allowed for the directory.
The third entry in this example specifies that any client can mount the /var/tmp directory. (Notice the
absence of an access list.)
The fourth entry in this example specifies an access list designated by the netgroup clients. In other
words, these machines designated as belonging to the netgroup clients can mount the /usr/lib
directory from this server. (A netgroup is a network-wide group allowed access to certain network
resources for security or organizational purposes. Netgroups are controlled by using NIS.
The fifth entry allows access to the directory /accounts/database only to clients in the accmachines
netgroup using NFS version 4 protocol and accessing the directory using Kerberos 5 authentication. Root
access is allowed only from accmachine1.
The sixth and the seventh entries export the /tmp directory using different versions and options. If two
entries for the same directory with different NFS versions exist in the /etc/exports file, the exportfs
command will export both. If a directory has the same options for NFS version 4 and NFS version 3, you
can have one entry in the /etc/exports file specifying -vers=3:4.

/etc/xtab file
The /etc/xtab file has a format similar to the /etc/exports file and lists the currently exported
directories.
Whenever the exportfs command is run, the /etc/xtab file changes. This allows you to export a
directory temporarily without having to change the /etc/exports file. If the temporarily exported
directory is unexported, the directory is removed from the /etc/xtab file.
Note: The /etc/xtab file is updated automatically, and is not to be edited.
/etc/nfs/hostkey file
This file is used by the NFS server to specify the Kerberos host principal and the location of the keytab
file.
For instructions on how to configure and administer this file, see the nfshostkey command.
/etc/nfs/local_domain file
This file contains the local NFS domain of the system.
It is implied that systems that share the same NFS local domain also share the same user and group
registries. For instructions on how to configure and administer this file, see the chnfsdom command.
/etc/nfs/realm.map file
This file is used by the NFS registry daemon to map incoming Kerberos principals of the form
name@kerberos-realm to the form name@nfs-domain.
It then can resolve the name@nfs-domain to a local UNIX credential. This file provides a simple way to
map Kerberos principals into the server's user registry. It is appropriate when clients in different Kerberos
realms will be accessing the server, but the user namespace is global. The file should contain lines in the
following format:
realm1 nfs-domain
realm2 nfs-domain
for all Kerberos realms the server supports. If the Kerberos realm name is always the same as the
server's NFS domain, this file is not needed. If you need the more general capability of mapping
userA@kerberos-realm to userB@nfs-domain, use the Enterprise Identity Mapping (EIM) service. For
additional information, see “Identity mapping” on page 543.
To add, edit, or remove entries in this file, use the chnfsrtd command.
/etc/nfs/princmap file
This file maps host names to Kerberos principals when the principal is not the fully qualified domain name
of the server.
It consists of any number of lines of the following format:
<host part of principal> alias1 alias2 ...
To add, edit, or remove entries from this file, use the nfshostmap command.
/etc/nfs/security_default file
The /etc/nfs/security_default file contains the list of security flavors that may be used by the NFS
client, in the order in which they should be used.
Use the chnfssec command to manage this file.

Remote Procedure Call Protocol
NFS is implemented on a wide variety of machine types, operating systems, and network architectures.
NFS achieves this independence using the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol.
RPC is a library of procedures. The procedures allow one process (the client process) to direct another
process (the server process) to run procedure calls as if the client process had run the calls in its own
address space. Because the client and the server are two separate processes, they need not exist on the
same physical system (although they can).
NFS is implemented as a set of RPC calls in which the server services certain types of calls made by the
client. The client makes such calls based on the file system operations that are done by the client process.
NFS, in this sense, is an RPC application.
Because the server and client processes can reside on two different physical systems which may have
completely different architectures, RPC must address the possibility that the two systems might not
represent data in the same way. For this reason, RPC uses data types defined by the eXternal Data
Representation (XDR) protocol.
eXternal Data Representation Protocol

The eXternal Data Representation (XDR) protocol is the specification for a standard representation of
various data types.
By using a standard data type representation, a program can be confident that it is interpreting data
correctly, even if the source of the data is a machine with a completely different architecture.
In practice, most programs do not use XDR internally. Rather, they use the data type representation
specific to the architecture of the computer on which the program is running. When the program needs
to communicate with another program, it converts its data into XDR format before sending the data.
Conversely, when it receives data, it converts the data from XDR format into its own specific data type
representation.
portmap daemon
The portmap daemon helps clients map program number and version number pairs to the port number of
a server.
Each RPC application has associated with it a program number and a version number. These numbers
are used to communicate with a server application on a system. When making a request from a server,
the client needs to know what port number the server is accepting requests on. This port number is
associated with the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) that is being
used by the service. The client knows the program number, the version number, and the system name or
host name where the service resides. The client needs a way to map the program number and version
number pair to the port number of the server application. This is done with the help of the portmap
daemon.
The portmap daemon runs on the same system as the NFS application. When the server starts running,
it registers with the portmap daemon. As a function of this registration, the server supplies its program
number, version number, and UDP or TCP port number. The portmap daemon keeps a table of server
applications. When the client tries to make a request of the server, it first contacts the portmap daemon
to find out which port the server is using. The portmap daemon responds to the client with the port of the
server that the client is requesting. Upon receipt of the port number, the client is able to make all of its
future requests directly to the server application.
NFS applications and control

The NFS and NIS daemons are controlled by the System Resource Controller (SRC).
This means you must use SRC commands such as startsrc, stopsrc, and lssrc to start, stop, and
check the status of the NFS and NIS daemons.

Some NFS daemons are not controlled by the SRC; specifically, rpc.rexd, rpc.rusersd, rpc.rwalld,
and rpc.rsprayd are not controlled by the SRC. These daemons are started and stopped by the inetd
daemon.
The following table lists the SRC-controlled daemons and their subsystem names.
Table 91. Daemons and their subsystems

File path Subsystem name Group name
/usr/sbin/nfsd nfsd nfs
/usr/sbin/biod biod nfs
/usr/sbin/rpc.lockd rpc.lockd nfs
/usr/sbin/rpc.statd rpc.statd nfs
/usr/sbin/rpc.mountd rpc.mountd nfs
/usr/sbin/nfsrgyd nfsrgyd nfs
/usr/sbin/gssd gssd nfs
/usr/lib/netsvc/yp/ypserv ypserv yp
/usr/lib/netsvc/yp/ypbind ypbind yp
/usr/lib/netsvc/rpc.yppasswdd yppasswdd yp
/usr/lib/netsvc/rpc.ypupdated ypupdated yp
/usr/sbin/keyserv keyserv keyserv
/usr/sbin/portmap portmap portmap
Related information
System Resource Controller Overview
Changing the number of biod threads and nfsd daemons

The chnfs command can be used to change the maximum number of biod or nfsd daemons that will
run on a system.
For example, to set the number of maximum nfsd daemons to 1000, run the following command:
chnfs -n 1000
Note: This command will stop the currently running daemons, update the SRC configuration information,
and then restart the daemons. As a result, NFS service will be temporarily unavailable.
The maximum number of biod threads can be specified on a per mount basis using the biods=n mount
option.
Note: If the number of nfsd daemons is not sufficient to serve the client, a nonidempotent operation
error is returned to the client. For example, if the client removes a directory, an ENOENT error is returned
even though the directory on the server is removed.
Changing command line arguments for daemons controlled by SRC

Many NFS and NIS daemons have command-line arguments that can be specified when the daemon is
started. Because these daemons are not started directly from the command line, you must update the
SRC database so that the daemons can be started correctly.
To do this, use the chssys command. The chssys command has the format:
chssys -s Daemon -a 'NewParameter'

For example:
chssys -s nfsd -a '10'
changes the nfsd subsystem so that when the daemon is started, the command line looks like nfsd 10.
The changes made by the chssys command do not take effect until the subsystem has been stopped and
restarted.
Starting the NFS daemons

The file size limit for files located on an NFS server is defined by the process environment when nfsd is
started.
To use a specific value, edit the /etc/rc.nfs file. Use the ulimit command with the desired limit
before the startsrc command for the nfsd daemon.
The NFS daemons can be started individually or all at once. To start NFS daemons individually, run:
startsrc -s Daemon
where Daemon is any one of the SRC-controlled daemons. For example, to start the nfsd daemons, run:
startsrc -s nfsd
To start all of the NFS daemons, run:
startsrc -g nfs
Note: If the /etc/exports file does not exist, the nfsd and the rpc.mountd daemons will not be
started. You can create an empty /etc/exports file by running the touch /etc/exports command.
This will allow the nfsd and the rpc.mountd daemons to start, although no file systems will be
exported.
Stopping the NFS daemons

The NFS daemons can be stopped individually or all at once.
To stop NFS daemons individually, run:
stopsrc -s Daemon
where Daemon is anyone of the SRC-controlled daemons. For example, to stop the rpc.lockd daemon,
run:
stopsrc -s rpc.lockd
To stop all NFS daemons at once, run:
stopsrc -g nfs
Getting the current status of the NFS daemons

You can get the current status of the NFS daemons individually or all at once.
To get the current status of the NFS daemons individually, run:
lssrc -s Daemon
where Daemon is any one of the SRC-controlled daemons. For example, to get the current status of the
rpc.lockd daemon, run:
lssrc -s rpc.lockd

To get the current status of all NFS daemons at once, run:
lssrc -a
NFS version 4 support

Beginning with AIX 5.3, support for NFS version 4 protocol features is included.
The mandatory features of the protocol are supported as described in RFC 3530 with the following
exceptions:
• The LIPKEY and SPKM-3 security mechanisms are not supported with RPCSEC-GSS RPC authentication.
Only the Kerberos V5 mechanism is supported.
• The UTF-8 requirements are not fully supported. Specifically, the transmission of file names and file
system strings such as symbolic link contents and directory entry names are not guaranteed to be in
UTF-8 format. Transmission of NFS attribute strings, such as owner and owner group, are always in
UTF-8 format. The NFS server and client do perform UTF-8 validation on incoming string data as defined
RFC 3530. This checking can be administratively disabled using the nfso command. Disabling UTF-8
checking may be necessary to use NFS version 4 in environments with non UTF-8 configurations and
data.
• Diskless client, NIM, and UDP are not supported over NFS version 4.
The following optional features of NFS version 4 are supported:
• NFS version 4 ACLs are supported by both the NFS client and server. The NFS client supports
management of NFS version 4 ACLs using the acledit, aclget, and aclput utilities. The NFS server
is capable of storing and retrieving NFS version 4 ACLs in underlying file systems that support the NFS
version 4 ACL model. For more information, see “NFS Access Control Lists support” on page 521.
• Support is provided to map principals and file ownership attributes from one NFS version 4 domain into
another. This support is primarily intended for use at AIX NFS servers. It requires deployment of LDAP.
The NFS mappings are managed using the chnfsim utility.
There are several considerations when using concurrent access with NFS versions 2 and 3, and NFS
version 4. NFS version 3 access may receive errors due to the NFS version 4 granted state. Also, NFS
version 3 performance may be impacted when data is exported for NFS version 4 access.
NFS server grace period

The NFS version 4 (NFSv4) protocol provides functionality that lets system administrators enable a grace
period on the NFSv4 server for special handling of specific operations.
Within this grace period, administrators can manage locking, read operations, and write operations for the
entire duration of the server lease. Locks and their associated states can be recovered by clients through
reclaim-type locking requests.
Note: Not all states reclaimed by clients in the grace period can be guaranteed to be the state held by the
server in the previous instance. The state that is reclaimed during the grace period is guaranteed to be the
correct one as defined by the NFSv4 RFC.
Beginning with AIX 5L Version 5.3 with the 5300-05 Technology Level, administrators can use the grace
period on NFSv4 servers. The grace period is disabled by default. To enable the grace period on the
server, use the SMIT menu or the chnfs command line interface.
When the grace period is enabled, the NFSv4 server records state information to disk in the /var file. The
recorded state is reclaimed automatically when the server restarts.

NFS DIO and CIO support
AIX 5L Version 5.3 with the 5300-03 Recommended Maintenance package supports direct I/O and
concurrent I/O in the NFS client for the version 3 and 4 protocols. DIO and CIO only involve the client.
Using DIO and CIO, data center workloads such as databases and high performance computing
applications can experience higher levels of performance, coupled with reduced system CPU and
memory resources, while maintaining the benefits of centralizing file-based storage and its associated
management of back-end systems.
I/O is often nonsequential, and often applications do not benefit from data caching at the NFS client,
or the applications do all the advanced caching. These applications benefit when NFS does not cache,
perform read prediction, or use write-behind mechanisms. In addition, some applications such as
databases are not dependent on POSIX single-site semantics, which serialize reads against writes. These
applications issue concurrent reads and writes, but these applications are responsible for the consistency
and coordination of such operations.
Direct I/O for NFS

DIO allows applications to perform reads and writes directly to the NFS server without going through the
NFS client caching layer (Virtual Memory Manager), or incurring the associated overhead of caching data.
Under DIO, application I/O requests are serviced using direct Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) to the NFS
server. You can set DIO using the AIX dio mount option. Without the mount option, you can also enable
DIO per-file by using the AIX O_DIRECT open() flag.
Servicing NFS direct I/Os might require multiple RPCs to the server, depending on the I/O request size
and the maximum wire transfer size permitted by the server and client. For more information about DIO,
see the -o option for the mount command.
Concurrent I/O for NFS

With CIO, application reads and writes that are issued concurrently run concurrently without reads
blocking for the duration of writes, or the reverse.
Multiple writes also run concurrently. POSIX atomicity guarantees are not provided. When CIO is in effect,
direct I/O is implied. Use the AIX cio mount option or the O_CIO open() flag to set CIO. For more
information about CIO, see the -o option for the mount command.
In AIX Version 6.1 with the 6100-04 Technology Level and later, you can run the mount command, the
nfs4cl command, or the open() subroutine to allow you to open read only files when those file have
already been opened in CIOR. The cior mount option and the O_CIOR open () flag can only be used in
conjunction with CIO.
Related information
mount command
Interaction of DIO, CIO, regular opens, and mapped files for NFS
The following behaviors exist between the different access modes that can occur with DIO and CIO.
When existing DIO opens are in effect:
• A regular open causes DIO to be turned off until there are no longer regular opens. When a close
reduces the regular opens to 0, DIO is re-enabled if there are still DIO opens outstanding.
• Mapping a file with shmat() or mmap() will deactivate DIO on the file until the number of mappings
drops to 0. Then if there are still DIO opens, DIO will be re-enabled.
• Attempts to open the file for CIO will fail with the EINVAL error.
When there are regular opens (no CIO or DIO) in effect:
• DIO open attempts succeed, but DIO is not activated until the count of regular opens drops to 0.
• Opens for CIO will fail with the EINVAL error.

When CIO opens are in effect:
• Regular, DIO, and attempts to map the file will all fail with the EINVAL error.
When CIO|CIOR opens are in effect:
• Regular, DIO, and attempts to map the file will all fail with the EINVAL error except Read-only and
CIO|CIOR opens.
Note: When there is a transition to DIO or CIO, client-cached modifications will first write back to the NFS
server prior to deleting all cached information.
NFS replication and global namespace

The NFS version 4 (NFSv4) protocol provides functions that allows you, as the system administrator, to
distribute data across multiple servers in a way that is transparent to the users of that data.
You can use two features provided beginning with AIX 5L Version 5.3 with the 5300-03 Recommended
Maintenance package. The first is a global namespace feature called a referral. The second feature is a
means of specifying locations where copies of data can be found, which is called a replica.
A referral is a special object you can create in the namespace of a server to which location information
is attached. The server uses NFSv4 protocol features to redirect clients to the server specified in the
location information. The referral forms a building block for integrating data on multiple NFS servers into a
single file namespace tree that referral-aware NFSv4 clients can navigate.
A replica is a copy of a file system on one NFS server that has been placed on several other NFS servers
(or at an alternate location, such as a different disk on the same server). If a given replica location in
use by a replica-aware NFSv4 client becomes unavailable, then the client will switch to another available
replica. For more information about replicas, refer to “NFS replicas” on page 535.
NFS referrals
The following examples provide scenarios to help you understand referrals.
In the following examples, there are four servers:
• The server called publications contains documentation files.
• The server called projects contains user work directories.
• The server called data contains information databases.
• The server called account1 is the main NFS server that exports all other files, and is the server that all
the clients know about.
Allowing all clients to access files on the main NFS server
Server account1 exports the directory /work to all clients using the following statement in the /etc/
exports file:
/work -vers=4
All clients can access the files in the /work remote directory by mounting / from the account1 server
onto the /mnt directory using the following command:
mount -o vers=4 account1:/ /mnt
When the user on the client lists the contents of the /mnt directory, they see the remote directory work at
the path /mnt/work. The contents of the /mnt/work directory on the client is the same as the contents
of the /work directory on the account1 server.
Allowing a client to access files on a specific server
The client user also wants to access the /usr/doc directory on the publications server.
In previous releases, you must export the directory from the server and mount the directory at the client.

Using referrals to build a distributed namespace
You can set up a server so that clients can access the data on other servers without the client knowing
where the data is. Only the administrator on the referring server needs to know where the data is. The
referring server can redirect clients to the location of the /usr/doc directory using a referral. On the
server publications, the /usr/doc directory can be exported by adding the following statement to the
export file:
/usr/doc -vers=4
This makes the directories available to NFSv4 clients.

The account1 server can now use referrals to make those directories available to clients by adding the
following statement to the export file:
/usr/doc -vers=4,refer=/usr/doc@publications
You then export the directory. At this point, the client that mounted the /mnt directory from the /
directory on the account1 server has access to the directory usr when the client lists the /mnt
directory. The client does not have to perform any mounts to other servers. The client user does not
even need to be aware that the files there are not being provided by the account1 server. For example,
you can make the directories of /databases/db on server data and /home/accts on server projects
available through account1 by exporting the directories from the data and projects servers, and
creating referrals on account1 to those directories.
Because a client user is unaware of the actual location of the data, the administrator can redirect clients
from one server to another simply by changing the referral statement in the exports file on the server. The
administrator is responsible for the placement and correctness of data that referrals reference with their
location specifications.
Administrators should make sure the second server will not refer the request back to the first server,
creating a circular referral. In the above example, if the administrator had created a referral on the
publications server at /usr/doc that referred to /usr/doc on the account1 server, the resulting
circular referral would be undesirable.
Although referrals are created using exportfs, they are different from data exports. Locations specified
for referrals should correspond to the root directories of NFSv4-exported file systems. You can create a
referral within exported namespaces or in unexported namespaces. In the above example, the /usr/doc
referral can be created on the account1 server even if /usr is not exported. This places the referral
within the NFSv4 pseudospace. If account1 had exported /usr, the referral export would still have been
allowed, in contrast to exporting a directory called doc, which would have failed if it were in the same file
system. In either case, the referral export would have failed if a file or directory had existed at /usr/doc.
There is no restriction on the number of referrals that can be created within either the server's NFSv4
pseudospace or within an exported file system.
Since a referral does not export any data and only has meaning to the NFSv4 protocol, referrals are
available in NSFv4 only. Exporting a referral without the vers=4 option will fail. Although this example
only specifies one location, up to 8 locations could have been specified.
Creating a referral creates a special referral object at the location specified by the directory
parameter. Since client access to the object is determined by the client's access to the
object's parent directory, most other export options have no meaning and are allowed and are
ignored. The only exception is the exname option, which will have the expected behavior. For
example, if the server creates the referral /n4root/special/users -vers=4,exname=/exported/
users,refer=/restricted/users@secrethost, the clients that mount / from that server would
see the path /mnt/exported/users, which would redirect the clients to the /restricted/users
directory on secrethost. On the exporting server, the referral object would actually be created in the
local namespace at /n4root/special/users, so no file or directory can exist there when the export is
done. A special object gets created on the server to hold the referral location information. Any directories
along the path to the referral will also be created if they do not exist. If the referral is unexported, the
referral information will be removed from the object, but the object itself will not be removed. The NSFv4
server will not allow clients to access the resulting stale or orphan referral object. It will return an access

error to clients that attempt to access the object. The object can be removed using rm, if desired. A
referral can be re-exported with new referral information. This is not recommended as a frequent practice
because it can take some time for clients that have accessed the referral to realize that the location
information has changed. The server does touch the referral's parent directory to indicate that information
in the directory has been changed. This helps the clients to realize that any information that the client has
cached about the directory (and the referral within the directory) has changed and needs to be refetched,
but there is no guarantee how long it will take for the clients to notice.
For information about using the refer option to change the order of the locations specified in the file
system location list, see Reordering the file system location list using the scatter option.
NFS replicas
Replication allows you, as the NFSv4 administrator, to place copies of data on multiple NFSv4 servers and
inform NFSv4 clients where the replicas reside.
In the event that the primary data server becomes inaccessible to the clients, the clients can use one
of the replica servers to continue operations on the replicated file system. The replica file systems are
assumed to be exact copies of the data on the primary server. You can set up to 8 replica locations. The
AIX server does not specify how the replica file systems are created from the primary file system or how
the data is kept coherent. If you are going to specify replicas as read-write, you must keep the data on the
replicas coherent with the primary file system.
A replica is a server that contains a copy of the directory or directories of another server. If the primary
server becomes unavailable to the client, the client can access the same files from a replica location. The
following scenario is an example:
If the files in the /data directory on the account1 server are also available in the /backup/data
directory on the server inreserve, the NSFv4 clients could be made aware of this by specifying replica
locations on the export. By adding a statement similar to the following one in the export file, you can
export the /data directory and specify the location of the replica copy:
/data -vers=4,replicas=/data@account1:/backup/data@inreserve
If the account1 server becomes unavailable, client users using files under the /data directory of the
account1 server can begin using files in the /backup/data directory on the inreserve server, without
being aware that the client has switched to a different server.
For information about using the replicas option to change the order of the locations specified in the file
system location list, see Reordering the file system location list using the scatter option.
NFS configuration requirements to allow specification of replicas

You must be an administrator to enable, disable, or specify root replicas.
To enable, disable, and specify root replicas, use the following command:
chnfs -R {on|off|host[+host]}
In order to specify replicas, the server must be configured with chnfs -R (chnfs -R on) to issue volatile
NFSv4 file handles. A file handle is an identifier that NFS servers issue to clients to identify a file or
directory on the server. By default, the server issues persistent file handles. Switching between file handle
types can result in errors to applications at NFSv4 clients that are actively using the server when the
switch is performed. In order to change the file handle mode with chnfs -R, no file systems can be
exported for NFSv4 access. Setting the file handle disposition should be done with a newly-provisioned
NFS server or done when NFS activity can be minimized or stopped. For clients actively connected to
servers when the mode is changed, it may be necessary to unmount and remount NFSv4 mounts on those
clients. To minimize this action, the number of client mounts can be reduced to a small number of mounts
that mount the top-level directories of an NFSv4 server's exported file space.
The NFSv4 client cannot fail over to replicas with different export access properties. Administrators
must make sure that all replicas are specified with the same export access controls and access mode
(read-only or read-write). With the possible exception of exported GPFS, it is expected that replicated

data will be exported read-only. It is also the administrator's responsibility to maintain the data content at
all replica locations. Directory trees and all data content should be kept identical. Updates to data content
will need to be performed in a manner that is most compatible with the applications that will be using the
data.
With replicas, you can use the exname export option to hide details of the server's local file system
namespace from NFSv4 clients. For more details, see the exportfs command and the /etc/exports
file.
You can use the replicas option with the export cluster file systems such as General Parallel File
System (GPFS) to specify multiple NFS server nodes that see the same GPFS view. This is a configuration
where exporting the data for read-write access may be valid. However, with read-write replicas, if a
replica failover occurs while write operations are in progress, applications performing the write may
encounter unrecoverable errors. Similarly, a mkdir or exclusive file create operation running during a
failover may encounter an EXISTS error.
A replicated export must export an entire file system. This means that the directory being exported must
be the root of the local file system. The server exporting a replicated file system should specify itself as
one of the locations for the export. For servers with multiple interfaces, this must include the server's
primary host name. If the server exporting a replicated file system does not specify itself as one of the
locations for export, the exporting server will be silently added to the list of replica locations as the first
replica location. The order of replica locations in the replica list specifies the order of preference the
clients should use when failing over. For example, if the user at serverA wants to export /webpages,
and there is a replica of /webpages on serverB in the /backup/webpages directory, the following
entry in the /etc/exports file will export /webpages from serverA and inform clients that there is a
copy of the file system on serverB at /backup/webpages:
/webpages -vers=4,ro,replicas=/webpages@serverA:
/backup/webpages@serverB
Both /webpages on serverA and /backup/webpages on serverB are assumed to be the root
directories of their file systems. If serverA had not been listed in the export, it would have been silently
added as the first replica location. This is because the server exporting the data is assumed to be the
preferred server for the data it is exporting.
Replicas are only used by the NFSv4 protocol. The above export could have specified NFSv3 (vers=3:4),
but the replication information would not be available to NFSv3 clients. Clients using NFSv3 can, however,
access the information in /webpages on serverA, but they will not fail over to the replica if serverA
becomes unavailable.
NFS client-side support for multiple locations

When the client can no longer access replicated data from its current server, the client attempts to access
the data from the next-most-favored server.
The order in which the replicas are specified in the replicas list is taken by the client to be the order of
preference.
The client administrator can override the replica preference using the prefer subcommand of the
nfs4cl command. The nfs4cl command displays all the file system information on the client or
modifies file system options of a file system and displays or modifies current NFSv4 statistics and
properties.
NFS common considerations for replicas and referrals

If the client encounters two different paths leading to the same data (file system), the client treats the
second path as a symbolic link to the file.
For example, server A exports:
/tmp/a -vers=4,replicas=/tmp/a@B:/tmp/a@A
/tmp/b -vers=4,refer=/tmp/a/b@B

And server B exports:
/tmp/a -vers=4
/tmp/a/b -vers=4
In this example, the client mounts / on server A onto /mnt by using the command mount -o
vers=4 A:/ /mnt. The client user accesses /tmp/a/b on server B through cd /mnt/tmp/a/b
or cd /mnt/tmp/b. If the user changes the directory to cd /mnt/tmp/a/b first, then the
path /mnt/tmp/b acts as a symbolic link to /mnt/tmp/a/b. In this scenario, if the user is
in /mnt/tmp/b and uses the command /bin/pwd, /bin/pwd > will return /mnt/tmp/a/b.
Note: The above practice is not recommended. The administrator should set up export specifications that
result in only one possible namespace path to exported data.
You can list multiple locations in referrals if the target data of the referral is actually replicated. Clients will
only use the referral locations to find the referral target at an available server. Once the client establishes
access to the referral target, it will obtain new location information for the found data.
Since clients may not immediately detect changes on referral location information, removing or changing
referral location frequently is not recommended. When relocating the target of a reference location, it is
suggested that the new location be populated along with changing the location information in the export's
referral specification. The data at the old location should be kept for several hours or even days to give
clients time to see and use the new location.
Both replication and referrals can only run on servers running the 64-bit kernel. Clients can run on both
the 32- and 64-bit kernels.
If you are going to specify replicas as read-write, you must keep the data on the replicas coherent with
the primary fileset.
How NFS clients fail over

A fail-over is when the client switches from one replica location to another after it determines that the
current server it is communicating with is no longer accessible.
The following tunables influence the NFS client fail-over behavior:
NFS mount option timeo
This mount option specifies the time that the TCP/IP layer must wait before it returns with a timeout
response.
NFS mount option retrans
This mount option specifies the number of times the NFS RPC layer should retry the client's request
before returning an RPC timeout error (ETIMEDOUT).
nfso option nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout
You can use this nfso option to specify the minimum amount of time the client must wait before
failing over to a replica. This option is global to the NFS client and overrides the default per mount
behavior. By default, the nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout is not active. It's value is 0.
When nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout is not active, the fail-over threshold is set to twice the mount
timeo option value. When no successful RPC calls have occurred for this duration, the client will begin
fail-over processing to find another available replica. However, the actual time the client will wait is
influenced by the retrans option. If retrans is greater than 2, the client will likely wait until it receives
an RPC timeout based on the retrans value times the timeo value (retrans × timeo). Therefore,
the combination of the timeo and retrans options can be adjusted to control fail-over behavior on
a per-NFS mount basis. You can also set these options at a more granular level by using the nfs4cl
command.
When nfso nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout is set to a non-zero value, it represents the number of
seconds the client will wait on an unavailable server before considering replica fail-over. If the timeo and
retrans options result in RPC timeout behavior beyond the nfso setting, fail-over processing may not
start until the RPC timeout is generated.
For more information about the retrans, timeo, and nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout options, refer to
the NFS-specific options of the mount, nfs4cl, and nfso commands.

In addition to replica fail-over in the event of an unavailable server, there are cases where the client will
voluntarily switch from one replica location to another. One case is when you use the nfs4cl command
to establish a preferred replica. In this case, the client initiates a switch to the preferred server, if that is
not the current server the client is using. The client will also refetch replica location information from the
NFS server on approximately 30 minute intervals when there has been recent activity on the associated
data. If the ordering of the locations has changed, the client attempts to switch to the first location, if that
is different from the current server the client is using and you have not set a replica preference with the
nfs4cl command.
Soft NFS mounts versus failover behavior

The default mount model for NFS is hard mounts and the replica failover behavior applies to hard mounts.
Failover behavior is different if NFS soft mounts are used.
If the soft mount settings result in an RPC timeout prior to the established wait period for replica
failover, then the timeout will result in an ETIMEDOUT error to the calling application. The use
of soft mounts with replicated data is not recommended. If soft mounts are used and the nfso
nfs_v4_fail_over_timeout value has been set, it is suggested that the retrans and timeo mount
options be set to exceed the nfso setting. This will avoid ETIMEDOUT returns to applications for
replicated data.
Reordering the file system location list using the scatter option
The scatter option of the exportfs command enables you to change the order of the locations
specified in the file system location list that is set with either the refer option or the replicas option of
the exportfs command.
Using this option generates different combinations of server locations so that different lists have different
servers in the order of preference. Consequently, different clients have server location lists that are
different. This reordering helps load balancing because the first server in the location list of different
clients is a different server. Also, if a server goes down, the fail-over load is distributed across multiple
servers because the server in the next location in the server locations list is different. The scatter option
applies only to directories exported for access by the NFS version 4 protocol.
The scatter option can have the following values:
• full - All of the servers are reordered to form combinations of alternate locations. The total number of
combinations is limited to either 12 or the number of servers, whichever number is higher.
• partial - The first location for all of the server combinations generated is fixed to the first server in the
server list. The rest of the locations are listed as if a full reordering is used.
• none - No reordering of the file system location list is done. This is the default value for the scatter
option. Use this value to disable any previous reordering of the location list.
Note: If the noauto flag is not specified when you are using the exportfs command, then the location
list includes the primary host name as one of the replica locations.
To specify referrals for the /common/documents directory at hosts s1, s2, and s3, and then reorder them
using the full option, add the following line to the /etc/exports file and then export the /common/
documents directory:
/common/documents -ver=4, refer=/common/documents@s1:/common/document@s2a:/common/

documents@s3,scatter=full
To specify replicas for the /common/documents directory at hosts s1, s2, s3, and s4, and reorder them
partially (first fail-over server is s1 for all combinations), add the following line to the /etc/exports file
and then export the /common/documents directory:
/common/documents -vers=4, replicas=/common/documents@s1:/common/documents@s2:/common/

documents@s3:/common/documents@s4,scatter=partial

NFS server-client delegation
Delegation is the ability of the server to delegate certain responsibilities to the client.
Beginning with AIX 5L Version 5.3 with the 5300-03 Recommended Maintenance package, you can use
delegation. When the server grants a delegation for a file to a client, the client is guaranteed certain
semantics with respect to sharing that file with other clients. When a file is opened, the server can provide
the client a read delegation for the file. If the client is granted a read delegation, it is assured that no other
client has the ability to write to the file for the duration of the delegation. If the client is granted a write
delegation, the client is assured that no other client has read or write access to the file. The AIX server
only grants read delegations. The AIX server only supports delegation with the 64-bit AIX kernel. The AIX
client supports both read and write delegations.
In order for the server to grant a delegation to the client, the client must first provide a callback address
to the server. When a delegation is recalled, the server will send the recall request to this address. By
default, the client will indicate the IP address that is being used for normal communication with the
server. For clients with multiple network interfaces, a specific address can be specified in the /etc/nfs/
nfs4_callback.conf file. The format of the entries in this file is:
server-host client-ip-address
Where server-host is the name or address of an NFSv4 server and client-ip-address is the client address
to be used when providing the server callback information. If the server-host name is the IPv4 address
0.0.0.0 or the IPv6 address 0::0, the specified client-ip-address will be used for all servers that are not
listed in the file. If this file does not exist, or if an entry for the server (or a default entry) is not found, the
client selects an address based on the existing connection to the server.
Delegations can be recalled by the server. If another client requests access to the file in such a way that
the access conflicts with the granted delegation, the server is able to notify the initial client and recall the
delegation. This requires that a callback path exists between the server and client. If this callback path
does not exist, then delegations cannot be granted. If a file delegation has been granted, access from
other NFSv4 clients, NFS versions 2 and 3 clients, and local accesses to the file at the file server can
cause the delegation to be recalled. If GPFS is being NFSv4 exported, an access at a GPFS node in the
network may cause the delegation to be recalled.
The essence of a delegation is that it allows the client to locally service operations such as OPEN, CLOSE,
LOCK, LOCKU, READ, and WRITE without immediate interaction with the server.
Server delegation is enabled by default. Server delegation can be disabled with the nfso -o
server_delegation=0 command. Administrators can use the exportfs deleg=yes | no option to
disable or enable the granting of delegations on a per-file system basis, which will override the nfso
setting.
Client delegation can be disabled with the nfso -o client_delegation=0 command. Client
delegation must be set before any mounts take place on the client.
If the administrator is exporting a file system where many clients will be writing to many common files,
the administrator may want to disable delegations for that file system.
If the client cannot be contacted (for example, if the network or client is experiencing an outage) other
clients may be delayed in accessing the data.
Establishing generic host principals for Kerberos-protected callback paths

You can set up a callback path for IBM Network Authentication Service (Kerberos).
The client receiving the delegation must be a full client with its own host principal. However, you can
establish a generic host principal for all clients to use for callbacks.
To establish a generic host principal for all clients to use for callbacks, perform these steps:
1. To create a service principal (for example, nfs/client) using the same method used to create a host
principal, refer to Creating a Kerberos principal in Security.
2. Create a keytab entry for that service principal.

For example, to create a keytab called slapd_krb5.keytab, do the following:
kadmin.local: ktadd -k /etc/security/slapd_krb5.keytab ldap/plankton.austin.ibm.com

Entry for principal ldap/plankton.austin.ibm.com with kvno 2,
encryption type Triple DES cbc mode with HMAC/sha1 added to keytab
WRFILE:/etc/security/slapd_krb5.keytab.
encryption type ArcFour with HMAC/md5 added to keytab WRFILE:/etc/security/slapd_krb5.keytab.
encryption type AES-256 CTS mode with 96-bit SHA-1 HMAC added to keytab
WRFILE:/etc/security/slapd_krb5.keytab.
encryption type DES cbc mode with RSA-MD5 added to keytab WRFILE:/etc/security/
slapd_krb5.keytab.
kadmin.local:
3. Distribute this keytab to all clients that will use it.

4. Configure the clients with the nfshostkey command.
This process is identical to the process for configuring a server for use with Kerberos, but the generic
principal cannot be used for servers; each server must have its own principal of the form nfs/hostname.
STNFS short-term network file systems

An Short Term Network File Systems (STNFS) file system is a file system backed up by a Network File
System (NFS), and the STNFS file system allows local modification to files. The modifications are not
saved on the server.
Notes:
1
Many STNFS clients can share the same file system image from a server, but any modifications are
seen only by the client making the modification.
2
Any modifications made by a client are lost when the file system is unmounted or when the client
reboots.
3
Write operations from STNFS fail when the system memory falls below the predetermined threshold.
This threshold is internal to STNFS and cannot be configured externally.
Mounting a NFS short-term file system

The mount command is used to mount an NFS file system on a short-term basis. For example, type the
following command:
mount -v stnfs -o options server:/remote-path /local-path
The available options are:

vers=3
Use NFS version 3 to communicate with the server.
vers=4
Use NFS version 4 to communicate with the server.
rsize=size
Set the read-size bytes.
proto=udp
Use UDP to communicate with the NFS server.
proto=tcp
Use TCP to communicate with the NFS server.
hard
Use NFS hard mounts.

soft
Use NFS soft mounts.
sec
Use the specified security classification.
The default options are:
vers=3
rsize=32768
proto=tcp
hard
sec=sys
Checklist for configuring NFS

After the NFS software is installed on your systems, you are ready to configure NFS. Follow these steps to
configure NFS.
The CryptoLite in C (CLiC) kernel library must be installed before configuring NFS to use the following
types of security:
• krb5
• krb5i
• krb5p
Each step is described in greater detail below.
1. Determine which systems in the network are to be servers and which are to be clients (a system can be
configured as both a server and a client).
2. Determine what version of NFS you are going to use.
3. Decide whether you are going to use RPCSEC-GSS security. If so, refer to considerations in “Setting up
a network for RPCSEC-GSS” on page 544.
4. For each system (whether client or server), follow the instructions in “Start the NFS daemons at
system startup” on page 541.
5. For each NFS server, follow the instructions in “Configuring an NFS server” on page 541.
6. For each NFS client, follow the instructions in “Configuring an NFS client” on page 542.
7. If you want personal computers on your network to have access to your NFS servers (beyond being
able to mount file systems), configure PC-NFS by following the instructions in “PC-NFS” on page 556.
8. If NFS version 4 use is planned, refer to considerations in “NFS version 4 support” on page 531.
Start the NFS daemons at system startup

The NFS daemons, by default, are not started during installation.
When installed, all of the files are placed on the system, but the steps to activate NFS are not taken. You
can start the NFS daemons at system startup through:
• The SMIT fast path, smit mknfs
• The mknfs command.
All of these methods place an entry in the inittab file so that the /etc/rc.nfs script is run each time
the system restarts. This script, in turn, starts all NFS daemons required for a particular system.
Configuring an NFS server

Use this procedure to configure an NFS server.
To configure an NFS server:

1. Create the /etc/exports file. See “/etc/exports file” on page 526.
2. If you are using Kerberos, set up the NFS server as a Kerberos client. See “Setting up a network for
RPCSEC-GSS” on page 544.
3. If you are using NFS version 4, establish the NFS version 4 domain using the chnfsdom command.
Initially, you can specify the server's internet domain in the file. It is possible, however, to define an
NFS version 4 domain that is different from the server's internet domain. For clarification on this, see
the nfsrgyd command for documentation on the NFS registry daemon.
4. If you are using NFS version 4 with Kerberos, you may need to create the /etc/nfs/realm.map file.
See “/etc/nfs/realm.map file” on page 527.
5. If you want to use Kerberos authentication on the server, you must enable enhanced security on the
server.
You can enable enhanced security through using SMIT, or by using the chnfs -S -B command.
Configuring an NFS client

Use this procedure to configure an NFS client.
1. Start NFS using the instructions in “Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
2. Establish the local mount point using the mkdir command.
For NFS to complete a mount successfully, a directory that acts as the mount point (or place holder) of
an NFS mount must be present. This directory should be empty. This mount point can be created like
any other directory, and no special attributes are needed.
Note: With one exception, the mount points for all NFS mounts must exist on your system before
mounting a file system. If the automount daemon is used, it is not necessary to create mount points.
3. If using Kerberos, follow these steps:
a) Configure the NFS client into a Kerberos realm.
This is done with the config.krb5 command. Refer to the IBM Network Authentication Service
Administrator's and User's Guide for configuration details.
b) Create Kerberos principals for all users on the client who will be accessing files via Kerberos
mounts.
This is done with the kadmin command. Refer to the Network Authentication Service
Administrator's and User's Guide for a description of how to create Kerberos principals.
c) Establishing a Kerberos principal for the client machine itself is optional.
A client without a principal is known as a slim client, and a client with a principal is referred to as a
full client. Slim clients use weaker NFS RPC security when performing certain NFS version 4 client-
to-server context management operations used for state management. A full client, dependent on
configuration, can use the stronger Kerberos-based RPC security. Slim client configurations require
less administrative overhead and may be sufficient for many environments. Deployments requiring
the highest levels of security may choose to run full client configurations.
4. If you are using NFS version 4, you must also establish an NFS version 4 domain using the chnfsdom
command.
Initially, you can specify the client's internet domain in the file. It is possible, however, to define an
NFS version 4 domain that is different from the client's internet domain. For clarification on this, see
the documentation for the NFS registry daemon, nfsrgyd.
5. If you want to use Kerberos authentication on the client, you must enable enhanced security on the
client.
You can enable enhanced security using SMIT, or by using the chnfs -S -B command. For more
information on chnfs, refer to the chnfs command reference page.
6. Establish and mount the predefined mounts by following the instructions in “Establishing predefined
NFS mounts” on page 551.

Identity mapping
Identity mapping provides a method for the local NFS server and client to translate foreign users and
groups to local users and groups.
AIX uses the EIM technology, which is based on LDAP, to perform its identity mapping. All NFS identity
mapping data is stored on an LDAP server.
In order to set up an EIM client, the bos.eim.rte and ldap.client filesets must be installed. The
EIM server also requires the ldap.server fileset. After the appropriate filesets are installed, the /usr/
sbin/chnfsim is used to configure EIM. The minimum setup options are as follows:
/usr/sbin/chnfsim -c -a -t [type] -h [EIM server] -e [LDAP/EIM domain] -f [LDAP suffix] -w [administrator password]
This configures both EIM clients and servers to use a specific EIM server for identity mapping. If the host
name specified in the command is the local host name, then an LDAP server will also be setup.
After the configuration step is complete, the EIM administrator can populate the LDAP server with NFS
identity mapping data. An individual user or group, such as John Doe, is known as a mapping identity. The
NFS owner string of that user, johndoe@austin.ibm.com, is known as an identity mapping. To input the
LDAP server with this data, the following command should be run:
/usr/sbin/chnfsim -a -u -i "John Doe" -n johndoe -d austin.ibm.com
The mapping identity is the descriptive name of the user or group, and the identity mapping is the
name@domain NFS owner string. Realm to domain mappings are also stored in the LDAP server. To
input that the Kerberos realm kerb.austin.ibm.com maps to the NFS domain austin.ibm.com, the
following command should be run:
/usr/sbin/chnfsim -a -r kerb.austin.ibm.com -d austin.ibm.com
In order to configure NFS to use the mapping data in EIM, the NFS registry daemon needs to be restarted.
The NFS registry daemon checks for the availability of an EIM server upon startup, and if one is found, all
mapping functions will go through EIM and all local mappings will no longer be used.
For information on EIM, see Enterprise identity mapping in the Security.
Exporting an NFS file system

You can export an NFS file system using the following procedures.
• To export an NFS file system using the SMIT:
1. Verify that NFS is already running by typing the command lssrc -g nfs. The output should
indicate that the nfsd and the rpc.mountd daemons are active. If they are not, start NFS using the
instructions in “Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
2. At a command line, type the following and press Enter:
smit mknfsexp
3. Specify appropriate values in the PATHNAME of directory to export, MODE to export directory, and
EXPORT directory now, system restart or both fields.
4. Specify any other optional characteristics you want, or accept the default values by leaving the
remaining fields as they are.
5. When you have finished making your changes, SMIT updates the /etc/exports file. If the /etc/
exports file does not exist, it is created.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each directory you want to export.
• To export an NFS file system using a text editor:
1. Open the /etc/exports file with your favorite text editor.
2. Create an entry for each directory to be exported using the full path name of the directory. List each
directory to be exported starting in the left margin. No directory should include any other directory

that is already exported. See the /etc/exports file in Files Reference for a description of the full
syntax for entries in the /etc/exports file.
3. Save and close the/etc/exports file.
4. If NFS is running, type the following command and press Enter:
/usr/sbin/exportfs -a
The -a option tells the exportfs command to send all information in the /etc/exports file to the
kernel. If NFS is not running, start NFS using the instructions in “Starting the NFS daemons” on page
530.
• To temporarily export an NFS file system (without changing the /etc/exports file), type the following
command and press Enter:
exportfs -i /dirname
where dirname is the name of the file system you want to export. The exportfs -i command
specifies that the /etc/exports file is not to be checked for the specified directory, and all options are
taken directly from the command line.
The AIX NFS version 4 support allows the administrator to create and control an alternate namespace
that is rendered by the NFS server to clients. This is done using the exname export option. This support
can also be used to hide details of the server's local file system namespace from NFS clients.
Setting up a network for RPCSEC-GSS

The network that is being set up in this scenario contains five servers and is configured for RPCSEC-GSS.
The five servers on the network are as follows:
• kdc.austin.ibm.com
• alpha.austin.ibm.com
• beta.austin.ibm.com
• gamma.austin.ibm.com
• zeta.austin.ibm.com
The system kdc.austin.ibm.com will be configured as the Key Distribution Center (KDC) server,
and the Kerberos realm AUSTIN.IBM.COM will be created, on which all of the systems except
kdc.austin.ibm.com and zeta.austin.ibm.com will be NFS servers offering file systems exported
with RPCSEC-GSS.
Systems alpha.austin.ibm.com and beta.austin.ibm.com have an additional link between
them; across that link, they appear to each other as fast_alpha.test.austin.com and
fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com. For this reason, an additional configuration step will be required.
In addition, this network has the following users, which have been configured on some of the systems:
• adam
• brian
• charlie
• dave
• eric
Note: The following setup is provided only as an example, and may not be appropriate for all
environments. See the Administrator's and User's Guide for the Network Authentication Service before
attempting to set up a new Kerberos realm.
Note: Kerberos requires that the system time be reasonably close throughout the network. Before
beginning this procedure, you should set up a mechanism to automatically synchronize time throughout
the network, such as the AIX timed daemon or an NTP setup.

1. Set up the KDC server.
Note: The KDC server should ideally not be used for any other purpose; if the KDC is compromised, all
Kerberos principals are compromised.
In this scenario, kdc.austin.ibm.com will be configured as the KDC server. The following
configuration is for des3. If des would be preferred for performance reasons, add the argument -e
des-cbc-crc:normal to the addprinc call and the ktadd call for the kadmin below.
To configure your network with aes encryption, add the -e aes256-cts:normal argument to the
addprinc call and the ktadd call for the kadmin command.
a) Install the krb5.server.rte fileset on kdc.austin.ibm.com.
b) Set up the KDC server. In this scenario, the following command was used:
config.krb5 -S -d austin.ibm.com -r AUSTIN.IBM.COM
After running this command, the system will ask for a Master Database password and a password
for the administrative principal.
c) Create principals for each user and host by running the /usr/krb5/sbin/kadmin.local
command on the KDC server. This example creates Kerberos principals that match the UNIX user
name of the associated user. The principal name will be mapped to the user name by NFS to
determine the UNIX credential associated with the principal. For a description of how to use more
general mappings between principals and user names, see “Identity mapping” on page 543. For
this network, we created the following principals:
• adam
• brian
• charlie
• dave
• eric
• nfs/alpha.austin.ibm.com
• nfs/beta.austin.ibm.com
• nfs/gamma.austin.ibm.com
Note: The chosen user principal names must match the corresponding user names in the system's
configured user registry (/etc/passwd, LDAP, NIS, and so on). NFS uses the principal name as a
user name to obtain user and group IDs on the local system. If the names do not match, the access
will be treated as an anonymous access.
The KDC is now configured.
2. Each NFS client and server will now be configured as Kerberos clients by using the config.krb5
command.
How this is done will depend on how the KDC was configured. In this scenario we ran the following
command on each NFS system:
config.krb5 -C -d austin.ibm.com -r AUSTIN.IBM.COM -c kdc.austin.ibm.com -s

kdc.austin.ibm.com
It is now possible to kinit as any of the user principals on any of the configured systems . For
example, to kinit as user adam, run the following command:
/usr/krb5/bin/kinit adam
You will need to specify adam's Kerberos, not AIX, password.

This example uses kinit to authenticate the user. It is possible to configure AIX to use Kerberos
authentication during system login. For more information, see Authenticating to AIX Using Kerberos in
Security.
3. Each NFS server will now be configured with the appropriate keytab entry.

In this scenario, we configured the keytab entry for alpha.austin.ibm.com as an example; the
exact same process will be used on beta.austin.ibm.com and gamma.austin.ibm.com.
a) From alpha.austin.ibm.com, run the kadmin command. Then, run the following command:
ktadd nfs/alpha.austin.ibm.com
This creates a keytab file.

b) Next, set up the gssd daemon to use the keytab file you just created with the nfshostkey
command.
In this scenario, we ran the following:
nfshostkey -p nfs/alpha.austin.ibm.com -f /etc/krb5/krb5.keytab
c) Set up the gssd daemon to start up automatically by running the following command:
chnfs -S -B
Repeat this setup for each system.

4. At this point, the NFS server will work, although, all users will come across as nobody. It is advisable
to have all of the users exist on all servers with the same uid and gid; any users that do not exist will
have access to the exported directory only as nobody. To get user names to map properly, you must
configure the NFS registry daemon.
a) Set up the domain using the chnfsdom command. In this scenario, the following command was run
on all the NFS servers to set up austin.ibm.com as the domain:
chnfsdom austin.ibm.com
b) Set up the /etc/nfs/realm.map file; this file should contain one line, with the realm name
followed by the local domain.
For our example network, these two files should look like this on all of the NFS servers:
realm.map AUSTIN.IBM.COM austin.ibm.com
The realm entry in this file is not case-sensitive, so technically, this entry is not required.
c) For zeta.austin.ibm.com, which will not be an NFS server, start up the gssd daemon using the
chnfs -S -B command. Before trying any Kerberos client operations, the user must use kinit to
obtain valid credentials.
5. In this scenario, there is fast network link configure between alpha.austin.ibm.com
and beta.austin.ibm.com. Across this link, beta.austin.ibm.com will see
alpha.austin.ibm.com as fast_alpha.test.austin.ibm.com, and alpha.autsin.ibm.com
will see beta.austin.ibm.com as fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com. Because neither nfs/
fast_alpha.test.austin.ibm.com nor nfs/fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com are valid
principals, they will be unable to use this link for mounts.
To correct this, the nfshostmap command will be used, which will map principal to handle this
situation.
a) On alpha.austin.ibm.com, we ran the following command:
nfshostmap -a beta.austin.ibm.com fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com
This tells alpha.austin.ibm.com that fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com's principal is for

beta.austin.ibm.com.
b) On beta, we ran the following command:
nfshostmap -a alpha.austin.ibm.com fast_alpha.test.austin.ibm.com

Servers can have multiple host principals. Assuming that the IP address for fast_alpha is 10.0.0.1
and the IP address for fast_beta is 10.0.0.2, complete the following steps to add multiple host
principals:
a) Add the nfs/fast_alpha.test.austin.ibm.com and nfs/
fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com principals to the appropriate keytab files.
b) Run the nfshostkey command on the alpha server, as follows:
nfshostkey -a -p nfs/fast_alpha.test.austin.ibm.com -i 10.0.0.1
c) Run the nfshostkey command on the beta server, as follows:
nfshostkey -a -p nfs/fast_beta.test.austin.ibm.com -i 10.0.0.2
Unexporting an NFS file system

You can unexport an NFS directory using the following procedures.
• To unexport an NFS directory using SMIT:
a) Type the following at a command prompt and press Enter:
smit rmnfsexp
b) Enter the appropriate path name in the PATHNAME of exported directory to be removed field.
The directory is now removed from the /etc/exports file and is unexported.
If the directory was exported to clients using NFS version 4, the unexport may fail due to file state
on the server. File state means files in the exported directories are open by a client. You can either
take actions to stop applications using that data, or you can forcefully unexport (exportfs -F) the
data, which may result in failures for applications that are actively using the data.
• To unexport an NFS directory by using a text editor:
a) Open the /etc/exports file with your favorite text editor.
b) Find the entry for the directory you wish to unexport, and the delete that line.
c) Save and close the /etc/exports file.
d) If NFS is currently running, enter:
exportfs -u dirname
where dirname is the full path name of the directory you just deleted from the /etc/exports file.
If the unexport fails due to access by NFS V4 clients, you can add a -F option to force the directory
to be unexported.
Changing an exported file system

Change an exported NFS file system using the following procedures.
• To change an exported NFS file system using SMIT:
1. To unexport the file system, type:
exportfs -u /dirname
where dirname is the name of the file system you want to change.
2. Type:
smit chnfsexp
3. Enter the appropriate path name in the PATHNAME of exported directory field.
4. Make whatever changes you want.

5. Exit SMIT.
6. Reexport the file system by entering:
exportfs /dirname
where dirname is the name of the file system you just changed.
• To change an exported NFS file system by using a text editor:
1. To unexport the file system, type:
exportfs -u /dirname
where dirname is the name of the file system you want to change.
2. Open the /etc/exports file with your favorite text editor.
3. Make whatever changes you want.
4. Save and close the /etc/exports file.
5. Reexport the file system by entering:
exportfs /dirname
where dirname is the name of the file system you just changed.
Root user access to an exported file system

When a file system is exported, by default, the root user is not granted root access to that exported file
systems.
When a root user on one host requests access to a particular file from NFS, the user ID of the requester
is mapped by NFS to the user ID of user nobody (nobody is one of the user names placed in the /etc/
password file by default). The access rights of user nobody are the same as those given to the public
(others) for a particular file. For example, if others only has run permission for a file, then user nobody can
only run the file.
To enable root user access to an exported file system, follow the instructions in “Changing an exported
file system” on page 547. If you use the SMIT method, specify in the HOSTS allowed root access field the
name of the host to which you want to grant root access. If you edit the file with a text editor, add the
qualifier -root=hostname to the file system entry. For example,
/usr/tps -root=hermes
specifies that the root user on host hermes may access the /usr/tps directory with root privileges.
Mounting an NFS file system explicitly

To mount an NFS directory explicitly, use the following procedure:
1. Verify that the NFS server has exported the directory:
showmount -e ServerName
where ServerName is the name of the NFS server. This command displays the names of the directories
currently exported from the NFS server. If the directory you want to mount is not listed, export the
directory from the server.
Note: The showmount command will not work for file systems that were exported only as NFS version
4 file systems. For NFS version 4, the client can mount the root filesystem for the server and traverse
the exported directory structure. Individual exported file systems do not have to be explicitly mounted
to be accessed by the client.
2. Establish the local mount point using the mkdir command.

A null (empty) directory that acts as the mount point (or place holder) of an NFS mount must be
present for NFS to complete a mount successfully. This mount point can be created like any other
directory, and no special attributes are needed.
3. Type:
mount ServerName:/remote/directory /local/directory
where ServerName is the name of the NFS server, /remote/directory is the directory on the NFS
server you want to mount, and /local/directory is the mount point on the NFS client.
4. On the client machine, type the following SMIT fast path:
smit mknfsmnt
5. Make changes to the following fields that are appropriate for your network configuration.
Your configuration might not require completing all of the entries on this screen.
Note: If the SMIT interface is being used, press the Tab key to change to the correct value for each
field, but do not press Enter until completing step 7.
• PATHNAME of mount point.
• PATHNAME of remote directory.
• HOST where remote directory resides.
• MOUNT now, add entry to /etc/filesystems or both?
• /etc/filesystems entry will mount the directory on system RESTART.
• MODE for this NFS file system.
6. Change or use the default values for the remaining entries, depending on your NFS configuration.
7. When you finish making all the changes on this screen, SMIT mounts the NFS file system.
8. When the Command: field shows the OK status, exit SMIT.
The NFS file system is now ready to use.
Automount subsystem
The automount subsystem allows non-root users to mount remote file systems once the initial mount
points are specified by the root user.
The /etc/auto_master file specifies this information. These mount points, known as keys, have a
corresponding maps that determine which remote file system is mounted over it. The format of the /etc/
auto_master file is as follows:
/key map
Note: The /etc/auto_master file is read when the automount command is initially executed, and
changes to it will not take effect until the automount command is run again.
The most common maps are direct maps, indirect maps, and host maps.
Direct maps
Direct maps require a special key (/-) in the /etc/auto_master file.
The map is a file with the following format:
/directkey [-options] server:/dir
When a user accesses the /directkey directory, the automount daemon will mount server:/dir over /
directkey.

Indirect maps
Another kind of map that determines which remote file system is mounted over a mount point is an
indirect map.
Indirect maps have the following format:
indirectkey [-options] server:/dir
When a user accesses the /key/indirectkey directory, the automount daemon will mount server:/dir
over /key/indirectkey.
Host maps
Host maps require a special map (-hosts) in the /etc/auto_master file.
The automount daemon will create a subdirectory under the /key directory for every server listed in
the /etc/hosts file. When a user accesses the /key/server directory, the automount daemon will
mount the server's exported directories over the /key/server directory.
Using AutoFS to automatically mount a file system

AutoFS relies on the use of the automount command to propagate the automatic mount configuration
information to the AutoFS kernel extension and start the automountd daemon.
Through this configuration propagation, the extension automatically and transparently mounts file
systems whenever a file or a directory within that file system is opened. The extension informs the
automountd daemon of mount and unmount requests, and the automountd daemon actually performs
the requested service.
Because the name-to-location binding is dynamic within the automountd daemon, updates to a Network
Information Service (NIS) map used by the automountd daemon are transparent to the user. Also, there
is no need to premount shared file systems for applications that have hard-coded references to files
and directories, nor is there a need to maintain records of which hosts must be mounted for particular
applications.
AutoFS allows file systems to be mounted as needed. With this method of mounting directories, all file
systems do not need to be mounted all of the time; only those being used are mounted.
For example, to mount an NFS directory automatically:
1. Verify that the NFS server has exported the directory by entering:
showmount -e ServerName
where ServerName is the name of the NFS server. This command displays the names of the directories
currently exported from the NFS server.
2. Create an AutoFS master file and map file. AutoFS mounts and unmounts the directories specified in
these map files.
For example, suppose you want AutoFS to mount the /local/dir1 and /local/dir2 directories as
needed from the serve1 server onto the /remote/dir1 and /remote/dir2 directories, respectively.
The auto_master file entry would be as follows:
/remote /tmp/mount.map
The /tmp/mount.map file entry would be as follows:
dir1 -rw serve1:/local/dir1

dir2 -rw serve1:/local/dir2
3. Ensure that the AutoFS kernel extension is loaded and the automountd daemon is running. This can
be accomplished in two ways:
a) Using the automount command: Issue /usr/sbin/automount -v.

b) Using SRC: Issue lssrc -s automountd. If the automountd subsystem is not running, issue
startsrc -s automountd.
Note: Starting the automountd daemon with the startsrc command will ignore any changes that
have been made to the auto_master file.
4. To stop the automount daemon, issue the stopsrc -s automountd command.
If, for some reason, the automountd daemon was started without the use of SRC, issue:
kill automountd_PID
where automountd_PID is the process ID of the automountd daemon. (Running the ps -e command
displays the process ID of the automountd daemon.) The kill command sends a SIGTERM signal to
the automountd daemon.
Establishing predefined NFS mounts

You can establish predefined NFS mounts using the one of the following procedures.
Note: Define the bg (background) and intr (interruptible) options in the /etc/filesystems file when
establishing a predefined mount that is mounted during system startup. Mounts that are noninterruptible
and running in the foreground can hang the client if the network or server is down when the client system
starts up. If a client cannot access the network or server, the user must start the machine again in
maintenance mode and edit the appropriate mount requests.
• To establish predefined mounts through SMIT:
a) Type:
smit mknfsmnt
b) Specify values in this screen for each mount you want to predefine. Specify a value for each
required field (those marked with an asterisk (*) in the left margin). Also specify values for the other
fields or accept their default values.
This method creates an entry in the /etc/filesystems file for the desired mount and attempts
the mount.
• To establish the NFS default mounts by editing the /etc/filesystems file:
a) Open the /etc/filesystems file with a text editor.
b) Add entries for each of the remote file systems to be mounted when the system is started. For
example:
/home/jdoe:
dev = /home/jdoe
mount = false
vfs = nfs
nodename = mach2
options = ro,soft
type = nfs_mount
This stanza directs the system to mount the /home/jdoe remote directory over the local mount
point of the same name. The file system is mounted as read-only (ro). Because it is also mounted
as soft, an error is returned in the event the server does not respond. By specifying the type
parameter as nfs_mount, the system attempts to mount the /home/jdoe file (along with any
other file systems that are specified in the type = nfs_mount group) when the mount -t
nfs_mount command is issued.
The example stanza below directs the system to mount the /usr/games file system at system
startup time. If the mount fails, the system continues to attempt to mount in the background.
/usr/games:
dev = /usr/games
mount = true
vfs = nfs
nodename = gameserver

options = ro,soft,bg
type = nfs_mount
The following parameters are required for stanzas pertaining to NFS mounts:
Table 92. Required parameters for stanzas pertaining to NFS mounts

Item Description
dev=filesystem_name Specifies the path name of the remote file
system being mounted.
mount=[true|false] If true the NFS file system is mounted when
the system boots. If false, the NFS file system
is not be mounted when the system boots.
nodename=hostname Specifies the host machine on which the remote
file system resides.
vfs=nfs Specifies that the virtual file system being
mounted is an NFS file system.
The following parameters are optional for stanzas pertaining to NFS mounts:
Item Description
type=type_name Defines the file system being mounted as part of the type_name
mount group. This parameter is used with the mount -t
command, which mounts groups of specified file systems at the
same time.
options=options Specifies one or more of the following options parameters:
biods=N
Specifies the maximum number of biod daemons to use.
The default is seven for NFS version 2, and four for NFS
version 3 and version 4.
bg
Specifies to try the mount again in the background if the first
mount attempt fails.
fg
Specifies to try the mount again in the foreground if the first
mount attempt fails.
noacl
Disables, for this mount only, the Access Control List (ACL)
support provided by the NFS journaled file system.
When used between two systems, NFS supports access
control lists. If the noacl option is used when mounting a
file system, NFS does not use ACLs. The effect of the noacl
option equals what happens when an NFS client on a system
mounts from an NFS server that does not support ACLs.
For more information about ACLs, refer to “NFS Access
Control Lists support” on page 521.

Item Description
retry=n
Sets the number of times to try the mount.
rsize=n
Sets the read buffer size to the number of bytes specified by
n.
wsize=n
Sets the write buffer size to the number of bytes specified by
n.
timeo=n
Sets the NFS time out to the tenths of a second specified
by n. Use this variable to avoid situations that can occur
in networks where the server load can cause inadequate
response time.
retrans=n
Sets the number of NFS retransmissions to the number
specified by n.
port=n
Sets the server port to the number specified by n.
soft
Returns an error if the server does not respond.
hard
Continues to try the request until the server responds.
Note: When you specify a hard mount, it is possible that the
process can hang while waiting for a response. To be able to
interrupt the process and end it from the keyboard, use the
intr variable in the mount variables.
intr
Allows keyboard interrupts on hard mounts.
ro
Sets the read-only variable.

Item Description
rw
Sets the read-write variable. Use the hard variable along
with this variable to avoid error conditions that can
conflict with applications if a soft mount is attempted as
read-write. See “NFS troubleshooting” on page 562 for
information on hard- and soft-mounted problems.
secure
Specifies to use a more secure protocol for NFS
transactions.
sec
The sec option specifies the security flavor list for the NFS
mount. The available flavors are des, unix, sys, krb5, krb5i,
and krb5p. This option only applies to AIX 5.3 or later.
actimeo=n
Extends flush time by n seconds for both regular files and
directories.
Note: The attribute cache retains file attributes on the client.
Attributes for a file are assigned a time to be erased. If
the file is modified before the flush time, then the flush
time is extended by the time since the previous modification
(under the assumption that recently changed files are likely
to change again soon). There are minimum and maximum
flush time extensions for regular files and for directories.
vers
Specifies NFS version. The default is the version of NFS
protocol used between the client and server and is the
highest one available on both systems. If the NFS server
does not support NFS Version 3, the NFS mount will use NFS
Version 2. Use the vers option to select the NFS version. By
default, the NFS mount will never use NFS Version 4 unless
specified.
acregmin=n
Holds cached attributes for at least n seconds after file
modification.
acregmax=n
Holds cached attributes for no more than n seconds after file
modification.
acdirmin=n
Holds cached attributes for at least n seconds after directory
update.
acdirmax=n
Holds cached attributes for no more than n seconds after
directory update.

Item Description
cio
Specifies the file system to be mounted for concurrent
readers and writers. I/O on files in this file system will
behave as if they had been opened with O_CIO specified
in the open() system call. Using this option will prevent
access in any manner other than CIO. It is impossible to use
cached I/O on a file system mounted with the cio option.
This means that mapping commands such as mmap() and
shmat() will fail with EINVAL when used on any file in a file
system mounted with the cio option. One side effect of this
is that it is impossible to run binaries out of a cio-mounted
file system, since the loader may use mmap().
dio
Specifies that I/O on the file system will behave as if all
the files had been opened with O_DIRECT specified in the
open() system call.
Note: Using the -odio or -ocio flags can help performance on
certain workloads, but users should be aware that using these
flags will prevent file caching for these file systems. Because
readahead is disabled for these file systems, this may decrease
performance for large sequential reads.
maxpout=n
Specifies the page-out level for files on this file system at
which threads should be slept. If maxpout is specified, you
must also specify minpout. This value must be nonnegative
and greater than minpout. The default is the kernel
maxpout level.
minpout=n
Specifies the page-out level for files on this file system at
which threads should be readied. If minpout is specified,
you must also specify maxpout. This value must be
nonnegative. The default is the kernel minpout level.
rbr
Uses the release-behind-when-reading capability. When
sequential reading of a file in this file system is detected,
the real memory pages used by the file are released once
the pages are copied to internal buffers.
Note: If you do not set the following options, the kernel

automatically sets them to these default values:
fg
retry=10000
rsize=8192
wsize=8192
timeo=7
retrans=5
port=NFS_PORT
hard
secure=off
acregmin=3
acregmax=60
acdirmin=30
acdirmax=60
c) Remove any directory entries that you do not want to mount automatically at system startup.

d) Save and close the file.
e) Run the mount -a command to mount all the directories specified in the /etc/filesystems file.
Unmounting an explicitly or automatically mounted file system

The following procedure can be used to unmount an explicitly or automatically mounted NFS directory.
To unmount an explicitly or automatically mounted NFS directory, type:
umount /directory/to/unmount
Removing predefined NFS mounts

You can remove a predefined NFS mount using the following procedures.
• To remove a predefined NFS mount through SMIT:
1. Type:
smit rmnfsmnt
• To remove a predefined NFS mount by editing the /etc/filesystems file:

1. Enter the command: umount /directory/to/unmount.
2. Open the /etc/filesystems file with your favorite editor.
3. Find the entry for the directory you just unmounted, and then delete it.
4. Save and close the file.
PC-NFS
PC-NFS is a program for personal computers that enables the personal computer to mount file systems
exported by a Network File System (NFS) server.
The personal computer can also request network addresses and host names from the NFS server.
Additionally, if the NFS server is running the rpc.pcnfsd daemon, the personal computer can access
authentication and print-spooling services.
You might want to configure the rpc.pcnfsd daemon on the following:
• Systems that perform user authentication services
• Systems that offer print-spooling
• All Network Information Service (NIS) controller and worker servers.
Note: Because NIS networks are typically configured so that PC-NFS can pick any NIS server as the
default server, it is important that all servers have the rpc.pcnfsd daemon running. If running this
daemon on all NIS servers is not practical, or if you want to limit requests to a specific server, add a net
pcnfsd command to the autoexec.bat file on each personal computer to force it to use a specific NIS
server.
Related information
Network Information Services (NIS)
PC-NFS authentication service

By default, PC-NFS presents itself to NFS servers as the nobody user. With nobody privileges, all
personal computer user files appear as owned by nobody, and consequently you cannot distinguish
between different personal computer users.
The authentication capability of the rpc.pcnfsd daemon allow you to monitor system resources and
security by recognizing individual users and assigning them different privileges.

With the rpc.pcnfsd daemon running, a PC-NFS user can issue the net name command from a
personal computer to log in to PC-NFS in the same manner as a user can log in to this operating system.
The user name and password are verified by the rpc.pcnfsd daemon. This authentication procedure
does not make a server more secure, but it does provide more control over access to files that are
available through NFS.
PC-NFS print-spooling service

The print-spooling service of the rpc.pcnfsd daemon enables personal computers running PC-NFS to
print to printers not directly attached to the personal computer.
Specifically, PC-NFS redirects files intended for personal computer printers to a file on an NFS server. This
file is placed in a spool directory on the NFS server. The rpc.pcnfsd daemon then invokes the server
printing facility. (The spooling directory must be in an exported file system so that PC-NFS clients can
mount it.) When PC-NFS requests that the rpc.pcnfsd daemon print the file, it provides the following
information:
• Name of the file to be printed
• Login ID of the user on the client
• Name of the printer to be used.
Configuring the rpc.pcnfsd daemon

For the best performance, configure the rpc.pcnfsd daemon using these steps.
To configure the rpc.pcnfsd daemon:
1. Install PC-NFS program on your personal computer.
2. Select a location for the spool directory on the NFS server.
The default spool directory is /var/tmp. The spool directory must have at least 100K bytes of free
space.
3. Export the spool directory. Do not put access restrictions on the exported directory that could cause
access problems in your network.
For details of this procedure, see “Exporting an NFS file system” on page 543.
4. Start the rpc.pcnfsd daemon by following the instructions in “Starting the rpc.pcnfsd daemon” on
page 557.
5. Verify that the rpc.pcnfsd daemon is accessible by following the instructions in “Verifying the
rpc.pcnfsd daemon is accessible” on page 558 .
Note: Because printer-redirection requests sometimes cause file listings of zero length to be left in the
PC-NFS spool directories, periodically clear spooling directories of these entries.
Starting the rpc.pcnfsd daemon

To start the rpc.pcnfsd daemon using the default spooling directory, use the following procedure.
1. With a text editor, uncomment the following entry in the /etc/inetd.conf file:
pcnfsd sunrpc_udp udp wait root /usr/sbin/rpc.pcnfsd pcnfsd 150001 1
2. Save the file and exit the text editor.

To start the rpc.pcnfsd daemon using a directory that is different from the default:
1. Use a text editor to add the following entry to the /etc/rc.nfs file:
if [ -f /usr/sbin/rpc.pcnfsd ] ; then
/usr/sbin/rpc.pcnfsd -s spooldir ; echo ' rpc.pcnfsd\c'
fi
where spooldir specifies the full path name of the spool directory.

2. Save the file and exit the text editor.
3. Using a text editor, comment the following entry in the /etc/inetd.conf file:
#pcnfsd sunrpc_udp udp wait root /usr/sbin/rpc.pcnfsd pcnfsd 150001 1
Placing a pound sign (#) at the beginning of the line prevents the inetd daemon from starting the
rpc.pcnfsd daemon using the default spool directory.
4. Start the rpc.pcnfsd daemon print spooler by typing the following at the command line:
/usr/sbin/rpc.pcnfsd -s spooldir
where spooldir specifies the full path name of the spool directory.
For more information on updating the inetd configuration database, see “Configuring the inetd daemon”
on page 369.
Note: The default directory that the rpc.pcnfsd daemon uses cannot be changed from the inetd.conf
file.
Verifying the rpc.pcnfsd daemon is accessible

Follow this procedure to determine whether the rpc.pcnfsd daemon is accessible.
To verify that the rpc.pcnfsd daemon is accessible, type:
rpcinfo -u host 150001
where host specifies the host name of the system on which you are configuring rpc.pcnfsd, and 15001
is the RPC program number of the rpc.pcnfsd daemon. After you enter the command, you will receive a
message that the program is ready and waiting.
LDAP automount maps

You can configure the automount subsystem to retrieve its maps from an LDAP server.
To administer automount maps in LDAP, add the following line to the /etc/irs.conf file:
automount nis_ldap
In order to administer automount maps in LDAP, you need to create the appropriate LDIF files. You can
convert local automount map files to LDIF format using the nistoldif command. As an example, if the
LDAP server is named ldapserver, then its base suffix is dc=suffix, and the /etc/auto_home map
file contains the following lines:
user1 server1:/home/user1
Use the following commands to create the LDIF file for the /etc/auto_home map file, and add it to the
LDAP server:
nistoldif -d dc=suffix -sa -f /etc/auto_home > /tmp/auto_home.ldif

ldapadd -D cn=admin -w passwd -h ldapserver -f /tmp/auto_home.ldif
In order to edit or remove existing automount entries from an LDAP server, the LDIF files must be created
manually. For example, if the home directory of user2 is now on server2, the following LDIF should be
created:
# cat /tmp/ch_user2.ldif
dn: automountKey=user2,automountMapName=auto_home,dc=suffix
changetype: modify
replace: automountInformation
automountInformation: server2:/home/user2

After creating the above LDIF, run the following command:
ldapmodify -D cn=admin -w passwd -h ldapserver -f /tmp/ch_user2.ldif
You must also create an LDIF file to remove a user. For example, to remove user3, create the following
LDIF:
# cat /tmp/rm_user3.ldif
dn: automountKey=user3,automountMapName=auto_home,dc=suffix
changetype: delete
After creating the above LDIF, run the following command:
ldapmodify -D cn=admin -w passwd -h ldapserver -f /tmp/rm_user3.ldif
WebNFS
The operating system provides NFS server capability for WebNFS.
Defined by Oracle, WebNFS is a simple extension of the NFS protocol that allows easier access to servers
and clients through Internet firewalls.
A WebNFS-enhanced web browser can use an NFS universal resource locator (URL) to access data
directly from the server. An example NFS URL is:
nfs://www.YourCompany.com/
WebNFS works in tandem with existing web-based protocols to provide data to clients.
WebNFS also takes advantage of the scalability of NFS servers.
Network lock manager

The network lock manager is a facility that works in cooperation with the Network File System (NFS) to
provide a System V style of advisory file and record locking over the network.
The network lock manager (rpc.lockd) and the network status monitor (rpc.statd) are network-
service daemons. The rpc.statd daemon is a user level process while the rpc.lockd daemon is
implemented as a set of kernel threads (similar to the NFS server). Both daemons are essential to the
ability of the kernel to provide fundamental network services.
Note:
1. Mandatory or enforced locks are not supported over NFS.
2. Network Lock Manager is specific to NFS Version 2 and Version 3.
Network lock manager architecture

The network lock manager contains both server and client functions.
The client functions are responsible for processing requests from the applications and sending requests
to the network lock manager at the server. The server functions are responsible for accepting lock
requests from clients and generating the appropriate locking calls at the server. The server will then
respond to the locking request of the client.
In contrast to NFS, which is stateless, the network lock manager has an implicit state. In other words,
the network lock manager must remember whether the client currently has a lock. The network status
monitor, rpc.statd, implements a simple protocol that allows the network lock manager to monitor
the status of other machines on the network. By having accurate status information, the network lock
manager can maintain a consistent state within the stateless NFS environment.

Network file locking process
When an application wants to obtain a lock on a local file, it sends its request to the kernel using the
lockf, fcntl, or flock subroutines.
The kernel then processes the lock request. However, if an application on an NFS client makes a lock
request for a remote file, the Network Lock Manager client generates a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) to
the server to handle the request.
When the client receives an initial remote lock request, it registers interest in the server with the client's
rpc.statd daemon. The same is true for the network lock manager at the server. On the initial request
from a client, it registers interest in the client with the local network status monitor.
Crash recovery process

The rpc.statd daemon on each machine notifies the rpc.statd daemon on every other machine of its
activities. When the rpc.statd daemon receives notice that another machine crashed or recovered, it
notifies its rpc.lockd daemon.
If a server crashes, clients with locked files must be able to recover their locks. If a client crashes, its
servers must hold the client locks while it recovers. Additionally, to preserve the overall transparency of
NFS, the crash recovery must occur without requiring the intervention of the applications themselves.
The crash recovery procedure is simple. If the failure of a client is detected, the server releases the failed
client locks on the assumption that the client application will request locks again as needed. If the crash
and recovery of a server is detected, the client lock manager retransmits all lock requests previously
granted by the server. This retransmitted information is used by the server to reconstruct its locking state
during a grace period. (The grace period, 45 seconds by default, is a time period within which a server
allows clients to reclaim their locks.)
The rpc.statd daemon uses the host names kept in /var/statmon/sm and /var/statmon/sm.bak
to keep track of which hosts must be informed when the machine needs to recover operations.
Starting the network lock manager

By default, the /etc/rc.nfs script starts the rpc.lockd and rpc.statd daemons along with the
other NFS daemons.
If NFS is already running, you can verify that the rpc.lockd and rpc.statd daemons are running by
following the instructions in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on page 530. The status
of these two daemons should be active. If the rpc.lockd and rpc.statd daemons are not active, and
therefore not running, do the following:
1. Using your favorite text editor, open the /etc/rc.nfs file.
2. Search for the following lines:
if [ -x /usr/sbin/rpc.statd ]; then
startsrc -s rpc.statd
fi
if [ -x /usr/sbin/rpc.lockd ]; then
startsrc -s rpc.lockd
fi
3. If there is a pound sign (#) at the beginning of any of these lines, delete the character, then save
and exit the file. Then start the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons by following the instructions in
“Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
Note: Sequence is important. Always start the statd daemon first.
4. If NFS is running and the entries in the /etc/rc.nfs file are correct, stop and restart the rpc.statd
and rpc.lockd daemons by following the instructions in “Stopping the NFS daemons” on page 530
and “Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.

If the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons are still not running, see “Troubleshooting the network lock
manager” on page 561.
Troubleshooting the network lock manager

Some network lock manager problems you encounter can be solved by using the following tips.
If you receive a message on a client similar to:
clnttcp_create: RPC: Remote System error - Connection refused

rpc.statd:cannot talk to statd at {server}
then the machine thinks there is another machine which needs to be informed that it might have to take
recovery measures. When a machine restarts, or when the rpc.lockd and the rpc.statd daemons
are stopped and restarted, machine names are moved from /var/statmon/sm to /var/statmon/
sm.bak and the rpc.statd daemon tries to inform each machine corresponding to each entry in /var/
statmon/sm.bak that recovery procedures are needed.
If the rpc.statd daemon can reach the machine, then its entry in /var/statmon/sm.bak is removed.
If the rpc.statd daemon cannot reach the machine, it will keep trying at regular intervals. Each time the
machine fails to respond, the timeout generates the above message. In the interest of locking integrity,
the daemon will continue to try; however, this can have an adverse effect on locking performance. The
handling is different, depending on whether the target machine is just unresponsive or semi-permanently
taken out of production. To eliminate the message:
1. Verify that the statd and lockd daemons on the server are running by following the instructions
in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on page 530. (The status of these two daemons
should be active.)
2. If these daemons are not running, start the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons on the server by
following the instructions in “Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
After you have restarted the daemons, remember that there is a grace period. During this time, the
lockd daemons allow reclaim requests to come from other clients that previously held locks with the
server, so you might not get a new lock immediately after starting the daemons.
Alternatively, eliminate the message by:
1. Stop the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons on the client by following the instructions in “Stopping
the NFS daemons” on page 530.
2. On the client, remove the target machine entry from /var/statmon/sm.bak file by entering:
rm /var/statmon/sm.bak/TargetMachineName
This action keeps the target machine from being aware that it might need to participate in locking
recovery. It should only be used when it can be determined that the machine does not have any
applications running that are participating in network locking with the affected machine.
3. Start the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons on the client by following the instructions in “Starting
the NFS daemons” on page 530.
If you are unable to obtain a lock from a client, do the following:
1. Use the ping command to verify that the client and server can reach and recognize each other. If
the machines are both running and the network is intact, check the host names listed in the /var/
statmon/hosts file for each machine. Host names must exactly match between server and client
for machine recognition. If a name server is being used for host name resolution, make sure the host
information is exactly the same as that in the /var/statmon/hosts file.
2. Verify that the rpc.lockd and rpc.statd daemons are running on both the client and the server by
following the instructions in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on page 530. The status
of these two daemons should be active.

3. If they are not active, start the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons by following the instructions in
“Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
4. If they are active, you might need to reset them on both clients and servers. To do this, stop all the
applications that are requesting locks.
5. Next, stop the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons on both the client and the server by following the
instructions in “Stopping the NFS daemons” on page 530.
6. Now, restart the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons, first on the server and then on the client, by
following the instructions in “Starting the NFS daemons” on page 530.
If the procedure does not alleviate the locking problem, run the lockd daemon in debug mode, by doing
the following:
1. Stop the rpc.statd and rpc.lockd daemons on both the client and the server by following the
instructions in “Stopping the NFS daemons” on page 530.
2. Start the rpc.statd daemon on the client and server by following the instructions in “Starting the
NFS daemons” on page 530.
3. Start the rpc.lockd daemon on the client and server by typing:
/usr/sbin/rpc.lockd -d1
When invoked with the -d1 flag, the lockd daemon provides diagnostic messages to syslog. At first,
there will be a number of messages dealing with the grace period; wait for them to time out. After the
grace period has timed out on both the server and any clients, run the application that is having lock
problems and verify that a lock request is transmitted from client to server and server to client.
You can restrict the number range of IP ports used by the NFS client for communication with the NFS
server by setting the NFS_PORT_RANGE variable in the /var/statmon/environment file.
NFS port ranges

The NFS_PORT_RANGE environment variable can be used to limit the source port of network calls the
client makes to the server.
If used, this environment variable must be added to the /etc/environment file. The format of the
environment variable is as follows:
NFS_PORT_RANGE=udp[4000-5000]:tcp[7000-8000]
In this example, UDP packets sent by the client have a source port in the range 4000 - 5000, and TCP
connections have a source port in the range 7000 - 8000. To avoid port reuse problems, the port numbers
that are specified in this range must not be used as fixed port numbers for any of the Network File System
(NFS) daemons in the /etc/services file.
NFS security
Information about NFS security can be found in several places.
The Network File System security topic in Security explains the details about DES security. For information
about Kerberos security, see “Setting up a network for RPCSEC-GSS” on page 544.
NFS troubleshooting
As with other network services, problems can occur on machines that use the Network File System (NFS).
Troubleshooting for these problems involves understanding the strategies for tracking NFS problems,
recognizing NFS-related error messages, and selecting the appropriate solutions.
When tracking down an NFS problem, isolate each of the three main points of failure to determine which
is not working: the server, the client, or the network itself.

Note: See “Troubleshooting the network lock manager” on page 561 for file lock problems.
Hard-mounted and soft-mounted file problems

When the network or server has problems, programs that access hard-mounted remote files fail
differently from those that access soft-mounted remote files.
If a server fails to respond to a hard-mount request, NFS prints the message:
NFS server hostname not responding, still trying
Hard-mounted remote file systems cause programs to hang until the server responds because the client
retries the mount request until it succeeds. Use the -bg flag with the mount command when performing a
hard mount so if the server does not respond, the client will retry the mount in the background.
If a server fails to respond to a soft-mount request, NFS prints the message:
Connection timed out
Soft-mounted remote file systems return an error after trying unsuccessfully for a while. Unfortunately,
many programs do not check return conditions on file system operations, so you do not see this error
message when accessing soft-mounted files. However, this NFS error message prints on the console.
Identifying NFS problems

If you are encountering NFS problems, follow these steps.
If a client is having NFS trouble, do the following:
1. Verify that the network connections are good.
2. Verify that the inetd, portmap, and biod daemons are running on the client, by following the
instructions in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on page 530.
3. Verify that a valid mount point exists for the file system being mounted.
For more information, see “Configuring an NFS client” on page 542.
4. Verify that the server is up and running by running the following command at the shell prompt of the
client:
/usr/bin/rpcinfo -p server_name
If the server is up, a list of programs, versions, protocols, and port numbers is printed, similar to the
following:
program vers proto port

100000 2 tcp 111 portmapper
100000 2 udp 111 portmapper
100005 1 udp 1025 mountd
100001 1 udp 1030 rstatd
100001 2 udp 1030 rstatd
100001 3 udp 1030 rstatd
100002 1 udp 1036 rusersd
100002 2 udp 1036 rusersd
100008 1 udp 1040 walld
100012 1 udp 1043 sprayd
100005 1 tcp 694 mountd
100003 2 udp 2049 nfs
100024 1 udp 713 status
100024 1 tcp 715 status
100021 1 tcp 716 nlockmgr
100021 1 udp 718 nlockmgr
100021 3 udp 723 nlockmgr
100020 1 udp 726 llockmgr
100020 1 tcp 728 llockmgr

If a similar response is not returned, log in to the server at the server console and check the status of
the inetd daemon by following the instructions in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on
page 530.
5. Verify that the mountd, portmap and nfsd daemons are running on the NFS server by entering the
following commands at the client shell prompt:
/usr/bin/rpcinfo -u server_name mount

/usr/bin/rpcinfo -u server_name portmap
/usr/bin/rpcinfo -u server_name nfs
If the daemons are running at the server, the following responses are returned:
program 100005 version 1 ready and waiting

The program numbers correspond to the commands, respectively, as shown in the previous example.
If a similar response is not returned, log in to the server at the server console and check the status of
the daemons by following the instructions in “Getting the current status of the NFS daemons” on page
530.
6. Verify that the /etc/exports file on the server lists the name of the file system that the client wants
to mount and that the file system is exported. Do this by entering the command:
showmount -e server_name
This command lists all the file systems currently exported by the server_name.
7. For NFS version 4, verify that the NFSv4 domain is properly set.
8. For NFS version 4, verify that the nfsrgyd daemon is running.
9. If you are using enhanced security, see “RPCSEC-GSS problem determination” on page 569.
Asynchronous write errors

When an application program writes data to a file in an NFS-mounted file system, the write operation is
scheduled for asynchronous processing by the biod daemon.
If an error occurs at the NFS server at the same time that the data is actually written to disk, the error
is returned to the NFS client and the biod daemon saves the error internally in NFS data structures. The
stored error is subsequently returned to the application program the next time it calls either the fsync or
close functions. As a consequence of such errors, the application is not notified of the write error until
the program closes the file. A typical example of this event is when a file system on the server is full,
causing writes attempted by a client to fail.
nfs_server error message

When your transmit buffer is too small, an error message is returned.
Insufficient transmit buffers on your network can cause the following error message:
nfs_server: bad sendreply
To increase transmit buffers, use the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) fast path, smit
commodev. Then select your adapter type, and increase the number of transmit buffers.
mount error messages

A remote mounting process can fail in several ways. The error messages associated with mounting
failures are described here.
mount: ... already mounted
The file system that you are trying to mount is already mounted.

mount: ... not found in /etc/filesystems
The specified file system or directory name cannot be matched.
If you issue the mount command with either a directory or file system name but not both, the
command looks in the /etc/filesystems file for an entry whose file system or directory field
matches the argument. If the mount command finds an entry such as the following:
/dancer.src:
dev=/usr/src
nodename = d61server
type = nfs
mount = false
then it performs the mount as if you had entered the following at the command line:
/usr/sbin/mount -n dancer -o rw,hard /usr/src /dancer.src
... not in hosts database

On a network without Network Information Service, this message indicates that the host specified in
the mount command is not in the /etc/hosts file. On a network running NIS, the message indicates
that NIS could not find the host name in the /etc/hosts database or that the NIS ypbind daemon
on your machine has died. If the /etc/resolv.conf file exists so that the name server is being used
for host name resolution, there might be a problem in the named database. See “Host name resolution
on an NFS server” on page 568.
Check the spelling and the syntax in your mount command. If the command is correct, your network
does not run NIS, and you only get this message for this host name, check the entry in the /etc/
hosts file.
If your network is running NIS, make sure that the ypbind daemon is running by entering the
following at the command line:
ps -ef
You should see the ypbind daemon in the list. Try using the rlogin command to log in remotely to
another machine, or use the rcp command to remote-copy something to another machine. If this also
fails, your ypbind daemon is probably stopped or hung.
If you only get this message for this host name, check the /etc/hosts entry on the NIS server.
mount: ... server not responding: port mapper failure - RPC timed out
Either the server you are trying to mount from is down or its port mapper is stopped or hung. Try
restarting the server to activate the inetd, portmap, and ypbind daemons.
If you cannot log in to the server remotely with the rlogin command but the server is up, check the
network connection by trying to log in remotely to some other machine. Also check the server network
connection.
mount: ... server not responding: program not registered
This means that the mount command got through to the port mapper, but the rpc.mountd NFS
mount daemon was not registered.
mount: access denied ...
Your machine name is not in the export list for the file system you are trying to mount from the server.
You can get a list of the server exported file systems by running the following command at the
command line:
showmount -e hostname
If the file system you want is not in the list, or your machine name or netgroup name is not in the
user list for the file system, log in to the server and check the /etc/exports file for the correct
file system entry. A file system name that appears in the /etc/exports file, but not in the output
from the showmount command, indicates a failure in the mountd daemon. Either the daemon could
not parse that line in the file, it could not find the directory, or the directory name was not a locally

mounted directory. If the /etc/exports file looks correct and your network runs NIS, check the
ypbind daemon on the server. It may be stopped or hung.
mount: ...: Permission denied
This message is a generic indication that some part of authentication failed on the server. It could
be that, in the previous example, you are not in the export list, the server could not recognize your
machine ypbind daemon, or that the server does not accept the identity you provided.
Check the /etc/exports file on the server and, if applicable, the ypbind daemon. In this case, you
can just change your host name with the hostname command and retry the mount command.
mount: ...: Not a directory
Either the remote path or the local path is not a directory. Check the spelling in your command and try
to run on both directories.
mount: ...: You are not allowed
You must have root authority or be a member of the system group to run the mount command on your
machine because it affects the file system for all users on that machine. NFS mounts and unmounts
are only allowed for root users and members of the system group.
Related information
Network Information Services (NIS)
Causes of slow access times for NFS

If access to remote files seems unusually slow, ensure that access time is not being inhibited by a
runaway daemon, a bad tty line, or a similar problem.
Network connections
Use the nfsstat command to gather information about your network connections.
The nfsstat command determines whether you are dropping packets. Use the nfsstat -c
and nfsstat -s commands to determine if the client or server is retransmitting large blocks.
Retransmissions are always a possibility due to lost packets or busy servers. A retransmission rate of
five percent or more is considered high.
The probability of retransmissions can be reduced by changing communication adapter transmit queue
parameters. The SMIT menu can be used to change these parameters. For more information, refer to
Available system management interfaces in Operating system and device management.
The following values are recommended for NFS servers.
Note:
1. Apply these values to NFS clients if retransmissions persist.
2. All nodes on a network must use the same MTU size.
Table 93. Communication Adapter Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) and Transmit Queue Sizes
Adapter MTU Transmit queue
Token Ring
4 Mb 1500 50
3900 40 (Increase if the nfsstat
command times out.)
16 Mb 1500 40 (Increase if the nfsstat

command times out.)
8500
40 (Increase if the nfsstat
command times out.)

Table 93. Communication Adapter Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) and Transmit Queue Sizes
(continued)
Adapter MTU Transmit queue
Ethernet 1500 40 (Increase if the nfsstat
command times out.)
The larger MTU sizes for each token-ring speed reduce processor use and significantly improve read/write
operations.
Setting MTU sizes

To set MTU size, use the SMIT fast path, smit chif.
Select the appropriate adapter and enter an MTU value in the Maximum IP Packet Size field.
The ifconfig command can be used to set MTU size (and must be used to set MTU size at 8500). The
format for the ifconfig command is:
ifconfig trn NodeName up mtu MTUSize
where trn is your adapter name, for example, tr0.

Another method of setting MTU sizes combines the ifconfig command with SMIT.
1. Add the ifconfig command for token rings, as illustrated in the previous example, to the /etc/
rc.bsdnet file.
2. Enter the smit setbootup_option fast path. Toggle the Use BSD Style field to yes.
Transmit queue sizes

Communication adapter transmit queue sizes are set with SMIT.
Enter the smit chgtok fast path, select the appropriate adapter, and enter a queue size in the Transmit
field.
Hung programs
If programs hang during file-related work, the NFS server could have stopped.
In this case, the following error message may be displayed:
NFS server hostname not responding, still trying
The NFS server (hostname) is down. This indicates a problem with the NFS server, the network
connection, or the NIS server.
Check the servers from which you have mounted file systems if your machine hangs completely. If one
or more of them is down, do not be concerned. When the server comes back up, your programs continue
automatically. No files are destroyed.
If a soft-mounted server dies, other work is not affected. Programs that time out while trying to access
soft-mounted remote files fail with the errno message, but you are still able to access your other file
systems.
If all servers are running, determine whether others who are using the same servers are having trouble.
More than one machine having service problems indicates a problem with the nfsd daemons on the
server. In this case, log in to the server and run the ps command to see if the nfsd daemon is running and
accumulating CPU time. If not, you might be able to stop and then restart the nfsd daemon. If this does
not work, you have to restart the server.
Check your network connection and the connection of the server if other systems seem to be up and
running.

Permissions and authentication schemes
Sometimes, after mounts have been successfully established, there are problems in reading, writing, or
creating remote files or directories. Such difficulties are usually due to permissions or authentication
problems.
Permission and authentication problems can vary in cause depending on whether NIS is being used and
secure mounts are specified.
The simplest case occurs when nonsecure mounts are specified and NIS is not used. In this case,
user IDs (UIDs) and group IDs (GIDs) are mapped solely through the server /etc/passwd file and
client /etc/group file. In this scheme, for a user named B to be identified both on the client and on the
server as B, the user B must have the same UID number in the /etc/passwd file. The following is an
example of how this might cause problems:
User B is uid 200 on client foo.

User B is uid 250 on server bar.
User G is uid 200 on server bar.
The /home/bar directory is mounted from server bar onto client foo. If user B is editing files on the /
home/bar remote file system on client foo, confusion results when he saves files.
The server bar thinks the files belong to user G, because G is UID 200 on bar. If B logs on directly
to bar by using the rlogin command, he may not be able to access the files he just created while
working on the remotely mounted file system. G, however, is able to do so because the machines arbitrate
permissions by UID, not by name.
The only permanent solution to this is to reassign consistent UIDs on the two machines. For example, give
B UID 200 on server bar or 250 on client foo. The files owned by B would then need to have the chown
command run against them to make them match the new ID on the appropriate machine.
Because of the problems with maintaining consistent UID and GID mappings on all machines in a
network, NIS is often used to perform the appropriate mappings so that this type of problem is avoided.
Host name resolution on an NFS server

When an NFS server services a mount request, it looks up the name of the client making the request.
The server takes the client Internet Protocol (IP) address and looks up the corresponding host name that
matches that address.
After the host name has been found, the server looks at the exports list for the requested directory and
checks the existence of the client name in the access list for the directory. If an entry exists for the client
and the entry matches exactly what was returned for the name resolution, then that part of the mount
authentication passes.
If the server is not able to perform the IP address-to-host-name resolution, the server denies the mount
request. The server must be able to find some match for the client IP address making the mount request.
If the directory is exported with the access being to all clients, the server still must be able to do the
reverse name lookup to allow the mount request.
The server also must be able to look up the correct name for the client. For example, if there exists an
entry in the /etc/exports file like the following:
/tmp -access=silly:funny
the following corresponding entries exist in the /etc/hosts file:
150.102.23.21 silly.domain.name.com
150.102.23.52 funny.domain.name.com
Notice that the names do not correspond exactly. When the server looks up the IP address-to-host-name
matches for the hosts silly and funny, the string names do not match exactly with the entries in the
access list of the export. This type of name resolution problem usually occurs when using the named
daemon for name resolution. Most named daemon databases have aliases for the full domain names
of hosts so that users do not have to enter full names when referring to hosts. Even though these

host-name-to-IP address entries exist for the aliases, the reverse lookup might not exist. The database
for reverse name lookup (IP address to host name) usually has entries containing the IP address and the
full domain name (not the alias) of that host. Sometimes the export entries are created with the shorter
alias name, causing problems when clients try to mount.
Limitations on the number of groups in the NFS structure

On systems that use NFS Version 2 or 3, users cannot be a member of more than 16 groups without
complications.
Groups are defined by the groups command. If a user is a member of 17 or more groups, and the user
tries to access files owned by the 17th (or greater) group, the system does not allow the file to be read or
copied. To permit the user access to the files, rearrange the group order.
The information above describes default behavior. Please see the maxgroups parameter of the mount
command for more details.
NFS servers with earlier versions of NFS

An NFS Version 3 client cannot mount to an NFS Version 4 server.
When mounting a file system from a pre-Version 3 NFS server onto a version 3 NFS client, a problem
occurs when the user on the client executing the mount is a member of more than eight groups. Some
servers are not able to deal correctly with this situation and deny the request for the mount. The solution
is to change the group membership of the user to a number less than eight and then retry the mount. The
following error message is characteristic of this group problem:
RPC: Authentication error; why=Invalid client credential
RPCSEC-GSS problem determination

Consider the following solutions when you are having trouble with RPCSEC-GSS.
• Use the klist command on the client to make sure that you have valid, current credentials.
• Make sure that the clocks on the client, server, and KDC are in sync. It is recommended that NTP or
equivalent setup be used to ensure a consistent time across the entire Kerberos realm.
• Make sure that the server has a valid keytab file and host principal. If the following command fails, the
server will not work:
kinit -kt 'tail -n 1 /etc/nfs/hostkey' 'head -n 1 /etc/nfs/hostkey'
• Ensure the gssd daemon is running and responsive on the client and the server with the following
command:
rpcinfo -u localhost 400234
If the gssd daemon is not responding, RPCSEC-GSS will fail; stopping and restarting the gssd daemon
may correct this problem.
• If you are getting write errors with integrity or privacy, make sure that you are using the kernel module.
Integrity and privacy are not supported without the kernel module. (The kernel module is the Kerberos
kernel module, /usr/lib/drivers/nfs.ext. It is installed with the modcrypt.base file set from
the expansion pack.)
• If specific users are experiencing denials when accessing data they should have access to, verify that
the involved principals in the KDC are properly synchronized with the user's AIX account name.
• Activate the system log. Most RPCSEC-GSS errors will be logged. The errors have two parts: the first is
the GSS error code (see RFC 2744 for details), and the second is a Kerberos error code.
Note: Activating the system log might affect system performance; therefore, the log should be
deactivated after the problem determination is complete.
Some common error codes and their solutions are as follows:

KRB5_CC_NOTFOUND
Valid Kerberos credentials could not be found. The kinit command may fix this problem.
KRB5_KDC_UNREACH
The KDC is unreachable. Make sure that the KDC is up and that there are no network problems
between the client or server and the KDC.
KRB5_KT_NOTFOUND
The keytab entry for your server principal was not found. Use the nfshostkey -l command to
make sure that you are using the correct principal (it should be nfs/<fully qualified domain
name>) and keytab file. Use the klist -ke to check the server keytab file for the appropriate
entry.
KRB5KRB_AP_ERR_TKT_NYV
Most likely indicates a clock problem
KRB5KRB_AP_WRONG_PRINC and KRB5KDC_ERR_S_PRINCIPAL_UNKNOWN
Both of these errors indicate that the principal that the client is using for the client does not match
the server's host principal.
KRB5KRB_AP_WRONG_PRINC
Indicates that the client succeeded in resolving the server's host name to an existing principal of the
form nfs/<fully qualified domain name>, but the server's host principal does not match
this principal.
KRB5KDC_ERR_S_PRINCIPAL_UNKNOWN
Indicates that the client was unable to resolve the server's host name to an existing principal. Use
the nfshostkey -l command to check the server to make sure that it has the correct principal.
If it does, the client's host mapping table will probably need to be updated; see the nfshostmap
command for details.
EIM problem determination

When troubleshooting EIM, consider the following tips.
Consider the following when you are having problems with EIM:
• If the nfsrgyd or chnfsim commands are unable to connect to the EIM LDAP server, ensure the
ibmslapd process is running on the EIM LDAP server by typing the following command:
ps -ef | grep ibmslapd
If the ibmslapd process is not running, type the following command to activate it:
/usr/sbin/ibmslapd
• If the nfsrgyd or chnfsim commands are able to connect to the EIM LDAP server but are
unable to perform any identity mapping operations, ensure the ibmslapd process is not running
in configuration-only mode.
This can happen if the ldapdb2 database is not running when the ibmslapd server is started. Follow
these steps:
a) Log in to the EIM LDAP server as the root user.
b) View the /var/ldap/ibmslapd.log file. Check when the last time the ibmslapd process
started. Also check whether the server was started in configuration-only mode because it couldn't
connect to the ldapdb2 database.
If the server was not able to connect to the ldapdb2 database, the database needs to be started.
Follow these steps to start the ldapdb2 database:
a) Log into the EIM LDAP server as the root user.
b) Type the following command to check if the ibmslapd process is active:
ps -ef | grep ibmslapd
If it is active, disable it by running the following command:

kill ibmslapd pid
where pid is the process ID that was returned from the ps -ef command.
c) After the ibmslapd process is disabled, start the ldapdb2 database:
a. Log in to the EIM LDAP server as the ldapdb2 user.
b. Type db2start.
d) After the ldapdb2 database is started, activate the ibmslapd process:
a. Log in to the EIM LDAP server as the root user.
b. Type ibmslapd.
Problems that occur if the NFS kernel extension is not loaded

Some NFS commands do not run correctly if the NFS kernel extension is not loaded. Some commands
with this dependency are: nfsstat, exportfs, mountd, nfsd, and biod.
When NFS is installed on the system, the kernel extension is placed in the /usr/lib/drivers/
nfs.ext file. This file is then loaded as the NFS kernel extension when the system is configured. The
script that does this kernel extension loads the /etc/rc.net file. There are other things done in this
script, one of which is to load the NFS kernel extension. It is important to note that Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) kernel extension and the nfs_kdes_null.ext file should be loaded
before the NFS kernel extension is loaded.
Note: The gfsinstall command is used to load the NFS kernel extension into the kernel when the
system initially starts. This command can be run more than once per system startup and it will not cause
a problem. The system is currently shipped with the gfsinstall command used in both the /etc/
rc.net and /etc/rc.nfs files. There is no need to remove either of these calls.
Problems that occur if kerberos support is not installed

If kerberos support is not installed, the gssd daemon will not start.
Ensure that the krb5.client.rte and modcrypt.base filesets are installed. If either is not installed,
the gssd daemon will not run.
Items to check if the registry daemon is not running

The nfsrgyd daemon will not run if the NFS version 4 domain has not been configured.
For information on configuring the NFS version 4 domain, see “/etc/nfs/local_domain file” on page 527.
NFS files
The NFS files and their descriptions can be referenced here.
Item Description
bootparams Lists clients that diskless clients can use for booting.
exports Lists the directories that can be exported to NFS clients.
filesystem Lists all the file systems that are mounted at system restart.
s
hostkey Specifies the Kerberos host principal and the location of the keytab file.
local_doma Contains the local NFS domain of the system.
in
networks Contains information about networks on the Internet network.
pcnfsd.con Provides configuration options for the rpc.pcnfsd daemon.
f

Item Description
princmap Maps host names to Kerberos principals when the principal is not the fully qualified
domain name of the server.
realm.map Used by the NFS registry daemon to map incoming Kerberos principals.
rpc Contains database information for Remote Procedure Call (RPC) programs.
security_d Contains the NFS security defaults.
efault
xtab Lists directories that are currently exported.
NFS commands
The NFS commands and their descriptions can be referenced here.
Item Description
chnfs Starts a specified number of biod and nfsd daemons.
chnfsdom Changes the local NFS domain.
chnfsim Changes NFS foreign identity mappings.
chnfssec Changes the default security flavor used by the NFS client
chnfsrtd Changes the local NFS realm-to-domain mappings.
mknfs Configures the system to run NFS and starts NFS daemons.
nfso Configures NFS network options.
automount Mounts an NFS file system automatically.
chnfsexp Changes the attributes of an NFS-exported directory.
chnfsmnt Changes the attributes of an NFS-mounted directory.
exportfs Exports and unexports directories to NFS clients.
lsnfsexp Displays the characteristics of directories that are exported with NFS.
lsnfsmnt Displays the characteristics of mounted NFS systems.
mknfsexp Exports a directory using NFS.
mknfsmnt Mounts a directory using NFS.
nfshostkey Configure the host key for an NFS server.
nfs4cl Displays information about filesystems a client is accessing using NFS version 4.
nfs4smctl Administers revocation of NFS version 4 State
rmnfs Stops the NFS daemons.
rmnfsexp Removes NFS-exported directories from a server's list of exports.
rmnfsmnt Removes NFS-mounted file systems from a client's list of mounts.
NFS daemons
The NFS daemons and their descriptions can be referenced here.
Locking daemons
Item Description
lockd Processes lock requests through the RPC package.

Item Description
statd Provides crash-and-recovery functions for the locking services on NFS.
Network service daemons and utilities
Item Description
biod Sends the client read and write requests to the server.
mountd Answers requests from clients for file system mounts.
nfsrgyd Performs translation between security principals, NFS version 4 identity strings, and
their corresponding numeric system IDs. In addition, mapping of identity information
from foreign NFS version 4 domains is provided.
nfsd Starts the daemons that handle a client requests for file system operations.
nfsstat Displays information about the ability to receive calls for a particular machine.
on Executes commands on remote machines.
pcnfsd Handles service requests from PC-NFS clients.
portmap Maps RPC program numbers to Internet port numbers.
rexd Accepts request to run programs from remote machines.
rpcgen Generates C code to implement an RPC protocol.
rpcinfo Reports the status of RPC servers.
rstatd Returns performance statistics obtained from the kernel.
rup Shows the status of a remote host on the local network.
rusers Reports a list of users logged on to the remote machines.
rusersd Responds to queries from the rusers command.
rwall Sends messages to all users on the network.
rwalld Handles requests from the rwall command.
showmount Displays a list of all clients that have mounted remote file systems.
spray Sends a specified number of packets to a host.
sprayd Receives packets sent by the spray command.
Secure networking daemons and utilities
Item Description
chkey Changes the user encryption key.
gssd Provides NFS with access to security services provided by Network Authentication
Services.
keyenvoy Provides an intermediary between user processes and the key server.
keylogin Decrypts and stores the user secret key.
keyserv Stores public and private keys.
mkkeyserv Starts the keyserv daemon and uncomments the appropriate entries in the /etc/
rc.nfs file.
newkey Creates a new key in the publickey file.
rmkeyserv Stops the keyserv daemon and comments the entry for the keyserv daemon in
the /etc/rc.nfs file.

Item Description
ypupdated Updates information in Network Information Service (NIS) maps.
For additional information on NFS security, see Network File System security in Security.
Sun diskless client support
Item Description
bootparamd Provides information necessary for booting to diskless clients.
NFS subroutines
The NFS subroutines are described here.
Item Description
cbc_crypt, des_setparity, or ecb_crypt Implements Data Encryption
Standard (DES) routines.
SMB protocol
The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol is a client-server communication protocol that is used for
shared access to files, directories, printers, serial ports, and other resources on a network. It also
provides an authenticated inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism.
Server Message Block (SMB) file system

Server Message Block file system (SMBFS) allows access to shares on SMB servers as local file systems in
the AIX operating system by using SMB protocol version 1.0.
In this file system, the user can create, delete, read, write, and modify the access times of files and
directories. The owner or access mode of files and directories cannot be changed.
SMBFS can be used to access files on an SMB server. The SMB server is a server running Samba or a
Windows XP, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 server or workstation. Each of these server types allows a
directory to be exported as a share. This share can then be mounted on an AIX system using SMBFS.
Installing SMB file system

To install SMBFS on an AIX system, install the bos.cifs_fs package.
When the bos.cifs_fs package in installed, the device nsmb0 is created. This device allows the mount
command to establish a connection between the SMB server and the client using SMB protocol version
1.0.
Mounting SMB file system

You can mount the SMBFS by using the AIX mount command. For example:
mount -v cifs -n pezman/user1/pass1 -o uid=201,fmode=750 /home /mnt
You can specify mounting options by using the -o flag. Command line options must be separated only by
a comma, not a comma and a space. The options for the file system are:
Item Description
fmode Sets file or directory to octal mode. Default value is 755.
uid Assigns a UID to files during mount. The default is root.
gid Assigns a GID to files during mount. The default is system.

Item Description
wrkgrp Workgroup to which the SMB server belongs.
op Set value to 1 if using opportunistic locking. Set value to 0 if opportunistic locking is not
used.
opfs Name of cache file system to use for storing lock cache files.
opsz Size of individual cache files used for opportunistic locking.
opfssz Size of cache file system used in opportunistic locking.
You can also mount the file system by using the SMIT utility, smit cifs_fs, which runs the mount
command after gathering all necessary information.
In order to mount an SMBFS, it is necessary to provide a user name and password to authenticate to
the server. This user name and password are used to perform all necessary file operations on the server.
The Password field in the SMIT panel is not marked as required. If the password field is not filled in,
the cifscred file is searched for matching credentials for the user or server that is provided. If there
is a match, the stored password from the cifscred file is used; otherwise, the user is prompted for a
password through the standard AIX password prompt. This way, the user can provide a password without
making it viewable.
Note: The password used for mounting SMBFS can be up to 14 character in length and the password can
contain special characters.
Whenever a file system command, such as read, is invoked on a file inside the SMBFS mount point,
a request is sent to the server to read the file. The user name and password are sent as part of this
request so that the server can determine whether the user has permission on the server to perform a read
operation on that file. Therefore, ultimate authority lies with the server as to whether an operation on a
file is permissible.
However, the fmode option of the mount command provides a way for the root user on the client system
to control access to the files on the server before the server is queried. If the fmode option is not provided
by the user, the default is 755. The following table illustrates how the fmode option works using a write
request:
Table 94. Five cases in which users were either allowed or denied access based on permissions given.
Case number User User on client Mount owner, Owner, group, Access
authenticated side wanting group, and and mode on allowed
to server write access mode server
Case 1 user1 user2 no
user1, staff user1, staff
rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxr-x
Case 2 user1 root no

rwxr-xr-x rwxr-xr-x
Case 3 user1 user1 yes

rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxr-x

user1, staff root, system
rwxr-xr-x rwx------

user1, staff root, system
rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxrwx

In Case 1, access is denied because owner, group, and mode at mount on client did not allow write access
to user2.
In Case 2, access is denied because, even though root has access to everything on the client side, the
server-authenticated user, user1, does not have access to the file on the server.
In Case 3, access is granted because user1 was the owner at mount, and user1, being a member of
group staff on the server, had access to the file on the server.
In Case 4, access is denied because, even though user1 was the owner at mount, the file is owned by
root on the server, with no access by group or other.
In Case 5, access is granted because user1 was the owner at mount, and user1 had access to the file on
the server through other permissions.
Notes:
1. The AIX SMBFS client supports only SMBv1.
2. On the mounted file system, a copy operation of one file to another is successful for a file of size 4 GB
+ 4096 bytes or less. For files beyond this size, a warning message is printed and 4 GB + 4096 bytes of
the original file are copied to the destination.
3. On the mounted file system, the following characters cannot be used in a file name : backslash key {\},
forwardslash key {/}, colon {:}, asterisk {*}, question mark {?}, less than key {< }, greater than key {>},
vertical bar key { | }.
Stored passwords
SMBFS can store server/user/password credentials in the /etc/cifs_fs/cifscred file to allow
automatic retrieval of passwords when mounting SMBFS.
Credentials can be added, changed, and removed from this file with the mkcifscred, chcifscred, and
rmcifscred commands (located in the /usr/sbin file). Passwords added to this file are encrypted.
When mounting is attempted without providing a password, the cifscred file is searched for matching
credentials. If there is a match, the stored password from the cifscred file is used; otherwise, the user
is prompted for a password through the standard AIX password prompt.
Support for stored passwords comes with the following limitations:
• For stored password retrieval to work properly, the server naming convention must be consistent. For
example, if the credentials are added with an IP address rather than a host name or a fully qualified
domain name (FQDN), passwords will only be retrieved when mounting by IP address.
• Plain text password authentication is not supported with the stored password retrieval method. If the
server requires plain text passwords, authentication fails.
/etc/filesystems support
SMBFS supports /etc/filesystems to allow automated mounting at system startup.
Support for /etc/filesystems also provides access to stored server, user, password, and options data
when mounting. Use the mkcifsmnt, chcifsmnt, rmcifsmnt, and lscifsmnt commands (located
in /usr/sbin) to add, change, remove, and list, respectively, cifs stanzas in /etc/filesystems.
Credentials must be stored in the cifscred file.
Troubleshooting SMBFS
If the mount command or the smit cifs_fs fast path returns an error, consider the following
troubleshooting steps:
• Ensure the user name and password are correct. The user name and password need to allow access to
the share on the server.
• Ensure that the server name is correct. If the server name is correct, use the fully qualified host name in
case the server is not part of the same subnet as the client. You can also try using the server IP address.

• Ensure that the lsdev -L|grep nsmb command returns a device name. If an nsmb device is not
available, then the AIX client will not be able to establish a connection to the SMB server.
• Ensure that the share name is correct. If the share does not exist on the server or cannot be accessed
with the specified user name and password, the SMB server rejects the connection request.
• Use event ID 525 to collect system trace data for SMBFS.
• Ensure that the server is configured to accept NTLM, LM, or plain text passwords. These are the only
types of password encryption supported by SMBFS.
• If you want authentication against a domain, the domain name must be specified with the wrkgrp
option. Without this option, authentication is handled locally by the server.
Server Message Block (SMB) client file system

The SMB client file system is based on the SMB protocol version 2.1 and version 3.0.2. You can use the
SMB client file system to access files on an SMB server.
The SMB server is a server that runs on Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server
2019 operating system. In each of these server operating system types, a directory can be exported as
a share. This share can then be mounted on an AIX logical partition by using the SMB client file system.
By using the SMB client file system, you can access the shares on SMB servers as local file systems on
the AIX logical partition. You can use the SMB client file system to create, delete, read, and write files
and directories on the SMB server and also to modify the access duration to these files and directories.
However, you cannot change the owner or access permission of these files and directories.
Note: SMB client file system is not supported in WPAR partitions.
The following SMB protocol 3.0.2 functions are available in the SMB client file system:
SMB 3.0.2 secure dialect negotiation
You can mount a share from the SMB server into the AIX virtual file system (VFS) by using SMB
protocol version 3.0.2.
The SMB 3.0.2 dialect server provides secure dialect negotiation to protect against security risks.
When the SMB 3.0.2 dialect is negotiated, the SMB client must send a mandatory signed request to
validate the negotiation information.
SMB 3.0.2 signing
The SMB protocol 3.0.2 uses a more recent encryption algorithm for signing. Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES)-cipher-based message authentication code (CMAC), AES-128-CMAC to ensure
integrity of messages that are exchanged between the SMB client and the SMB server by signing
the outgoing messages and by validating the incoming messages.
SMB 3.0.2 encryption
SMB encryption provides end-to-end encryption of SMB data and protects data from eavesdropping
occurrences on untrusted networks. SMB Encryption can be configured on a per share basis or for
the entire file server, and it can be enabled for various scenarios where data traverses untrusted
networks.
SMB 3.0.2 file name and directory name case-insensitivity

SMB 3.0.2 client supports only case-insensitive file or directory names that are inline with the
Windows-based SMB server.
SMB 3.0.2 support for Unicode (or Universal Coded Character Set) Transformation Format 8-bit
(UTF-8)
SMB 3.0.2 supports UTF-8 code set and allows conversion of UTF-16 code set that is required by
SMB server. Since the AIX operating system supports UTF-8 code set, textual data that is transmitted
from or to AIX logical partitions is in UTF-8 format. The AIX SMB 3.0.2 client converts UTF-8 code set
to UTF-16 code set before it sends textual data to the SMB server and converts UTF-16 code set to
UTF-8 code set after it receives textual data from the SMB server.

SMB 3.0.2 support for the Live Update operation
SMB 3.0.2 supports the Live Update operation with limited functions. In an SMB 3.0.2 client, the Live
Update operation is allowed only when no SMB shares are mounted; otherwise, the Live Update
operation fails. Therefore, you must unmount all SMB shares before you start the Live Update
operation and mount the SMB shares after the Live Update operation is completed. During the Live
Update operation, the SMB shares must not be mounted.
SMB 3.0.2 support for modifying service principal name
A service principal name (SPN) is a unique identifier of a service instance. SPNs are used by Kerberos
authentication to associate a service instance with a service logon account. By default, SPN is
constructed automatically by the SMB client file system as cifs/<smbServerHostName>. You can
modify the value of the default SPN when you mount the SMB client file system.
• “Installing the SMB client file system” on page 578

• “Mounting the SMB client file system as a local mount point” on page 579
• “Kerberos authentication for SMB client file system” on page 580
• “Stored passwords” on page 581
• “/etc/filesystems file support” on page 581
• “SMIT interface support” on page 582
Installing the SMB client file system

The SMB client file system in the AIX operating system requires Kerberos-based GSSAPI to start the
user-authenticated session by using the SMB protocol version 2.1 or version 3.0.2. In the AIX operating
system, the GSSAPI is provided by a Userspace Library in the IBM Network Authentication Service (NAS)
version 1.16.1.0, or later fileset. SMB version 3.0.2 uses AIX OpenSSL library for generating keys for
signing and encryption.
Therefore, you must install OpenSSL version 1.0.2.2002 of the openssl.base fileset for the following
AIX operating system:
• IBM AIX 7.2, and later till IBM AIX 7.2 with Technology Level 5, Service Pack 6.
• IBM AIX 7.1
For IBM AIX 7.2 with Technology Level 5, Service Pack 7, and later, you must install OpenSSL version
3.0.5 of the openssl.base fileset. These filesets are included in the IBM AIX Expansion Pack and AIX
Web Download Pack Programs.
To install the SMB client file system on an AIX logical partition, complete the following steps:
1. Go to the AIX Web Download Pack Programs web page and sign in by using your IBMid and password.
2. Select the SMB CLIENT for AIX 3.0.2 option and click Continue.
3. Select SMB Client filesets for AIX version 7.1, SMB Client filesets for AIX versions 7.2 till 7.2
TL5 SP6, SMB Client filesets for AIX version 7.2 TL5 SP7 till AIX version 7.3 TL0, or SMB Client
filesets for AIX version 7.3 TL1 onwards as per your requirement and click Download.
Note: Your IBM credentials must be entitled to download the SMB client file system package.
Otherwise, you cannot download the package.
4. Install the smbc.rte package by using the installp command.

When the smbc.rte package is installed, the device nsmbc0 is created. This device allows the mount
command to establish a connection between the SMB server and the SMB client file system by using
the SMB client protocol version 2.1 or version 3.0.2.

Mounting the SMB client file system as a local mount point
You can mount the SMB client file system by using the following command:
mount -v smbc -n windows_server/Kerberos_username/password_for_Kerberos_user \

-o wrkgrp=workgroup,[[port=139|445],[signing=required|enabled],[pver=2.1|3.0.2|auto], \
[encryption=desired|required|disabled],[secure_negotiate=desired|required|disabled] \
[spn=cifs/<smbServerHostName>] share_point_to_mount_created_on_windows local_mount_point
for example,
mount -v smbc -n llm140.xyz.com/cec102usr1/Passw0rd \

-o "wrkgrp=SMB_302.test,port=445,signing=required,encryption=required, \
secure_negotiate=desired,pver=auto,spn=cifs/llm140.xyz.com" /some_share /mnt
You can specify the following parameters with the -o flag of the mount command. The parameters must
be separated only by a comma. Do not insert a space before or after a comma.
fmode
Sets a file or directory to octal mode for access permissions. The default value is 755.
uid
Assigns a user ID to files during the mount operation. The default value is root.
gid
Assigns a group ID to files during the mount operation. The default value is system.
wrkgrp
Specifies the workgroup to which the SMB server belongs. This parameter is mandatory to mount the
SMB client file system.
port
Specifies the port number. Valid values are 445 and 139. The default value is 445. Port 139 is
supported only when the specified server address is in the IPv4 format.
pver
Specifies the SMB protocol version that is used to communicate with the SMB server. The valid values
are 2.1, 3.0.2, and auto. When you specify the auto value, SMB protocol version 2.1 or version 3.0.2
is used based on the specified SMB server.
signing
Specifies whether the SMB client file system requires a digital signature for communication. Valid
values are enabled and required. When the signing parameter is set to enabled, the SMB client
file system does not digitally sign the data packets unless the SMB server file system requires digital
signatures for communication. When the signing parameter is set to required, the SMB client file
system must digitally sign the data packets for communication. If you do not specify the value of the
signing parameter by using the mount command, a default value is used from the kernel tunable
parameter values that are set by using the smbctune command.
secure_negotiate
Specifies whether the SMB client file system requires a secure dialect negotiation capability. The valid
values are desired, required, and disabled. If you do not specify this parameter in the mount
command, a default value is used from the kernel tunable parameter values that are set by using the
smbctune command.
encryption
Specifies whether the SMB client file system requires encryption. The valid values are desired,
required, and disabled. If you do not specify this parameter in the mount command, a default
value is used from the kernel tunable parameter values that are set by using the smbctune command.
spn
Specifies the service principal name (SPN) that must be used in the SMB client mount points. The
format of the spn parameter is cifs/<smbServerHostName>, where smbServerHostName is the
fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the SMB server or the name that the Kerberos resolves as
the SMB server. By default, SPN is constructed automatically by the SMB client file system as cifs/
<smbServerHostName>.

Kerberos authentication for SMB client file system
To mount an SMB client file system, you must authenticate to the SMB server by providing a Kerberos
username and a Kerberos password. This username and password are used to perform all necessary file
operations on the SMB server. If you do not provide a password, you are prompted for a password through
the standard AIX password prompt.
Note: The password that is used to mount the SMB client file system can be up to 255 characters in
length. The password can contain special characters.
When you run a file system command, such as a read command, on a file in the SMB client mount point, a
request is sent to the SMB server to read the file. The authenticated session ID is also sent as part of this
read request. The SMB server uses this session ID to determine whether the user is authenticated to the
server and to perform a read operation on the file. Thus, the SMB server authorizes access to the file and
controls whether an operation can be performed on the file.
The fmode option of the mount command allows the root user on the SMB client file system to control
access to files on the SMB server before the SMB server is queried. If you do not specify a value for
the fmode option, the fmode option uses the default value of 755. The following table explains how the
fmode option works with various operations:
Table 95. Cases in which users are either allowed or denied access based on the specified access
permissions of the files or directories on the SMB server
Case number User User on the Mount owner, File or Access
authenticated client system group, and directory permission
to SMB server that requests access mode owner in the
write access SMB server,
group, and
access mode
on the SMB
server
user1, staff, user1, staff,
rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxr-x
Case 2 user1 root no

rwxr-xr-x rwxr-xr-x

rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxr-x

user1, staff, root, system,
rwxr-xr-x rwx------

user1, staff, root, system,
rwxr-xr-x rwxrwxrwx
In Case 1, access to the file or directory is denied to user2 because the mount owner, group, and mode at
the mount point on the SMB client did not provide write access to user2.
In Case 2, access to the file or directory is denied to the root user. Even though the root user has all
access on the SMB client, the SMB server-authenticated user user1, does not have access to the file on
the SMB server.
In Case 3, user1 has access to the file or directory as user1 was the mount owner during the mount
operation, and user1, a member of the group staff on the SMB server, had access to the file on the
server.

In Case 4, access to the file or directory is denied to user1. Even though the user1 was the owner during
the mount operation, the file is owned by the root user on the SMB server, and the group members and
other users do not have any access permissions.
In Case 5, user1 has access to the file or directory because the specified access mode specifies all
access permission to all group members and other users.
Note: On the mounted file system, the following characters cannot be used in the name of the file:
backslash key (\), forward slash key (/), colon (:), asterisk (*), question mark (?), less than key (<),
greater than key (>), and vertical bar key (|).
Stored passwords
The SMB client file system can store server name, username, and password credentials in the /etc/
smbcred file to allow automatic retrieval of passwords when you mount the SMB client file system. You
can view, add, change, and remove the credentials from the /etc/smbcred file by using the lssmbcred,
mksmbcred, chsmbcred, and rmsmbcred commands that are located in the /usr/sbin/ directory.
Passwords that are added to the /etc/smbcred file are encrypted. When you mount the SMB client file
system without specifying a password, the /etc/smbcred file is searched for matching credentials. If a
match is found, the stored password from the /etc/smbcred file is used. Otherwise, you are prompted
for a password through the standard AIX password prompt.
Consider the following limitations about the stored passwords:
• To retrieve stored passwords, the server naming convention must be consistent. For example, if the
credentials are added by using an IP address rather than a hostname or a fully qualified domain name
(FQDN), passwords can be retrieved only when you mount the SMB client file system by using IP
address.
• Remove the credential entry from the /etc/filesystems file before you uninstall the smbc.rte
fileset.
/etc/filesystems file support

The SMB client file system supports the /etc/filesystems file to allow automated mount operation of
file systems during system startup operation. The /etc/filesystems file also provides access to stored
server name, username, password, and configuration data when you mount a file system.
To manage the SMB client file system in the /etc/filesystems file, you can use the lssmbcmnt,
mksmbcmnt, chsmbcmnt, and rmsmbcmnt commands. You can also add the SMB client file system
entries manually. When you add SMB client file system entries manually to the /etc/filesystems file,
you must store the SMB client file system credentials in the /etc/smbcred file.
Example:
$cat /etc/filesystems
.....................
.....................
.....................
/mnt1:
dev = /fvt_share
vfs = smbc
mount = true
options = "wrkgrp=SMB_21.FVT"
nodename = <servername>/<username>
/mnt:
dev = /fvt_share
vfs = smbc
mount = true
options = "wrkgrp=SMB_21.FVT,signing=required"
nodename = <servername>/<username>

SMIT interface support
You can use the SMIT interface to perform the following tasks:
• List the SMB client mount points.
• Display the SMB client tunable parameters.
• Configure the SMB client credentials.
• Add or mount an SMB client file system.
• Remove or unmount an SMB client file system.
• Change an SMB client file system.
In the SMIT interface, go to Communications Applications and Services > SMB Client for AIX to access
the SMB client file system options. You can also use the following SMIT fast path:
smit smbc
Asynchronous communications
AIX provides the following categories of asynchronous device drivers, also called tty device drivers:
• Drivers for the serial ports on the system planar
• Drivers for the serial ports connected to the system through an adapter
• Pseudo-tty drivers
Drivers in the first category are the PCI adapters. They include 2-port, 8-port and 128-port adapters.
In the second category, the 8-port and 128-port PCI adapters are called intelligent adapters, because
they use an Intel 8086 processor to offload much of the character processing from the host CPU.
These adapters are driven by a 20 ms poller instead of hardware interrupts and provide performance
characteristics well suited for the majority of serial devices and applications. As more devices are added
to the system, the system workload goes up very little, with the result that these adapters can support
a very large number of serial devices, many more than would be possible using hardware interrupts.
Also, because these adapters use a patented software performance enhancement, they can send and
receive large amounts of data faster and more efficiently than the native system ports, as long as the
data is being moved in large blocks. For more information, see the wantio description in the /usr/
include/sys/pse/README.pse file.
Note: Integrated POWER5 system ports are similar to serial ports except that system ports are available
only for specifically supported functions. Refer to “Functional differences between system ports and
serial ports” on page 589 for more information.
However, some devices and applications expect or require very low latency in single character processing,
so you may experience timing problems when connected to these intelligent adapters. Character latency,
or character echo, may be defined as the time it takes to receive a single character on a serial port, deliver
that character to an application, then echo the character back out the same serial port.
Because they use the highest priority interrupt on the system (INTCLASS0), interrupt-driven ports provide
latency values in the 0.10 to 0.20 ms range on an idle system. The 8-port PCI adapters provide latency
values averaging around 10 to 12 ms, with individual times varying by plus or minus 10 ms due to the
20 ms poller. The 128-port PCI adapters have the same 20 ms poller, which communicates over a polled
communications link to the Remote Access Nodes (RANs). RANs allow a polling driver to control the serial
ports. Latency values on these ports average around 30 ms, but can exceed 60 ms.
Latency values on the 8-port PCI and 128-port PCI adapters can be tuned for special applications using
the "event delay" (EDELAY) parameter. For maximum responsiveness when receiving a single character,
reduce the value of the EDELAY parameter. This minimizes the time required to get a single character from

the serial port to the application, but can result in reduced throughput and overall system performance
when multiple characters are received in a burst.
The 2-port PCI EIA-32 adapter is an asynchronous serial communications adapter, based on the Exar
17D152 Universal PC Dual UART. The 2-port adapter supports two DB-9 connectors and provides
connectivity to asynchronous EIA-32 devices, such as modems and tty terminals.
On the IBM eServer™ p5 platform there are no native system ports available to AIX. Although the virtual
terminal interface is enhanced to support physical serial ports located on the FSP through the hypervisor,
this interface only supports a specific set of serial devices and is not a suitable replacement for a
general-purpose physical serial port. The 2-port adapter behaves somewhat like a native system port.
The adapter device driver is interrupt-driven and supports programmable transit and receives FIFO trigger
levels. It is a PCI adapter; therefore, the device driver supports EEH, hot-plug, and VPD queries. The
2-port adapter does not support native system port features for when the virtual terminal is used, such as
during boot, install, and KDB support.
Pseudo-tty drivers are used when accessing a system over a network using the rlogin or telnet
commands or when accessing a system using a windowing system on a graphics monitor. The pseudo-tty
driver provides a means of running legacy character-based applications, such as the vi text editor,
over communications media other than serial. The important thing to note about pseudo-tty drivers is
that they are not symmetrical. The worker end provides a POSIX-standard-compliant interface to earlier
applications. The controller end is controlled by an entity such as the rlogin or telnet daemon or
X-windows, which must provide an emulation of a serial terminal device to the pseudo-tty driver. AIX can
efficiently support very large numbers of pseudo-tty devices.
Non-POSIX line speeds

The interface to serial devices specified by POSIX and subsequent UNIX standards such as X/OPEN
relies on the termios data structure, defined in /usr/include/termios.h. Unfortunately, that data
structure cannot be used to specify line speeds in excess of 38,400 bits per second. Most serial hardware
currently in use can support speeds of up to 230,000 bps. To use these higher line speeds on AIX, the
desired speed should be specified when configuring the port using SMIT. If the serial port hardware
(UART) can support your specified line speed, the port can be configured.
Get attribute ioctls using the termio or termios structure will report the line speed as 50 bps. The
non-POSIX line speed will be used by the port until changed, so applications using set attribute ioctls with
the termio and termios structure should not modify the CBAUD flags unless they really do intend to
change the line speed. If the serial port hardware (UART) cannot support the requested line speed, the
port fails to configure and an error is returned.
Note: The 8- and 128-port PCI adapters support non-POSIX line speeds of 115,200 and 230,000 bps
only. The 128-port PCI adapter has an additional constraint of 2.5 Mbps aggregate bandwidth (with the
8-wire cable), which would be completely consumed by 11 devices transferring at a sustained 230,000
bps each. This constraint is on the line connecting the adapter to the RANs, so a single adapter can be
completely consumed by 22 such devices.
Asynchronous adapters
Asynchronous communications products offer the advantages of low cost, multiuser, medium- to high-
performance terminal and device communications.
AIX allows many users to access system resources and applications. Each user must be connected
through a terminal session. The connection can be local or remote through a serial port.
Each system unit has at least one standard serial port available (some systems have three serial ports).
These ports can support asynchronous communication and device attachment.
Asynchronous ports allow attachment of asynchronous peripheral devices that meet EIA 232, EIA 422, or
RS-423 standards such as:
• Asynchronous modems
• Bar code scanners

• Graphic and character printers
• Keyboard and display terminals
• Personal computers
• Plotters and printers
• Point-of-sale terminals
• Sensors and control devices
• Text scanners
• Time clocks
Asynchronous communications options

Expanded asynchronous capability can be added to the system unit with adapters, by using Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI) buses.
Several factors might influence the type of asynchronous connectivity you choose. The following table
summarizes these products.
Table 96. Asynchronous communication products

Asynchronous Based on Itanium Bus type Feature Maximum data Salient
attachment POWER® based code or rate per port features
processor machine (kbps)
based type
(model)
Standard serial X X System n/a Selectable Standard
port planar based on baud feature
rate generator
clock speed of
universal
asynchronous
receiver and
transmitter
(UART).
232 RAN X X 8130 57.6 Remote
capability
Enhanced 232 X X 8137 230 Remote
RAN capability
16-Port RAN EIA X X 8138 230 Remote
422 capability
128-Port X 8128 230 Efficiency,
Controller higher device
counts
128-Port X 2933 230 Efficiency,
counts
128-Port X X PCI 2944 230 Efficiency,
counts
Note: Rack Mount RAN FC is 8136.

Note: Maximum Data Rate per Port is limited by line bandwidth (1.2 Mbps for standard RAN, or 2.4 Mbps
for Enhanced RAN).

The first feature in this table represents the planar-attached serial ports that are standard with every
system unit. The next features are the adapters. The 128-port asynchronous subsystem includes the
remote asynchronous nodes (RANs) that attach to it.
Planar-attached asynchronous ports

Most system unit models have two integrated (standard) EIA 232 asynchronous serial ports. EIA 232
asynchronous serial devices can be attached directly to the standard serial ports using standard serial
cables with 9-pin D-shell connectors.
Some multiprocessor systems have a third serial port used for communication to the remote service
center.
Note: Itanium-based systems have one or two integrated serial ports. Initial workstation models have one
port, while the initial server class models have two ports.
Adapter-attached asynchronous ports

Each of the adapters requires a bus slot and can only be used in systems that support the required bus
type.
The 128-port, ISA 8-port adapters, and PCI 8-port adapters are intelligent adapters that provide
significant offload of the main system processor.
EIA 232 is the most common communication standard, but the EIA 422A (used when a longer cable
distance is needed) is also supported. The EIA 422A implementation does not include device status
detection capability or RS 232 modem control signals.
Note: The Itanium-based platform supports only the 8- and 128-port PCI adapters.
Node-attached asynchronous ports

The 128-port adapter, available for the Micro Channel, ISA, or PCI bus, allows attachments of one to eight
remote asynchronous nodes (RANs).
Each RAN has 16 asynchronous ports for connection to devices and are separately powered units. Up
to four RANs can be daisy-chain-connected from each of two connections on the 128-port adapter card.
RANs can support 16 EIA 232 devices or 16 EIA 422 devices. The 128-port controller is an intelligent
adapter that increases the number of asynchronous sessions possible at a given CPU usage level.
The following are additional characteristics of the 128-port feature:
• RANs may be located up to 300 meters from the system processor using 8-wire shielded cabling while
maintaining full performance ratings.
• Distance may be extended to 1200 meters by reducing the data rate between the RANs and the system
processor.
• RANs may be remotely located from the system processor using a synchronous EIA 232 and EIA 422
modems. Each four-RAN daisy chain is allowed only one modem pair at some point in the chain.
• System performance is enhanced by offloading tty character processing from the system processor.
Product selection considerations

The proper asynchronous product often depends on a particular situation.
The following questions will help you choose which product you need to install.
Expandability
How many asynchronous ports are needed?
How may ports will be needed in the future?
Topology
Will devices be in other buildings or remote locations?

Where will system/network administration be done?
Is there an HACMP cluster?
What type of cabling is required or already there?
Performance
Is your application CPU-intensive?
What types of devices will be attached?
What is the relative asynchronous bandwidth demand for the aggregate sum of the devices?
Table 97. Relative Device Bandwidth Demand

Low Demand Moderate Demand High Demand
ASCII terminals, Point-of- Printers, Low-speed FAX/ Serial X-terminals, High-speed
sale terminals, Asynchronous modems, Bar code scanners FAX/modems, High-speed
modems printers, File transfer
applications
Device Interface Requirement

What asynchronous interface is required, for example, EIA 232, EIA 422A, EIA 423?
Do the devices or applications require the full EIA 232 interface?
Security
Is system assurance kernel (SAK) required? (planar-attached ports only)
The following table shows the detailed product characteristics.
Table 98. Asynchronous attachment product characteristics

Characteristic Native Serial Ports 2-port PCI 8-port PCI 128-port PCI
with RAN
Number of asynchronous ports n/a 2 8 128
per adapter
Maximum number of adapters n/a no limit 20 20
Maximum number of 2 or 3 2 160 2560
asynchronous ports
Number of asynchronous ports n/a n/a n/a 16
per RAN
Maximum number of RANs n/a n/a n/a 160
Maximum speed (KBits/sec) Selectable based on 230 230 230
baud rate generator
clock speed of UART.
Attachment method planar direct direct node
Asynchronous electrical EIA 232 EIA 232 EIA 232 EIA EIA 232 EIA 422
interfaces supported 422A
Standard connector DB9 DB9 DB25M RJ-45 (10-pin or
8-pin)
DB25 cable options n/a n/a n/a RJ-45-DB25
Rack mount option n/a n/a n/a yes
Power supply n/a n/a n/a external

Table 98. Asynchronous attachment product characteristics (continued)
Characteristic Native Serial Ports 2-port PCI 8-port PCI 128-port PCI
with RAN
Signals supported (EIA 232) TxD RxD RTS CTS TxD RxD RTS CTS TxD RxD RTS TxD RxD RTS CTS
DTR DSR DCD RI DTR DSR DCD RI CTS DTR DSR DTR DSR DCD RI
DCD RI
Asynchronous adapter applications

Each product offering is characterized by a representative scenario for its strengths. The adapters in this
topic are listed along with their specifications so that you can select for each specific scenario.
Item Description
2-Port PCI Bus EIA 232 • PCI slot available.
• Up to two ports per adapter.
• Requires all EIA 232 ports.
• Asynchronous speeds to 230 Kbps.
8-Port PCI Bus EIA 232/EIA 422 • PCI slot available.

• Fewer than eight ports required with little or no
expansion.
• Requires all EIA 232, all EIA 422, or a mix of
EIA 232 and EIA 422 ports.
• Offload character interrupt and terminal I/O
processing from the main CPU.
• Asynchronous speeds to 230 Kbps.
• Maximum performance for high speed (33.6
Kbps) modems with data compression.
128-Port Adapter (PCI) • A Micro Channel, ISA, or PCI bus slot available.
(For further information about Micro Channel or
ISA, see “128-Port adapter (Micro Channel, ISA)”
on page 679.)
• Sixteen ports now with expansion of up to 128
ports without additional slots.
• Most distant terminal located about 90 meters
(300 feet) from the system at maximum data rate
of 230 Kbps.
• Terminals planned: nearby or on premises,
distant on premises, and remote.
• Need high asynchronous throughput with low
processor demand.
• Need terminal attached printer capability.
• Need to connect to remote premises through
fiber-optic or synchronous modems.

Scenarios for asynchronous solutions
The customer scenarios that follow were solved with an 8-port PCI and a 128-port asynchronous
controller.
Item Description
Real estate office • Simplicity and cost are high priority.
• Operating system and server.
• Six to ten devices tied into the server accessing the database.
• One slot is available for asynchronous communication.
• Devices are less than 61 meters (200 feet) from the server.
Solution:
8-port PCI.
Retail point-of-sale • Cost per seat is high priority.

• Operating system and server.
• 20 or more ASCII terminals: for example, cash registers.
• One slot is available for asynchronous communication.
• Future expansion for additional terminals is planned.
Solution:
128-port asynchronous controller with two RANs. Future expansion
with additional RANs.
Topology considerations
The asynchronous family of adapters offers a wide variety of choices where distance topology is
concerned.
The maximum cable lengths from the planar- and direct-attach adapters is generally the distance
between the port and the asynchronous device, operating at the maximum specified data rate. The
128-port adapter is measured from the adapter card to the daisy-chained RAN attached to it. With the
128-port, unlimited distances can effectively be achieved by using the EIA 422 synchronous modems to
attach the RANs to the adapter.
Proper cabling is extremely important and is unique to each environment.
Serial communication
Asynchronous communication standards, hardware, terminology, and concepts are described here.
Serial ports are used to physically connect asynchronous devices to a computer. They are located on the
back of the system unit, either integrated or using a multiport adapter, such as the 2-port, 8-port, 16-port,
and 128-port asynchronous adapters.
Note: The POWER5 integrated system ports are not general-purpose, full-function serial ports. See
“Functional differences between system ports and serial ports” on page 589 for more information.
To understand the functionality of a serial port, it is necessary to first examine parallel communications.
A standard parallel port uses eight pins, or wires, to simultaneously transmit the data bits, making up a
single character. The following illustration shows the parallel transmission of the letter a.

Figure 28. Parallel communications port
Serial ports require only a single pin, or wire, to send the same data character to the device. To
accomplish this, the data is converted from a parallel form (sent by the computer), to a sequential form,
where bits are organized one after the other in a series. The data is then transmitted to the device with
the least significant bit (or zero-bit) sent first. After the data is received by the remote device, the data is
converted back into parallel form. The following illustration shows the serial transmission of the letter a.
Figure 29. Serial communications port
Serial transmissions of a single character are simple and straight forward; however, complications arise
when a large number of characters are transmitted in series as shown in the following illustration. The
receiving system does not know where one character ends and the other begins. To solve this problem,
both ends of the communication link must be synchronized or timed.
Figure 30. Serial transmission
Functional differences between system ports and serial ports

Integrated POWER5 system ports are similar to serial ports except that system ports are available only for
specifically supported functions.
System ports are disabled when a Hardware Management Console (HMC) port is connected to an HMC.
Either the HMC ports can be used or the system ports can be used, but not both.
Even when no HMC is attached, integrated system ports are limited to serial-connected TTY console
function. They work properly only with approved call-home modems, async terminals, and certain UPSs.
Attachment of any other serial devices (including system-to-system connections for HACMP) requires a
serial port adapter in a PCI slot.
Synchronization
Synchronization is the process of timing the serial transmission to properly identify the data being sent.
The two most common modes are synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous transmission
The term synchronous is used to describe a continuous and consistent timed transfer of data blocks.
These types of connections are used when large amounts of data must be transferred very quickly from
one location to the other. The speed of the synchronous connection is attained by transferring data in
large blocks instead of individual characters.

The data blocks are grouped and spaced in regular intervals and are preceded by special characters
called syn or synchronous idle characters. See the following illustration.
Figure 31. Synchronous transmission
After the syn characters are received by the remote device, they are decoded and used to synchronize the
connection. After the connection is correctly synchronized, data transmission may begin.
An analogy of this type of connection would be the transmission of a large text document. Before
the document is transferred across the synchronous line, it is first broken into blocks of sentences
or paragraphs. The blocks are then sent over the communication link to the remote site. With other
transmission modes, the text is organized into long strings of letters (or characters) that make up the
words within the sentences and paragraphs. These characters are sent over the communication link one
at a time and reassembled at the remote location.
The timing needed for synchronous connections is obtained from the devices located on the
communication link. All devices on the synchronous link must be set to the same clocking.
The following is a list of characteristics specific to synchronous communication:
• There are no gaps between characters being transmitted.
• Timing is supplied by modems or other devices at each end of the connection.
• Special syn characters precede the data being transmitted.
• The syn characters are used between blocks of data for timing purposes.
Asynchronous transmission
The term asynchronous is used to describe the process where transmitted data is encoded with start and
stop bits, specifying the beginning and end of each character.
An example of asynchronous transmission is shown in the following figure.
Figure 32. Asynchronous transmission
These additional bits provide the timing or synchronization for the connection by indicating when a
complete character has been sent or received; thus, timing for each character begins with the start bit and
ends with the stop bit.
When gaps appear between character transmissions, the asynchronous line is said to be in a mark state. A
mark is a binary 1 (or negative voltage) that is sent during periods of inactivity on the line as shown in the
following figure.
Figure 33. Mark (idle) bits in the data stream
When the mark state is interrupted by a positive voltage (a binary 0), the receiving system knows that data
characters are going to follow. It is for this reason that the start bit, which precedes the data character, is
always a space bit (binary 0) and that the stop bit, which signals the end of a character, is always a mark
bit (binary 1).

The following is a list of characteristics specific to asynchronous communication:
• Each character is preceded by a start bit and followed by one or more stop bits.
• Gaps or spaces between characters may exist.
Serial communication parameters

Parameters used during serial communication include bits-per-character, bits-per-second (bps), baud
rate, parity, and start, stop, and mark bits.
Bits-per-character
The number of bits-per-character (bpc) indicates the number of bits used to represent a single data
character during serial communication.
This number does not reflect the total amount of parity, stop, or start bits included with the character. Two
possible settings for bpc are 7 and 8.
When using the seven bits-per-character setting, it is possible to only send the first 128 characters
(0-127) of the Standard ASCII character set. Each of these characters is represented by seven data bits.
The eight bits-per-character setting must be used to send the ASCII Extended character set (128-255).
Each of these characters may only be represented using eight data bits.
Bits-per-second (bps)
This provides a description of the bits-per-second statistic.
Bits-per-second (bps) is the number of data bits (binary 1's and 0's) that are transmitted per second over
the communication line.
Baud rate
The baud rate is the number of times per second a serial communication signal changes states; a state
being either a voltage level, a frequency, or a frequency phase angle.
If the signal changes once for each data bit, then one bps is equal to one baud. For example, a 300 baud
modem changes its states 300 times a second.
Parity bits
The parity bit, unlike the start and stop bits, is an optional parameter, used in serial communications to
determine if the data character being transmitted is correctly received by the remote device.
Figure 34. Parity
The parity bit can have one of the following five specifications:
Item Description
none Specifies that the local system must not create a parity bit for data characters being
transmitted. It also indicates that the local system does not check for a parity bit in data
received from a remote host.
even Specifies that the total number of binary 1s, in a single character, adds up to an even
number. If they do not, the parity bit must be a 1 to ensure that the total number of
binary 1s is even.
For example, if the letter a (binary 1100001) is transmitted under even parity, the
sending system adds the number of binary 1s, which in this case is three, and makes the
parity bit a 1 to maintain an even number of binary 1s. If the letter A (binary 1000001) is
transmitted under the same circumstances, the parity bit would be a 0, thus keeping the
total number of binary 1s an even number.

Item Description
odd Operates under the same guidelines as even parity except that the total number of binary
1s must be an odd number.
space Specifies that the parity bit will always be a binary zero. Another term used for space
parity is bit filling, which is derived from its use as a filler for seven-bit data being
transmitted to a device which can only accept eight bit data. Such devices see the space
parity bit as an additional data bit for the transmitted character.
mark Operates under the same guidelines as space parity except that the parity bit is always a
binary 1. The mark parity bit acts only as a filler.
Start, stop, and mark bits

The start and stop bits are used in asynchronous communication as a means of timing or synchronizing
the data characters being transmitted.
Without the use of these bits, the sending and receiving systems will not know where one character ends
and another begins.
Another bit used to separate data characters during transmission is the mark (or idle) RS bit. This bit, a
binary 1, is transmitted when the communication line is idle and no characters are being sent or received.
When a start bit (binary 0) is received by the system, it is understood that a fixed number character bit
(determined by the bits per character parameter), and even a parity bit (determined by the parity
parameter), follows the start bit. Then a stop bit (binary 1) is received by the system. In the following
example, the parity bit is present, and the bits per character is 7.
Figure 35. Start, stop, and mark bits
The EIA 232D standard

The EIA 232D standard was developed in 1969 to specify the connections between a computer and a
modem.
The term itself is an acronym which can be read as follows:
Electronics Industry Association (EIA) accepted standard, ID number 232 revision D
EIA 232D specifies the characteristics of the physical and electrical connections between two devices.
Names and abbreviations are assigned to each pin or wire necessary for serial communications, for
example:
Table 99. EIA 232D connections

Signal Equip. Type Symbol Pin
Transmit Data DCE TxD 2

Table 99. EIA 232D connections (continued)
Signal Equip. Type Symbol Pin
Receive Data DTE RxD 3
Request to Send DCE RTS 4
Clear to Send DTE CTS 5
Data Set Ready DTE DSR 6
Signal Ground SG 7
Carrier Detect DTE CD 8
Data Terminal Ready DCE DTR 20
Ring Indicator DTE RI 22
In EIA 232D, devices using pin 2 (TxD) for output (for example, computers and terminals) are given the
name data terminal equipment (DTE). Devices using pin 2 (TxD) for input (for example, modems) are given
the name data communication equipment (DCE).
EIA 232D also specifies the connectors. A DTE device normally has male connectors while DCE devices
have female connectors. This standard is not always adhered to by manufacturers; therefore users should
always review the device documentation before cable connection.
Asynchronous communication methods

This describes the two forms of asynchronous communication, one-way and two-way (which includes
half-duplex and full-duplex).
Simplex, or one-way communication, is the simplest connection form between two devices. This mode
of communication allows data to be transmitted in only one direction and requires only two lines be
connected, for example, TxD (or RxD) and SG.
There are two forms of two-way communications: half-duplex and full-duplex. A connection in half-
duplex mode allows data to be transmitted in two directions but not simultaneously. An analogy of
half-duplex would be the use of a CB-radio where two-way communication is possible but only one
person can speak at a time.
In full-duplex, or duplex mode, data communication can take place in two directions simultaneously. An
analogy for full-duplex is a telephone conversation when both persons are talking at the same time.
Flow control
Some type of data flow control is needed by the serial device to limit the amount of data transmitted by
the system.
Serial devices, such as printers and modems, do not process data as quickly or efficiently as the
computers they are connected to.
The term flow control is used to describe the method in which a serial device controls the amount of data
being transmitted to itself.
RTS/CTS hardware flow

Request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) is sometimes called pacing or hardware handshaking instead of
flow control.
The term hardware handshaking comes from the use of cabling and voltages as a method of data
transmission control. Unlike XON/XOFF, which sends control characters in the data stream, RTS/CTS uses
positive and negative voltages along dedicated pins or wires in the device cabling.

A positive voltage means data transmission is allowed while a negative voltage signifies that data
transmission should be suspended.
DTR/DSR hardware flow

Data terminal ready (DTR), another form of hardware flow control, is normally generated by the devices,
such as printers to indicate that they are ready to communicate with the system. This signal is used in
conjunction with data set ready (DSR) generated by the system to control data flow.
A positive voltage means data transmission is allowed while a negative voltage signifies that data
transmission should be suspended.
XON/XOFF software flow

Transmitter on/transmitter off (XON/XOFF) flow controls involves the sending of data transmission control
characters along the data stream (TxD and RxD). For this reason it is referred to as software flow control.
When data is sent to a modem, it is placed in a buffer. Just before that buffer reaches its maximum
capacity, the modem will send an XOFF character to the system and the system will stop transmitting the
data. When the modem's buffer is almost empty and ready for more data, it will send an XON character
back to the system causing more data to be sent.
Configuring a port for RTS/CTS hardware handshaking

Modems attached to the server operating at a speed of 9600 or above are recommended to use RTS/CTS
hardware handshaking instead of XON/XOFF flow control.
This will avoid buffer overrun in a system with limited resources. RTS is not a default value on any tty port
and must be set by the system administrator accordingly.
Prerequisites
You must use at least a five-wire cable to support RTS/CTS.

To enable RTS/CTS for a port, use the following steps:
1. Use the smit tty fast path.
2. Select Change / Show Characteristics of a TTY.
3. Select the tty on which RTS/CTS is to be enabled.
4. Set the FLOW CONTROL to be used field to rts.
5. Select Do.
6. Exit SMIT.
TTY terminal device

A tty terminal device is a character device that performs input and output on a character-by-character
basis.
The communication between terminal devices and the programs that read and write to them is controlled
by the tty interface. Examples of tty devices are:
• Modems
• ASCII terminals
• System console (LFT)
• aixterm under AIXwindows
The tty devices can be added, deleted, listed, and changed like any other device on your system by using
the SMIT tool, or device-specific commands.

TERM values for different displays and terminals
Information about terminal capabilities is stored in the terminfo database.
The value of the TERM environment variable identifies the specific terminal description in the terminfo
database. This provides all information that a program needs for communicating effectively with the
current tty device.
Table 100. TERM values for various terminals

Display/Terminal Value
3161 ASCII Terminal ibm3161
3163 ASCII Terminal ibm3161
DEC VT100 (terminal) vt100
DECVT220 vt220
3151 ASCII Display Station with Cartridge or 3161 ibm3161-C
ASCII Display Station with Cartridge
3162 ASCII Display Station ibm3161
3162 ASCII Display Station with Cartridge ibm3162
6091 Display lft
AIXwindows aixterm
For information about the entries in the terminfo database, see the terminfo file format. To convert
termcap entries into terminfo entries, see the captoinfo command. (The termcap file contains the
terminal descriptions for older Berkeley systems.)
TTY characteristics
The line discipline provides the hardware-independent user interface for communicating between the
computer and an asynchronous device.
For example, a user is able to erase a single line or to interrupt a currently running process by typing a
particular sequence of characters. You can define the meaning of these character sequences as well as
set other terminal characteristics, such as the communication speed, by using the chdev command, the
System Management Interface Tool (SMIT), or the stty command.
Attribute requirements on the attached TTY device

A correct communication between the host and an attached tty device must have these requirements.
• A properly wired communications cable
• Matching communications values (line speed, character size, parity, stop bit, and interface) between the
host and the attached tty device.
TTY device management

Device management tasks and their associated SMIT fast paths and commands can be referenced here.
Table 101. Managing TTY devices tasks

List Defined TTY Devices smit lsdtty lsdev -C -c tty -H
Add a TTY smit mktty mkdev -t tty1,2

Table 101. Managing TTY devices tasks (continued)
Move a TTY to Another Port3 smit movtty chdev -l Name -p ParentName
-w ConnectionLocation2,4
Change/Show Characteristics of a smit chtty lsattr -lName -E (to show);
TTY chdev -l Name (to change)4,5
Remove a TTY3 smit rmtty rmdev -l Name
Configure a Defined TTY (Make smit mktty mkdev -l Name
Available for Use)
Note:
1. Other flags may be used to further specify the new tty device. For example, to define and configure
an RS-232 tty device connected to port 0 on the 8-port asynchronous adapter sa3 with the speed
attribute set to 19200 and other attributes set to values retrieved from the foo file:
mkdev -t tty -s rs232 -p sa3 -w 0 -a speed=19200 -f foo
2. The mkdev and chdev commands support options that are not possible with SMIT.
3. Disable the tty before doing this task. See the pdisable command.
4. Use flags to change specific characteristics about a tty from the command line.
5. You can select a Posix baud rate from the List function, or you can type in non-Posix baud rate directly
into the field. If the selected baud rate cannot be supported by the modem's hardware, the system
displays an error message.
If adding or changing a tty from the command line, consult the following list to find out the Attribute
name to specify in the -a Attribute=Value flag for the characteristic you want to set. For example, specify
-a speed=Value to set the baud rate of a tty device.
Table 102. TTY attributes

Characteristic Attribute Name
Enable LOGIN login
BAUD rate speed speed
PARITY parity
BITS per character bpc
Number of STOP BITS stops
TIME before advancing to next port setting timeout
XON-XOFF handshaking xon
TERMINAL type term
FLOW CONTROL to be used flow_disp
OPEN DISCIPLINE to be used open_disp
STTY attributes for RUN time runmodes
STTY attributes for LOGIN logmodes
RUN shell activity manager shell
LOGGER name logger

Table 102. TTY attributes (continued)
Characteristic Attribute Name
STATUS of device at BOOT time autoconfig
TRANSMIT buffer count tbc
RECEIVE trigger level rtrig
STREAMS modules to be pushed at open time modules
INPUT map file imap
OUTPUT map file omap
CODESET map file csmap
INTERRUPT character intr
QUIT character quit
ERASE character erase
KILL character kill
END OF FILE character eof
END OF LINE character eol
2nd END OF LINE character eol2
DELAY SUSPEND PROCESS character dsusp
SUSPEND PROCESS character susp
LITERAL NEXT character lnext
START character start
STOP character stop
WORD ERASE character werase
REPRINT LINE character reprint
DISCARD character discard
TTY troubleshooting
There are several common TTY troubleshooting scenarios.
Common TTY troubleshooting scenarios include Respawning Too Rapidly errors, hung TTY ports, and
common error logging files, commands, and error report messages.
Respawning Too Rapidly errors

The system records the number of getty processes created for a particular tty in a short time period.
If the number of getty processes created in this time frame exceeds five, then the Respawning Too
Rapidly error is displayed on the console and the port is disabled by the system.
The tty stays disabled for about 19 minutes or until the system administrator enables the port again. At
the end of the 19 minutes, the system automatically enables the port, resulting in the creation of a new
getty process.
Possible causes include the following:
• Incorrect modem configuration
• A port is defined and enabled but no cable or device is attached to it

• Bad cabling or loose connection
• Noise on communication line
• Corruption of, or tampering with, /etc/environment or /etc/inittab files
• tty configuration is corrupted
• Hardware is defective
Of the following procedures for recovery, use the one that applies to your situation.
• Incorrect modem configuration:
Ensure that the modem carrier detect is not forced high.
Note: The following applies to Hayes-compatible modems
1. Connect to the modem and examine the active profile.
2. Set the modem carrier detect to &C1 rather than &C0 (forced high). Use the following AT modem
commands to set and change the carrier attribute:
AT&C1
AT&W
Note:
a. See “Sending AT commands with the cu command” on page 611
b. See your modem documentation for further information.
• Disable the tty, remove the tty definition, or attach a device to the port:
– To disable the tty definition use the chdev command as follows:
chdev -l ttyName -a Login=disable
After running this command, the tty does not become enabled after a system restart.
– To remove the tty definition:
1. Disable the tty port, use the pdisable command, enter:
pdisable ttyName
2. Remove the tty definition from the system. See “TTY device management” on page 595 for further
information.
• Check for bad cables or loose connections:
1. Check cabling. Tighten loose connections and replace damaged or inappropriate connectors.
2. Verify that the suspected cabling is IBM serial cable P/N 6323741 or that the cable meets the same
standard. Replace damaged or inappropriate cables.
• Eliminate noise on communication line:
1. Verify that cabling is correct length and impedance.
2. Ensure that toroid rings are in place where needed on longer cables.
3. Check routing of cables; they should not be close to fluorescent lights or motors.
• Check for corruption of, or tampering with, the /etc/environment or the /etc/inittab files:
1. If possible, compare these files against known good copies.
2. Copy the files as a backup and make changes as needed.
3. In the /etc/environment file, remove any lines that are not:
– blank lines
– comment lines
– variable=value

4. In the /etc/inittab file, examine the tty devices lines. If the tty is set to off, it is likely that the tty
port is not being used. If it is not being used, remove the tty definition or attach a device to the port.
• Remove corrupted tty configuration:
1. Remove the tty definition. See “TTY device management” on page 595 for further information.
2. If you want a hard copy record of the tty definition before removing it, press the Image key (F8 or
Esc+8). This will capture the current screen image and copy it to the smit.log file in your $HOME
directory.
3. Read the tty definition. See the instructions for Adding a TTY under “TTY device management” on
page 595.
• Locate defective hardware:
1. Run diagnostics using the diag command.
2. If any hardware problems are detected, follow local problem solving procedures.
Error log information and TTY log identifiers

The following commands and logging files relate to TTYs.
Command: errclear
This command deletes entries from the error log. The entire log can be erased with errclear 0 or
entries with specified error ID numbers, classes, or types can be removed.
Command: errpt
This command generates an error report from entries in the system error log. The most used format for
this command is errpt -a | pg, which generates a detailed report starting with the most current
errors.
File: /var/adm/ras/errlog
This file stores instances of errors and failures encountered by system. The errlog file tends to become
quite lengthy. If not cleared on a regular basis, it can occupy quite a bit of space on your hard disk. Use
the errclear command mentioned previously to clean out this file.
File: /usr/include/sys/errids.h
The errids.h header file correlates error IDs with error labels.
The following common error report messages relate to TTY:
Table 103. TTY error messages

Message Description Comments
Core Dump Software program abnormally This error is logged when a
terminated software program abnormally
ends and causes a core dump.
Users might not be exiting
applications correctly, the system
might have been shut down
while users were working in
application, or the user's terminal
might have locked up and the
application stopped.
Errlog On Errdaemon turned on This error is logged by the
error daemon when the error
logging is started. The system
automatically turns off error
logging during shutdown.

Table 103. TTY error messages (continued)
Lion Box Died Lost communication with 64-port This error is logged by the
concentrator 64-port concentrator driver
if communications with the
concentrator are lost. If you
receive this error, check the date
and time stamp to see if user
might have caused this message
to occur. A series of these errors
can indicate a problem with the
64-port adapter or its associated
hardware.
Lion Buffero Buffer overrun: 64-port This error occurs when the
concentrator hardware buffer in a 64-port
concentrator is overrun. If
device and cabling allow, try
adding request to send (RTS)
handshaking to the port and
device. Also try lowering the
baud rate.
Lion Chunknumc Bad chunk count: 64-port This error occurs when the value
controller for the number of characters in a
chunk does not match the actual
values in the buffer. This error
may indicate a problem with the
hardware; try running diagnostics
on devices.
Lion Hrdwre Cannot access memory on 64- This error is logged by the 64-
port controller port concentrator driver if it is
unable to access memory on the
64-port controller.
Lion Mem ADAP Cannot allocate memory: ADAP This error is logged by the 64-
structure port concentrator driver if the
malloc routine for the adap
structure fails.
Lion Mem List Cannot allocate memory: TTYP_T This error is logged by the 64-
List port concentrator driver if the
malloc routine for the ttyp_t list
structure fails
Lion Pin ADAP Cannot pin memory: ADAP This error is logged by the
structure 64-port concentrator driver if
the pin routine for the adap
structure fails.
SRC Software program error This error is logged by the
System Resource Controller
(SRC) daemon in the event
of some abnormal condition.
Abnormal conditions are
divided in three areas: failing
subsystems, communication
failures, and other failures.

Lion Unkchunk Unknown error code from the 64- Error Code: Number of characters
port concentrator in the chunk received.
TTY Badinput Bad cable or connection The port is generating input
faster than the system can
consume it, and some of that
input is being discarded. Usually,
the bad input is caused by
one or more RS-232 signals
changing their status rapidly and
repeatedly in a short period
of time, causing your system
to spend a lot of time in the
interrupt handler. The signal
errors are usually caused by a
loose or broken connector; a bad,
ungrounded, or unshielded cable;
or by a "noisy" communications
link.

TTY Overrun Receiver overrun on input Most TTY ports have a 16-
character input FIFO, and the
default setting specifies that
an interrupt is posted after 14
characters have been received.
This error is reported when the
driver interrupt handler cleared
the input FIFO and data has been
lost. Potential solutions depend
on the hardware you are using:
• 8-port and 128-port adapters
Verify that flow control is
configured correctly. If it is, run
diagnostics, and replace the
hardware as appropriate.
• Native ports
If the problem happens on an
idle system, move the workload
to a different port. If that
corrects the problem, upgrade
the system firmware.
• General solutions
– Reduce the "RECEIVE trigger
level" parameter for this port
from 3 to either 2 or 1.
– Reduce the line speed on
this port.
– Examine other devices and
processes to try to reduce
the time that the system
is spending with interrupts
disabled.
TTY TTYHOG TTYHOG overrun This error is usually caused by

a mismatch in the flow control
method being used between the
transmitter and receiver. The TTY
driver has made several attempts
to ask the transmitter to pause,
but the input has not stopped,
causing the data to be discarded.
Check the flow control methods
configured on each end to make
sure that the same method is
being used on each.

TTY Parerr Parity/Framing error on input This error indicates parity
errors on incoming data to
asynchronous ports on a
character-by-character basis.
This is usually caused by
a mismatch in line control
parameters (parity, line speed,
character size, or number of stop
bits) between the transmitter and
receiver. Line control parameters
have to be set the same on both
sides in order to communicate.
TTY Prog PTR Driver internal error This error is logged by the tty
driver if t_hptr pointer is null.
Clearing a hung TTY port

In this example of clearing a hung port, assume that the hung tty port is tty0.
You must have root authority to be able to complete this procedure.
1. Determine whether the tty is currently handling any processes by typing the following:
ps -lt tty0
This should return results similar to the following:
F S UID PID PPID C PRI NI ADDR SZ WCHAN TTY TIME CMD

240001 S 202 22566 3608 0 60 20 781a 444 70201e44 tty0 0:00 ksh
The Process ID (PID) here is 22566. To kill this process, type the following:
kill 22566
Ensure that the process was successfully cleared by typing the command ps -lt tty0. If the
process still exists, add the -9 flag to the kill command as shown in the example below.
Note: Do not use the -9 option to kill an slattach process. Killing an slattach process with the -9 flag
might cause a slip lock to remain in the /etc/locks file. Delete this lock file to clean up after slattach.
kill -9 22566
2. Determine if any process is attempting to use the tty by typing the following:
ps -ef | grep tty0
Note: If the ps -ef | grep tty command returns something similar to the following:
root 19050 1 0 Mar 06 - 0:00 /usr/sbin/getty /dev/tty
where the "-" is displayed between the date (Mar 06) and the time (0:00), this tty does not have the
correct cable. This status indicates that the system login process (getty) is attempting to open this tty,
and the open process is hanging because the RS-232 signal Data Carrier Detect (DCD) is not asserted.
You can fix this by using the correct null modem adapter in the cabling. When getty can open the tty
port, the "-" is replaced by the tty number. For more information on cables, see “Attaching the modem
with appropriate cables” on page 610.

Note: The following command can be used to disable the login process on tty0.
pdisable tty0
If the process has been successfully cleared but the tty is still unresponsive, continue to the next step.
fuser -k /dev/tty0
This will clear any process that can be found running on the port and display the PID. If the tty is still
unusable, continue to the next step.
4. Use the strreset command to flush outgoing data from the port that is hung due to data that cannot
be delivered because the connection to the remote end has been lost.
Note: If the strreset command fixes the hung port, the port has a cable or configuration problem
because the loss of the connection to the remote end should have caused buffered data to be flushed
automatically.
You need to first determine the major and minor device numbers for the tty by typing the following:
ls -al /dev/tty0
crw-rw-rw- 1 root system 18, 0 Nov 7 06:19 /dev/tty0
This indicates that tty0 has a major device number of 18 and a minor device number of 0. Specify
these numbers when using the strreset command as follows:
/usr/sbin/strreset -M 18 -m 0
If the tty is still unusable, continue to the next step.

5. Detach and reattach the cable from the hung tty port. AIX uses the Data Carrier Detect (DCD) signal to
determine the presence of a device attached to the port.
By dropping DCD, detaching and reattaching the cable will in many cases clear hung processes.
To determine the location of the port on which the tty is configured, type the following command:
lsdev -Cl tty0
The results should look similar to the following:
tty0 Available 00-00-S1-00 Asynchronous Terminal
The third column in the above output indicates the location code of the tty. In this example,
S1 indicates the serial port is configured for native serial port 1. For more information on
interpreting location codes, see ../devicemanagement/devloccodes.html in Operating system and
device management.
6. Flush the port using stty-cxma. Type the following:
/usr/lbin/tty/stty-cxma flush tty0
This command is intended for the ttys configured on ports of the 8-port and 128-adapters. In some
cases, however, it can be used successfully to flush other tty ports.
7. On the keyboard of the hung terminal, hold down the Ctrl key and press Q. This will resume any
suspended output by sending an Xon character.

8. A program will sometimes open a tty port, modify some attributes, and close the port without resetting
the attributes to their original states. To correct this, bring the tty down to a DEFINED state and then
make it available by typing the following:
rmdev -l tty0
This command leaves the information concerning the tty in the database but makes the tty unavailable
on the system.
The following command reactivates the tty:
mkdev -l tty0
If the tty is still unusable, consider moving the device to another port and configuring a tty at that
location until the system can be rebooted. If rebooting does not clear the port, you most likely have a
hardware problem. Check the error report for port hardware problems by entering the following:
errpt -a | pg
Some of the preceding commands will not work, and they will give a method error indicating that the
device is busy. This is because of the process running on the tty. If none of the steps detailed above free
the hung tty, as a last resort, reboot the AIX system and flush the kernel so that the process will go away.
Modems
Modems provide serial communications across ordinary telephone lines. Modem concepts include
standards, general modem setup, and specific configuration tips for popular modems.
A modem is a device that allows you to connect one computer to another across ordinary telephone lines.
The current telephone system is incapable of carrying the voltage changes required for a direct digital
connection. A modem overcomes this limitation by modulating digital information into audio tones for
transmission across the phone line, and by demodulating those tones back into digital information on
reception. Modems are commonly used with Basic Network Utilities (BNU) or other implementations of
the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP). A high-speed (14,400 bps or greater) modem can be used with
Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP) to provide Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
connectivity as well.
Often, the term baud is used to refer to modem speed instead of bps. Baud is actually a measurement
of the modulation rate. In older modems, only 1 bit was encoded in each signal change, so modem baud
rate was equal to modem speed. Modems that operate at higher speeds, however, still generally operate
at 2,400 (or even 1,200) baud, and encode two or more bits per signal change. A modem's bps rate is
calculated by multiplying the number of data bits per signal with the baud (for example, 2,400 baud x 6
bits per signal change = 14,400 bits per second). Most modern modems can communicate at a variety of
speeds (for example, 28,800, 14,400, 9,600, 7,800, 4,800, and 2,400 bps).
Telecommunications standards
The older speeds of 300, 1,200, and 2,400 bps were well defined. However, as modem manufacturers
began to devise methods for gaining higher speeds, each modem manufacturer started to use a
proprietary method incompatible with modems from other manufacturers. Today, the ITU-TSS (formerly
the United Nations Consultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy, abbreviated
CCITT) defines standards for most high-speed communications.
Even high-speed modems are much slower than other methods of computer communication. A high-
speed modem can operate at 28,800 bps, but an Ethernet connection operates at 10,000,000 bps. To
boost data throughput, high-speed modems typically offer one or more data compression algorithms.
These algorithms can boost the throughput of a high-speed modem to speeds of 57,600 bps (if the
data rate is 14,400 bps) or 115,200 bps (if the data rate is 28,800 bps). Note that these compression
algorithms are sensitive to the data being transmitted. If the data has already been compressed (for
example, with the compress command), the data compression methods of high-speed modems offer
little or no benefit, and might even reduce data throughput. When using a modem with data compression

technology, the speed of the data terminal equipment/data circuit-terminating equipment (DTE/DCE)
connection between the computer and the modem is equal or greater than the nominal data rate of
the connection between modems. For example, with a V.32bis modem with V.42bis data compression,
the data rate of the modem (the speed at which the modem communicates across telephone lines) is
14,400 bps. When the V.42bis compression is active, actual data throughput can reach 57,600 bps. To
accommodate the greater throughput offered by data compression, the speed of the link between the
computer and the modem should be set to 57,600 bps.
The ITU-TSS defines standards for high-speed communications, including data compression algorithms.
ITU-TSS standards are usually named V.nn, where nn is a number. Another, slightly less common standard
is the Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP). Available in versions (called classes) 1-9, MNP is a high-
performance, high-speed protocol that was available relatively early, and became something of a de facto
standard before the advent of the ITU-TSS standards.
Full and half duplex transmissions

When studying telecommunications standards, it is important to understand the differences between half
duplex and full duplex transmissions.
In a half duplex (HDX) transmission, a data packet is sent by one system and received by the other.
Another data packet cannot be sent until the receiving system sends an acknowledgment back to the
sender.
In a full duplex (FDX) transmission, both the sending and receiving systems communicate with each other
simultaneously; in other words, both modems can send and receive data at the same time. This means a
modem can be receiving a data packet while acknowledging the receipt of another.
ITU-TSS communications standards

Some common communications standards defined by the ITU-TSS are described here.
Note that this only a partial list. For a complete list, refer to the Internet website for the International
Telecommunication Union.
Item Description
V.29 ITU-TSS standard for half-duplex 9600 bps communications.
V.32 ITU-TSS standard for full-duplex 9600 bps communications.
V.32bis ITU-TSS standard for 14,400 communications. V.32bis is a revision to the V.32 standard.
V.34 ITU-TSS standard for 33,600 bps communications. Note that this standard achieves 33,600
bps data rates using multiple bit encoding, instead of the data compression scheme used by
MNP Class 9. This standard was previously referred to as V.fast.
V.42 ITU-TSS error correcting procedures for DCEs using asynchronous to synchronous
conversion.
V.42bis Revised ITU-TSS data compression standard.
Microcom Networking Protocol

Another de facto standard is the Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP) which was originally developed
by Microcom, Inc.
Available in versions (called classes) 1-9, MNP is a high-performance, high-speed protocol that was
available before the advent of the ITU-TSS standards. With MNP, errors in the transmitted data packets
are detected by the remote modem causing it to request a retransmission of the data packet in error.
The capability to recognize and quickly correct data errors makes MNP one of today's most common
protocols.
The following table specifies MNP communication standards.

Item Description
MNP Class 1 An asynchronous, half-duplex, byte-oriented method of transferring data realizing
about 70% efficiency. This standard is uncommon in modern modems.
MNP Class 2 A full-duplex counterpart to MNP Class 1 which is also uncommon in modern
modems.
MNP Class 3 A synchronous, bit-oriented full-duplex method of transferring data realizing about
108% efficiency. Efficiency greater than 100% is realized because the start/stop bits
required for an asynchronous connection are eliminated. The DTE/DCE between the
modem and the system are still asynchronous.
MNP Class 4 An enhancement to MNP Class 3 including a mechanism for varying the packet size
(adaptive packet assembly) and a means of eliminating redundant administrative
overhead (data phase optimization). An MNP Class 4 modem offers approximately
120% efficiency.
MNP Class 5 Includes data compression along with Class 4 features. An MNP Class 5 modem
offers 200% efficiency.
MNP Class 6 Allows incorporation of multiple, incompatible modulation techniques into one
modem (universal link negotiation). This allows MNP Class 6 modems to begin
communication at a slower speed and negotiate a transition to a higher speed. Class
6 also includes a statistical duplexing scheme which dynamically allocates utilization
of half-duplex modulation to simulate full-duplex service. All features of MNP Class
5 are supported.
MNP Class 7 Incorporates enhanced data compression. Combined with Class 4, efficiencies of
300% can be realized.
MNP Class 8 Not Applicable.
MNP Class 9 Combine enhanced data compression with V.32 technology to allow data rates up to
28,800 bps.
Modem considerations
Modem interface requirements for the general user can vary.
The configuration of a modem attached to this operating system is different than that of a personal
computer (PC) or workstation.
Supported modems
Any modem that is EIA 232 compliant and capable of returning results in response to a command can be
attached to this operating system.
Data Carrier Detect handling

The server uses the Data Carrier Detect (DCD) signal to monitor the true state of a modem.
If the DCD signal on the modem's port is "high," the server believes the modem to be in use. It is therefore
important to know which circumstances cause this signal to be forced into a "high" state. The DCD signal
can be raised high for the following reasons:
• The use of clocal in the stty attributes for runtime field on the SMIT TTY Configuration panel.
• Having the Ignore Carrier Detect field set to enable on the SMIT TTY Configuration panel for ttys
connected to a 128-port adapter.
• The modem forces DCD high with either AT commands or switches.
• The tty port is already in use by an application.

Note: When modems make a connection with another modem, the modem raises the CD. Most modem
defaults settings set this signal "high" at all times even when the modem is idle. CD should not be forced
"high."
Data Terminating Equipment or Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment speeds

Data Terminating Equipment (DTE) and Data Communication Equipment (DCE) are used to describe two
different hardware groups.
The term DTE is used primarily for those devices that display user information. It also includes any
devices that store or generate data for the user. The system units, terminals, and printers all fall into the
DTE category.
DCE includes any device which can be used to gain access to a system over telecommunication lines. The
most common forms of DCEs are modems and multiplexers.
Figure 36. Modem speed considerations
With serial communication on this operating system involving modems, as pictured in the above
illustration, there are three major considerations:
• DTE interface speed (server to modem). This is the speed the server communicates to the modem.
• DCE interface speed (modem to server) sometimes called the "serial port interface speed." This is the
speed at which the modem communicates to the server.
• Connection speed (modem to modem). This is the speed at which a modem communicates (or talks) to
another modem.
Most modern, high-speed modems allow the DCE interface speed to be different than the connection
speed. This allows the DTE speed to be locked at a single baud rate while allowing the connection speed
to fluctuate, up or down as needed, for proper communication between modems.
Modern high-speed modems hold the data to be transmitted to the server in a buffer and send it when the
system can accept it. They can also hold data to be transmitted to the other modem in a buffer and send
it as the remote is able to accept it. This kind of data transmission requires the modem and the server to
engage in flow control.
Modem control signals

Modems are often used to initiate and receive calls. It is therefore important to program the modem
to negotiate a connection at the highest possible speed and to reset itself to a known state after a
connection is stopped.
The server will toggle the Data Terminal Ready (DTR) signal from on to off to instruct the modem to
terminate the connection. Most modems can be configured to reset themselves when this on-to-off DTR
transition occurs.
Note: The tty can be configured to not drop DTR by disabling the hupcl flag in the stty run-time
attributes.
For the connection between the server and the modem to be fully functional, the cabling must have the
following qualifications:
• It must meet specifications.
• It should be properly shielded.
• The following signals should be provided: RxD, TxD, RTS, CTS, SG, DCD, and DTR.

Note: The 16-port asynchronous adapter does not provide support for the RTS and CTS signals. It is
therefore impossible to use RTS/CTS hardware flow control with this adapter.
If binary data is to be transferred using a modem on this adapter, a file transfer protocol that detects
incorrect data and resends the missing data (for example, Xmodem, zmodem, Kermit, and UUCP) should
be used.
The following describes the signals used by the server:
Signal Description
FG Frame Ground. Pin 1 of the EIA 232D specification that provides for a cable shield. Properly
used, the signal is attached at pin 1 on one side of the cable only and is connected to a
metal sheath around the cable.
TxD Transmit Data. Pin 2 of the EIA 232D specification. Data is transmitted on this signal.
Controlled by the server.
RxD Receive Data. Pin 3 of the EIA 232D specification. Data is received on this signal, controlled
by the modem, which is sent by the modem.
RTS Request To Send. Pin 4 of the EIA 232D specification. Used when RTS/CTS flow control is
enabled. This signal is brought high when the system is ready to send data and dropped
when the system wants the modem to stop sending data.
CTS Clear To Send. Pin 5 of the EIA 232D specification. Used when RTS/CTS flow control is
enabled. This signal will be brought high when the modem is ready to send or receive data.
It will be dropped when the modem wishes the server to stop sending data. Controlled by
the modem.
DSR Data Set Ready. Pin 6 of the EIA 232D specification. Signals the server that the modem is in
a state where it is ready for use. Controlled by the modem.
SG Signal Ground. Pin 7 of the EIA 232D specification. This signal provides a reference voltage
for the other signals.
DCD Data Carrier Detect. Pin 8 of the EIA 232D specification. This provides a signal to the
server that the modem is connected with another modem. When this signal is brought high,
programs running on the server will be able to open the port. Controlled by the modem.
DTR Data Terminal Ready. Pin 20 of the EIA 232D specification. This provides a signal to the
modem that the server is on and ready to accept a connection. This signal is dropped when
the server wishes the modem to drop connection to another modem. It is brought high
when the port is being opened. Controlled by the server.
RI Ring Indicate. Pin 22 of the EIA 232D specification. This provides a signal to the server that
the modem is receiving a call. It is seldom used and is not needed for common operations.
Controlled by the modem.
Modem cabling
These tables display a summary of the cable information needed to properly attach a modem to any of the
serial controllers.
Adapter/Controller IBM Part Number(s)

Native Serial (S1 or S2) 00G0943*, 6326741
2-port Controller 00G0943*, 6326741
8-port Controller 6323741
128-port Controller 43G0935, 6323741

IBM Part Number Description Length in Feet
00G0943* Serial Port Jumper (pigtail) .33
6323741 Asynchronous 10
43G0935 RJ-45 to DB25 Converter Cable 2
*This part number is not required for some machine types.
TTY device setup on the operating system

Use the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) to define a tty port for the device attachment.
Most fields are for the general device type. The only field that can affect the modem is the Enable LOGIN
field with the following values:
Item Description
DISABLE No getty process is run on the port. Use this setting for dial-out only modem ports.
ENABLE A getty process is run on the port. Use this setting for dial-in modems only.
SHARE A getty process is run on the port, but the getty process allows programs to dial in and out
of this port without manually changing to disable or enable. Use this setting for bidirectional
port usage.
DELAY A getty is run on the port in bidirectional mode, but no herald is sent until the getty process
receives a keystroke from the user.
Fields specific to the 128-port asynchronous adapter:
Item Description
Force Carrier or Ignore Carrier Detect disable*
Perform Cooked Processing in Adapter disable
Note: This setting indicated by an asterisk (*) is set to disabled if the 10 pin RJ-45 connector is used. This
setting should be enabled if the 8 pin RJ-45 connector is used.
Attaching the modem with appropriate cables

The first step in setting up a modem is to attach the modem with the appropriate cables.
Part numbers and their descriptions are listed below.
6323741
Async Cable, EIA-232; used to attach all asynchronous devices; sometimes used with other cable
assemblies.
59F3740
10 to 25-pin D-shell connector used to attach asynchronous cable 6323741 to native serial ports S1
and S2 as shown in the following figure.
Figure 37. 10 to 25-pin connector
This illustration shows a 10 to 25-pin connector.

Following are some examples of cable connections:
1. To attach a modem to native serial port S1, use the following cables:
Figure 38. Modem to Native Serial Port Cable Assembly

This illustration shows a 59F3740 cable on the serial port end and a 6323741 on the modem end.
2. To attach a modem to an 8-port async adapter (EIA-232) interface cable assembly, use the following
cables:
Figure 39. 8-port interface to modem cable assembly
This illustration shows an 8-port interface connected to a modem with a 6323741 cable.
Adding a TTY for the modem

Use this information when adding a tty for a modem.
First, ensure that the system is turned on and that the modem is turned off. Use the SMIT fast path smit
mktty.
Modem configuration
Use only one of the two methods presented here for configuring the modem.
If you have Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) installed, see “Sending AT commands with the cu command”
on page 611. If you do not have BNU installed, see “Sending AT commands using a C program” on page
612. For information on installing BNU, see “Basic Networking Utilities ” on page 445.
Sending AT commands with the cu command

If you have the Basic Network Utilities (BNU) installed, use the cu command to configure a modem as
follows.
The commands and settings discussed in this section configure a Hayes-compatible modem with the
basic parameters needed for operation on the server's serial ports.
1. Add the following line to your /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file. Do not add the line if it is already in the
file. (Replace # with the number for your port.)
Direct tty# - Any direct
2. Verify that the tty is disabled by typing the following:
pdisable tty#
cu -ml tty#
You should see a message that says Connected.

4. Verify that you have the attention of the modem by typing the following:
AT
The modem should respond with OK. If it didn't, refer to “ Modem troubleshooting ” on page 614.
For additional AT commands and their descriptions, see “AT commands” on page 616.
5. Depending on which getty option you selected, enter one of the following commands. Substitute the
tty device for n.
• penable ttyn
• pshare ttyn
• pdelay ttyn
• pdisplay ttyn

The modem is now configured with the basic commands needed to perform most of the operating
system's serial communications needs. If you have problems, invoke the cu -dl command to start a
diagnostic trace on the connection.
Sending AT commands using a C program

If you could not configure the modem using the cu command, or if you do not have BNU installed, try
running the following C program.
Create a file called motalk.c containing the following code. Save the file. Compile and run it according to
the instructions in the program comments.
/*************************************************************/
/* MoTalk - A "C" program for modem setup. */
/* This program is meant as an aid only and is */
/* not supported by IBM. */
/* compile: cc -o motalk motalk.c */
/* Usage: motalk /dev/tty? [speed] */
/*************************************************************/
#include <errno.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <termio.h>
FILE *fdr, *fdw;
int fd;
struct termio term_save, stdin_save;
void Exit(int sig)
{
if (fdr) fclose(fdr);
if (fdw) fclose(fdw);
ioctl(fd, TCSETA, &term_save);
close(fd);
ioctl(fileno(stdin), TCSETA, &stdin_save);
exit(sig);
}
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
char *b, buffer[80];
int baud=0, num;
struct termio term, tstdin;
if (argc < 2 || !strcmp(argv[1], "-?"))
{
fprintf(stderr, "Usage: motalk /dev/tty? [speed]\n");
exit(1);
}
if ((fd = open(argv[1], O_RDWR | O_NDELAY)) < 0)
{
perror(argv[1]);
exit(errno);
}
if (argc > 2)
{
switch(atoi(argv[2]))
{
case 300: baud = B300;
break;
case 1200: baud = B1200;
break;
case 2400: baud = B2400;
break;
case 4800: baud = B4800;
break;
case 9600: baud = B9600;
break;
case 19200: baud = B19200;
break;
case 38400: baud = B38400;
break;
default: baud = 0;
fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s is an unsupported baud\n", argv[0],argv[2]);
exit(1);
}
}
/* Save stdin and tty state and trap some signals */
ioctl(fd, TCGETA, &term_save);
ioctl(fileno(stdin), TCGETA, &stdin_save);
signal(SIGHUP, Exit);
signal(SIGINT, Exit);

signal(SIGQUIT, Exit);
signal(SIGTERM, Exit);
/* Set stdin to raw mode, no echo */
ioctl(fileno(stdin), TCGETA, &tstdin);
tstdin.c_iflag = 0;
tstdin.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON | ECHO);
tstdin.c_cc[VMIN] = 0;
tstdin.c_cc[VTIME] = 0;
ioctl(fileno(stdin), TCSETA, &tstdin);
/* Set tty state */
ioctl(fd, TCGETA, &term);
term.c_cflag |= CLOCAL|HUPCL;
if (baud > 0)
{
term.c_cflag &= ~CBAUD;
term.c_cflag |= baud;
}
term.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON | ECHO); /* to force raw mode */
term.c_iflag &= ~ICRNL; /* to avoid non-needed blank lines */
term.c_cc[VMIN] = 0;
term.c_cc[VTIME] = 10;
ioctl(fd, TCSETA, &term);
fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, fcntl(fd, F_GETFL, 0) & ~O_NDELAY);
/* Open tty for read and write */
if ((fdr = fopen(argv[1], "r")) == NULL )
{
perror(argv[1]);
exit(errno);
}
if ((fdw = fopen(argv[1], "w")) == NULL )
{
perror(argv[1]);
exit(errno);
}
/* Talk to the modem */
puts("Ready... ^C to exit");
while (1)
{
if ((num = read(fileno(stdin), buffer, 80)) > 0)
write(fileno(fdw), buffer, num);
if ((num = read(fileno(fdr), buffer, 80)) > 0)
write(fileno(stdout), buffer, num);
Exit (0);
}
}
Using Hayes and Hayes-compatible modems

Use this procedure for Hayes and Hayes-compatible modems.
1. Change the tty settings, if necessary, using the SMIT fast path, smit chtty.
For example, you might want to change the Enable LOGIN field to Share or Enable.
2. Add the following line to /usr/lib/uucp/Systems file:
hayes Nvr HAYESPROG 2400
3. Add this to /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file:
# For programming the hayes modem only:

HAYESPROG tty0 - 2400 HayesProgrm2400
#regular ACU entry:
ACU tty0 - Any hayes
4. Add this to /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers file:
# This Entry is used to PROGRAM the modem ONLY:

# the next 3 lines should be made into one:
HayesProgrm2400 =,-, "" \d\dAT\r\c OK AT&F\r\c OK ATM1\r\c OK
AT&D3\r\c OK AT&K3&C1\r\c OK ATL0E0Q2\r\c OK ATS0=1\r\c OK AT&W\r\c
OK
hayes =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
5. To program the modem, enter the command cu -d hayes.

This command uses the cu command to program the modem. Because no connection is made to
another system, the command will fail. The modem is programmed if sendthem AT&W and then OK
got it are displayed in the output.
If you are not doing binary file transfers or using BNU, leave out the &K3 command, and set XON as
the flow control to be used. However, it is more efficient to use hardware flow control (as opposed to
XON-XOFF handshaking). To do that, use the settings and the Dialers entries from the next step.
6. After the modem is programmed, you can configure the system device driver to use hardware flow
control. Using SMIT (smit chtty fast path), change the flow control to RTS. Check your modem
manuals to find out whether your modem supports hardware flow control.
Modem troubleshooting
When encountering problems when you use a modem with your computer, keep in mind the following
points.
• Some modems are case-sensitive. Use uppercase letters for the AT commands.
• In normal operation, it is preferable for the modem to reset when the DTR is dropped (&D3 setting).
When the modem is being set up for the first time, however, it is advisable not to have the modem reset
if the DTR is dropped (&D2 setting). If the modem resets itself, all programmed settings that are not
saved in the modem's memory will be lost.
Not having the modem reset also protects changes when &C1 is set. Changing the Carrier Detect status
might cause the carrier detect line to toggle some modems, which causes the cu command to drop the
line. You might want to set up the modem to &D3 after the final setup is made.
• Although the commands given in this topic collection are standard for most Hayes-compatible modems,
there is no guarantee that they are standard for your modem. Compare the commands with your
modem documentation before proceeding.
A convenient way to debug any modem problem is to remove the modem and attach an ASCII terminal
(with an interposer or null modem) to the same port and cabling as the modem. Set up the terminal
with the same line speed, bits per character, and parity as the modem. If the port is enabled for login, a
login herald must be displayed on the screen. If the herald is displayed on the terminal screen, then the
problem is quickly isolated to the modem configuration.
The following tips help you in isolating problems that are associated with modem connections:
Table 104. Modem problems and solutions

Problem Resolution
Respawning too The getty program is respawned by init.
rapidly
Messages on console If init sees that it has to respawn any program more that five times in 225
or errpt seconds, it will display the message on the console and not respawn it for a
period of time. The solution is to find out why getty is dying. There may be
several causes:
• Incorrect modem settings, usually as a result of having CD strapped high on
the modem or cabling and also having either "echo" or "command response"
turned on. (CD can also be assumed high by adding clocal in the runmodes
and/or logmodes in the port configuration or also forced on the 128 port.)
• Toggling of the CD signal. The getty process will die every time CD is
toggled from an on to off state. (This action could be caused by a number of
reasons. Be sure to verify that the cable is properly shielded. Logging in and
out several times in rapid succession can cause this.)

Table 104. Modem problems and solutions (continued)
Problem Resolution
No login prompt Make sure getty is running on the port. If it is, verify that the carrier
displayed after detect connection to modem signal is being raised after the remote side
connection to modem has connected to the modem. If CD is being properly asserted, then verify
the modem is connected to the right port. If you still do not see login, then
attach a terminal with interposer to the cable in place of the modem and
verify that a login prompt does appear. If you still don't see a prompt, try to
echo characters to the terminal screen to verify the cable and hardware are
functioning properly.
When a remote Verify that the modem is talking to the server at the same speed at which
modem connects, the server is listening to the modem. Try different baud rates for the tty, or
it immediately program the modem to lock DTE speed to match the speed of the tty port.
disconnects Verify that the modem or port is not keeping the carrier detect signal high or
that the port is already being used by another process.
Getting garbage This is due to a difference in protocols. Be sure to verify that the modem and
characters instead of a the tty port agree on the same parity, baud rate, flow control, and character
login prompt size.
Sometimes, after a It might be that the modem does not reset after disconnect. See the modem
successful session, no manual to see how the modem can be set to reset after an on to off DTR
one is able to login transition.
Receiver buffer The UART chip buffer is being overrun. Lower the value of the receive trigger
overruns in errpt in SMIT for the tty. This solution is only valid for the native, 8- or 16-port
asynchronous adapters. Verify that the modem and tty port are using the
same flow control.
ttyhog errors in errpt Modem and tty either do not agree on flow control, or no flow control is taking
place.
Software Services Modem Questionnaire

Before calling for assistance with modem problems, collect some basic information to expedite your
service.
The information you have available includes the following:
• Level of the operating system. How long have you been at this level of the operating system?
• Has the modem ever worked before?
• What type of modem are you using? What type of modem is on the other end of the telephone
connection?
• To what adapter type is the modem attached?
• To which port number is the modem attached?
• To which tty number is the modem attached?
• What type of cabling are you using?
• What is the login setting (share, delay, enable)?
• Can the modem connect to other modems?
• Can other modems connect to your modem?
• What are the following values in SMIT, modem, or port?
– XON/XOFF?
– RTS/CTS?
– BPS rate?

• Include the following in your problem description:
– Does the port lock intermittently?
– Can you dial out? Can others dial in?
– Any other specific and descriptive error conditions.
• Are there errors on the console? What are they?
• Are there errors in the error report? (errpt or errpt -a)
• What command are you using to dial out?
• What software is involved on the system?
AT commands
The Hayes Smartmodem command set include the AT command set used by many popular modems.
This information comes from the Hayes Smartmodem 2400 Quick Reference Card, published by Hayes
Microcomputer Products, Inc. Consult the modem documentation for a list of relevant AT commands.
Item Description
AT Command prefix - precedes command line.
<CR> Carriage return (newline) character - terminated the command line.
A Go off-hook, remain in command mode.
A/ Repeat previous command line. This command is not preceded with AT or followed by
<CR>/.
B0 Select CCITT V.22 standard for 1200 bps communications.
B1 Select Bell 212A standard for 1200 bps communications.
D Enter originate mode, dial the number that follows, and attempt to go online. D is
usually followed by T for tone, P for pulse may also be used.
DS=n Dial the number stored in location n
E0 Disable character echo in the command state.
E1 Enable character echo in the command state.
H0 Go on-hook (hang up the phone).
H1 Operate switch-hook and auxiliary relay.
I0 Return product identification code.
I1 Perform checksum on firmware ROM; return checksum.
I2 Perform checksum on firmware ROM; returns OK or ERROR as the result.
L0 Speaker off.
L1 Low speaker volume.
L2 Medium speaker volume.
L3 High speaker volume.
M0 Speaker off.
M1 Speaker on until carrier detected.
M2 Speaker always on.
M3 Speaker on until carrier detected, except during dialing.
O0 Enter online state.
O1 Enter online state and initiate equalizer retrain.

Item Description
Q0 Modem returns result codes.
Q1 Modem does not return result codes.
Sr Set pointer to register r.
Sr=n Set register r to value n.
V0 Display result codes in numeric form.
V1 Display result codes in verbose form (as words).
X0 Enable features represented by result codes 0-4.
X1 Enable features represented by result codes 0-5, 10.
X3 Enable features represented by result codes 0-5, 7, 10.
Y0 Disable long space disconnect.
Y1 Enable long space disconnect.
Z Reset modem
&C0 Assume data carrier always present.
&C1 Track presence of data carrier.
&D0 Ignore DTR signal.
&D1 Assume command state when an on-to-off transition of DTR occurs.
&D2 Hang up and assume command state when an on-to-off transition of DTR occurs.
&D3 Reset when an on-to-off transition of DTR occurs.
&F Recall the factory settings as the active configuration.
&G0 No guard tone.
&G1 500 Hz guard tone.
&G2 1800 Hz guard tone.
&J0 RJ-11/RJ41/RJ45S telco jack.
&J1 RJ-11/RJ-13 telco jack.
&P0 Pulse dial with make/break ratio 39/61.
&P1 Pulse dial with make/break ratio 33/67.
&Q0 Operate in asynchronous mode.
&Qn Operate in synchronous mode n
&R0 Track CTS according to RTS.
&R1 Ignore RTS; always assume presence of CTS.
&S0 Assume presence of DSR signal.
&S1 Track presence of DSR signal.
&T0 Terminate test in progress.
&T1 Initiate local analog loopback.
&T3 Initiate digital loopback.

Item Description
&T4 Grant request from remote modem for remote data link (RDL).
&T5 Deny request from remote modem for RDL.
&T6 Initiate remote digital loopback.
&T7 Initiate remote digital loopback with self-test.
&T8 Initiate local analog loopback with self-test.
&V View active configuration, user profiles, and stored numbers.
&Wn Save storable parameters of active configuration as user profile n.
&X0 Modem provides transmit clock signal.
&X1 Data terminal provides transmit clock signal.
&X2 Receive carrier provides transmit clock signal.
&Yn Recall user profile n.
&Zn=x Store phone number x in location n.
S-register summary
The S-registers, their ranges, and their descriptions are outlined in the following table.
Table 105. S-register descriptions

Register Range Description
S0 0-255 Select number of rings before
answer.
S1 0-255 Ring count (incremented with
each ring).
S2 0-127 Define escape sequence
character (ASCII).
S3 0-127 Define carriage return character
(ASCII).
S4 0-127 Define line feed character
(ASCII).
S5 0-32, 127 Define backspace character
(ASCII).
S6 2-255 Select wait-time in seconds
before blind dialing.
S7 1-55 Select wait-time in seconds for
carrier/dial tone.
S8 0-255 Select duration in seconds of
comma.
S9 1-255 Carrier detect response time in
.1 second increments (10 = 1
second).
S10 1-255 Delay between carrier loss and
hang-up in .1 second increments.
S11 50-255 Duration/spacing of tones in
milliseconds.

Table 105. S-register descriptions (continued)
Register Range Description
S12 50-255 Escape sequence guard time in
.02 second intervals.
S13 — Reserved.
S14 — Reserved.
S15 — Reserved.
S16 — Reserved - functions for this
register are controlled by the &T
commands).
S17 — Reserved.
S18 0-255 Test timer duration in seconds.
S19 — Reserved.
S20 — Reserved.
S21 — Reserved.
S22 — Reserved.
S23 — Reserved.
S24 — Reserved.
S25 0-255 Select DTR change detect time in
.01 second intervals.
S26 0-255 RTS to CTS delay in .01 second
intervals.
S27 — Reserved.
Result codes for asynchronous adapters

The result codes returned by asynchronous adapters, including their numbers, words, and descriptions,
are identified in the following table.
Table 106. Asynchronous adapter result codes

Number Word Description
0 OK Command executed.
1 CONNECT Connection established at 0-300
bps.
2 RING Ring signal detected.
3 NO CARRIER Carrier signal lost or not
detected.
4 ERROR Invalid command, checksum,
error in command line, or
command line too long.
5 CONNECT 1200 Connection established at 1200
bps.
6 NO DIALTONE No dial tone detected.

Table 106. Asynchronous adapter result codes (continued)
Number Word Description
7 BUSY Busy signal detected.
8 NO ANSWER No response when dialing a
system.
9 CONNECT 2400 Connection established at 2400
bps.
Dial modifiers
Dial modifiers and their descriptions can be referenced in the following table.
Item Description
0-9 # * A-D Digits and characters for dialing.
P Pulse dial.
T Tone dial.
, Delay processing of next character.
! Hookflash.
@ Wait for silence.
W Wait for dial tone.
; Return to command state after dialing.
R Reverse mode.
S=n Dial number stored at location n.
Modem assistance
When encountering problems with your modem, assistance is available in the following places.
• Your local area representative can assist in the modem configuration.
• There are many different support options available to customers in the Support Services offered,
including on-site assistance or over-the-phone support. Contact your nearest service representative for
assistance.
• Perhaps an often overlooked source of help is the modem manufacturer themselves. Most
manufacturers have some type of online assistance for their products.
/usr/lib/uucp/Dialers.samples file entries

These example file entries are supplied without any warranty and will work as is for the models
mentioned, but might not meet your specific needs.
Some modifications will be required to meet your individual needs. Consult your modem manual for a
more detailed explanation of the settings.
To use the settings to program the modem, you need an entry in the /usr/lib/uucp/Systems file such
as:
hayes Nvr HayesPRGM Any
The /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file should have an entry such as:
HayesPRGM tty0 - 2400 HayesProgrm2400
With the above two entries made, use the following cu command to program the modem:

cu -d hayes
# COMPONENT_NAME: cmduucp
#
#
# (C) COPYRIGHT International Business Machines Corp. 1994
# Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
# US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or
# disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM
# Corp.
################################################################
# Motorola UDS Modem
#
# Use udsmodemPROGRAM to program the modem.
# Port needs to have rts/cts set.
# Use uds or hayes dialer.
#
# The "udsmodemPROGRAM" line should be a single, continuous line
#
################################################################
udsmodemPROGRAM =,-, "" \dAT&FQ2\r\c OK
ATE0Y0&C1&D2&S1%B5%E0*LC\r\c OKAT&K3&W\r\c OK
uds =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK\r ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
#################################################################
#
# IBM 7855 Model 10
# Use IBMProgrm to program the modem.
# This sets rts/cts flow control, turns
# off xon/xoff, and sets the DTE speed at 19,200 bps.
# The modem will connect at the appropriate speed and
# flow control with the server.
#
# The "IBMProgrm" line should be a single, continuous line
#
################################################################
IBMProgrm =,-, "" \dATQ0\r\c OK AT&F\r\c OK ATM1\r\c OK
AT&D3\r\c OK AT&C1\R2\Q2\M14\r\c OK AT&B8N1L0E0\A0\r\c OK
ATS0=1\r\c OK ATQ1&W0&Y0\r\c ""
#######################################################
# The following are used for Dialing out on a 7855
# regular ACU device. We have to turn on result
# codes (Q0) because they are turned off when we
# programmed it. (Keeps all upper case login from
# happening on dial in attempts.)
# We have to have an extra "\" before "\N" because
# the BNU programs strips it if it's before an "N".
########################################################
ibm =,-, "" \dATQ0\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# IBM 7855 ECL (No Compression)

ibmecl =,-, "" \dAT\\N3%C0Q0\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# IBM 7855 ECLC (Compression)

ibmeclc =,-, "" \dAT\\N3%C1Q0\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# IBM 7855 ECLC Compression with 256 byte block size

ibmeclc256 =,-, "" \dAT\\N3%C1Q0\A3\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# IBM 7855 No Compression 1200bps

ibm_ne12 =,-, "" \dATQ0\\N0&A2%C0\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT



ibm_ne192 =,-, "" \dATQ0\\N0%C0\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT

ibm_ne120 =,-, "" \dATQ0\\N3%C0&AL8\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# IBM 7855 No Compression 1200bps (Dial Quietly)

ibmq12 =,-, "" \dATQ0\r\c OK AT&A2M0DT\T\d\r\c CONNECT



ibmq192 =,-, "" \dATQ0\r\c OK ATM0DT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
################################################################
#
# Intel 9600EX Modem
# Use IntelProgram to program the modem.
# This sets rts/cts flow control, and turns
# off xon/xoff.
# Port needs to have rts/cts set. (Use hayes dialer)
#
# The "IntelProgram" line should be a single, continuous line
#
################################################################
#IntelProgram =,-, "" \d\dAT\r\c OK AT&F\r\c OK AT&S1M1\r\c OK
AT&D3\r\c OKAT&C1\r\c OK ATL0E0Y0&Y0\X1\r\c OK ATS0=1\r\c OK
AT&W\r\c OK
################################################################
# Practical Peripherals 1440FXMT Modem
# Use PracPerProgram144 to program the modem.
# off xon/xoff. (Use hayes dialer)
# DTE speed will be locked at connect speed when
# the modem is programmed. (Suggestion: 38400 baud)
#
# The "PracPerProgram144" line should be a single, continuous
# line
################################################################
PracPerProgram144 =,-, "" \d\dAT\r\c OK AT&F\r\c OK ATM1\r\c OK
AT&D3\r\c OKAT&C1&K3\r\c OK ATQ2E1&Q9\r\c OK ATS0=1S9=20\r\c OK
AT&W\r\c OK
################################################################
# Practical Peripherals 9600 bps Modem
# Use PracPerProgram9600 to program the modem.
# off xon/xoff. (Use hayes dialer)
#
# line
################################################################
AT&D3\r\c OKAT&C1&K3\r\c OK ATL0E0\r\c OK ATS0=1S9=20\r\c OK
AT&W\r\c OK
################################################################
# Practical Peripherals 2400 bps Modem
# Use PracPerProgram to program the modem
#
# line
################################################################
AT&D3\r\c OKAT&C1\r\c OK ATL0E0\r\c OK ATS0=1S9=20\r\c OK AT&W\r\c OK
################################################################
# Hayes 2400 bps Modem
# Use HayesProgrm2400 to program the modem.
# (Use hayes dialer to dial)
#
# The "HayesProgrm2400" line should be a single, continuous line
#
################################################################
HayesProgrm2400 =,-, "" \d\dAT\r\c OK AT&F\r\c OK ATM1\r\c OK
AT&D3\r\c OKAT&C1\r\c OK ATL0E0\r\c OK AT S0=1\r\c OK AT&W\r\c OK
#################################################################
# Telebit t2000 Trailblazer Plus
# Use TelebitProgrm to program the modem
# off xon/xoff and sets the Default DTE speed at
# 19,200 bps.
# This sets modem to send PEP tones last as they can
# can confuse some other modems.
#

# The "TelebitProgram" line should be a single, continuous line
#
################################################################
TelebitProgram =,-, "" \dAT&F\r\c OK
ats2=255s7=60s11=50s41=2s45=255s51=254s52=2s54=3s58=2s64=1s66=1\r\c OK
ATs69=1s92=1s96=0s105=0s110=1s111=30s130=3s131=1F1M0Q6TV1W0X3Y0\r\c OK
ATE0&W\r\c OK
# Telebit T2000 dialers Entries:
# Forces a PEP connection:
tbfast =,-, "" \dATs50=255s7=60\r\c OK\r ATDT\T\r\c
CONNECT-\d\c-CONNECT
# 2400bps connection:
#tb2400 =,-, "" \dATs50=3\r\c OK\r ATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
# 2400 MNP:
tb24mnp =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK ATS0=0S95=2S50=3S41=0\r\c OK
ATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
# 1200bps connection:#tb1200 =,-, "" \dATs50=2\r\c OK\r

ATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
# 1200 MNP:
tb12mnp =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK ATS0=0S95=2S50=2S41=0\r\c OK
ATDT\T\r\c CONNECT
################################################################
# Telebit WorldBlazer
# WORLDBLAZERProgram sets the DTE speed at 38400, but
# you could set it higher if the DTE connection can
# handle it. We answer with PEP tones last so as not
# to confuse other modems. This turns off xon/xoff
# and turns on RTS/CTS flow control. The port should
# be locked to 38400 with these settings, and needs
# to have RTS/CTS turned on.
#
# The "WORLDBLAZERProgram" line should be a single, continuous
# line
################################################################
WORLDBLAZERProgram =,-, "" \dAT\r\c AT AT&F3M0\r\c AT
ATs51=253s92=1\r\c ATAT&W\r\c AT
#######################################################
# ACU Dialers for various BAUD rates for the
# WorldBlazer - each sets the modem to attempt to
# connect at a specific speed and lower. The
# WBlazer will accept whatever the remote modem can
# do. You will want to use PEP for other Telebits,
# so use WBlazer38400 or WBlazer19200 for those
#######################################################
# WBlazer =,-, "" \dAT\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
WBlazer38400 =,-, "" \dATs50=255\r\c OK ATDT\T\d\r\c CONNECT
# WBlazer14400 attempts to negotiate a V.42bis connection.
# For a V.32 connection:

# For a V.22 connection:

# For a 1200 bps connection:

128-Port modem cabling considerations

This operating system does not require DSR in modem-control applications, and because almost all of
today's modems have auto-answering capability, the Ring Indicator signal is generally unnecessary.
The 10-pin RJ-45 plugs is not the predominant cabling subsystem and may be difficult to obtain in the
retail market. The TTY subsystem of this operating system provides an optional feature called ALTPIN,
which swaps the logical functions of DSR (Data Set Ready) with DCD (Data Carrier Detect) for a port. When
ALTPIN is enabled, DCD becomes available on pin 1 of an 8-pin RJ-45 connector (equivalent to pin 2 of a
10-pin connector).

If you wish to build an 8-wire modem cable for the 128-port RAN, use the 8-pin RJ-45 plug wired as in
the following table:
Table 107. 128-Port modem cabling

Item Description Modem
SYSTEM END CONNECTOR DEVICE ENDRI 22
8-pin RJ-45
1 DSR 6
2 RTS 4
3 (Chassis) GND SHELL
4 TxD 2
5 TxD 3
6 (Signal) GND 7
7 CTS 5
8 DTR 20
CD 8
Note: The physical location of DSR and CD may be swapped with the ALTPIN parameter when enabled
using the stty-cmxa command.
The following table shows the asynchronous signal communication between the system unit and an
attached modem. Here, data is being sent from the system unit to a remote system.
Table 108. Asynchronous signal communication

DEVICE SIGNAL ON/OFF MEANING
Computer DTR + Hey, modem, are you ready to connect to another system?
Modem DSR + Yes, I am ready. Go ahead and dial.
Modem DCD + I've got the other system on the phone.
Computer RTS + OK, can I send data now?
Modem CTS + Sure, go ahead.
Computer TxD Sending data out to modem.
Modem RxD I've received the data.
Modem CTS – Don't send me any more data, I'm sending it out...
Modem CTS + OK, I'm ready for more data, let me have it!
Transmit DTR – FINISHED! Go ahead and hang up.
data steps
may be
repeated
until...
Computer
Modem DCD – OK.

Table 108. Asynchronous signal communication (continued)
DEVICE SIGNAL ON/OFF MEANING
Here is the DTR + I'm ready and have "enabled" the port for dial-in.
signal
communicati
on between a
RS/6000®
and a
modem
about to
receive an
incoming call
from another
system.
Computer
Modem DSR + I'm ready also but I'm just waiting around for a call.
Someone DCD + Somebody called in and I've got them on the line.
calls in!
Modem
Modem CTS + I've got data from another box, can I send you data now?
Computer RTS + I'm ready to receive. Go ahead and send.
Modem RxD Here it comes!
Modem RTS – WAIT! My buffer is full, don't send any more data.
continues to
send data
until...
Computer
Computer RTS + I'm OK now. Send me more data.
Modem DCD – Call has ended.
Computer DTR – OK, please hang up.
stty-cxma terminal options

stty-cxma is a utility program that sets and displays the terminal options for the PCI 2-, 8-, and
128-port adapters and is located in /usr/lbin/tty directory.
The format is:
stty-cxma [-a] [option(s)] [ttyname]
With no options, stty-cxma displays all special driver settings, modem signals, and all standard
parameters displayed by stty(1) for the tty device referenced by standard input. Command options
are provided to change flow control settings, set transparent print options, force modem control lines, and
display all tty settings. Any unrecognized options are passed to stty(1) for interpretation. The options
are:
-a
Displays all of the unique adapter option settings, as well as all of the standard tty settings reported
by the stty -a command.
ttyname
Sets and displays options for the given tty device, instead of standard input. This form can be used
with a tty path name prefixed by /dev/ or with a simple tty name beginning with tty. This option may
be used on a modem control line when no carrier is present.

The following options specify transient actions to be performed immediately:
break
Sends a 250 ms break signal out on the tty line.
flush
Indicated an immediate flush (discard) of tty input and output.
flushin
Flushes tty input only.
flushout
Flushes tty output only.
The following options specify actions that are reset when the device is closed. The device will use the
default values the next time it is opened.
stopout
Stops output exactly as if an XOFF character was received.
startout
Restarts stopped output exactly as if an XON character was received.
stopin
Activates flow control to stop input.
startin
Releases the flow control to resume stopped input.
[-]dtr [drop]
Raises the DTR modem control line, unless DTR hardware flow control is selected.
[-]rts [drop]
Raises the RTS modem control line, unless RTS hardware flow control is selected.
The following options remain in effect until the system is rebooted or until the options are changed.
[-]fastcook
Performs cooked output processing on the intelligent card to reduce host CPU usage, and increase
raw mode input performance.
[-]fastbaud
Alters the baud rate tables, so 50 baud becomes 57,600 baud, 75 baud becomes 76,800 baud, 110
baud becomes 115,200 baud, and 200 baud becomes 230,000 baud for supported devices.
[-]rtspace
Enables/disables RTS hardware input flow control, so RTS drops to pause remote transmission.
[-]ctspace
Enables/disables CTS hardware output flow control, so local transmission pauses when CTS drops.
[-]dsrpace
Enables/disables DSR hardware output flow control, so local transmission pauses when DSR drops.
[-]dcdpace
Enables/disables DCD hardware output flow control, so local transmission pauses when DCD drops.
[-]dtrpace
Enables/disables DTR hardware input flow control, so DTR drops to pause remote transmission.
[-]forcedcd
Disable [re-enable] carrier sense, so the tty may be opened and used even when carrier is not present.
[-]altpin
Maps the RJ-45 connector pinouts to the default 10-pin connector values or the 8-pin connector
values. When this parameter is enabled, the location of DSR and DCD is switched so that
DCD is available when using an 8-pin RJ-45 connector instead of the 10-pin RJ-45 connector.
(Default=disable.)
Possible values:
enabled (specifies 8-pin connector values)

disable (specifies 10-pin connector values)
startc c
Sets the XON flow control character. The character may be given as a decimal, octal, or hexadecimal
number. Octal numbers are recognized by the presence of a leading zero, and hexadecimal numbers
are denoted by a leading 0x. For example, the standard XON character, CTRL-Q, can be entered as 17
(decimal), 021 (octal), or 0x11 (hexadecimal).
stopcc
Sets the XOFF flow control character. The character may be given as a decimal, octal, or hexadecimal
number (see startc for format of octal and hexadecimal numbers).
astartcc
Sets auxiliary XON flow control character. The character may be given as a decimal, octal, or
hexadecimal number (see startc for format of octal and hexadecimal numbers).
astopcc
Sets auxiliary XOFF flow control character. The character may be given as a decimal, octal, or
hexadecimal number (see startc for format of octal and hexadecimal numbers).
[-]aixon
Enables auxiliary flow control, so that two unique characters are used for XON and XOFF. If both XOFF
characters are received, transmission will not resume until both XON characters are received.
[-]2200flow
Uses 2200 style flow control on the port. The 2200 terminals support an attached printer and use four
flow control characters: terminal XON (0xF8), printer XON (0xF9), terminal XOFF (0xFA) and printer
XOFF (0xFB).
[-]2200print
Determines how these flow control characters are interpreted. If 2200print is set, run independent
flow control for terminal and transparent print devices. Otherwise, terminal and printer flow control
are logically tied together. If either XOFF character is received, all output is paused until the matching
XON character is received.
maxcpsn
Sets the maximum characters per second (cps) rate that characters are output to the transparent print
device. The rate chosen should be just below the average print speed. If the number is too low, printer
speed will be reduced. If the number is too high, the printer uses flow control, and user entry time is
reduced. The default is 100 cps.
maxcharn
Sets the maximum number of transparent print characters the driver places in the output queue.
Reducing this number increases system overhead; increasing this number delays operator keystroke
echo times when the transparent printer is in use. The default is 50 characters.
bufsizen
Sets the driver's estimate of the size of the transparent printer's input buffer. After a period of
inactivity, the driver bursts this many characters to the transparent printer before reducing to the
maxcps rate. The default is 100 characters.
onstrs
Sets the terminal escape sequence to turn transparent printing on. The strings can be composed of
standard ASCII printing and nonprinting characters. Control (nonprinting) characters must be entered
by their octal values, and must consist of three digits preceded by a backslash character. For example,
the Escape character, 33 octal, should be entered as \033. If transparent printing is turned on by the
string <Esc>[5i (ANSI standard), it would be entered as: \033[5i.
offstrs
Sets the terminal escape sequence to turn transparent printing off. Refer to onstrs for the format of
the strings.
termt
Sets the transparent printer on/off strings to values found in the internal default table. Internal
defaults are used for the following terminals: adm31, ansi, dg200, dg210, hz1500, mc5, microterm,
multiterm, pcterm, tvi, vp-a2, vp-60, vt52, vt100, vt220, wyse30, wyse50, wyse60, or wyse75. If the

terminal type is not found in the internal default table, ditty reads the terminfo entry for the terminal
type and sets transparent print on/off strings to values given by the mc5/mc4 attributes found in the
terminfo entries.
Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol subsystem

The Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) subsystem provides an alternative to SLIP.
PPP provides a standard method for transporting multiprotocol datagrams over point-to-point media.
PPP is comprised of three main layers:
1. A method for encapsulating multiprotocol datagrams. PPP supports the TCP/IP network layer
protocols.
2. A Link Control Protocol (LCP) for establishing, configuring, and testing the data-link connection. PPP
implements this through streams kernel extensions.
3. A family of Network Control Protocols (NCPs) for establishing and configuring different network layer
protocols. PPP supports Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP/IPv6CP) for negotiating a TCP/IP
connection.
This implementation of PPP supports the following Request for Comments (RFCs):
• RFC 1661, The Point-to-Point Protocol, LCP
• RFC 1332, The PPP Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP)
• RFC 1662, PPP in HDLC-like Framing
• RFC 1334, PPP Authentication Protocols
• RFC 1990, PPP Multilink
• RFC 2472, IP Version 6 over PPP
PPP differentiates between client and server. This operating system can act as both a client and a
server. The distinction is made to simplify configuration. PPP servers tend to allocate a pool of IP/IPv6CP
addresses among the connections that are being made. There is some correlation between the media
devices. This implementation of PPP breaks this correlation. All server PPP connections are allocated
on a first-available basis. This facilitates the separation of PPP from the media. The attachment process
must request to be linked to the proper type of link.
PPP user-level processes

The Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol on this operating system utilizes three user-level processes.
1. A control daemon (pppcontrold) run by root under the System Resource Controller (startsrc
-s pppcontrold). The control daemon's function encompasses loading and configuring all kernel
extensions associated with the subsystem. It remains running as long as PPP function is required by
the operating system.
2. An attachment process (pppattachd) that binds a TTY stream to an instance of the Link Control
Protocol, Network Control Protocol, and a datagram protocol. An instance of pppattachd exists for
each active PPP connection in the system. Any user of the attachment process must belong to the
uucp group and contain /usr/sbin within their PATH environment variable.
3. A dialer process (pppdial) that establishes an outgoing connection. The dialer is intended to be
executed by pppattachd as the connector program. Its purpose is to interact over the asynchronous
device prior to PPP negotiation. This interaction is defined similarly to the UUCP chat dialog format.
The dialer capability is provided to assist in establishing a connection with a remote system. The actual
session establishment is out of the scope of PPP.
Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol configuration

You can use SMIT to configure the Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol.
The following table shows all tasks that you may need when configuring your system. You must have root
privileges to perform the tasks in this table.

At a minimum, when you initially configure your system, you must choose the following tasks from the
table:
• Add a Link Configuration
• Add a Server Interface (if you are setting up the machine as a PPP server)
• Add a Demand Interface (if you want the machine to support demand connections)
• Manipulate PAP or CHAP Users/Passwords (if you want the machine to support PPP authentication)
• Start PPP to effect your changes (or Stop then Start PPP, if PPP is currently running)
Table 109. Configuring the asynchronous PPP tasks

Task SMIT fast path
Create Link Control Configuration smit ppplcp
Add a Link Configuration smit addlcp
Change/Show a Link Configuration smit chglcp
Remove a Link Configuration1 smit rmlcp
Create PPP IP Interfaces smit pppip
Add a Server Interface smit addpppserver
Change/Show a Server Interface smit listserver
Remove a Server Interface1 smit rmlistserver
Add a Demand Interface smit addpppdemand
Change/Show a Demand Interface smit listdemand
Remove a Demand Interface1 smit rmlistdemand
Manipulate PAP users/passwords smit ppppap
Add a PAP User smit addpapuser
Change/Show a PAP User smit listpapuser
Remove a PAP User smit rmpapuser
Manipulate CHAP users/passwords smit pppchap
Add a CHAP User smit addchapuser
Change/Show a CHAP User smit listchapuser
Remove a CHAP User smit rmchapuser
Start PPP2 smit startppp
Stop PPP3 smit stopppp
PPP IPv6 Interfaces smit pppipv6
Add a PPP IPv6 Server Interface smit addpppv6server
Show or change a PPP IPv6 interface. smit listv6server
Remove a PPP IPv6 interface. smit rmlistv6server
Add a PPP IPv6 client interface. smit addpppv6client
Show or change a PPP IPv6 client interface. smit listpppv6client
Remove a PPP IPv6 client interface. smit rmlistpppv6client

Table 109. Configuring the asynchronous PPP tasks (continued)
Task SMIT fast path
Add a PPP IPv6 demand interface smit addpppv6demand
Show or change a PPP IPv6 demand interface. smit listpppv6demand
Remove a PPP IPv6 demand interface. smit rmlistpppv6demand
PPP IP and IPv6 Interfaces smit pppipv4_6
Add a PPP IP/IPv6 Server Interface smit addpppv4_6server
Show or change a PPP IP/IPv6 interface. smit listv4_6server
Remove a PPP IP/IPv6 interface. smit rmlistv4_6server
Add a PPP IP/IPv6 client interface. smit addpppv4_6client
Show or change a PPP IP/IPv6 client interface. smit listpppv4_6client
Remove a PPP IP/IPv6 client interface. smit rmlistpppv4_6client
Add a PPP IP/IPv6 demand interface smit addpppv4_6demand
Show or change a PPP IP/IPv6 demand interface. smit listpppv4_6demand
Remove a PPP IP/IPv6 demand interface. smit rmlistpppv4_6demand
Note:
1. Selecting this task destroys the existing information.
2. An alternative way to start PPP is to issue the startsrc -s pppcontrold command. However, the
SMIT interface also allows you to set PPP to start at boot time.
3. An alternative way to stop PPP is to issue the stopsrc -s pppcontrold command. However, the
SMIT interface also allows you to have PPP not start at boot time.
Enabling PPP SNMP

PPP can interact with the TCP/IP SNMP daemon to report PPP link layer configuration information as well
as information about active Link Control Protocol (LCP) interfaces.
Providing that both the TCP/IP SNMP and the SNMP management software are configured correctly, PPP
SNMP enables:
• retrieval of PPP Link Configuration information (such as Maximum Receive Unit size and Asynchronous
Character Mapping)
• setting of PPP Link Configuration information
• retrieval of LCP interface information for active LCP links
• changing of the state of active LCP links can be changed to "down" by setting the appropriate
ifAdminStatus Management Information Base (MIB) object
Not all objects defined by RFC1471 for the PPP MIB are supported. Only the pppLink table applies to
the PPP subsystem, thus the pppLqr and pppTests portions are not supported. The pppLink portion is
supported with the following exceptions:
• The pppLinkConfigMagicNumber object is read only. In PPP, magic number negotiation is always
performed and cannot be disabled.
• The pppLinkConfigFcsSize object is read only. PPP only supports FCS sizes of 16 with this operating
system.
By default, SNMP for PPP is disabled. To enable PPP SNMP, you can use the following procedure. You
must have root privileges to perform this procedure.

Note: The following procedure assumes that PPP Link Configuration is already set. If not, perform
the procedure described in “Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol configuration” on page 628 before
enabling PPP SNMP.
1. Start the SMIT Interface and display the Change/Show a Link Configuration screen by entering:
smit chglcp
2. Toggle the Enable PPP SNMP subagent field to yes.

3. Accept your changes and exit SMIT.
PPP SNMP is not enabled until PPP is restarted.
• If PPP is currently running,
1. Stop PPP using the smit stopppp fast path (see the table in “Asynchronous Point-to-Point
Protocol configuration” on page 628).
2. Periodically check to see if the subsystem has completed shutdown by entering:
lssrc -s pppcontrold
The amount of time it takes to completely stop the subsystem is dependent on the number of links
defined in the PPP configuration. The subsystem is completely shut down when the output of this
command shows a status of inoperative.
3. Start PPP using the smit startppp fast path (see the table in “Asynchronous Point-to-Point
Protocol configuration” on page 628).
• If PPP is not currently running, start PPP using the smit startppp fast path (see the table in
“Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol configuration” on page 628).
Serial Line Internet Protocol

Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) is the protocol which TCP/IP uses when operating through a serial
connection.
It is commonly used on dedicated serial links and dial-up connections that operate at speeds between
1200bps and 19.2Kbps or higher.
Note: To use baud rates higher than 38400, specify a baud rate of 50 in the /etc/uucp/Devices file for
the desired tty, then change the SMIT configuration for that tty to reflect the actual baud rate desired.
For example. to run the cu command on tty0 with a baud rate of 115200, use the following procedure:
1. Ensure the hardware supports the baud rate.
2. Edit /etc/uucp/Devices to include the following line:
Direct tty0 - 50 direct
3. Enter the smit chtty fast path.

4. Select tty0.
5. Change the baud rate to 115200.
6. Exit SMIT.
Configuring SLIP
There are two recommended steps to follow during SLIP configuration.
Using this two-step approach separates the hardware and machine-dependent configuration
requirements from the SLIP software and command syntax problems.
1. Use ATE or the cu utility to accomplish a successful login at the remote system.
This proves the usability and correctness of the physical link.

It is important to verify the operability of any modems that are involved in a SLIP link, as they are the
most frequent cause of problems during the setup phase.
2. After you establish an error-free login to the remote system, by using ATE or the cu command, you can
begin the SLIP configuration.
SLIP modem considerations

When configuring modems for SLIP, it is important that these changes be made on both ends of the
communication link.
Both the local and remote modems must be configured exactly the same.
1. The modem must acknowledge the presence of DTR.
Referencing the local modem, if DTR is assumed or ignored, the modem can never perform a hang-up.
It can only close the line or hang up when it recognizes the loss of carrier from the other end. This
means that disconnects can occur only when instigated by the other end. The AT commands &D2 or
&D3 are proper settings for most Hayes-compatible modems.
2. The modem must never force, assume, or ignore data carrier detect (DCD).
DCD must follow or track the real condition. This means that carrier will exist after a bona fide
connection to the other end (modem) across the switched telephone line. This also applies to a
dedicated line. &C1 is the suggested setting for most Hayes-compatible modems.
3. The modem must never force, assume, or ignore a clear to send (CTS) signal.
CTS must track or follow request To send (RTS). If CTS is forced true, the port open will fail whenever a
getty is put upon the port or when RTS flow control protocol is added to the port.
4. Modems should be configured to turn off automatic repeat request (ARQ) codes if problems arise
during slattach dial attempts.
If, the modems repeatedly fail to make a connection during slattach dial-in attempts, the user
should check the modem configurations and turn off the ARQ codes if they are currently on. In most
Hayes-compatible modems, this is the &A0 setting.
Disabling ARQ result codes does not affect error-controlled connections nor does it keep the
modem from returning standard CONNECT messages (if result codes are enabled) as needed for the
slattach dial string.
5. ECL (Error Checking on the Link) is critical.
Either BOTH modems or NEITHER modem can use it. Normally, both modems must agree on its usage
during the connect session. If ECL is chosen, the physical telephone line must be good enough to allow
a recovery from a data error before the TCP/IP timers expire while awaiting an acknowledge packet for
the last data sent across the SLIP link.
6. Data Compression across the link.
It is acceptable to use data compression across the link as long as it is totally handled by the modems.
SLIP does not perform any type of compression. If data compression is invoked, it is much better to
have two modems of the exact same type; this ensures that each will perform the compression in the
same manner and same time frame.
Manually programming modems using the cu command

Use the following procedure to manually program modems attached to the system unit.
• The UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) must be installed on the system. Use the lslpp -f | grep
bos.net.UUCP command to verify installation.
• A modem must be attached to the system and powered on.
• Root user authority is needed to change the appropriate files.

1. Add the following line to the /etc/uucp/Devices file if it does not already exist (replace # with the
number for your port).
Direct tty# - Any direct
Note: Any line in the Devices file which begins with a # sign in the leftmost column is a comment.
2. Save and exit the file.
3. Type the following command on the command line:
cu -ml tty#
4. A connected message should appear on the screen indicating that the modem is connected and ready
to be programmed.
5. Type AT and press Enter.
The modem will respond with OK. If there is no response from the modem or if characters typed do not
appear on the screen, check the following:
• Verify modem cabling connections.
• Verify that modem is powered on.
• Observe the modem front panel lights when you press Enter. If the Receive Data (RD) and Send
Data (SD) lights flash, then the modem is communicating with the system and the problem may lie
with the current modem settings. If the lights do not flash, then the problem is with the modem
connection.
• Type the following and see if the condition changes:
ATE1 <enter>
ATQ0 <enter>
ATE1 turns the echo mode on which displays any typed characters to the screen. ATQ0 enables the
displaying of result codes.
6. Program the modem using the settings shown in the previous section, "Modem Considerations."
The following example demonstrates how to program and save basic settings for a Hayes-compatible
modem. Enter:
AT&F <enter>
AT&D2 <enter>
ATS0=1 <enter>
ATS9=12 <enter>
AT&C1 <enter>
AT&W <enter>
~. <enter>
Where &F is used to reset the modem to factory defaults, &D2 sets DTR, S0 and S9 set register values,
&C1 set carrier, and &W writes the settings to the modem. The tilde-period ends the connection.
Configuring automated modems

Users can customize their modems manually or use the cu utility with its associated files to create an
automated modem configuration script.
• UUCP must be installed on the system. Use the lslpp -f | grep bos.net.UUCP command to
verify installation.
• A modem must be attached to the system and powered on.
• The modem AT command string must already exist (for example, at&f&c1&d3). Users should not
attempt automated modem configuration until the command string has first been tried manually using
the cu command.
• Root user authority is needed to change the appropriate files.
The following example shows how to automatically configure a Telebit T3000 modem attached to tty0.

1. Edit the /etc/uucp/Systems file.
2. Add the following line at the end of the file. The entry should begin in the leftmost column of the file.
telebit Nvr TELEPROG 19200

4. Edit the /etc/uucp/Devices file.
5. Add the following line at the end of the file. The entry should begin in the leftmost column of the file.
TELEPROG tty0 - 19200 TelebitProgram

7. Edit the /etc/uucp/Dialers file.
8. Add the following lines at the end of the file.
The entries should begin in the leftmost column of the file.
Note: The following four lines should be made into one long line:
TelebitProgram =,-, "" \dAT&F\r\c OK

ats0=1s2=255s7=60s11=50s41=2s45=255s51=252s63=1s58=2s64=1\r\c OK
ATs69=2s105=0s111=30s255=0M0&C1Q2&D3&Q0&R3&S1&T5\r\c OK
ATE0X12&W\r\c OK

10. To begin the automated configuration, type the following command:
cu -d telebit
The command will fail because you are not connecting to a system. Watch the debug output of the
command to see that ATE0X12&W is sent to the modem and that an OK is received. If so, then the
modem has been successfully programmed.
Problems can arise because of incorrect values placed in the Dialers file or because of the modem's
existing configuration. If this occurs, try programming the modem manually and enter the dialers strings
(in step 8) one by one.
Configuring SLIP over a modem

To configure Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP) between two systems that communicate through a
modem, you can use this procedure, which alternates between the System Management Interface Tool
(SMIT) interface and the command line to complete the configuration.
For clarity, the following instructions use the names bronze and gold for the two hosts.
1. Physically connect the modems to bronze and gold.
2. To create a tty on bronze using SMIT, follow these steps:
a) Type:
smit maktty
b) Select rs232 as the type of tty you wish to create.

c) Select an available serial port, for example sa0 (system serial port 1).
d) Select a port number for this tty from the list.
e) Set the BAUD rate to the baud rate of your modem.
f) Set Enable LOGIN to disable.
g) Exit SMIT.
3. Create a tty on gold.
Follow the same procedure as you did for bronze (in step 2), except set Enable LOGIN to enable.

The rest of these instructions assume that the tty number on both bronze and gold is tty1.
4. Test the physical connection with ATE.
a) On bronze, type:
ate
b) At the Unconnected Main Menu, select the Alter subcommand. Set the Rate to the baud rate of
your modem and the Device to tty1.
c) At the Unconnected Main Menu, select the Connect subcommand. When ATE prompts you for a
phone number, enter the phone number of gold and press Enter.
d) At this point, you should receive a login prompt for gold. Log in.
e) Return to the connected screen, log out from gold, press Ctrl-v (to get to the ATE CONNECTED
MAIN MENU), press the T key to terminate the connection, and press the Q key to exit ATE.
Note: If you do not receive a login prompt, return to step 1 and verify that your configuration is
correct. Do not proceed until you can log in to gold.
5. Because the tty configuration for use with ATE is slightly different from the configuration for use with
SLIP, you must make the following changes:
a) On bronze, type:
smit chgtty
b) On gold, type:
smit chgtty-pdisable tty1
c) Select tty1, then select Change/Show TTY Program.

d) Set Enable LOGIN to disable, then exit SMIT.
6. Add the following line to the /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file on both bronze and gold:
or replace 9600 with whatever your modem speed is.

7. Create a SLIP network interface on bronze.
a) Type:
smit mkinet1sl
b) For TTY PORT for SLIP Network Interface, select tty1.

c) Specify an INTERNET ADDRESS, for example, 130.130.130.1.
d) Specify the DESTINATION address (of gold), for example, 130.130.130.2.
e) Specify the BAUD RATE of your modem.
f) Specify the DIAL STRING, for example:
• "" AT OK ATDT555-1234 CONNECT ""
• The meaning of this command is: Use tty1 at 9600 baud. Send AT to the modem. The modem
should respond with OK. Dial the phone number 555-1234. The modem should respond with
CONNECT. The spaces before and after the "" characters are necessary.
g) Exit SMIT.
8. Create a SLIP network interface on gold.
Follow the same procedure as you did for bronze (in step 5), except exchange the INTERNET
ADDRESS and the DESTINATION address.
9. Add the following two entries to the /etc/hosts file on both bronze and gold:

130.130.130.1 bronze
130.130.130.2 gold
The name you assign must be unique. In other words, if the Token-Ring interface on bronze is already
assigned the name bronze, assign the SLIP interface a name such as bronze_slip.
Note: For a simplified interface to the slattach command, you might use the script /usr/sbin/
slipcall.
10. Test the SLIP connection.
a) On bronze, type:
ping gold
b) On gold, type:
ping bronze
If both tests succeed, the SLIP connection is ready for use. If not, return to step 5 and verify that the
configuration on both bronze and gold is correct.
Configuring SLIP over a null modem cable

To configure SLIP between two systems that are attached using a null modem cable, you can use this
procedure, which alternates between the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) interface and the
command line to complete the configuration.
For clarity, these instructions use the names bronze and gold for the two hosts.
1. Physically connect bronze and gold by the null modem cable.
The following cables are required. (The cables are listed in the order they will be connected from
bronze to gold.)
a) Cable B (part number 00G0943). Serial Port Jumper Cable; two are provided with each system,
except models 220, 340, and 350 do not require them.
b) Cable D (part number 6323741, feature code 2936). Asynchronous Cable EIA-232/V.24.
c) Cable E (part number 59F2861, feature code 2937). Printer/Terminal Interposer EIA-232 (null
modem cable).
d) Changer Adapter (both sides of the adapter are sockets).
2. Create a tty on bronze.
a) Type:
smit maktty
b) Select rs232 as the type of tty you wish to create.

c) Select an available serial port, for example sa0 (system serial port 1).
d) Select a port number for this tty from the list.
e) Set the BAUD rate to 19200. (Later, you will change this to 38400. But for now, use 19200.)
f) Set Enable LOGIN to disable, and then exit SMIT.
3. Create a tty on gold. Follow the same steps as you did for bronze (in step 2), except set Enable LOGIN
to enable.
Note: The rest of these instructions assume that the tty number on both bronze and gold is tty1.
4. Test the physical connection with ATE.
a) On bronze, type:
ate

b) At the Unconnected Main Menu, select the Alter subcommand. Set the Rate to 19200, and the
Device to tty1.
c) At the Unconnected Main Menu, select the Connect subcommand.
When ATE prompts you for a phone number, press Enter. You should receive the message:
ate: 0828-010 The Connect command has made a connection through port tty1
d) Press Enter.
You should receive a login prompt for gold. Log in to gold.
e) Finally, return to the connected screen, log out from gold, press Ctrl-v (to get to the ATE
CONNECTED MAIN MENU), press the T key to terminate (end) the connection, and press the Q
key to exit ATE.
Note: If you do not receive a login prompt, return to step 1 and verify that your configuration is
correct. Do not proceed until you can log in to gold.
5. Because the tty configuration for use with ATE is slightly different from the configuration for use with
SLIP, you must make the following changes:
a) On bronze, type:
smit chgtty
b) Select tty1. Set the BAUD rate to 38400, and then exit SMIT.
c) On gold, type:
pdisable tty1
d) On gold, type:
smit chgtty
e) Select tty1. Set Enable LOGIN to disable, set the BAUD rate to 38400, and then exit SMIT.
6. Add the following line to the /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file on both bronze and gold:
7. Create a SLIP network interface on bronze.

a) Type:
smit mkinet1sl
b) For TTY PORT for SLIP Network Interface, select tty1.

c) Specify an INTERNET ADDRESS, for example 130.130.130.1.
d) Specify the DESTINATION address (of gold), for example, 130.130.130.2, and then select OK or
Enter.
e)
8. Create a SLIP network interface on gold. Follow the same procedure as you did for bronze (in step 5),
except exchange the INTERNET ADDRESS and the DESTINATION address.
9. Add the following two entries to the /etc/hosts file on both bronze and gold:
130.130.130.1 bronze
130.130.130.2 gold
The name you assign must be unique. In other words, if the Token-Ring interface on bronze is already
assigned the name bronze, assign the SLIP interface a name such as bronze_slip.
10. Start SLIP on both bronze and gold. Type:
slattach tty1

11. Test the SLIP connection.
a) On bronze, type:
ping gold
b) On gold, type:
ping bronze
If both tests succeed, the SLIP connection is ready for use. If not, return to step 5 and verify that the
configuration on both bronze and gold is correct.
Deactivating a SLIP connection

To deactivate a SLIP connection, use this procedure.
1. Type:
ps -ef | grep slatt
Note the process numbers of processes associated with the slattach command.
2. For each process number, type:
kill process_number
Do not use the -9 flag of the kill command.

If slattach is accidentally killed with a -9 flag, a slip lock might remain in /etc/locks. Delete this lock
file to clean up after slattach.
To temporarily deactivate a SLIP connection, do the following on both the local and remote systems:
1. Type:
ifconfig sl# down
2. List the currently running slattach processes using the command:
ps -ef | grep slat
The output might be similar to the following:
root 1269 1 0 Jun 25 ... slattach
3. Kill the slattach process using its process ID. For example, to kill the slattach process shown in
the preceding example, enter:
kill 1269
where 1269 is the slattach process ID. Do not remove the slattach process using the -9 flag of
the kill command.
The SLIP connection is now disabled.
Activating a SLIP connection

Use these instructions to activate a SLIP connection that is temporarily disabled.
Run these commands on both the local and remote systems.
1. Type:
ifconfig sl# up
2. Re-issue the slattach command used initially.

Removing a SLIP interface
Use these instructions to completely remove a SLIP interface.
After these instructions are executed both the sl# interface and its associated slattach process are
removed. Any entries made to the /etc/hosts file will remain and must be removed manually.
1. To remove the SLIP interface and its associated slattach process, use the smit rminet fast path
to access the Available Network Interfaces screen.
2. Select the appropriate entry from the Available Network Interfaces screen and select Do.
Note: Any entries made to the /etc/hosts file will remain and must be removed manually.
SLIP troubleshooting
These commands are needed to debug SLIP problems.
Each command comes with an example of how the command is used for troubleshooting SLIP problems.
In addition, a list of common problems and error messages is provided for your reference.
netstat command
The netstat command works in conjunction with the ifconfig command to provide a status condition
of the TCP/IP network interface.
The command netstat -in for example uses the -i flag to present information on the network
interfaces while the -n flag prints the IP addresses instead of the host names. Use this command to verify
SLIP interfaces, addresses, and host names. The following section describes netstat -in output.
Program the modem using the settings shown in the section, “SLIP modem considerations” on page 632.
The following example demonstrates how to program and save basic settings for a Hayes-compatible
modem. Enter:
Name Mtu Network Address Ipkts Ierrs Opkts Oerrs Col

lo0 1536 <Link> 2462 0 2462 0 0
lo0 1536 127 localhost.austi 2462 0 2462 0 0
tr0 1492 <Link> 1914560 0 21000 0 0
tr0 1492 129.35.16 glad.austin.ibm 1914560 0 21000 0 0
sl0 552 1.1.1.0 1.1.1.1 48035 0 54963 0 0
sl1* 552 140.252.1 140.252.1.5 48035 0 54963 0 0
Notice the * next to the sl1 interface. This shows that the network interface is down or unavailable for use.
The user can correct this by issuing the ifconfig sl1 up command if it is a valid SLIP interface.
netstat provides statistics concerning input and output packet counts as well as input and output errors
that are helpful when troubleshooting SLIP connections.
For example, a user enters a ping to a remote host across a SLIP link and the ping command appears
to hang. The user quickly run a netstat -in command from another command shell and notice that
the Opkts are increasing but that there are no Ipkts from the remote host. This indicates that the
remote system is not returning (or not receiving) the information. The user must run the same netstat
command on the remote system to verify the receipt of the ping packets or rise in the error count.
The translation of hostnames versus Internet numbers is relative to name resolution and thus critical to
proper operation of a SLIP line. To debug host name, aliases, and routing problems, use the netstat
-rn command. The base name of the host or host name is the only name that should return from
the /etc/hosts file. If the machine is being serviced by a name server (that is, /etc/resolv.conf
exists), then the name-server will return the fully qualified-domain name in this command.

ifconfig command
The ifconfig command is the network interface configuration tool that allows the network interface
STRUCTURE to be dynamically created or deleted from the kernel memory.
This command accepts data from the command line, then builds a memory structure that conforms to
the parameters. For debugging purposes, the ifconfig command is used to examine the status of a
communications interface.
Note: Any changes made to the attributes of an interface using the ifconfig command will be lost when
the system is rebooted.
For example, to examine the current status of the sl1 interface:
1. Enter the netstat -i command and examine the output selecting the appropriate sl# interface. For
example, sl0, sl1, sl2, and so on.
2. Enter the ifconfig sl# command and examine the ifconfig output for the following key fields:
Item Description
POINTTOPOINT flag This flag should always be present on an operational SLIP link. If not,
the link could be in a down or disconnected state. Try issuing the
ifconfig sl# up and the ifconfig sl# commands again to see
if its condition changes.
UP flag Indicates that the network sl# interface is activated and should be
operational.
RUNNING flag Indicates that the slattach command was successful. In actuality, the
link is accessed, a dial is completed, the other end has answered, and
the remote end has returned CARRIER DETECT status. When the CD
status occurs the flags are updated with the running bit.
pdisable and lsdev commands

Any tty port that is used for SLIP connections must be in a disabled or unavailable state.
To verify that the port for tty1 is disabled, obtain root user authority and enter one of the following
commands:
• lsattr -El tty1 -a login
This command displays the permanent state of the tty port as recorded in the system's Object Database
Manager (ODM). If the output is anything other than login disable, use SMIT to change the enable
LOGIN field to disable.
• pdisable | grep tty1
This command, when used without parameters, displays all tty ports that are in a disabled state. In
this example, pdisable is piped to the grep command to eliminate unnecessary output. If tty1 is not
displayed after running this command, the port is not disabled.
ps command
The ps command displays information about active processes to standard output.
Use this command to verify the existence (or nonexistence) of slattach processes that are used to
assign a tty line to network interfaces.
If netstat -in shows that the interface is down, the user should run the ps -ef | grep slat
command to see if an slattach process is currently running on the associated tty port. Note that
for a directly connected SLIP interface, broken connections are retried automatically without manual
intervention. For a SLIP interface connected by modem, broken connections must be manually redialed.
If a user supplies a dial string in the slattach command line, the user must reenter the command and
dial string to restore a broken connection.

ping command and modem lights
The ping command and modem lights are used to debug SLIP communication problems.
A ping is an echo request packet, sent out of the machine, and an echo response packet is returned. This
sequence of events is useful if the administrator can see the modem lights.
For example, a local system constructs the echo request packet and sends it to the remote system. The
Send Data (SD) light on the local modem illuminates. This means that the local TCP/IP, slattach, and tty
were able to group information and send it out of the modem to the remote system.
The remote modem receives the packet and the receive data light flashes but its SD light does not. This
means that the remote system was not able to send (or return) the local system's ping request. As a
result, the user on the local system may see the ping command hang, requiring a Ctrl-C to exit the
condition.
The most common cause of this problem is the use of XON/XOFF flow control in one or both modems,
however, the user should not overlook the possibility of routing or address conflicts on the systems.
Common SLIP problems and error messages

Common SLIP problems and error messages, their possible causes, and suggested user actions can be
referenced here.
Message: 0821-296 Cannot set line discipline for /dev/tty# to slip.ioctl(TXSETLD). A system call
received a parameter that is not valid.
Possible Causes: This type of error normally occurs when starting the slattach process and is
attributable to incorrect configuration of SLIP. The problem is most likely caused by a mismatch between
the tty device number and the sl interface number. This also explains why the system reported that
ifconfig had not been run before slattach.
This problem may also occur when slattach processes are dropped or killed incorrectly or when the
user attempts to move a SLIP connection to another tty port and forgets to reconfigure the sl# interface
to match the tty. Check for running slattach processes that may still be running (for example, ps -ef
| grep slat).
Action: The tty device for SLIP is /dev/tty24 and user has created an sl0 interface. This is incorrect.
The user should create an sl24 interface which matches the tty number (tty24 and sl24). If the problem
continues, the user should bring down the sl interface (see "Bringing Down an SLIP Interface") and
reconfigure the connection using the following commands:
lsdev -Cc if -s SL
lsattr -El sl0
Message:
network is not currently available
route to remote host not available

Possible Cause: These errors occur most often when a user attempts to ping a host over the SLIP link
and the link has been improperly established. The most likely problem is that one or both tty ports
associated with the sl# interface are in an enabled state. It is also possible that there is an address or
route conflict between the host systems.
Actions:
• Remove the sl# interface using the smit rminet fast path This must be done on both the local and
remote SLIP hosts.
• Do the following for each SLIP host:
1. Enter pdisable | grep tty#.

2. If the tty device is NOT listed in the output of the previous command, the tty is not disabled. Disable
the tty either through SMIT or the command line. With tty ports disabled, use SMIT to recreate the
SLIP interfaces on both systems. If problem persists, verify network addresses and routes (if any).
Use the netstat -ir command to quickly view address, routing, and interface information.
Problem: When the remote site dials in to the local host, the modem on the local host connects but does
not complete the login process.
Possible Causes: If the two modems connect and begin to handshake or exchange connection
information but then disconnect, the problem may be due to modem result codes. This problem can also
be caused by an improper slattach dial string. If the two modems ring but never begin the handshake
process, the problem may be that the modem is not set for auto-answer.
Actions:
1. Test the modem connection first with the cu command. The modem on the remote host should allow
the user to login to the system. There should not be any garbage on the screen during the login
attempt; if so, it may indicate a noisy phone line which may be part of the problem. During the login,
multiple login heralds should not scroll across the screen. If they are present, this could again indicate
a problem phone line or incorrect modem settings.
2. Check the modem configurations and try turning off the ARQ codes if they are currently on. In most
Hayes-compatible modems this is the &A0 setting. Disabling ARQ result codes does not affect error-
controlled connections nor does it keep the modem from returning standard CONNECT messages (if
result codes are enabled) as needed for the slattach dial string.
Problem: The user is unable to ping across a modem SLIP connection. The ping command may hang or
return error messages.
Possible Causes:
1. The modems and/or tty ports may be configured to use XON/XOFF flow control.
2. The slattach process may have been terminated on the remote host or the modem connection
dropped.
3. The addresses assigned to the SLIP hosts may be incorrect.
Actions:
1. Examine both the local and remote modem configurations. They should be set to use RTS/CTS
(hardware) flow control or no flow control at all. The user should attempt to ping from each system.
Ping systemA to systemB.
2. Verify that the slattach process is still running on both local and remote systems. Use the command:
ps -ef |grep slat. Verify that the sl# interface is in a running state. Use the command: ifconfig
sl#.
3. Verify that there is not a conflict between the SLIP addresses and those associated with other network
interface (if any). Use the command: netstat -ir. If the address or address class is in question,
reconfigure SLIP using a simpler address scheme such as 1.1.1.1 for the local host and 1.1.1.2 for the
remote host.
SLIP Questionnaire
Use this questionnaire to record data on SLIP configurations.
Information collected on these sheets can be faxed to a service representative when additional
assistance with SLIP configuration is required.
1. Was this SLIP configuration working previously? (Y/N) ____
2. What are the machine types? (example: UNIX/PC, DOS/PC, etc.)
Local System: ________________ Remote System: _________________
If the host is not an IBM UNIX system, please name the type of software being used to establish the
SLIP connection.

______________________________________________________________________
3. What versions of the IBM UNIX operating system are on each of the system units? Issue the /bin/
oslevel command. If this command is not recognized use the following method:
lslpp -h bos.rte
look for the active commit line release level.

Local System: ________________ Remote System: _________________
4. List all interfaces available on both systems (for example, sl0, sl1). To do this, use the command:
lsdev -Cc if
Local System: ______________ Remote System: _____________
______________ _____________
______________ _____________
______________ _____________
The SLIP interface number should match the tty device number. For example, /dev/tty53 should
be used with sl53.
5. Is SLIP being configured through SMIT or with commands? SLIP configurations using commands are
not permanent and are not present after a system reboot.
_____________________
6. Is SLIP being configured over modems or a direct serial line?
______________________________________________________________________
7. If modems are being used, list the manufacturer and modem type for both the local and remote
systems.
TYPE BAUD RATEIBM CABLING If not IBM cable,

(Yes/No) what type?
Local: _________ __________ ___ ________________________
Remote: _________ ___________ ___ ________________________
8. If modems are in use, what is the phone carrier type? (leased-line or normal switched)
______________________________________________________________________
9. What hardware is the SLIP line being used on?
128-Port Adapter (with 16-port RAN(s)): ___
2-Port Adapter: ___
8-Port Adapter: ___
Native, S1 or S2 serial ports: ___
10. Is it possible to ping from the local system to the remote system?
(Y/N) ______ (on the local system enter: ping <remote address> )
11. Is it possible to ping from the remote system to the local system?
(Y/N) ______ (on the remote system enter: ping <local address> )
12. Are the tty ports disabled on both the local and remote systems?
(Y/N) ______
Use the command: pdisable | grep tty#. Only disabled tty numbers are displayed as output of
this command.
13. Are any error messages being displayed? If yes, please list them below:

______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Asynchronous Terminal Emulation

The Asynchronous Terminal Emulation (ATE) program enables terminals on the operating system to
emulate a terminal, thus allowing users a means of connecting to most other systems that support
asynchronous terminals.
ATE accomplishes this by making the remote system see a terminal either as a system's display or as
a DEC VT100 terminal. The VT100 option allows the user to log in to systems that do not support their
terminal, but do support VT100 terminals.
ATE uses both direct (cabled) and modem connections to communicate between the user's system and a
remote system as shown in the following illustration.
Figure 40. ATE connection types
Depending upon the connection type used, the user can configure ATE to connect either to a system in
the next room or to a system across the country. For a direct connection, the user must know the port to
use on their system. For a modem connection, users must know the port to use on his system and the
telephone number of the remote system. Users must also have a login ID and password on the remote
system.
ATE enables a user to run commands on the remote system, send and receive files, and use the xmodem
protocol to check the data integrity in the files transferred between systems. The user can also capture
and file incoming data from the remote system.
Note: You must be a member of the UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program (UUCP) group in order to
use ATE. A user with root authority uses System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) to install
individual users in groups.

Setting up ATE
Before running ATE, the system administrator must install the proper software (if needed) and configure
the tty ports and connections.
• ATE is an optional program product. All files necessary for operation of ATE are contained in the
bos.net.ate program product available on the install media. Use the following commands to verify that
ATE is available on your system:
lslpp -h | more <return>

/bos.net.ate <return>
If ATE is not available on your system, install the bos.net.ate image from the installation media (tape,
diskette, or network server).
• If ATE is installed on the system, a list of files associated with this program can be displayed using the
following commands:
lslpp -f | more <return>

/bos.net.ate <return>
• The user must have root user authority to set up the port for the communications device.
ATE uses both direct (cabled) connections and modem connections. Local RS-232C connections allow a
maximum distance of 15 meters (50 feet) between machines, and RS-422A connections allow up to 1200
meters (4000 feet) between machines.
Before using ATE to call a remote system, verify that the remote system's tty device is ready to accept a
call.
To prepare ATE to run on the system, perform the following steps:
1. Install an asynchronous adapter card in an appropriate slot in the system unit, unless the system has a
built-in serial port.
2. Plug the RS-232C or RS-422A cable into the adapter card or the built-in serial port.
3. Add a tty device for the communications port using the smit mkdev fast path.
4. Select the terminal type to emulate with ATE and make the necessary adjustments for the
environment.
The most common changes are line speed, parity settings, number of bits per character, and whether
the line is to be driven as a remote or local line. Use bpc 8 and no parity if National Language Support
(NLS) is required.
5. Set up the port for the device.
To set up a port to call out with ATE, use the pdisable command. For example, to set up port tty1,
enter:
pdisable tty1
To set up a port so that others can call in, use the penable command. For example, to let other
systems call in to the tty2 port, enter:
penable tty2
6. Ensure the device has previously been defined to the remote system.
After the device is defined, the ATE program must be customized to reflect the device settings on the
remote system. Customize the default settings with the alter and modify subcommands or by editing
the ate.def default file. To change the default settings for a telephone connection, use a dialing
directory file entry.

ATE main menus
ATE displays menus according to the subcommands used.
Starting ATE with the ate command displays the Unconnected Main Menu, which lets you:
• Temporarily change characteristics of ATE (modify, alter)
• Connect to another system (directory, connect)
• Get help (help)
• Execute workstation operating system commands on the system (perform)
• Leave ATE (quit)
Depending on the subcommand issued from the Unconnected Main Menu, ATE displays various
submenus:
Table 110. ATE submenus

When you use ATE displays
modify subcommand Modify Menu (for more information, see the ate
command)
alter subcommand Alter Menu (for more information, see the ate
command)
connect or directory subcommand to connect Connected Main Menu
to a remote system
directory subcommand dialing directory (a list of phone numbers)
From the Connected Main Menu, you can issue subcommands to:
• Send files to and receive files from the remote system (send, receive)
• Send a break signal to the remote system (break)
• End the connection to the remote system (terminate)
In addition, the modify, alter, help, perform, and quit subcommands perform the same functions as
those provided from the Unconnected Main Menu.
You can control certain actions of ATE with control key sequences. These key sequences are known as the
CAPTURE_KEY, the MAINMENU_KEY, and the PREVIOUS_KEY. The key sequences are discussed in “ATE
control key sequences” on page 647. ATE is installed with default key combinations for these keys, but
you can change the key combinations by modifying the ATE default file, ate.def.
ATE Unconnected Main Menu

Use the ate command to display the ATE Unconnected Main Menu.
After a connection is established, use the ATE connect subcommand to display the Unconnected Main
Menu.
You can issue the following subcommands from the ATE Unconnected Main Menu. To issue the
subcommand, type the first letter of the subcommand at the command prompt on the menu. For example,
type d to issue the directory subcommand.
Item Description
alter Temporarily changes data transmission characteristics, such as the speed of
transmission.
connect Makes a connection.
directory Displays a dialing directory.
help Displays help information.

Item Description
modify Temporarily modifies local settings, such as the capture file, for incoming data.
perform Allows you to perform workstation operating system commands within ATE.
quit Quits the ATE program.
Note: Of the control key sequences CAPTURE_KEY, MAINMENU_KEY, and PREVIOUS_KEY, only
PREVIOUS_KEY can be used from the ATE Unconnected Main Menu.
ATE Connected Main Menu

Use the connect subcommand from the ATE Unconnected Main Menu to display the Connected Main
Menu.
Alternately, press the MAINMENU_KEY while connected to a remote system.
You can issue the following subcommands from the ATE Connected Main Menu. For the definitions
of these subcommands, refer to the ate command. To issue the subcommand, type the first letter
of the subcommand at the command prompt on the menu. For example, type a to issue the alter
subcommand.
Item Description
alter Temporarily changes data transmission characteristics, such as the speed of
transmission.
break Sends a break signal to the remote system.
help Displays help information.
modify Temporarily modifies local settings used by the emulator, such as the capture file for
incoming data.
perform Allows you to perform workstation operating system commands within ATE.
quit Quits the ATE program.
receive Receives files from a remote system.
send Sends files to a remote system.
terminate Terminates the ATE connection.
All three ATE control key sequences can be used from the ATE Connected Main Menu.
ATE control key sequences

Use the following control keys with ATE. Change the key sequence for each function by editing the
ate.def file.

Item Description
CAPTURE_KEY Starts or stops saving data displayed on the screen during a connection. The
default key sequence for the CAPTURE_KEY is Ctrl-B.
The CAPTURE_KEY has a switch or toggle effect. Pressing this control key starts
saving data. Pressing this control key a second time stops saving data. Data is
saved in the capture file defined in the ate.def file.
The default capture file name is the $HOME/kapture file. Use the modify
subcommand to temporarily change the capture file name. Edit the ATE default
file to permanently change the name of the capture file. See “Editing the ATE
default file” on page 656.
The CAPTURE_KEY key sequence does not function while the terminal is
performing a file transfer operation, and it is valid only when a connection is
established. If you press the CAPTURE_KEY key sequence before a connection is
established, the next command entered is unsuccessful, and an error message is
displayed.
PREVIOUS_KEY Returns to the previously displayed screen. The PREVIOUS_KEY is also used to
stop a file transfer operation. The default key sequence for the PREVIOUS_KEY is
Ctrl-R.
The PREVIOUS_KEY can be used from either ATE Main Menu.
MAINMENU_KEY Displays the Connected Main Menu so you can issue an ATE subcommand. The
default key sequence for the MAINMENU_KEY is Ctrl-V. Use this control key
to display the Connected Main Menu after a connection to a remote system is
established.
If you press the MAINMENU_KEY key sequence before a connection is
established, the next command entered is unsuccessful, and an error message
is displayed.
By customizing the ATE default file, you can permanently change the control key
settings and the capture file name. See “Editing the ATE default file” on page
656.
ATE customization
ATE creates the ate.def default file in the current directory the first time the user runs ATE. Edit the
ate.def file to customize various aspects of ATE.
For example, the user can change the name of the dialing directory file, the type of transfer protocols used
to send and receive files from the remote system, and the baud rate ATE expects the modem to use. Refer
to “Editing the ATE default file” on page 656 for more information on the ate.def file.
Users can also make temporary changes to certain aspects of ATE with the modify and alter
subcommands. These subcommands can change all of the ATE default values except the control key
sequences (which can only be changed by editing the default file) and the name of the dialing directory
(which can be changed with the directory subcommand or by editing the default file). Any changes
made with the modify, alter, or directory subcommands are effective only for that session of ATE.
The next time the user runs ATE, the settings used are those defined in the default file.
When using a modem with ATE, the user can create a dialing directory of up to 20 phone numbers. The
directory subcommand displays the telephone numbers in menu form and allows the user to select the
desired system to call. Refer to “Setting up an ATE dialing directory” on page 652 for more information.
By using a dialing directory, the user avoids having to look up the telephone number when calling
a particular system. The user can also specify certain data transmission characteristics in the dialing
directory file. This is useful if some connections use characteristics that differ from the ATE defaults.

You can create a personalized dialing directory, and the system administrator can create a system-wide
dialing directory. Specify which dialing directory to use in the ATE default file. See “Setting up an ATE
dialing directory” on page 652 for more information.
ate.def configuration file

The ate.def file sets the defaults for use in asynchronous connections and file transfers.
This file is created in the current directory during the first run of ATE. The ate.def file contains the
default values in the ATE program uses for the following:
• Data transmission characteristics
• Local system features
• Dialing directory file
• Control keys.
The first time the ATE program is run from a particular directory, it creates an ate.def file in that
directory.
LENGTH 8
STOP 1
PARITY 0
RATE 1200
DEVICE tty0
INITIAL ATDT
FINAL
WAIT 0
ATTEMPTS 0
TRANSFER p
CHARACTER 0
NAME kapture
LINEFEEDS 0
ECHO 0
VT100 0
WRITE 0
XON/XOFF 1
DIRECTORY /usr/lib/dir
CAPTURE_KEY 002
MAINMENU_KEY 026
PREVIOUS_KEY 022
Edit the ate.def file with any ASCII text editor to permanently change the values of these
characteristics. Temporarily change the values of these characteristics with the ATE alter and modify
subcommands, accessible from the ATE Main Menu.
Type parameter names in uppercase letters in the ate.def file. Spell the parameters exactly as they
appear in the original default file. Define only one parameter per line. An incorrectly defined value for
a parameter causes ATE to return a system message. However, the program continues to run using the
default value. These are the ate.def file parameters:
LENGTH
Specifies the number of bits in a data character. This length must match the length expected by the
remote system.
Options: 7 or 8
Default: 8
STOP
Specifies the number of stop bits appended to a character to signal that character's end during data
transmission. This number must match the number of stop bits used by the remote system.
Options: 1 or 2
Default: 1
PARITY
Checks whether a character is successfully transmitted to or from a remote system. Must match the
parity of the remote system.

For example, if the user selects even parity, when the number of 1 bits in the character is odd, the
parity bit is turned on to make an even number of 1 bits.
Options: 0 (none), 1 (odd), or 2 (even)

Default: 0.
RATE
Determines the baud rate, or the number of bits transmitted per second (bps). The speed must match
the speed of the modem and that of the remote system.
Options: 50,75,110,134,150,300,600,1200,1800,2400,4800,9600,19200
Default: 1200
DEVICE
Specifies the name of the asynchronous port used to make a connection to a remote system.
Options: Locally created port names.

Default: tty0.
INITIAL
Defines the dial prefix, a string that must precede the telephone number when the user autodials with
a modem. For the proper dial commands, consult the modem documentation.
Options: ATDT, ATDP, or others, depending on the type of modem.

Default: ATDT.
FINAL
Defines the dial suffix, a string that must follow the telephone number when the user autodials with a
modem. For the proper dial commands, consult the modem documentation.
Options: Blank (none) or a valid modem suffix.

Default: No default.
WAIT
Specifies the time to wait between redialing attempts. The wait period does not begin until the
connection attempt times out or until it is interrupted. If the ATTEMPTS parameter is set to 0, no
redial attempt occurs.
Options: 0 (none) or a positive integer designating the number of seconds to wait.

Default: 0
ATTEMPTS
Specifies the maximum number of times the ATE program tries redial to make a connection. If the
ATTEMPTS parameter is set to 0, no redial attempt occurs.
Options: 0 (none) or a positive integer designating the number of attempts.

Default: 0
TRANSFER
Defines the type of asynchronous protocol that transfers files during a connection.
p (pacing)
File transfer protocol controls the data transmission rate by waiting for a specified character or for
a certain number of seconds between line transmissions. This helps prevent loss of data when the
transmission blocks are either too large or sent too quickly for the system to process.
x (xmodem)
An 8-bit file transfer protocol to detect data transmission errors and retransmit the data.
Options: p (pacing), x (xmodem)

Default: p.

CHARACTER
Specifies the type of pacing protocol to be used. Signal to transmit a line. Select one character.
When the send subcommand encounters a line-feed character while transmitting data, the
subcommand waits to receive the pacing character before sending the next line.
When the receive subcommand is ready to receive data, it sends the pacing character, then waits 30
seconds to receive data. The receive subcommand sends a pacing character again whenever it finds
a carriage return character in the data. The receive subcommand ends when it receives no data for
30 seconds.
Options: any character

Default: 0
Interval
Number of seconds the system waits between each line it transmits. The value of the Interval variable
must be an integer. The default value is 0, indicating a pacing delay of 0 seconds.
Default: 0.
NAME
File name for incoming data (capture file).
Options: A valid file name less than 40 characters long.

Default: kapture
LINEFEEDS
Adds a line-feed character after every carriage-return character in the incoming data stream.
Options: 1 (on) or 0 (off).

Default: 0.
ECHO
Displays the user's typed input. For a remote computer that supports echoing, each character sent
returns and displays on the screen. When the ECHO parameter is on, each character is displayed
twice: first when it is entered, and again when it returns over a connection. When the ECHO parameter
is off, each character displays only when it returns over the connection.

Default: 0.
VT100
The local console emulates a DEC VT100 terminal so DEC VT100 code can be used with the remote
system. With the VT100 parameter off, the local console functions like a workstation.

Default: 0.
WRITE
Captures incoming data and routes it to the file specified in the NAME parameter as well as to the
display. Carriage-return or line-feed combinations are converted to line-feed characters before they
are written to the capture file. In an existing file, data is appended to the end of the file.
The CAPTURE_KEY (usually the Ctrl-B key sequence) can be used to toggle capture mode on or off
during a connection.

Default: 0.
XON/XOFF
Controls data transmission at a port as follows:
• When an XOFF signal is received, transmission stops.

• When an XON signal is received, transmission resumes.
• An XOFF signal is sent when the receive buffer is nearly full.
• An XON signal is sent when the buffer is no longer full.
Options: 1 (On), or 0 (Off).

Default: 1.
DIRECTORY
Names the file that contains the user's dialing directory.
Default: the /usr/lib/dir file.
CAPTURE_KEY
Defines the control key sequence that toggles capture mode. When pressed, the CAPTURE_KEY
(usually the Ctrl-B key sequence) starts or stops capturing (saving) the data that is displayed on the
screen during an active connection.
Options: Any ASCII control character.

Default: ASCII octal 002 (STX).
MAINMENU_KEY
Defines the control key sequence that returns the Connected Main Menu so the user can issue
a command during an active connection. The MAINMENU_KEY (usually the Ctrl-V key sequence)
functions only from the connected state.

Default: ASCII octal 026 (SYN).
PREVIOUS_KEY
Defines the control key sequence that displays the previous screen anytime during the program.
The screen displayed varies, depending on the screen in use when the user presses PREVIOUS_KEY
(usually the Ctrl-R key sequence).

Default: ASCII octal 022 (DC2). The ASCII control character is mapped to the interrupt
signal.
Setting up an ATE dialing directory

The ATE dialing directory file lists phone numbers that the ATE program uses to establish remote
connections by modem.
To set up an ATE dialing directory, the following prerequisites must be met:
• The Asynchronous Terminal Emulation (ATE) program must be set up on the system
• To set up a system-wide dialing directory, the user must have write access to the /usr/lib/dir file
Users name the dialing directory file with any valid file name and place it in any directory where read
and write access is owned. Edit the dialing directory file with any ASCII text editor. The default dialing
directory information for the ATE program is contained in the /usr/lib/dir file, as shown in the
following:
Note: In the following content, some ATE entries have been broken into separate lines for readability. In
an actual dialing directory file, however, all elements of an entry must be declared on a single, continuous
line.
# COMPONENT_NAME: BOS dir

#
# FUNCTIONS:
#
# ORIGINS: 27
#
#
# (C) COPYRIGHT International Business Machines Corp. 1985, 1989

# Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
#
# US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or
# disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
#
# dir - sample dialing directory
#
#
# Micom 9,555-9400 1200 7 1 2 0 0
# R20 9,555-9491 1200 7 1 2 0 0
# QT 9,555-8455 1200 7 1 2 0 0
# Dallas1 9,555-7051 1200 8 1 0 0 0
Users can access the dialing directory information from within ATE by using the directory subcommand
available in the UNCONNECTED MAIN MENU. The screen will show the directory information as it would
appear from within the ATE program.
Users can have more than one dialing directory. To change the dialing directory file the ATE program uses,
the user must modify the ate.def file in the current directory.
Note: The dialing directory file can contain up to 20 lines (one entry per line). ATE ignores
subsequent lines.
The dialing directory file is similar to a page in a telephone book that contains entries for the remote
systems called with the ATE program. The format of a dialing directory entry is:
Name Phone Rate Length StopBit Parity Echo Linefeed
The fields must be separated by at least one space. More spaces can be used to make each entry easier to
read. The fields are:
Name
Identifies a telephone number. The name can be any combination of 20 or fewer characters. Use the _
(underscore) instead of a blank between words in a name, for example, data_bank.
Phone
The telephone number to be dialed. The number can be up to 40 characters. Consult the modem
documentation for a list of acceptable digits and characters. For example, if a 9 must be dialed to
access an outside line, include a 9, (the numeral 9 and a comma) before the telephone number as
follows: 9,1112222.
Although the telephone number can be up to 40 characters long, the directory subcommand displays
only the first 26 characters.
Rate
Transmission or baud rate in bits per second (bps). Determines the number of characters transmitted
per second. Select a baud rate that is compatible with the communication line being used. The
following are acceptable rates:
50, 75, 110, 134, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 4800, 9600, or 19200.
For non-POSIX baud rates, setting the rate at 50 causes the ATE to use the configured baud rate set
through SMIT for that device.
Length
Number of bits that make up a character. The entry for the Length field can be 7 or 8.
StopBit
Stop bits signal the end of a character. The entry for the StopBit field can be 1 or 2.
Parity
Checks whether a character was successfully transmitted to or from a remote system. The entry for
the Parity field can be 0 (none), 1 (odd), or 2 (even).
Echo
Determines whether typed characters display locally. The entry for the Echo field can be 0 (off) or 1
(on).

Linefeed
Adds a line-feed character at the end of each line of data coming in from a remote system. The
line-feed character is similar in function to the carriage-return and new-line characters. The entry for
the Linefeed field can be 0 (off) or 1 (on).
Note: Changing or remapping may be necessary if control keys conflict across applications. For example,
if the control keys mapped for the ATE program conflict with those in a text editor, remap the ATE control
keys.
Note: The ASCII control character selected may be in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal format, as follows:
octal
000 through 037. The leading zero is required.
decimal
0 through 31.
hexadecimal
0x00 through 0x1F. The leading 0x is required. The x may be uppercase or lowercase.
Create an ate.def file that defines those characteristics to change characteristics of ATE emulation.
For example, to change the RATE to 300 bps, the DEVICE to tty3, the TRANSFER mode to x (xmodem
protocol), and the DIRECTORY to my.dir, create an ate.def with the following entries, in the directory
running the ATE program:
RATE 300
DEVICE tty3
TRANSFER x
DIRECTORY my.dir
The program uses the defined values from time the ATE program starts from that directory.
1. Create the dialing directory file:
a) Change to the directory where the dialing directory file will reside.
b) Copy the /usr/lib/dir file to use as a template. Rename the file to any valid file name.
c) Create telephone number entries using the format given in the dialing directory file format.
d) Save the file.
Note: If the new dialing directory file is to be the system-wide default file, save the file with the
name /usr/lib/dir.
2. If the dialing directory file name is not the default (/usr/lib/dir), edit the ate.def file in the
directory from which the ATE program is run. Change the DIRECTORY parameter in the ate.def file to
the new dialing directory file.
See “Editing the ATE default file” on page 656
3. Start ATE, and view the dialing directory with the directory subcommand.
Dialing-out with ATE

Use this procedure to dial out of a system using ATE and a customized /usr/lib/dir dialing directory
file.
Verify that all of the following prerequisites and conditions are met before attempting to dial out.
• The ATE is installed on the system.
• A modem is attached, configured, and ready for use.
• The user is a member of the UUCP group (see “Setting up ATE” on page 645 for more information).
• The /usr/lib/dir dialing directory file is already customized with the correct information.
• User's present working directory (pwd) contains an ate.def file that is properly updated.
• The /dev/tty port must have its ENABLE login field in SMIT set to disable, share, or delay.

1. Enter:
ate
2. At the main menu, type d and press Enter.

3. Type the file name of the directory you want to display and press Enter. To use the current directory,
just press Enter.
4. Enter the appropriate directory entry number under the # column to dial the corresponding phone
number.
Transferring a file using ATE

Use this procedure to transfer a file from a local host to the remote system.
Verify that all of the following prerequisites and conditions are met before attempting to transfer a file
using ATE:
• A connection must already be established using the ATE program.
• The Xmodem file transfer protocol must already exist on both the local and remote systems. On the
operating system, Xmodem is located in the /usr/bin directory.
1. Run the following xmodem command on the remote system after logging in:
xmodem -r newfile
where r is the Xmodem flag to receive and newfile is the name of the file to be received. This name
does not need to be the same as the file being transferred.
2. Press Enter.
3. The following message is displayed:
ate: 0828-005 The system is ready to receive file newfile. Use Ctrl-X to stop xmodem.
If the message is not displayed, the system might not have the xmodem program installed or located
in its command PATH.
4. Press Ctrl-V to return to the ATE CONNECTED MAIN MENU.
5. Press the S key to send a file.
Type the name of the file you wish to send and press Enter. To use the last
file name (), just press Enter.
7. Enter the name and full path of the file to be transferred.

8. Press Enter.
9. ATE will display the following message and begin to transfer the file:
ate: 0828-024 The program is ready to send file newfile. You will receive another
message when the file transfer is complete.
ate: 0828-025 The system is sending block 1.
ate: 0828-025 The system is sending block 2.
ate: 0828-015 The file transfer is complete.
ate: 0828-040 Press Enter
10. Press Enter when the transfer is complete.
Receiving a file using ATE

Use this procedure to receive a file transferred from a remote host.
Verify that all of the following prerequisites and conditions are met before attempting to receive a file
using ATE:
• A connection must already be established using the ATE program.

• The Xmodem file transfer protocol must already exist on both the local and remote systems. On the
operating system, Xmodem is located in the /usr/bin directory.
1. Run the following xmodem command on the remote system after logging in:
xmodem -s newfile
where s is the xmodem command to send and newfile is the name and full path of the file to be
transferred.
2. Press Enter.
ate: 0828-005 The system is ready to send file newfile. Use ctrl-X to stop xmodem.
If the message is not displayed, the system may not have the xmodem program installed or located in
its command PATH.
4. Press Ctrl-V to return to the ATE CONNECTED MAIN MENU.
5. Press the R key to receive the file.
Type the name of the file you wish to store the received data in and press
Enter. To use the last file name (), just press Enter.
7. Enter the name and full path of the file to be transferred.

8. Press Enter.
9. ATE will display the following message and begin to transfer the file:
ate: 0828-020 The program is ready to receive file newfile. You will
receive another message when the file transfer is complete.
ate: 0828-028 The system is receiving block 1.
ate: 0828-028 The system is receiving block 2.
ate: 0828-040 Press Enter.
10. Press Enter when the transfer is complete.
Editing the ATE default file

To edit the ATE default file, the ATE program must be set up on the system.
To change the settings in the ate.def file:
1. Open the ate.def file with an ASCII text editor.
2. Enter new values for the parameters to be changed. Other values can be deleted or left alone. The
system uses its defaults for any parameters that are deleted.
3. Save the modified ate.def file.
The changes made to the ate.def file take effect the next time ATE is run from the directory containing
the customized ate.def file.
You can keep a copy of the ate.def file in any directory to which you have read and write permissions.
For example, if you need to run the ATE program with different defaults at different times, keep multiple
copies of the ate.def file, with the appropriate settings, in different subdirectories of the $HOME
directory. However, multiple copies of the ate.def file use system storage. As an alternative, temporarily
change most settings with the ATE alter and modify subcommands. Use a dialing directory entry to
change settings for an individual modem connection. See “Setting up an ATE dialing directory” on page
652.

ATE troubleshooting
When encountering the following common ATE problems, consider these solutions.
Problem:
When transferring or receiving files, the xmodem command appears to hang. A Ctrl-X corrects the
problem.
Solution:
Examine the Alter menu to verify that xmodem protocol (or Transfer method) is being used.
Problem:
When transferring or receiving files, the file scrolls across the screen and a message is displayed
stating that the transfer or receipt was complete when, in fact, it was not.
Solution:
Examine the Alter menu to verify that xmodem protocol (or Transfer method) is being used.
Problem:
When starting ATE, the user receives the following error:
ate: 0828-008 The system tried to open port /dev/tty0 but failed. If the port name is not
correct,
change it using the Alter menu. Or, take the action indicated by the system message shown
below.
Connect: The file access permissions do not allow the specified action.
Solution:
The Connect: line in the error message narrows down the problem. Verify that the user attempting to
run ATE is a member of the UUCP group. To check this, the user can enter id on the command line;
uucp should appear in the output listing.
Problem:
When attempting to make a connection with ATE, the following error is received:
ate: 0828-008 The system tried to open port /dev/tty0 but failed. If the port name is not
correct, change it using the Alter menu. Or, take the action indicated by the system
message shown below.
Connect: A file or directory in the path name does not exist.

Solution:
An incorrect or unavailable tty was selected for use by ATE. Examine the Alter screen in ATE.
Problem:
The file transfers correctly, but the file size is larger than the original file.
Solution:
The xmodem protocol pads the file during transfer. To avoid this, use the tar command to compress
the file and transfer it. This is also a means of overcoming another xmodem limitation where only one
file is sent at a time. The user can tar several files together into a single tar image and transfer it
using xmodem.
ATE commands and subcommands

This is a list of the ATE commands and subcommands with a brief description of what they do.
See “ATE file formats” on page 658 for additional reference information.

Item Description
ate Starts the ATE program. For the definitions of its subcommands, which follow, refer to the ate
command:
break
Inputs current activity on a remote system.
connect
Connects to a remote computer.
directory
Displays the ATE dialing directory and lets you choose an entry from the directory to connect
to a remote system.
help
Provides help for the ATE subcommands.
perform
Lets you issue workstation operating system commands while using ATE.
quit
Exits the ATE program.
receive
Receives a file from a remote system.
send
Sends a file to a remote file system.
terminate
Terminates an ATE connection to a remote system.
In addition, the xmodem command is useful for transferring files with the xmodem protocol, which detects
data transmission errors during asynchronous transmission.
ATE file formats

Asynchronous Terminal Emulation (ATE) file formats include the ate.def and dialing directory formats.
Item Description
ate.def Sets default settings for connections.
Dialing directory Defines telephone numbers and settings for specific modem connections.
See “ATE commands and subcommands” on page 657 for additional reference information.
Dynamic screen utility

The dynamic screen utility, or dscreen command, is a utility that allows a single physical terminal to be
connected to several virtual terminal sessions (screens) at one time.
It is mainly intended for use with terminals that have two or more pages of screen memory (for example,
the IBM 3151 Models 310 or 410 display with the Cartridge for Expansion). With such terminals,
switching between virtual screens also switches between physical terminal screen pages allowing
each virtual screen's image to be saved and restored. On terminals without multiple pages of screen
memory, the dscreen command can still be used to switch among virtual screen sessions although the
appearance of the screen will not be maintained.
Note: For full support of dscreen utility, the terminal must be able to switch internal screen pages on
command and must remember the cursor position for each page. While the dscreen utility will work on
both smart and dumb terminals, screen images are not saved during screen changes on dumb terminals.

dscreen terminal configuration information file
The dscreen utility terminal configuration information file (or dsinfo file) is used to define a different
set of keys to be used with the dscreen utility.
This might be done, for example, when the originally defined dscreen utility keys conflict with a software
application in use on the system.
The dsinfo file terminal type assumes a single page of screen memory. Therefore, if a terminal supports
additional pages of screen memory, the dsinfo file must be customized to use the appropriate sequence
for page memory control. Consult the appropriate terminal reference guide for the specific control
sequence.
The default dsinfo file is /usr/lbin/tty/dsinfo. Use the -i flag to specify a different dsinfo file.
This remainder of this section refers to the default file. However, the same information applies to any
customized dsinfo file you create.
For more information concerning the dsinfo file, see “Dynamic screen assignment” on page 660.
dscreen key action assignments

When the dscreen command is executed, it starts a virtual screen. Some of the keys on the terminal
keyboard are not passed through to the virtual screen; instead, the dscreen utility intercepts these keys
and performs certain actions when they are pressed.
The actions include:
Item Description
Select (see “dscreen Select keys” on page Selects a specified screen.
659)
Block (see “dscreen Block keys” on page Blocks all input and output.
660)
New (see “dscreen New keys” on page Starts a new screen session.
660)
End (see “dscreen End and Quit keys” on Ends the dscreen utility.
page 660)
Quit (see “dscreen End and Quit keys” on Quits the dscreen utility.
page 660)
Previous (see “dscreen Previous key” on Switches to previous screen.
page 660)
List (see “dscreen List key” on page 660) Lists the dscreen assigned keys and their actions.
The function of each key is dependent on the terminal and the terminal description in the /usr/
lbin/tty/dsinfo file.
dscreen Select keys

When a new virtual screen is created, it is assigned a select key.
Pressing the select key causes the following actions:
• A switch from the physical terminal to the video page associated with the particular virtual screen.
• Input and output is directed appropriately between the physical terminal and the virtual screen.
After all of the select keys defined in the dsinfo file have virtual screens assigned to them, no more
screens can be created. Individual screen sessions end when the original shell process exits. This frees
the associated select key for use with another virtual screen. The dscreen utility is ended when there are
no more active screens.

dscreen Block keys
Block keys are used to stop output in a fashion similar to Ctrl-S key when using IXON flow control.
The purpose of these keys is to allow for transparently setting up terminal sessions on two computers
using a terminal that has two serial ports.
dscreen New keys

Pressing a new screen key creates a new logical screen and assigns it to one of the select keys.
Each new screen requires:
• A select key as defined in the dsinfo file
• A dscreen pseudo-terminal device
• Enough memory for the various structures used in screen tracking
• A process to run the shell from.
If any of these are not available, the new screen operation fails with a message indicating the reason for
the failure.
dscreen End and Quit keys

When the End and Quit keys are pressed, a sequence of actions occurs.
Pressing an End key causes the following to occur:
• Send a SIGHUP signal to all the screen sessions
• Clean up
• Exit with a status of 0.
Pressing a Quit key performs the same actions but exits with status of 1.
dscreen Previous key

Pressing a previous key switches the terminal to the screen that was last displayed.
Note:
1. Do not switch screens when the current screen is being written to; an escape sequence might be
truncated and leave the terminal in an unknown state.
2. Some terminal displays can save the cursor position for individual screens but might not save other
states such as insert mode, inverse video, and so forth. If this is the case, users should avoid these
modes while switching screens.
dscreen List key

Pressing a list key displays a list of keys and their actions on the terminal display.
Only those keys recognized by the dscreen utility will be shown. When a new screen is created using the
dscreen utility, the message Press KEY for help, where KEY is the name of the list key displayed on
the terminal. Note that the message is displayed only if there is a list key defined.
Dynamic screen assignment

The terminal description entry in the /usr/lbin/tty/dsinfo file has the same number of screen
selection keys as the terminal has physical screen pages. If more screen selection keys are defined than
the number of physical screen pages, the dscreen utility will dynamically assign physical screen pages to
virtual screens.
When a virtual screen is selected that does not have an associated page of screen memory, the
dscreen utility assigns the least recently used physical screen to the virtual screen. Depending on the
specifications maintained in the /usr/lbin/tty/dsinfo description file, an indication that the physical
screen is connected to a different virtual screen might be noticeable; for example, the screen is cleared.

dsinfo file
The dsinfo file is a database of terminal descriptions used by the dscreen multiple screen utility.
The file contains the following information:
• The dscreen utility keys and the functions they perform
• Number of screen memory pages for the terminal
• Code sequences sent or received to use the above features.
The terminal type entries in the default dsinfo file resemble the following 3151 ASCII terminal values:
# The Cartridge for Expansion (pn: 64F9314) needed for this entry
ibm3151|3151|IBM 3151,
dsks=\E!a^M|Shift-F1|, # Selects first screen
dsks=\E!b^M|Shift-F2|, # Selects second screen
dsks=\E!c^M|Shift-F3|, # Selects third screen
dsks=\E!d^M|Shift-F4|, # Selects fourth screen
dskc=\E!e^M|Shift-F5|, # Creates a new screen
dske=\E!f^M|Shift-F6|\E pA\EH\EJ, # Go to screen 1 and end
dskl=\E!g^M|Shift-F7|, # Lists function keys (help)
dskp=\E!h^M|Shift-F8|, # Go to previous screen
dskq=\E!i^M|Shift-F9|\E pA\EH\EJ, # Go to screen 1 and quit
dsp=\E pA|\EH\EJ, # Terminal sequence for screen 1
dsp=\E pB|\EH\EJ, # Terminal sequence for screen 2
dsp=\E pC|\EH\EJ, # Terminal sequence for screen 3
dsp=\E pD|\EH\EJ, # Terminal sequence for screen 4
dst=10, # Allow 1 second timeout buffer
Entry format for dsinfo

Entries in the dsinfo file consist of comma-separated fields.
The first field is a list of alternate names for the terminal, each name is separated by a pipe ( | ) character.
Any text preceded by a pound (#) character is regarded as a comment and ignored by dscreen. The
remaining fields are strings describing the capabilities of the terminal to the dscreen utility. Within these
strings, the following escape codes are recognized:
Table 111. dsinfo file fields

Escape Sequence Description
\E,\e escape character
\n,\l newline (or linefeed) character
\r carriage return
\t tab character
\b backspace character
\f formfeed character
\s space character
\nnn character with octal value nnn
^x Ctrl-X for any appropriate x value
Any other character preceded by a backslash will yield the character itself. The strings are entered as
type=string, where type is the type of string as listed below, and string is the string value.
It is important that the entry fields in thedsinfo file be separated by commas. If a comma is omitted or
truncated from the end of a dsinfo file entry, the file will become unreadable by the dscreen utility and
an error will be returned to the display.

disinfo string types
The disinfo string types can be referenced here.
The string types are as follows:
Item Description
dskx A string type that starts with dsk describes a key. The type must be four letters long, and the
fourth letter x indicates what action is taken when the key is received. The key types are:
Type
Action
dsks
Switch Screens
dskb
Block Input and Output
dske
End dscreen
dskq
Quit dscreen (exit status=1)
dskc
Create New Screen
dskp
Switch to Previous Screen
dskl
List Keys and Actions
Any other key type (that is, a string type dskx that does not end in s, b, e, q, p, or l) will
cause no internal dscreen action, but will show up in the key listing and will be recognized
and acted on. A type of dskn (n for No Operation) should be used when no internal dscreen
action is desired.
The value string for each key has three substrings, which are separated by pipe ( | )
characters.
Note: Use \| to include the | character in one of the substrings.
The first substring is the sequence of characters that the terminal sends when the key is
pressed. The second substring is a label for the key that is printed when a list of keys is
displayed. The third substring is a sequence of characters that dscreen sends to the terminal
when this key is pressed before performing the action this key requests.

Item Description
dsp A string type of dsp describes a physical screen in the terminal. One dsp string should be
present for each physical screen in the terminal. The value string for each physical screen has
two substrings, which are separated by a pipe ( | ) character.
The first substring is the sequence of characters to send to the terminal to display and output
to the physical page on the terminal.
The second substring is sent to the terminal when the page is used for something new. This
second substring is often set to the clear screen sequence. It is sent under the following two
conditions:
1. When a new virtual terminal session is being created.
2. When there are more virtual terminals than there are physical screens. If a virtual terminal
is selected that requires dscreen to reuse one of the physical screens, it will send this
sequence to the screen to indicate that the screen contents do not match the output of the
virtual terminal connected.
Note: Running with more virtual terminals than physical screens can be confusing and is not
recommended; it can be avoided by defining no more screen selection keys (dsks= ) than
physical screens (dsp= ) in the dsinfo entry.
dst A String with a type of dst adjusts dscreen's input timeout. The value of the string is a
decimal number. The timeout value is in tenths of seconds and has a maximum value of
255 (default=1 [or 0.1 seconds]).
When dscreen recognizes a prefix of an input key sequence but does not have all the
characters of the sequence, it will wait for more characters to be sent until it is recognizable.
If the timeout occurs before more characters are received, the characters are sent on to
the virtual screen and dscreen will not consider these characters as part of an input key
sequence.
It may be necessary to raise this value if one or more of the keys dscreen is to trigger on is
actually a number of keystrokes (that is assigning Ctrl-Z 1, Ctrl-Z 2, Ctrl-Z 3, etc., for screen
selection and Ctrl-Z N for new screen and so on).
dysinfo examples
The following dysinfo examples are for Wyse-60 with three screen sessions.
wy60|wyse60|wyse model 60,

dsks=Â`^M|Shift-F1|,
dsks=Âa^M|Shift-F2|,
dsks=Âb^M|Shift-F3|,
dskc=\200|Ctrl-F1|,
dske=\201|Ctrl-F2|\Ew0\E+,
dskl=\202|Ctrl-F3|,
dsp=\Ew0|\E+,
dsp=\Ew1|\E+,
dsp=\Ew2|\E+,
With this entry:

• Shift-F1 through Shift-F3 are used for selecting screens 1 through 3.
• Ctrl-F1 creates a new screen.
• Ctrl-F2 sends: Esc w 0 Esc + to the screen (switching to window 0 and clearing the screen) and then
ends dscreen.
• Ctrl-F3 lists the keys and their functions.
Each time a physical screen is used for a new screen, the sequence Esc + will be sent to the terminal,
which will clear the screen.
The following example is for a Wyse-60 with three screen sessions, but one of the screens is on a second
computer communicating through the second serial port on the terminal:

wy60-1|wyse60-1|wyse model 60 - first serial port
dsks=Â`^M|Shift-F1|,
dsks=Âa^M|Shift-F2|,
dsks=Âb^M|Shift-F3|\Ed#Âb\r^T\Ee9,
dskc=\200|Ctrl-F1|,
dske=\201|Ctrl-F2|\Ed#\201^T\Ew0\E+,
dskl=\202|Ctrl-F3|,
dsp=\Ew0|\E+,dsp=\Ew1|\E+,
wy60-2|wyse60-2|wyse model 60 - second serial port
dsks=Â`^M|Shift-F1|\Ed#Â`\r^T\Ee8,
dsks=Âa^M|Shift-F2|\Ed#Âa\r^T\Ee8,
dsks=Âb^M|Shift-F3|,
dskc=\200|Ctrl-F1|,
dske=\201|Ctrl-F2|\Ed#\201^T\Ew0\E+,
dskl=\202|Ctrl-F3|,
dsp=\Ew2|\E+,
dscreen must be run on both computers, with terminal type wy60-1 on the first computer and terminal
type wy60-2 on the second computer (using the -t option to dscreen). The wy60-1 entry will be
examined first.
The first two key entries are unchanged from the original wy60 entry. The third key, however, has type
dskb, which means block both input and output. When this key is pressed, the sequence:
Esc d # Ctrl-A b CR Ctrl-T Esc e 9
is sent to the terminal; after this output is blocked and dscreen continues scanning input for key
sequences but discards all other input.
The sequence Esc d # puts the terminal in transparent print mode, which echoes all characters up to a
Ctrl-T out through the other serial port.
The characters Ctrl-A b CR are sent out the other serial port, informing the dscreen process on the
other computer that it should activate the window associated with the Shift-F3 key.
The Ctrl-T key sequence exits the transparent print mode. The Esc 9 key sequence causes the terminal to
switch to the other AUX serial port for data communications.
At this point, the other computer takes over, sends an Esc w 2 to switch to the third physical screen, and
then resumes normal communication.
The wy60-2 entry follows the same general pattern for keys Shift-F1 and Shift-F2:
• Switch to transparent print mode
• Send function key string to other computer
• Switch transparent print off
• Switch to the other serial port
The end key, Ctrl-F2, works the same for both computers; it sends the end key sequence to the other
computer through the transparent print mechanism, switches the terminal to window 0, clears the screen,
then exits.
Serial over Ethernet device driver

Create virtual serial devices and teletype (tty) devices in the AIX operating system by using the Ethernet
Device Server (EDS) that is supported by the Request for Comments (RFC) 2217 protocol.
With the Serial over Ethernet (SoE) device driver, you can create virtual serial devices and teletype (tty)
devices in the AIX operating system by using the Ethernet Device Server (EDS) that is supported by the
Request for Comments (RFC) 2217 protocol. Examples of EDS include Digi and Perle devices. The
functions of SoE device driver is similar to a real COM (communication) port, for example, 2-port, 8-port
and 128-port adapters.
EDS is also known as an Ethernet Serial Server or Ethernet Terminal Server. An EDS is external non-IBM
equipment to which Ethernet is attached and the equipment contains one or more serial ports (RS/232) to
which external modems can be attached. An EDS is compatible if it supports RFC 2217 (Telnet Com Port

Control Protocol), which is an extension of the Telnet Protocol. By using this protocol, EDS functions as an
RFC 2217 server. An EDS can accept Telnet sessions from RFC 2217 client system and send the received
Telnet data to a COM port. The data that is received at the COM port is sent to the RFC 2217 client system.
An EDS can also send information about the changes in the status of serial devices to the RFC 2217 client
system. The RFC 2217 client system manages the flow control with the EDS and sends configuration
information to the EDS by using this protocol.
The AIX LPAR acts as an RFC 2217 client system. The AIX LPAR establishes a Telnet session to an EDS,
which is an RFC 2217 server. The following figure shows how an AIX LPAR communicates with an EDS to
provide a virtual serial port:
RFC 2217
External modem
RS/232
Ethernet Ethernet
LAN
RS/232
Ethernet Device Server (EDS)
(running on a TCP/IP Telnet
network41
AIX LPAR Server that supports RFC 2217)
(RFC 2217 client) External modem
Figure 41. Configuring the Ethernet Driver Server
Configuring the Ethernet Device Server

Ethernet Device Server (EDS) usually provides a web-based interface for configuration and management.
For example, if a Digi PortServer device has an IP address of 9.5.80.73, you can access the
configuration and management interface by entering the URL http://9.5.80.73 in a web browser.
Each serial port on an EDS has an assigned TCP port number. You can access a specific serial port by
establishing a Telnet session to the EDS IP address and the TCP port number that is assigned to the serial
port, for example, 9.5.80.73:2001. This Telnet session is created internally by the SoE driver.
Configuring the AIX LPAR to create virtual serial port

The SoE device driver maintains the semantics for creating SoE adapter (sa) and teletype (tty) devices in a
similar manner in which a device is created for a physical serial device.
To create a virtual serial port on an AIX LPAR, complete the following steps either by entering the
following commands or by using smit soe menu options.
1. Create an sa device by running the following command. Specify the IP address of an EDS.
# mkdev -c adapter -s pseudo -t soe -a netaddr=EDS_IP_address
Example:
# mkdev -c adapter -s pseudo -t soe -a netaddr=9.126.88.123

sa2 Available
2. Create a tty device by running the following command. Specify the SoE adapter (sa) device that is
displayed in the command output from step 1 and a TCP port.
# mkdev -t tty -s rs232 -p sa_device -w tty_port_number -a -a port_num=TCP_port
Example:

# mkdev -t tty -s rs232 -p sa2 -w 0 -a port_num=2002
tty1 Available
This command creates a tty device in the /dev directory. Any application can use the newly created tty
device to communicate with the target device that is connected to the serial port on an EDS.
Note: Each serial port on an EDS must be configured with a unique TCP port, and each tty device that is
configured by using the SoE device driver must be mapped to this unique port. A tty port on an EDS cannot
be shared by multiple tty devices on the AIX LPAR.
Moving tty terminal devices across asynchronous serial device

A teletype (tty) terminal device can be moved from one asynchronous SoE adapter (sa) serial device
(backing device) to another asynchronous device. It can also be moved from one physical port to another
physical port on the same asynchronous device. The AIX operating system supports both smitty and
command-line options for moving the tty terminal device.
Note:
• The tty terminal device-specific configuration settings, such as baud rate and run modes will not change
after movement to an asynchronous device.
• A tty terminal device cannot be opened by an application or used when the move operation is in
progress.
The asynchronous devices can be a real communication port such as PCI 2-port, 8-port, and 128-port
adapters, or an RFC2217 compliant communication port driver. The SoE device driver is an enumeration
of an EDS.
A tty device from a PCI-based physical asynchronous adapter can be moved to another PCI-based
physical device or from a PCI-based physical asynchronous device to a SoE device or vice versa, or it can
be moved from one SoE device type to another SoE device type.
Consider the scenario in which the tty terminal devices of an SoE device driver have an IP address
192.168.1.1 and you want to change the IP address of the SoE device driver to IP address 10.1.1.1. You
cannot run the chdev command to change the IP address of the SoE device driver until all the associated
tty terminal devices are removed completely by running the rmdev command, or until all the associated
tty terminal devices are moved to a defined state by running the rmdev command. To change the IP
address of an SoE device driver that is backed by an EDS, you can move the tty terminal device to an
asynchronous serial device.
To change the IP address of an SoE device driver, complete the following steps:
1. Create an SoE device driver with the IP address 10.1.1.1.
2. Move all the tty terminal device drivers in the SoE device with IP address 192.1681.1 to the new SoE
device with IP address 10.1.1.1 by using either smitty or the chdev command.
3. Ensure that none of the tty terminal devices are in use or in an open state. To move a tty terminal
device from one port to another port on the same SA device, run the chdev command with the new
port number as an option in the -w flag. A command syntax of the chdev command follows:
chdev -1 <tty device> -w <destionation port number>
For example, to move a tty terminal device from port 0 to port 1, enter the following command:
chdev -1 ttyX -w 1
To move a tty terminal device from one backing device to another backing device, the name of the target
device name must be specified as an option for the -p flag. A command syntax of the chdev command
follows:
chdev -1 <tty device> -p <destination parent>

For example, to move a tty terminal device tty0 from an SA1 serial device to an SA3 serial device, enter
the following command:
chdev -1 tty0 -p sa2
To move a tty terminal device from one physical adapter device such as PCI 2-, 8-, or 128-port adapters
to a SoE device driver (RFC2217 compliant), a TCP port number must be specify through the -a flag as the
port_num attribute.
For example, to move a tty terminal device tty0 from an SA2 serial device to a SA3 serial device, enter the
following command:
chdev -1 tty0 -p sa3 -a 2001
The command syntax to move a tty terminal device from a SoE device driver that is backed by an EDS to
another SoE device that is backed by another EDS follows:
chdev -1 <tty device> -p <destination parent>
For example, to move a tty terminal device from an SA1 serial device (backed by EDS1) to an SA2 serial
device (backed by EDS2), enter the following command:
chdev -1 tty0 -p sa2
Tunable Parameters
The following tunables parameters are available to tune some of the attributes that the SoE device driver
uses:
• idle_timeout: Specifies the amount of time, which is measured in half seconds, which the TCP
connection between an SoE device driver and EDS is idle before TCP keepalive probes are sent to
the device. This value corresponds to the TCP network option tcp_keepidle that is set by an SoE
driver for this TCP connection. The default value is 360.
• probe_interval: Specifies the interval, which is measured in half seconds, between TCP keepalive
packets that are sent to validate the TCP connection that is established to EDS. This value corresponds
to the TCP network option tcp_keepintvl that is set by an SoE driver for this TCP connection. The
default value is 10.
• probe_count: Specifies the number of TCP keepalive probes that can be sent to the device before
terminating the TCP connection that is established with the EDS. This value corresponds to the TCP
network option tcp_keepcnt that is set by an SoE driver for this TCP connection. The default value is
24.
Troubleshooting common errors

If either an EDS or the SoE device driver is not configured properly, when the tty device is created on the
AIX LPAR, the tty device state might move to a DOWN or ERROR state. If the device driver is configured
correctly, the state of the tty device must be UP. The tty device state is displayed by the soestat
command that can be used to troubleshoot problems.
The state of the tty device can be DOWN because of the following reasons:
• IP address or port number might be wrong on an SoE device driver or on an EDS.
• EDS might not be reachable from the AIX LPAR in which an SoE device driver is configured because of
improper network configuration or improper network topology.
• Multiple tty devices are created by using the same TCP port number on an EDS.
The state of the tty device can be ERROR because of the following reasons:
• RFC 2217 mode is not selected in an EDS. Refer the EDS manufacturer’s document to identify how to
configure RFC 2217 mode.

• The provided IP address is not of an EDS, but of some other machine, which is reachable from the AIX
LPAR in which the SoE device driver is configured.
Note: A tty device cannot be recovered from an ERROR state and used further. After you fix the issue, you
must manually remove the tty device that is in the ERROR state and re-create a tty device, or move the tty
to the defined state and move it again to available state.
Generic data link control environment

Generic data link control (GDLC) is a generic interface definition that allows application and kernel users a
common set of commands to control data link control (DLC) device managers within the operating system.
For problem determination, see GDLC Problem Determination in Communications Programming Concepts.
Generic data link control (GDLC) is a generic interface definition that provides application and kernel users
a common set of commands to control DLC device managers within the operating system.
The GDLC interface specifies requirements for entry point definitions, functions provided, and data
structures for all DLC device managers. DLCs that conform to the GDLC interface include:
• 8023 (IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet)
• ETHER (Standard Ethernet)
• SDLC (Synchronous Data Link Control)
• TOKEN (Token-Ring)
• FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)
DLC device managers perform higher-layer protocols and functions beyond the scope of a kernel device
driver. However, the managers reside within the kernel for maximum performance and use a kernel device
driver for their I/O requests to the adapter. A DLC user is located above or within the kernel.
Synchronous data link control (SDLC) and IEEE 802.2 Data Link Control are examples of DLC device
managers. Each DLC device manager operates with a specific device driver or set of device drivers. SDLC,
for example, operates with the multiprotocol device driver for the system's product and its associated
adapter.
The basic structure of a DLC environment is shown in the "DLC Device Manager Environment" figure. Users
within the kernel have access to the communications memory buffers (mbufs) and call the add entry
points through the fp kernel services. Users above the kernel access the standard interface-to-kernel
device drivers, and the file system calls the dd entry points. Data transfers require a move of data
between user and kernel space.
Figure 42. DLC device manager environment

This illustration shows the link between the application user and the adapter (hardware level). The areas
in between are Kernel User, File I/O Subsystem, DLC Device Manager, Comm I/O Device Driver, and the
Buffer Pool. These "in-between" entities are at the Kernel Level.
The components of the DLC device manager environment are:
Item Description
Application User Resides above the kernel as an application or access method.
Kernel User Resides within the kernel as a kernel process or device manager.
File I/O Subsystem Converts the file-descriptor and file-pointer subroutines to file
pointer accesses of the switch table.
Buffer Pool Provides data-buffer services for the communications subsystem.
Comm I/O Device Driver Controls hardware adapter I/O and direct memory access (DMA)
registers, and routes receive packets to multiple DLCs.
Adapter Attaches to the communications media.
A device manager written in accordance with GDLC specifications runs on all the operating system
hardware configurations containing a communications device driver and its target adapter. Each device
manager supports multiple users above as well as multiple device drivers and adapters below. In general,
users operate concurrently over a single adapter, or each user operates over multiple adapters. DLC
device managers vary based on their protocol constraints.
Figure 43 on page 669 illustrates a multiple user configuration:
Figure 43. Multiple user and multiple adapter configuration
This illustration is another view of the kernel level between the application user and the adapter. It shows
multiple entities representing multiple users.
GDLC criteria
A GDLC interface must meet the following criteria.
• Be flexible and accessible to both application and kernel users.
• Have multiple user and multiple adapter capability, allowing protocols to take advantage of multiple
sessions and ports.
• Support both connection-oriented and connectionless services where possible.
• Allow transparent data transfer for special requirements beyond the scope of the DLC device manager in
use.
GDLC interface
Each DLC device manager is a standard /dev entry operating in the kernel as a multiplexed device
manager for a specified protocol.
For an adapter not in use by DLC, each open subroutine to a DLC device manager creates a kernel
process. An open subroutine is also issued to the target adapter device handler. If needed, issue
additional open subroutines for multiple DLC adapter ports of the same protocol. Any open subroutine
targeting the same port does not create additional kernel processes, but links the open subroutine with
the existing process. There is always one kernel process for each port in use.

The internal structure of a DLC device manager has the same basic structure as a kernel device handler,
except that a kernel process replaces the interrupt handler in asynchronous events. The read, write, I/O
control, and select blocks function as shown in the "Standard Kernel Device Manager" figure.
Figure 44. Standard kernel device manager
This illustration shows the internal structure of a DLC device manager. This structure consists of a Write,
I/O Control, Read, Select, and Interrupt Handler. The Device Manager receives information from the user
where it is passed to the various areas before it is passed on to the Device Handler.
GDLC data link controls

You can install DLCs separately or in a group. A DLC device manager is automatically added into the kernel
and set to the "Available" state for each type of DLC installed.
Installation can be verified by issuing the lslpp command as follows:
lslpp -h dlctype
where dlctype is one of the following:
Item Description
bos.dlc.8023 IEEE Ethernet (802.3) Data Link Control
bos.dlc.ether Standard Ethernet Data Link Control
bos.dlc.fddi FDDI Data Link Control
bos.dlc.sdlc SDLC Data Link Control
bos.dlc.token Token-Ring Data Link Control
Information about an installed DLC can be displayed through the System Management Interface Tool
(SMIT), or the command line. On heavily used systems or communications ports, it might be necessary
to change the DLC attributes to fine-tune the DLC performance. If receive performance is slow, and the
system error log indicates that ring queue overflow is occurring between the DLC and its device handler,
increase the DLC queue depth for incoming data. Finally, it is advisable to remove an installed DLC from
the kernel when it is not needed for a lengthy period of time. This removal does not remove the DLC
from the system, but allows kernel resources to be freed for other tasks until the DLC is needed again.
Instructions for all of these tasks are in “DLC device driver management” on page 673.
GDLC interface ioctl entry point operations

The generic data link control (GDLC) interface supports these ioctl subroutine operations.
Item Description
DLC_ENABLE_SAP Enables a service access point (SAP).
DLC_DISABLE_SAP Disables a SAP.
DLC_START_LS Starts a link station on a particular SAP as a caller or listener.
DLC_HALT_LS Halts a link station.
DLC_TRACE Traces a link station's activity for short or long activities.
DLC_CONTACT Contacts a remote station for a particular local link station.

Item Description
DLC_TEST Tests the link to a remote for a particular local link station.
DLC_ALTER Alters a link station's configuration parameters.
DLC_QUERY_SAP Queries statistics of a particular SAP.
DLC_QUERY_LS Queries statistics of a particular link station.
DLC_ENTER_LBUSY Enters local-busy mode on a particular link station.
DLC_EXIT_LBUSY Exits local-busy mode on a particular link station.
DLC_ENTER_SHOLD Enters short-hold mode on a particular link station.
DLC_EXIT_SHOLD Exits short-hold mode on a particular link station.
DLC_GET_EXCEP Returns asynchronous exception notifications to the application user.
Note: This ioctl subroutine operation is not used by the kernel user
since all exception conditions are passed to the kernel user through their
exception handler.
DLC_ADD_GRP Adds a group or multicast receive address to a port.

DLC_DEL_GRP Removes a group or multicast receive address from a port.
DLC_ADD_FUNC_ADDR Adds a group or multicast receive functional address to a port.
DLC_DEL_FUNC_ADDR Removes a group or multicast receive functional address from a port.
IOCINFO Returns a structure that describes the GDLC device manager. See
the /usr/include/sys/devinfo.h file format for more information.
GDLC service access point

A service access point (SAP) identifies a particular user service that sends and receives a specific class of
data.
This allows different classes of data to be routed separately to their corresponding service handlers.
Those DLCs that support multiple concurrent SAPs have addresses known as Destination SAP and Source
SAP imbedded in their packet headers. DLCs that can only support a single SAP do not need or use SAP
addressing, but still have the concept of enabling the one SAP. In general, there is a SAP enabled for each
DLC user on each port.
Most SAP address values are defined by IEEE standardized network-management entities or user-defined
values as specified in the Token-Ring Network Architecture Reference. Some of the common SAP
addresses are:
Item Description
Null SAP (0x00) Provides some ability to respond to remote nodes even
when no SAP has been enabled. This SAP supports only
connectionless service and responds only to exchange
identification (XID) and TEST Link Protocol Data Units
(LPDUs).
SNA Path Control (0x04) Denotes the default individual SAP address used by
Systems Network Architecture (SNA) nodes.
PC Network NETBIOS (0xF0) Used for all DLC communication that is driven by Network
Basic Input/Output System (NetBIOS) emulation.
Discovery SAP (0xFC) Used by the local area network (LAN) name-discovery
services.
Global SAP (0xFF) Identifies all active SAPs.

GDLC link station
A link station (LS) identifies an attachment between two nodes for a particular SAP pair.
This attachment can operate as a connectionless service (datagram) or connection-oriented service
(fully sequenced data transfer with error recovery). In general, there is one LS started for each remote
attachment.
GDLC Local-Busy mode

When an LS is operating in a connection-oriented mode, it needs to stop the remote station's sending
of information packets for reasons such as resource outage. Notification can then be sent to the remote
station to cause the local station to enter local-busy mode.
After resources become available, the local station notifies the remote that it is no longer busy and that
information packets can flow again. Only sequenced information packets are halted with local-busy mode.
All other types of data are unaffected.
GDLC Short-Hold mode

You can use the short-hold mode of operation when operating over certain data networks.
Short-hold mode is useful with data networks that have the following characteristics:
• Short call-setup time
• Tariff structure that specifies a relatively small fee for the call setup compared to the charge for connect
time.
During short-hold mode, an attachment between two stations is maintained only while there is data
available for transfer between the two stations. When there is no data to send, the attachment is cleared
after a specified timeout period and only reestablished when there is new data to transfer.
GDLC link testing and tracing

To test an attachment between two stations, instruct an LS to send a test packet from the local station.
This packet is echoed back from the remote station if the attachment is operating correctly.
Some data links are limited in their support of this function due to protocol constraints. SDLC, for
example, only generates the test packet from the host or primary station. Most other protocols, however,
allow test packets to be initiated from either station.
To trace a link, line data, and special events (such as station activation, termination, and time outs), obtain
a generic trace channel and instruct an LS to write its trace logs into the generic trace facility for each LS.
This function helps determine the cause of certain communications attachment problems. Both short and
long trace entries are supported.
GDLC statistics
Both SAP and LS statistics can be queried by a GDLC user.
The statistics for a SAP consist of the current SAP state and information about the device handler.
LS statistics consist of the current station states and various reliability, availability, and serviceability
counters that monitor the activity of the station from the time it is started.
GDLC special kernel services

Generic data link control (GDLC) provides special services for a kernel user.
However, a trusted environment must exist within the kernel. Instead of the DLC device manager copying
asynchronous event data into user space, the kernel user must specify function pointers to special
routines called function handlers. Function handlers are called by the DLC at the time of execution. This
allows maximum performance between the kernel user and the DLC layers. Each kernel user is required to

restrict the number of function handlers to a minimum path length and use the communications memory
buffer (mbuf) scheme.
A function handler must never call another DLC entry directly. This is because direct calls are made under
lock, causing a fatal sleep. The only exception to this rule is that a kernel user might call the dlcwritex
entry point during its service of any of the four receive data functions. Calling the dlcwritex entry
point allows immediate responses to be generated without an intermediate task switch. Special logic is
required within the DLC device manager to check the process identification of the user calling a write
operation. If it is a DLC process and the internal queuing capability of the DLC has been exceeded, the
write is sent back with a bad return code (EAGAIN return value) instead of putting the calling process
(DLC) to sleep. It is then up to the calling user subroutine to return a special notification to the DLC from
its receive data function to ensure a retry of the receive buffer at a later time.
The user-provided function handlers are:
Item Description
Datagram Data Received Routine Called any time a datagram packet is received for
the kernel user.
Exception Condition Routine Called any time an asynchronous event occurs that
must notify the kernel user, such as SAP Closed or
Station Contacted.
I-Frame Data Received Routine Called each time a normal sequenced data packet
is received for the kernel user.
Network Data Received Routine Called any time network-specific data is received
for the kernel user.
XID Data Received Routine Called any time an exchange identification (XID)
packet is received for the kernel user.
The dlcread and dlcselect entry points for DLC are not called by the kernel user because the
asynchronous functional entries are called directly by the DLC device manager. Generally, any queuing
of these events must occur in the user's function handler. If, however, the kernel user cannot handle a
particular receive packet, the DLC device manager may hold the last receive buffer and enter one of two
special user-busy modes:
User-Terminated Busy Mode (I-frame only)
If the kernel user cannot handle a received I-frame (due to problems such as queue blockage), a
DLC_FUNC_BUSY return code is given back, and DLC holds the buffer pointer and enters local-busy
mode to stop the remote station's I-frame transmissions. The kernel user must call the Exit Local Busy
function to reset local-busy mode and start the reception of I-frames again. Only normal sequenced
I-frames can be stopped. XID, datagram, and network data are not affected by local-busy mode.
Timer-Terminated Busy Mode (all frame types)
If the kernel user cannot handle a particular receive packet and wants DLC to hold the receive buffer
for a short period and then re-call the user receive function, a DLC_FUNC_RETRY return code is given
back to DLC. If the receive packet is a sequenced I-frame, the station enters local-busy mode for that
period. In all cases, a timer is started; once the timer expires, the receive data functional entry is
called again.
DLC device driver management

A DLC must be added to the system prior to use.
Each installed DLC is automatically added after installation and at each system restart (see “GDLC data
link controls” on page 670). If a DLC has been removed without a subsequent restart, it can be re-added.

Table 112. Tasks for managing DLC device drivers
Add an Installed DLC Choose one (by device driver mkdev2
name): smit cmddlc_sdlc
smit cmddlc_token
smit cmddlc_qllc smit
cmddlc_ether1 smit
cmddlc_fddi then select Add
Change DLC Attributes3,4 Choose one (by device driver chdev2
name): smit cmddlc_sdlc_ls
smit cmddlc_token_ls
smit cmddlc_qllc_ls smit
cmddlc_ether_ls1 smit
cmddlc_fddi_ls
Start DLC Local Area Network smit trace trace -j nnn where the value
Monitor Trace5 nnn is the hook ID to be traced
Stop DLC Local Area Network smit trcstop trcstop2
Monitor Trace
Generate DLC Local Area smit trcrpt trcrpt -d nnn where the value
Network Monitor Trace Report nnn is the hook ID to be reported
List Current DLC Information3 Choose one (by device driver lsdev2 or lsattr2
name): smit cmddlc_sdlc_ls
smit cmddlc_token_ls
smit cmddlc_qllc_ls smit
cmddlc_ether_ls1 smit
cmddlc_fddi_ls
Remove a DLC3,6 Choose one (by device driver rmdev2
name): smit cmddlc_sdlc_rm
smit cmddlc_token_rm
smit cmddlc_qllc_rm smit
cmddlc_ether_rm1 smit
cmddlc_fddi_rm
Note:
1. The SMIT fast path for an Ethernet device manager includes both Standard Ethernet and IEEE 802.3
Ethernet device managers.
2. Details about command line options are provided in the command descriptions for the mkdev, chdev,
trace, trcstop, trcrpt, lsdev, lsattr, and rmdev commands.
3. A DLC must be installed and added before you can list, show, change, or remove its attributes (see
“GDLC data link controls” on page 670). An attribute change is only successful if there are no active
opens against the target DLC. Before issuing the change action, the user might have to stop services
such as SNA, OSI, or NetBIOS from using the DLC.
4. Changing the receive-queue size directly affects system resources. Make this change only if the DLC is
having receive-queue problems, such as sluggish performance or overflows between the DLC and its
device handler.
5. Exercise caution when enabling the monitor trace since it directly affects the performance of the DLCs
and their associates.
6. Removing a DLC is only successful if there are no active opens against the target DLC. Before issuing
the remove action, the user may have to stop services such as SNA, OSI, or NetBIOS from using the
DLC.

Communications and networks adapters reference
Different configuration scenarios for both PCI adapters and asynchronous adapters can be referenced
here.
PCI adapters
Installation and configuration information for PCI adapters is introduced here.
Topics discussed are support and configuration for the PCI Wide Area Network (WAN) adapters (“2-Port
Multiprotocol HDLC network device driver ” on page 675 and “ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter” on page 676).
2-Port Multiprotocol HDLC network device driver

The 2-Port Multiprotocol adapter high-level data link control (HDLC) device driver is a component of the
communication I/O subsystem. This device driver provides support for the HDLC operation over the 2-Port
Multiprotocol adapter at speeds up to 1.544Mbps.
The following options provide access to the 2-Port Multiprotocol HDLC Network device driver:
• Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
• The synchronous data link control (SDLC) version of the GDLC Programming Interface
• User-written applications compatible with the SDLC MPQP-API (Multiprotocol Quad Port-Application
Programming Interface)
Note: The above options require use of the mpcn special file, which allows access to the 2-Port
Multiprotocol adapter's HDLC device driver through the SDLC COMIO device driver emulation subsystem.
This subsystem must be installed and configured for each HDLC network device.
• User-written applications compatible with the HDLC Common Data Link Interface (CDLI) API
The 2-port Multiprotocol adapter device driver allows connectivity to remote host systems using the
2-port Multiprotocol adapter, either directly over a leased line or over switched circuits. The device driver
can provide a gateway between work group environments and remote data processing facilities.
2-Port Multiprotocol adapter configuration

Use these explanations to configure a 2-Port Multiprotocol adapter.
Table 113. Tasks for configuring the 2-port Multiprotocol adapter

Task SMIT fast path
Add a device driver to the adapter smit mkhdlcdpmpdd
Reconfigure the device driver on the adapter smit chhdlcdpmpdd
Remove a device driver on the adapter smit rmhdlcdpmpdd
Make a defined device driver available smit cfghdlcdpmpdd
Add an SDLC COMIO emulator on the adapter smit mksdlcsciedd
Reconfigure the SDLC COMIO emulator on the smit chsdlcsciedd
adapter
Remove an SDLC COMIO emulator on the adapter smit rmsdlcsciedd
Make a defined SDLC COMIO emulator available smit cfgsdlcsciedd

ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter
The ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter MPQP COMIO device driver emulator is a component of the communication
I/O subsystem. This device driver provides support for the ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter at a maximum speed
of 2M bps.
The modems used must provide the clocking, since only external clocking is supported.
The following options provide access to the ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter MPQP COMIO device driver:
• Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
• The generic data link control (GDLC) Programming Interface
• User-written applications compatible with the MPQP-API (Multiprotocol Quad Port-Application
Programming Interface), such as SDLC and BiSync applications.
These options require use of the mpqx special file, which allows access to the ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter
through the MPQP COMIO emulation device driver. This device driver must be installed and configured for
each port on the ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter. The mpqx special file resides in the /dev directory.
Note: The x in mpqx specifies the instance of the device driver; for example, mpq0.
The MPQP COMIO emulation device driver allows connectivity to remote host systems using the
ARTIC960Hx PCI adapter, either directly over a leased line. The device driver can provide a gateway
between work group environments and remote data processing facilities.
MPQP COMIO emulation driver configuration over the ARTIC960Hx PCI

adapter
Use these explanations to configure the MPQP COMIO emulation driver over the ARTIC960Hx PCI
adapter.
Table 114. Tasks for configuring the MPQP COMIO emulation driver
Task SMIT fast path
Add a device driver smit mktsdd
Reconfigure the MPQP COMIO emulation driver smit chtsdd
Remove a device driver smit rmtsdd
Configure a defined device driver smit cfgtsdd
Add a port smit mktsdports
Reconfigure an MPQP COMIO emulation port smit chtsdports
Remove a port smit rmtsdports
Configure a defined port smit cfgtsdports
Trace the MPQP COMIO emulation driver smit trace_link
Asynchronous adapters
The standard, 8-port, and 16-port asynchronous adapters that are listed in this table.
The following table summarizes these products:

Table 115. Asynchronous adapters
Asynchronous Bus Type Feature Code Maximum Data Rate Salient Features
Attachment or Machine per Port (KBits/sec)
Type (Model)
8-Port EIA 232 Micro Channel 2930 76.8 Pervasive
standard
8-Port EIA 422A Micro Channel 2940 76.8 Greater distance
8-port MIL-STD 188 Micro Channel 2950 Selectable based on MIL-STD
baud rate generator 188-114 for
clock speed of UART. unbalanced
voltage digital
interface
8-port EIA 232 ISA 2931 115.2 Greater efficiency
8-port EIA 232 ISA 2932 115.2 Greater efficiency
8-port EIA 422 PCI 2943 230 Greater efficiency
16-Port EIA 232 Micro Channel 2955 76.8 Local connection
focus
16-Port EIA 422A Micro Channel 2957 76.8 Greater distance
- ISA 2933 - -
- PCI 2944 - -
The following table shows the detailed product characteristics.
Table 116. Asynchronous Attachment Product Characteristics

Native Serial
Ports 8-port 16-port 128-port with RAN
MC ISA MC ISA
Number of n/a 8 8 16 128 128
asynchronous
ports per adapter
Maximum number n/a 8 7 8 7 7
of adapters
Maximum number 2 or 3 64 56 128 896 896
of asynchronous
ports
Number of n/a n/a n/a n/a 16 16
asynchronous
ports per RAN
Maximum number n/a n/a n/a n/a 56 56
of RANs
Maximum speed Selectable 76.8 115.2 76.8 230 230
(KBits/sec) based on
baud rate
generator
clock speed
of UART.

Table 116. Asynchronous Attachment Product Characteristics (continued)
Native Serial
Ports 8-port 16-port 128-port with RAN
Attachment standard direct direct direct node node
method
Asynchronous EIA 232 EIA 232 EIA EIA 232 EIA EIA 232 EIA EIA 232 EIA EIA 232 EIA
electrical 422A4MIL- 422A 422A 422 422
interfaces STD4188-11
supported 44
Standard DB25M/ DB25M DB25M DB25M RJ-452 RJ-452
connector MODU
DB25 cable n/a n/a n/a n/a RJ-45-DB25 RJ-45-DB25
options
Rack mount option n/a n/a n/a n/a yes yes
Power supply n/a n/a n/a n/a external external
Signals supported TxD RxD RTS TxD RxD RTS TxD RxD RTS TxD RxD TxD RxD RTS TxD RxD RTS
(EIA 232) CTS DTR DSR RTS CTS DTR CTS DTR DSR RTS3-DTR CTS DTR CTS DTR DSR
DCD RI DSR DCD RI DCD RI -DCD - DSR DCD RI DCD RI
Note:
1. Socket accepts 8p RJ-45, 6p RJ-11, or 4p RJ-11 plugs with a reduction in signals supported.
2. RTS is tied high (+12V) in the fanout connector box of the 16-port interface cable EIA 232 (FC 2996).
3. Micro Channel Only.
Each product offering is characterized by a representative scenario for its strengths. The following are
recommendations for each:
Related concepts
TTY terminal device
A tty terminal device is a character device that performs input and output on a character-by-character
basis.
Related information
2-Port Asynchronous EIA-232 PCI Adapter Installation and Using Guide
8-Port Micro Channel

The features of the 8-port Micro Channel adapter include a Micro Channel bus slot available for
asynchronous I/O.
Other features include the following:
• Fewer than eight ports with little or no expansion.
• All local terminals located within 61 meters (200 feet) from the system.
• Remote terminals needed (support through OEM multiplexer/modem).
• Device bandwidth demand low to moderate (up to 76.8 Kbps).
8-Port ISA bus EIA 232 or EIA 232/EIA 422

The features of the 8-Port ISA bus EIA 232 or EIA 232/EIA 422 adapter include an ISA slot.
• Fewer than eight ports required with little or no expansion.

• Requires all EIA 232, all EIA 422, or a mix of EIA 232 and EIA 422 ports.
• Offload character interrupt and terminal I/O processing from the main CPU.
• Asynchronous speeds to 115.2 Kbps.
• Maximum performance for high speed (28.8 Kbps) modems with data compression.
16-Port Micro Channel

The features of the 16-port Micro Channel adapter include a Micro Channel bus slot available for
asynchronous I/O.
• Eight ports now, fewer than 16 ports with little or no expansion.
• All local terminals located within 61 meters (200 feet) from the system.
• Remote terminals needed (support through OEM multiplexer/modem).
• Devices do not need all EIA 232 signals.
• Device bandwidth demand low to moderate (up to 38.4 Kbps for asynchronous devices).
128-Port adapter (Micro Channel, ISA)

The features of the 128-port Micro Channel or ISA adapter include sixteen ports with expansion of up to
128 ports without additional slots.
• A Micro Channel, ISA, or PCI bus slot available for asynchronous I/O. (For further information about PCI,
see “Product selection considerations” on page 585.)
• Most distant terminal located about 300 meters (1000 feet) from the system at maximum data rate for
Micro Channel and ISA Adapters.
• Terminals planned: nearby or on premises, distant on premises, and remote.
• Need high asynchronous throughput with low processor demand.
• Need terminal attached printer capability.
• Need to connect to remote premises through fiber-optic or synchronous modems.
Listing defined Micro Channel 128-Port asynchronous adapters using SMIT

Use this procedure to list all defined 128-port asynchronous adapters regardless of whether they are
available.
1. Use the smit lsd128psync fast path. The system scans for the information and displays it.
2. Exit the SMIT interface.
8-Port asynchronous ISA/PCI adapter

The 8-port asynchronous ISA adapter is a multichannel, intelligent, serial communications feature
available for POWER processor-based computers.
The ISA adapters contain 128K of dual-ported high-speed Random Access Memory (RAM) used for
program code and data buffering. The asynchronous ports are run by a 32-bit 16 MHz IDT 3041 processor
that supports throughput speeds of 115 Kbps.
The 3041 processor and dual-ported RAM help to offload much of the character processing from the
system. Large blocks of data are transferred directly to the adapter, and then sent out on serial ports one
character at a time.
The dual-ported RAM is accessible for read and write operations by both the adapter and the computer.
The computer sees the dual ported RAM as its own memory and accesses it using the same high-speed
memory referencing commands it uses for internal memory.

The 8-port EIA 232 ISA adapter supports EIA 232 devices only. This adapter requires the device package
devices.isa.cxia to be installed on the system.
The 8-port EIA 232/422 ISA adapter supports EIA 232 and EIA 422 devices. Both device types
may be configured in any combination on a per-port basis. This adapter requires the device package
devices.isa.pc8s to be installed on the system.
The above packages require the devices.common.IBM.cx package.
Installing 8-Port adapters

ISA adapters cannot be autodetected by the operating system and must be manually installed.
1. To configure the IBM 8-Port asynchronous EIA 232/EIA 422 ISA adapters, use the smit mkdev_isa
fast path to access the Add an ISA Adapter screen.
2. Select pcxr (for the 8-port EIA 232 adapter) or pc8s (for the 8-port EIA 232/EIA 422 adapter) and
press Enter.
3. Select the appropriate bus and press Enter.
4. In the Bus I/O Address field, set the address to the address of the adapter (set by DIP switches on
the adapter). For additional information on DIP switches, refer to the 8 Port Asynchronous ISA Adapter
Installation Guide. The remainder of the adapter configuration is done automatically when the system
displays saX Available.
5. When you have finished, select Do.
stty-cxma is a utility program that sets and displays the terminal options for the Micro Channel 128-port
and the ISA 8- and 128-port adapters and is located in /usr/lbin/tty directory. The format is:
stty-cxma [-a] [option(s)] [ttyname]
With no options, stty-cxma displays all special driver settings, modem signals, and all standard
parameters displayed by stty(1) for the tty device referenced by standard input. Command options
are provided to change flow control settings, set transparent print options, force modem control lines, and
display all tty settings. Any unrecognized options are passed to stty(1) for interpretation. The options
are the same as those used for PCI adapters. For more information, see “stty-cxma terminal options” on
page 625.
Standard I/O ports

Most system unit models have two integrated (standard) EIA 232 asynchronous serial ports.
The model M20/M2A features a single integrated asynchronous serial port that can be converted to
support two serial devices using an optional fanout cable. EIA 232 asynchronous serial devices can be
attached directly to the standard serial ports using standard serial cables with 9-pin or 25-pin D-shell
connectors.
Note: For the Itanium-based platform, EIA 232 asynchronous serial devices can be attached
directly to the standard serial ports using standard serial cables with 9-pin D-shell connectors.
The machines capable of multiprocessing have three serial ports.
Configuring an EIA 232 asynchronous terminal device

This procedure allows you to define and configure a tty device connected to a standard serial port, an
8-port, or 16-port asynchronous adapter.
1. Use the smit mktty fast path to access the Add a TTY menu.
2. Select Add a TTY.
3. Select tty rs232 Asynchronous Terminal.
4. Make a selection from the available standard I/O, 8-port, or 16-port adapters displayed on the screen.
If no adapters are displayed or if they are in a defined state, check the configuration, cabling, and
setup again.
5. In the displayed dialog fields, you can add or change the tty attributes.

Configuring an EIA 232 asynchronous printer/plotter device

This procedure allows you to define and configure a printer/plotter device connected to a standard serial
port, an 8-port asynchronous adapter, or a 16-port asynchronous adapter.
1. To create a printer/plotter device on an asynchronous adapter, use the smit pdp fast path to access
the Printer/Plotter Devices menu.
2. Select Add a Printer/Plotter.
3. Make a selection from the list of printer and plotter types shown on the screen, and press Enter.
For this example, the following selection was made:
osp Other serial printer
4. Select the rs232 option.

5. Make a selection from the available 8-port controllers on the screen. If no controllers are displayed or
if they are shown in a defined state, check the configuration, cabling, and setup again.
6. In the displayed dialog fields, you can add or change the printer/plotter device attributes.
8-Port Micro Channel asynchronous adapters

The family of asynchronous adapters is based on a common functional design. The individual adapter
characteristics, however, are determined by the supported device interfaces.
Note: The following section is not applicable to the Itanium-based platform.
The family consists of three adapters:
• 8-Port Asynchronous Adapter - EIA 232
• 8-Port Asynchronous Adapter - MIL-STD-188
• 8-Port Asynchronous Adapter - EIA 422A
The family of 8-port adapters is based on the dual universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter
(DUART) chip providing two serial communications channels.
The following sections contain detailed information about 8-port adapters.
8-Port asynchronous adapter - EIA 232

The EIA 232 is an 8-Port asynchronous adapter that provides support for attaching a maximum of eight
EIA 232D asynchronous serial devices (such as modems, terminals, plotters, and printers) to a system
unit.
The system must be based on a Micro Channel bus or an ISA bus and support up to eight 8-port adapters.
This adapter is fully programmable and supports asynchronous communications only. It can also add and
remove start and stop bits and supports even, odd, or no parity on serial data. A programmable baud
rate generator allows operation from 50 to 38,400 bps for the Micro Channel bus and 50 to 115,200 bps
for the ISA bus. The adapters support 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-bit characters with 1, 1.5, or 2 stop bits. A priority
interrupt system controls transmit, receive, error, line status, and data set interrupts.
Installing the 8-Port asynchronous adapter

The 8-port asynchronous adapter fits into a single Micro Channel slot in the system. Use these steps to
install the adapter.
1. Verify that all users are logged off the system and run the following command:
shutdown -F
2. When the shutdown command completes, turn the system power switch to the off position.
3. Open the system case and insert the 8-port asynchronous adapter into a free Micro Channel slot.

4. Attach the 78-pin D-shell connector from the 8-port interface cable to the 8-port adapter.
5. Put the cover panels back on the system unit.
6. Push the system power switch to the on position. The system will recognize and configure the 8-port
adapter during the boot process.
7. After the boot completes, log in using the root user ID boot process.
lsdev -Cc adapter | pg
Only those adapters that are in an available state are ready for use by the system.
If the newly installed adapter is not available, then verify:
• The adapter is installed correctly into the Micro Channel slot.
• All necessary cabling is attached and fitted tightly into place.
• Run the command: errpt -a | pg and examine the system error report for problems relating to the
adapters.
• Run the command: cfgmgr -v | pg. This command will attempt to reconfigure the adapter without
rebooting. Observe the paged output for errors.
If running cfgmgr fails, a reboot will be necessary.
8-Port asynchronous adapter hardware information

The system interface presents a 3-bit address and 8-bit data as well as control lines to the DUART chip.
Data from the system interface is serialized for transmission to an external device. The serial data can
include a parity bit at the byte boundary. Conversely, data from an external device is deserialized for
transmission to the system interface. This data may also include a parity bit, which can be optionally
checked. As an option, the channel can operate in first-in-first-out (FIFO) mode.
In FIFO mode, up to 16 bytes can be buffered in both the transmitter and receiver. The serial interface
uses start-stop protocol for both data transmission and reception. That is, each byte (plus the parity bit)
is framed by one or more start bits and stop bits, which allows synchronization on an individual character
(byte) basis.
The DUART chip uses a 12.288 MHz oscillator to generate its internal timing to drive the transmitter and
receiver logic. The channel supports full duplex operation. Four DUART chips are implemented on each
8-port adapter.
Thirteen system-accessible registers are available. Programmable features on each channel include:
• Character length: 5, 6, 7, or 8 bits
• Parity generation/detection: Even, odd, or none
• Number of stop bits: 1, 1.5, or 2
• Enable/disable interrupts. Received data available
• Transmitter holding register empty
• Line status
• Overrun error
• Parity error
• Framing error
• Break.
The following table is a summary of port (device interface) characteristics for the adapters.
Table 117. 8-Port asynchronous adapter port characteristics

Parameter EIA 232 MIL-STD 188 EIA 422A
Topology Point to Point Point to Point Point to Point

Table 117. 8-Port asynchronous adapter port characteristics (continued)
Parameter EIA 232 MIL-STD 188 EIA 422A
Maximum data rate 138.4Kbps (MC)/115.2 138.4Kbps 138.4Kbps
(ISA)
Transmission media Multiconductor Multiconductor Multiconductor
Number of cable 9 including signal ground 9 including signal ground 5 including signal ground
wires
Maximum cable 61 m (200 feet) 130 m at 38.4Kbps 1200 m < 90Kbps
length
Device connector 25-pin D 25-pin D 25-pin D
Electrical interface Unbalanced Unbalanced Balanced
Bit encoding Digital bi-level Digital bi-level Digital bi-level
The interrupt arbitration logic sets priority for adapters according to the following scheme:
Adapter Priority
1 Highest
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 Lowest
Communications channel priority

The DUART channels with pending interrupts are serviced according to a fixed-priority scheme.
The highest priority is assigned to port 0. Next in priority is port 1, and so forth. The lowest priority is port
7.
8-Port asynchronous adapters interrupt logic description

The interrupt logic is divided into interrupt generation logic and interrupt arbitration logic.
Both logic sections are implemented on every 8-port adapter. The interrupt generation logic provides
the interface to the system. This logic generates the system interrupt requests and contains the interrupt-
sharing circuitry.
The function of the interrupt arbitration logic is to identify the 8-port adapter with the highest priority
interrupt pending. The logic then places the interrupt information for the highest priority port in the
Interrupt Arbitration register. This is accomplished in one read operation.
The interrupt arbitration logic is unique to the 8-port adapter and should not be confused with the Micro
Channel arbitration logic.
8-Port interrupt generation logic

The asynch adapter implements eight system interrupt request lines.
The adapter implements the following eight system interrupt request lines:
• IRQ 3
• IRQ 5
• IRQ 9
• IRQ 10
• IRQ 11
• IRQ 12

• IRQ 14
• IRQ 15
Only one request line is active during normal operation. All 8-port adapters in one system should use
the same interrupt level for optimal system performance. The active line is selected by writing to the
appropriate POS register during the setup cycle. The adapter supports interrupt sharing and implements
an open collector configuration. In this arrangement, the interrupt line is pulled high by a system pull-up
resistor. The adapter pulls the line low to indicate an active interrupt request.
8-Port interrupt arbitration logic

The interrupt arbitration logic determines the priority for software service when two or more 8-port or
16-port adapters generate interrupts.
Up to eight 8-port adapters can co-reside and concurrently operate in a system. This logic provides
the system with adapter and port identification as well as the interrupt type in a single read operation.
After an interrupt request is detected, the system reads the 16-bit interrupt arbitration register, which is
located at I/O address 0130.
8-Port asynchronous adapters MIL-STD 188 interface signals

These interface signals are implemented on each port of the adapter.
Signal Definition
Tx Data Transmit Data
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
DSR Data Set Ready
Rx Data Receive Data
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DTR Data Terminal Ready
RI Ring Indicator
Sig Gnd Signal Ground
8-Port MIL-STD 188 signal voltage levels

Voltage levels for the MIL-STD 188 Adapter can be explained through normal mark and space polarity or
mark and space polarity inversion.
Voltage levels for the MIL-STD 188 Adapter are explained in the following sections:
• Normal Mark and Space Polarity
• Mark and Space Polarity Inversion.
The signal is in the mark state when the voltage on the interchange circuit, measured at the interface
point, is less than -4 V dc with respect to the signal ground. The signal is in the space state when the
voltage is greater than +4 V dc with respect to the signal ground. The region between +4 V dc and -4 V dc
is defined as the transition region and is not a valid level. The voltage that is less than -6 V dc or greater
than +6 V dc is also not a valid level.
During the transmission of data, the mark state denotes binary 1 and the space state denotes binary 0.
For interface control circuits, the function is "on" when the voltage is greater than +4 V dc with respect
to the signal ground and is "off" when the voltage is less than -4 V dc with respect to the signal ground.
MIL-STD 188 signal levels are shown in the following table:

Table 118. MIL-STD 188 signal levels
Interchange Voltage Binary State Signal Condition Interface Control Function
+ Voltage 0 Space On
- Voltage 1 Mark Off
Military standard MIL-STD 188 requires that adapters provide the capability to optionally invert the
polarities of the mark and space states of the transmit and receive lines. The capability is provided
independently on each port.
The DUART modem control register bit 3 (Out 2) is used for this purpose. When bit 3 is set to a value of 1,
the polarities for the mark and space states are set to the normal state. When bit 3 is set to a value of 0,
the polarities for the mark and space states are inverted.
The signal is in the space state when the voltage is less than -4 V dc with respect to the signal ground. The
signal is in the mark state when the voltage is greater than +4 V dc with respect to the signal ground.
The region between +4 V dc and -4 V dc is defined as the transition region and is not a valid level. The
voltage that is less than -6 V dc or greater than +6 V dc is also not a valid level.
The electrical characteristics of the 8-Port asynchronous MIL-STD 188 adapter ports conform to those
sections of MIL-STD 188-114 that address an unbalanced voltage interface. The standard is dated March
24, 1976.
The adapter ports meet the functional requirements for asynchronous operation (start-stop protocol) as
described in the EIA Standard 232C dated October 1969 and in the EIA Standard 232D dated January
1987.
8-Port asynchronous adapters EIA 422A interface signals

The following EIA 422A interface signals are implemented on each port of the adapter.
Signal Definition
TxA Transmit Data
TxB Transmit Data
RxA Receive Data
RxB Receive Data
8-Port EIA 422A signal voltage levels

The line driver produces a differential voltage in the range of 2 to 6 volts (measured at the generator
interface point). The magnitude of the differential voltage at the receiver must be in the range of 200
millivolts to 6 volts (measured at the load interface point).
Measurements are taken at terminal A (positive lead) with respect to terminal B (negative lead). The
following table describes the signal states with respect to voltage levels:
Table 119. 8-Port EIA 422A signal states

Interchange Voltage Binary State Signal Condition
+ Voltage 0 Space
- Voltage 1 Mark
The 8-Port asynchronous EIA 422A adapter supports indoor cabling up to 1200 m (4000 ft) in length.
Cables of such lengths are susceptible to sudden voltage surges due to induced voltages such as indirect
lightning strikes. Secondary surge protection circuitry is implemented on the EIA 422A adapter to protect

it from these voltage surges. The surge protection circuitry is implemented on the adapter interface data
lines.
Fail-safe circuitry has been added to the input leads of each EIA 422A receiver to prevent fault conditions
when the receiver is not connected to a driver (open cable). The fail-safe circuitry sets the receiver to the
mark state (binary 1) whenever the receiver is not connected to a driver.
The electrical characteristics of the 8-Port asynchronous EIA 422A adapter ports comply with the EIA
Standard 422A dated December 1978.
8-Port asynchronous adapters EIA 232 interface signals

These interface signals are implemented on each port of the 8-port asynchronous adapter.
The following interface signals are implemented on each port of the adapter:
Signal Definition
TxD Transmit Data
RTS Request To Send
CTS Clear To Send
DSR Data Set Ready
RxD Receive Data
DCD Data Carrier Detect
DTR Data Terminal Ready
RI Ring Indicator
8-Port EIA 232 signal voltage levels

is defined as the transition region and is not a valid level. Voltage less than -15 V dc or greater than +15 V
dc is also not a valid level.
During the transmission of data, the mark state denotes binary state 1 and the space state denotes binary
state 0.
For interface control circuits, the function is on when the voltage is greater than +3 V dc with respect to
the signal ground and is off when the voltage is less than -3 V dc with respect to the signal ground. See
the following table for EIA 232 signal levels:
Table 120. EIA 232 signal levels

The electrical characteristics of the 8-Port asynchronous EIA 232 adapter ports conform to the EIA
Standard 232C dated October 1969 and to the EIA Standard 232D dated January 1987.
1987.

8-Port asynchronous adapters control logic
The PAL-based control logic section coordinates the activities of all major adapter functions.
It is clocked with a 40 MHz square-wave generator. It interfaces with the Micro Channel, and its functions
include decoding addresses, checking address parity, responding with the proper I/O control signals, and
driving the selected interrupt request (IRQ) line (one of eight IRQ lines).
The control logic interfaces with the other adapter logic blocks and in this capacity provides the control
lines to the communication channels (DUART) and the interrupt arbitration logic. The control logic also
interfaces with the data bus driver logic and provides control for the direction of data flow and for the
selection data bytes, which are placed onto the local bus. It controls the data parity generator, parity
checker, and latches.
16-Port asynchronous adapters

The family of adapters is based on a common functional design. The individual adapter characteristics,
however, are determined by the supported device interfaces. The family consists of two adapters, the
16-Port EIA 422A asynchronous adapter and the 16-Port EIA 232 asynchronous adapter.
Note: The following section is not applicable to the Itanium-based platform.
The family of 16-port adapters is based on the dual universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter
(DUART) chip, which provides two serial communications channels. More information on the DUART chip
and its functionality can be found in the 16-Port Asynchronous Adapter Hardware Information.
16-Port asynchronous adapter - EIA 422A

The 16-Port asynchronous adapter - EIA 232 provides support for attaching a maximum of 16 EIA 232
asynchronous serial devices (printers and terminals) to a system unit.
Up to eight adapters (any combination within the family) can be used in a single system unit.
This adapter is fully programmable and supports asynchronous communications only. It adds and
removes start bits and stop bits. The adapters support even, odd, or no parity on serial data. A
programmable baud-rate generator allows operation from 50 to 38400 bps. The adapters support 5-,
6-, 7-, or 8-bit characters with 1, 1.5, or 2 stop bits. A priority interrupt system controls transmit, receive,
error, line status, and data set interrupts. The 16 connectors for device attachment are provided in the EIA
422A 16-port cable assembly.
The EIA 422A 16-port adapter has the following characteristics:
• Standard Micro Channel form factor card.
• Data rates up to 38.4K bps per port.
• 16 byte buffering on transmit and receive.
• Single 78-pin output connector (Multiport interface cable attaches to this connector).
• Surge protection circuitry.
• Supports cabling up to 1200 m (4000 ft).
• Supports the TxD and RxD interface signals.
Installing the 16-Port asynchronous adapter

The 16-port asynchronous adapter fits into a single Micro Channel slot in the server. To install the adapter,
use these steps.
1. Verify that all users are logged off the system and run the following command:
shutdown -F
2. When the shutdown command completes, turn the system power switch to the "off" position.
3. Open the server case and insert the 16-port asynchronous adapter into a free Micro Channel slot.
4. Attach the 78-pin D-shell connector from the 16-port interface cable to the 16-port adapter.
5. Put cover panels back on the system unit.

6. Push the system power switch to the On position. The system will recognize and configure the 16-port
adapter during the boot process.
After the boot completes, log in using the root user ID and issue the following command to check the
adapter availability:
lsdev -Cc adapter | pg
Only those adapters in the available state are ready for use by the system.
If the newly installed adapter is NOT available, then verify the following:
1. The adapter is installed correctly into the Micro Channel slot.
2. All necessary cabling is attached and fitted tightly into place.
3. Run the command: errpt -a | pg and examine the system error report for problems relating to the
adapters.
4. Run the command: cfgmgr -v | pg. This command will attempt to reconfigure the adapter without
rebooting. Watch the paged output for errors.
5. If running cfgmgr fails, a reboot will be necessary.
16-Port asynchronous adapter hardware information

The system interface presents a 3-bit address and 8-bit data as well as control lines to the chip. Data
from the system interface is serialized for transmission to an external device. The serial data may include
a parity bit at the byte boundary. Conversely, data from an external device is deserialized for transmission
to the system interface. This data may also include a parity bit, which can be optionally checked. As an
option, the channel can operate in first-in-first-out (FIFO) mode.
In FIFO mode, up to 16 bytes can be buffered in both the transmitter and receiver. The serial interface
uses start-stop protocol for both data transmission and reception. That is, each byte (plus parity bit) is
framed by a start bit and stop bit, which allows synchronization on an individual character (byte) basis.
The DUART chip uses a 12.288 MHz oscillator to generate its internal timing to drive the transmitter and
receiver logic. The channel supports full duplex operation. Eight DUART chips are implemented on each
16-port adapter.
Thirteen system-accessible registers are available. Programmable features on each channel include:
• Character length: 5,6, 7, or 8 bits
• Parity generation/detection: even, odd, or none
• Number of stop bits: 1, 1.5, or 2
• Enable/disable interrupts. Received data available
• Transmitter holding register empty
• Line status
• Overrun error
• Parity error
• Framing error
• Break.
The following table is a summary of port (device interface) characteristics for the adapters.
Table 121. 16-Port asynchronous adapter port characteristics

Parameter EIA 232 EIA 422A
Topology Point to Point Point to Point
Maximum data rate (standard) 20Kbps 2Mbps
Maximum data rate (board) 38.4Kbps 38.4Kbps

Table 121. 16-Port asynchronous adapter port characteristics (continued)
Parameter EIA 232 EIA 422A
Transmission media Multiconductor Multiconductor
Number of cable wires 5 including signal ground 5 including signal ground
Maximum cable length 61 m (200 ft) 1200 m < 90Kbps
Device connector 25-pin D 25-pin D
Electrical interface Unbalanced Balanced
Bit encoding Digital bi-level Digital bi-level
16-Port asynchronous adapters adapter board priority

The interrupt arbitration logic sets priority for adapters according to a specific scheme.
Adapter Priority
0 Highest
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 Lowest
The DUART channels with pending interrupts are serviced according to a fixed-priority scheme. The
highest priority is assigned to port 0. Next in priority is port 1, and so forth. The lowest priority is port 15.
16-Port asynchronous adapters interrupt logic

For 16-port asynchronous adapters, the interrupt logic is divided into interrupt generation logic and
interrupt arbitration logic.
Both logic sections are implemented on every 16-port adapter. The interrupt generation logic provides
the interface to the system. This logic generates the system interrupt requests and contains the interrupt-
sharing circuitry.
The function of the interrupt arbitration logic is to identify the 16-port adapter with the highest priority
interrupt pending. The logic then places the interrupt information of the highest priority port in the
interrupt arbitration register. This is accomplished in one read operation.
The interrupt arbitration logic is unique to the 16-port adapters and should not be confused with the
Micro Channel arbitration logic.
16-Port interrupt generation logic

The 16-port asynchronous adapter implements eight system interrupt request lines.
The adapter implements the following eight system interrupt request (IRQ) lines:
• IRQ 3
• IRQ 5
• IRQ 9
• IRQ 10
• IRQ 11
• IRQ 12

• IRQ 14
• IRQ 15
Only one request line is active during normal operation. All 16-port adapters in one system should use
the same interrupt level for optimal system performance. The active line is selected by writing to the
appropriate POS register during the setup cycle. The adapter supports interrupt sharing and implements
an open collector configuration as defined in the Micro Channel architecture. In this arrangement, the
interrupt line is pulled high by a system pull-up resistor. The adapter pulls the line low to indicate an
active interrupt request.
16-Port interrupt arbitration logic

The interrupt arbitration logic determines the priority for software service when two or more 8-port or
16-port adapters generate interrupts.
Up to eight 8-port or 16-port adapters can co-reside and concurrently operate in a system. This logic
provides the system with adapter and port identification as well as the interrupt type in a single read
operation. Upon detection of an interrupt request, the system reads the 16-bit interrupt arbitration
register located at I/O address 0130.
16-Port asynchronous adapters EIA 232 interface signals

The following interface signals are implemented on each port of the 16-port asynchronous adapter.
Signal Definition
TxD Transmit data
DCD Data carrier detect
DTR Data terminal ready
RxD Receive data
Sig Gnd Signal ground
16-Port EIA 232 signal voltage levels

is defined as the transition region and is not a valid level. Voltage less than -15 V dc or greater than +15 V
dc is also not a valid level.
During the transmission of data, the mark state denotes binary state 1 and the space state denotes binary
state 0.
For interface control circuits, the function is on when the voltage is greater than +3 V dc with respect to
the signal ground and is off when the voltage is less than -3 V dc with respect to the signal ground. See
the following table for EIA 232 signal levels.
Table 122. EIA 232 signal levels

The electrical characteristics of the 16-Port asynchronous EIA 232 adapter ports conform to the EIA
Standard 232C dated October 1969 and to the EIA Standard 232D dated January 1987.
1987.

16-Port asynchronous adapters EIA 422A interface signals
These EIA 422A interface signals are implemented on each port of the 16-Port asynchronous adapter.
Signal Definition
TxA Transmit Data
TxB Transmit Data
RxA Receive Data
RxB Receive Data
16-Port EIA 422A signal voltage levels

The line driver produces a differential voltage in the range of 2 to 6 volts (measured at the generator
interface point). The magnitude of the differential voltage at the receiver must be in the range of 200
millivolts to 6 volts (measured at the load interface point).
Measurements are taken at terminal A (positive lead) with respect to terminal B (negative lead). The
following table describes the signal states with respect to voltage levels:
Table 123. 16-Port EIA 422A signal states

Interchange Voltage Binary State Signal Condition
+ Voltage 0 Space
- Voltage 1 Mark
The 16-Port Asynchronous EIA 422A adapter supports indoor cabling up to 1200 m (4000 ft) in length.
Cables of such lengths are susceptible to sudden voltage surges due to induced voltages such as indirect
lightning strikes. Secondary surge protection circuitry is implemented on the EIA 422A adapter to protect
it from these voltage surges. The surge protection circuitry is implemented on the adapter interface data
lines.
Fail-safe circuitry has been added to the input leads of each EIA 422A receiver to prevent fault conditions
when the receiver is not connected to a driver (open cable). The fail-safe circuitry sets the receiver to the
mark state (binary 1) whenever the receiver is not connected to a driver.
The electrical characteristics of the 16-Port asynchronous EIA 422A adapter ports comply with the EIA
Standard 422A dated December 1978.
ASCII, decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary conversion table

Helpful information for converting ASCII, decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary values can be
referenced in this table.
Table 124. Conversions between ASCII, decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary values
ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal Octal Binary
null 0 0 0 0
start of header 1 1 1 1
start of text 2 2 2 10
end of text 3 3 3 11
end of 4 4 4 100
transmission
enquire 5 5 5 101

Table 124. Conversions between ASCII, decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary values (continued)
acknowledge 6 6 6 110
bell 7 7 7 111
backspace 8 8 10 1000
horizontal tab 9 9 11 1001
linefeed 10 A 12 1010
vertical tab 11 B 13 1011
form feed 12 C 14 1100
carriage return 13 D 15 1101
shift out 14 E 16 1110
shift in 15 F 17 1111
data link escape 16 10 20 10000
device control 17 11 21 10001
1/Xon
device control 2 18 12 22 10010
device control 3/ 19 13 23 10011
Xoff
device control 4 20 14 24 10100
negative 21 15 25 10101
acknowledge
synchronous idle 22 16 26 10110
end of 23 17 27 10111
transmission block
cancel 24 18 30 11000
end of medium 25 19 31 11001
end of file/ 26 1A 32 11010
substitute
escape 27 1B 33 11011
file separator 28 1C 34 11100
group separator 29 1D 35 11101
record separator 30 1E 36 11110
unit separator 31 1F 37 11111
space 32 20 40 100000
! 33 21 41 100001
" 34 22 42 100010
# 35 23 43 100011
$ 36 24 44 100100

% 37 25 45 100101
& 38 26 46 100110
' 39 27 47 100111
( 40 28 50 101000
) 41 29 51 101001
* 42 2A 52 101010
+ 43 2B 53 101011
, 44 2C 54 101100
- 45 2D 55 101101
. 46 2E 56 101110
/ 47 2F 57 101111
0 48 30 60 110000
1 49 31 61 110001
2 50 32 62 110010
3 51 33 63 110011
4 52 34 64 110100
5 53 35 65 110101
6 54 36 66 110110
7 55 37 67 110111
8 56 38 70 111000
9 57 39 71 111001
: 58 3A 72 111010
; 59 3B 73 111011
< 60 3C 74 111100
= 61 3D 75 111101
> 62 3E 76 111110
? 63 3F 77 111111
@ 64 40 100 1000000
A 65 41 101 1000001
B 66 42 102 1000010
C 67 43 103 1000011
D 68 44 104 1000100
E 69 45 105 1000101
F 70 46 106 1000110

G 71 47 107 1000111
H 72 48 110 1001000
I 73 49 111 1001001
J 74 4A 112 1001010
K 75 4B 113 1001011
L 76 4C 114 1001100
M 77 4D 115 1001101
N 78 4E 116 1001110
O 79 4F 117 1001111
P 80 50 120 1010000
Q 81 51 121 1010001
R 82 52 122 1010010
S 83 53 123 1010011
T 84 54 124 1010100
U 85 55 125 1010101
V 86 56 126 1010110
W 87 57 127 1010111
X 88 58 130 1011000
Y 89 59 131 1011001
Z 90 5A 132 1011010
[ 91 5B 133 1011011
\ 92 5C 134 1011100
] 93 5D 135 1011101
^ 94 5E 136 1011110
_ 95 5F 137 1011111
` 96 60 140 1100000
a 97 61 141 1100001
b 98 62 142 1100010
c 99 63 143 1100011
d 100 64 144 1100100
e 101 65 145 1100101
f 102 66 146 1100110
g 103 67 147 1100111
h 104 68 150 1101000

i 105 69 151 1101001
j 106 6A 152 1101010
k 107 6B 153 1101011
l 108 6C 154 1101100
m 109 6D 155 1101101
n 110 6E 156 1101110
o 111 6F 157 1101111
p 112 70 160 1110000
q 113 71 161 1110001
r 114 72 162 1110010
s 115 73 163 1110011
t 116 74 164 1110100
u 117 75 165 1110101
v 118 76 166 1110110
w 119 77 167 1110111
x 120 78 170 1111000
y 121 79 171 1111001
z 122 7A 172 1111010
{ 123 7B 173 1111011
| 124 7C 174 1111100
} 125 7D 175 1111101
~ 126 7E 176 1111110
DEL 127 7F 177 1111111
128 80 200 10000000
129 81 201 10000001
130 82 202 10000010
131 83 203 10000011
132 84 204 10000100
133 85 205 10000101
134 86 206 10000110
135 87 207 10000111
136 88 210 10001000
137 89 211 10001001
138 8A 212 10001010

139 8B 213 10001011
140 8C 214 10001100
141 8D 215 10001101
142 8E 216 10001110
143 8F 217 10001111
144 90 220 10010000
145 91 221 10010001
146 92 222 10010010
147 93 223 10010011
148 94 224 10010100
149 95 225 10010101
150 96 226 10010110
151 97 227 10010111
152 98 230 10011000
153 99 231 10011001
154 9A 232 10011010
155 9B 233 10011011
156 9C 234 10011100
157 9D 235 10011101
158 9E 236 10011110
159 9F 237 10011111
160 A0 240 10100000
161 A1 241 10100001
162 A2 242 10100010
163 A3 243 10100011
164 A4 244 10100100
165 A5 245 10100101
166 A6 246 10100110
167 A7 247 10100111
168 A8 250 10101000
169 A9 251 10101001
170 AA 252 10101010
171 AB 253 10101011
172 AC 254 10101100

173 AD 255 10101101
174 AE 256 10101110
175 AF 257 10101111
176 B0 260 10110000
177 B1 261 10110001
178 B2 262 10110010
179 B3 263 10110011
180 B4 264 10110100
181 B5 265 10110101
182 B6 266 10110110
183 B7 267 10110111
184 B8 270 10111000
185 B9 271 10111001
186 BA 272 10111010
187 BB 273 10111011
188 BC 274 10111100
189 BD 275 10111101
190 BE 276 10111110
191 BF 277 10111111
192 C0 300 11000000
193 C1 301 11000001
194 C2 302 11000010
195 C3 303 11000011
196 C4 304 11000100
197 C5 305 11000101
198 C6 306 11000110
199 C7 307 11000111
200 C8 310 11001000
201 C9 311 11001001
202 CA 312 11001010
203 CB 313 11001011
204 CC 314 11001100
205 CD 315 11001101
206 CE 316 11001110

207 CF 317 11001111
208 D0 320 11010000
209 D1 321 11010001
210 D2 322 11010010
211 D3 323 11010011
212 D4 324 11010100
213 D5 325 11010101
214 D6 326 11010110
215 D7 327 11010111
216 D8 330 11011000
217 D9 331 11011001
218 DA 332 11011010
219 DB 333 11011011
220 DC 334 11011100
221 DD 335 11011101
222 DE 336 11011110
223 DF 337 11011111
224 E0 340 11100000
225 E1 341 11100001
226 E2 342 11100010
227 E3 343 11100011
228 E4 344 11100100
229 E5 345 11100101
230 E6 346 11100110
231 E7 347 11100111
232 E8 350 11101000
233 E9 351 11101001
234 EA 352 11101010
235 EB 353 11101011
236 EC 354 11101100
237 ED 355 11101101
238 EE 356 11101110
239 EF 357 11101111
240 F0 360 11110000

241 F1 361 11110001
242 F2 362 11110010
243 F3 363 11110011
244 F4 364 11110100
245 F5 365 11110101
246 F6 366 11110110
247 F7 367 11110111
248 F8 370 11111000
249 F9 371 11111001
250 FA 372 11111010
251 FB 373 11111011
252 FC 374 11111100
253 FD 375 11111101
254 FE 376 11111110
255 FF 377 11111111
uDAPL (user-level Direct Access Programming Library)

uDAPL (user Direct Access Programming Library) is a direct access framework to be run on transports
that support direct data access like InfiniBand , RNIC etc.
The DAT Collaborative specifies the uDAPL API http://www.datcollaborative.org .
The uDAPL codebase from Open Fabrics is ported to AIX and is currently supported over GX++ HCA and
4X DDR Expansion card (CFFh) InfiniBand adapters.
uDAPL 1.2 version is supported on AIX 6.1 with 6100-06 and later. The uDAPL install image is shipped on
the expansion pack as udapl.rte. This image ships the DAT header files, located under /usr/include/dat.
The install image also ships two libraries, libdat.a and libdapl.a.
Applications include the DAT header files and link with the DAT library (libdat.a in /usr/include/dat). The
DAT layer determines the appropriate underlying transport-specific libraries.
An AIX uDAPL Provider registers itself with the DAT registry using dat.conf entries. The /etc/dat.conf file is
shipped with default entries and the file has details on the format of the entry.
For debugging purposes, the uDAPL libraries support AIX system trace. uDAPL system trace hook ids
include 5C3 (for DAPL events), 5C4 (for DAPL error events), 5C7 (for DAT events), and 5C8 (for DAT error
events). The initial trace level can be modified using the environment variables DAT_TRACE_LEVEL and
DAPL_TRACE_LEVEL which could take the numeric values ranging from 0 to 10. The number of events and
amount of data traced increases with the level, with the key trace levels being
TRC_LVL_ERROR = 1,
TRC_LVL_NORMAL = 3,
TRC_LVL_DETAIL = 7
Other standard AIX serviceability features, such as the AIX error log, can be useful for problem
determination. And the serviceability features of the underlying transport layer, such as the ibstat
command and InfiniBand component trace, are also helpful for diagnosing issues.

The DAT APIs return the standard return codes that can be decoded with the help of the /usr/include/dat/
dat_error.h file. The detailed explanation of the return codes is located in the uDAPL specification from
the DAT Collaborative.
“Internet Protocol over InfiniBand (IPoIB)” on page 406
uDAPL APIs supported in AIX

Out of the many uDAPL APIs specified by the DAT Collaborative, there are a few APIs that are not
supported in AIX.
The following are the APIs that common industry uDAPL implementations do not support, and will not be
supported on AIX either.
Item Description
dat_cr_handoff // In DAT 1.2
dat_ep_create_wi // In DAT 1.2
th_srq
dat_ep_recv_quer // In DAT 1.2
y
dat_ep_set_water // In DAT 1.2
mark
dat_srq_create // In DAT 1.2
dat_srq_post_rec // In DAT 1.2
v
dat_srq_resize // In DAT 1.2
dat_srq_set_lw // In DAT 1.2
dat_srq_free // In DAT 1.2
dat_srq_query // In DAT 1.2
Additional APIs that AIX does not support are,

• dat_lmr_sync_rdma_read
• dat_lmr_sync_rdma_write
• dat_registry_add_provider
• dat_registry_add_provider
For all unsupported APIs, AIX follows the specific mechanisms described in the DAT spec to identify
its lack of support. These include attribute values (such as max_srq equaling zero) and specific return
codes (such as DAT_MODEL_NOT_SUPPORTED). Consistent with industry implementation and the DAT
specification, DAT_NOT_IMPLEMENTED may also be returned for a function which is not supported.
Support of RMR related APIs such as dat_rmr_create ,dat_rmr_bind ,dat_rmr_free and dat_rmr_query
is dependent on the underlying HCA capability, and success or failure is determined by the underlying
IB framework. Currently the GX++ HCA and 4X DDR Expansion card (CFFh) InfiniBand adapters do not
support these RMR operations.
“uDAPL (user-level Direct Access Programming Library)” on page 699
“Vendor-specific attributes for uDAPL” on page 701

Vendor-specific attributes for uDAPL
There are a few vendor-specific attributes supported in AIX. The attribute names are
delayed_ack_supported , vendor_extension, vendor_ext_version, debug_query and debug_modify.
delayed_ack_supported
The AIX provider for the InfiniBand (IB) transport includes a vendor-specific interface adapter (IA)
attribute named delayed_ack_supported. The value of this attribute is either true or false. When true,
endpoints associated with this IA have a modifiable provider-specific attribute named delayed_ack.
When the delayed_ack_supported attribute is false, an endpoint's delayed_ack provider-specific
attribute cannot be modified. The default value of an endpoint's delayed_ack attribute is false. Setting
it to true (via dat_ep_modify) enables the delayed ack feature of the underlying IB Host Channel
Adapter (HCA) for the specific IB queue pair associated with the endpoint. This hardware feature is not
implemented by all HCAs, and is therefore not available for all IAs. Enabling the feature causes the HCA
to delay sending acknowledgement until a data transfer operation is visible in a server's system memory.
This is a slightly stronger semantic than what is provided for in the IB spec, at the potential cost of a very
small latency increase.
vendor_extension, vendor_ext_version, debug_query and debug_modify
For debugging purposes, the uDAPL libraries support AIX system trace. The initial trace level can
be modified using the environment variables DAT_TRACE_LEVEL and DAPL_TRACE_LEVEL. To change
these trace levels dynamically via API, we provide dynamic trace level support on AIX. To verify if the
library has dynamic trace level support, applications can query for the vendor-specific IA attribute,
vendor_extension. On return from query, the presence of the vendor_extension attribute indicates
dynamic trace level support. The value of the attribute is set to true; but irrespective of that, presence
of the attribute indicates the support. When vendor_extension attribute is present, applications can get
the function pointers to dat_trclvl_query() and dat_trclvl_modify() by querying for the vendor-specific
IA attributes, debug_query and debug_modify. The value of these attributes will have the pointer to the
corresponding functions. To make this vendor_extension interface extensible for future usage, we have
another vendor-specific interface adapter attribute, vendor_ext_version. Since we will support only one
version right now, the value of this attribute will be set to 1.0. If the vendor_extension attribute does not
exist, applications cannot modify the trace levels dynamically.
An example of how to manipulate these attributes is included in the uDAPL sample code installed with
the AIX implementation.
“uDAPL (user-level Direct Access Programming Library)” on page 699
PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter support

The PCIe2 10GbE RDMA Over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) Adapter was first supported in the AIX
operating system as a remote direct memory access (RDMA) capable device only. The software to support
it was an IBM proprietary software based on the AIX InfiniBand stack. This support was called AIX RoCE.
AIX 7 with 7100-02 or later supports that adapter in two modes, which are the AIX RoCE and the 10G
Ethernet support also called the network interface card (AIX NIC). The new AIX 7 with 7100-03 now
supports RDMA along with the NIC mode and OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED). The host bus
adapter (HBA), which was not available in earlier versions of the AIX operating systems, manages which
mode is enabled.
The following table shows the evolution of the PCIe2 10GbE Adapter software:
AIX Level MODE 1 MODE 2
Before AIX 7 with 7100-02 AIX RoCE NA
AIX 7 with 7100-02 AIX RoCE AIX NIC
AIX 7 with 7100-03 AIX RoCE AIX NIC + OFED RoCE

To download the latest device driver for this adapter complete the following steps:
1. Go to the IBM website (www.ibm.com)
2. Click Support and downloads.
3. Download the latest firmware to the AIX host location (/etc/microcode)
4. Run the diag tool to update the firmware by choosing one of the following procedures:
• Short path procedure
a. Enter the following command:
*diag -d entX -T download
Note: Replace entX with roceX if you are using the RoCE stack from a previous version.
b. Select the microcode that is saved in the /etc/microcode directory.
• Long path procedure
*diag
b. Click:
Task selection > Microcode tasks > Download microcode
.
c. Select entX or roceX.
d. Select the microcode that is saved in the /etc/microcode directory.
By default the adapter is configured to support the AIX RoCE mode. Complete the steps in the “AIX NIC +
OFED RDMA” on page 702 section to change it to the other mode.
AIX NIC + OFED RDMA

As of AIX 7 with 7100-02 the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter can be configured to run in the AIX NIC
configuration. As of AIX 7 with 7100-03, the OFED RDMA functionality was also added to the AIX NIC
configuration. If you do not have the network-intensive applications that benefit from RDMA, then you can
use the adapter as a Network Interface Card (NIC) only.
To use the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter in the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE configuration or AIX RoCE
configuration, the following file sets are required and are available on the AIX 7 with 7100-03 base
operating system CD.
devices.ethernet.mlx
Converged Ethernet Adapter main device driver (mlxentdd) to support the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE
configuration.
devices.pciex.b315506b3157265
Packaging support for the NGP ITE Converge Ethernet Adapter ASIC2.
devices.pciex.b3155067b3157365
Packaging support for the NGP ITE Converge Ethernet Adapter ASIC1.
devices.pciex.b315506714101604
Packaging for Mellanox 2 Ports 10 GbE Converge Ethernet Adapter with the small form factor
pluggable (SFP+) transceivers.
devices.pciex.b315506714106104
Packaging for Mellanox 2 Ports 10 GbE Converge Ethernet Adapter that supports any SFP+
transceivers.
devices.common.IBM.ib
ICM device driver that is required to use the AIX RoCE configuration.

devices.pciex.b3154a63
Mellanox 10 GbE Converge Ethernet Adapter device driver that is required to use the AIX RoCE
configuration.
ofed.core
OFED Core Runtime Environment file set that is needed only if OFED RDMA is required.
After the existing AIX RoCE file sets are updated with the new file sets, both the roce and the ent
devices might appear to be configured. If both devices appear to be configured when you run the lsdev
command on the adapters, complete the following steps:
1. Delete the roceX instances that are related to the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter by entering the
following command:
# rmdev -dl roce0[, roce1][, roce2,...]
2. Delete the entX instances that are related to the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter by entering the following
command:
# rmdev -dl ent1[,ent2][, ent3...]
3. If there are one or more converged host bus adapters (hbaX) that are related to the PCIe2 10 GbE
RoCE Adapter, delete them by entering the following command:
# rmdev -dl hba0[, hba1][,hba2...]
4. Run the configuration manager to incorporate the changes by entering the following command:
# cfgmgr
Complete the following steps to switch over to the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE configuration from the AIX RoCE
configuration:
1. Stop all RDMA applications that are running on the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter.
2. Delete or redefine the roceX instances by entering one of the following commands:
• # rmdev -d -l roce0
• # rmdev -l roce0
The rmdev -l roce0 command retains the definition of the roce0 configuration so you can use it
the next time to create instances.
3. Change the attribute of the hba stack_type setting from aix_ib (AIX RoCE) to ofed (AIX NIC + OFED
RoCE) by entering the following command:
# chdev -l hba0 -a stack_type=ofed
4. Run the configuration manager tool so that the host bus adapter can configure the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE
Adapter as a NIC adapter by entering the following command:
# cfgmgr
5. Verify that the adapter is now running in NIC configuration by entering the following command:
# lsdev -C -c adapter
The following example shows the results when you run the lsdev command on the adapter when it is
configured in AIX NIC + OFED RoCE mode:
ent1 Available 00-00-01 PCIe2 10GbE RoCE Converged Network Adapter

ent2 Avaliable 00-00-02 PCIe2 10GbE RoCE Converged Network Adapter
hba0 Available 00-00 PCIe2 10GbE RoCE Converged Host Bus Adapter (b315506714101604)
Figure 45. Example output of lsdev command on an adapter with the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE
configuration

Because as of AIX 7 with 7100-03, AIX also supports OFED RDMA in the AIX NIC mode, if OFED RDMA
needs to be enabled, you need to complete the following two additional steps:
1. Install the package ofed.core.
2. Set the RDMA mode in the ent1, ent2 devices by entering the following command:
# chdev –l ent1 –a rdma=desired

# chdev –l ent2 -a rdma=desired
The RDMA mode is set before the en1 or en2 interfaces are configured.
3. You can disable the RDMA mode by entering the following command:
# chdev –l ent1 –a rdma=disabled

AIX RoCE
The PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter is preconfigured to operate in the AIX RoCE mode. A network that
uses RDMA provides better performance than an adapter that is used as a NIC for network-intensive
applications. This mode is often helpful for network storage or high-performance computing.
AIX RoCE configuration requires the use of libraries or interfaces such as the following:
• The Direct Access Programming Library (uDAPL), which is used by the DB2® database system
• The Message Passing Interface (MPI), which is used by high performance computing (HPC)
roce_rdmaconfiguration.dita#roce_rdmaconfiguration/figscreenrdma displays the output when the
adapter is running in the AIX RoCE mode.
The PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter shows only one adapter instance when it is in the AIX RoCE mode, but
it can have up to two ports. Use the ibstat command to determine how many ports are configured by
completing the following steps:
1. Determine whether the icm kernel extension is configured by entering the following command:
# lsdev -C | grep icm
2. If the icm kernel is not configured, configure it by entering the following command:
# mkdev -c management -s infiniband -t icm
3. Run the ibstat command by entering the following command:
# ibstat roce0
While the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE Adapter is initially configured to use the AIX RoCE mode, you might need to
switch back from the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE configuration. To switch over from the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE
configuration to the AIX RoCE configuration, complete the following steps:
1. Verify that the adapter is in the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE mode by entering the following command:
The output of the lsdev command is similar to the example in

roce_nicconfiguration.dita#roce_nicconfiguration/figscreennic.
2. Stop the TCP/IP traffic and detach the IP interfaces by entering the following command:
# ifconfig en1 down detach; ifconfig en2 down detach
3. Delete or put the NIC instances in a defined state by entering one of the following commands:
• # rmdev -d -l ent1; rmdev -d -l ent2
• # rmdev -l ent1; rmdev -l ent2

The rmdev -l ent1; rmdev -l ent2 command retains the definition of the Ethernet devices so
that you can use it the next time that you create instances.
4. Change the attribute of the hba stack_type from ofed (AIX NIC + OFED RoCE) to aix_ib (AIX RoCE)
by entering the following command:
# chdev -l hba0 -a stack_type=aix_ib
5. Run the configuration manager tool so that the host bus adapter can configure the PCIe2 10 GbE RoCE
Adapter as an AIX RoCE adapter by entering the following command:
# cfgmgr
6. Verify that the adapter is now running in the AIX RoCE configuration by entering the following
command:
The following example shows the results when you run the lsdev command for adapters, and the
adapter is configured in the AIX RoCE mode.
roce0 Avaliable 00-00-00 PCIe2 10GbE RoCE Converged Network Adapter

hba0 Available 00-00-00 PCIe2 10GbE RoCE Converged Host Bus Adapter (b315506714101604)
Figure 46. Example output of the lsdev command for the adapters when it is using the AIX RoCE
configuration
PCIe3 40 GbE RoCE adapter support

The PCIe3 40 GbE RDMA Over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) adapter supports remote direct memory
access (RDMA) with the OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) in the normal NIC mode. RDMA is
supported and enabled by default if the OpenFabrics software is installed.
To download the latest device driver for this adapter, complete the following steps:
1. Go to the IBM website (www.ibm.com).
2. Click Support and downloads.
3. Download the latest firmware to the AIX host location (/etc/microcode).
4. Run the diag tool to update the firmware by choosing one of the following procedures:
• Short path procedure
*diag -d entX -T download
Note: If the Ethernet device belongs to the same host bus adapter (for example, hba0, hba1, and
so on), download the firmware to one of the ent devices.
b. Select the microcode that is saved in the /etc/microcode directory.
• Long path procedure
*diag
b. Click
Task selection > Microcode tasks > Download microcode
.
c. Select entX.
d. Select the microcode that is saved in the /etc/microcode directory.

To use the PCIe3 40 GbE RoCE adapter and the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE, the following filesets are required.
These filesets are available n the AIX 7 with 7100-03 base operating system CD.
devices.ethernet.mlx Converged Ethernet adapter main device driver (mlxentdd) to

support the AIX NIC + OFED RoCE configuration.
devices.pciex.b31503101410b5 Packaging for Mellanox 2 Ports 40 Gb Converged Ethernet adapter
04 that uses passive copper Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP)
ports.
ofed.core OFED Core Runtime Environment fileset that is needed only if OFED
RDMA functionality is required.
To disable the RDMA functionality, enter the following command:
chdev –l <Ethernet_device> rdma=disabled
Example:

To enable the RDMA functionality, enter the following command:
chdev –l <Ethernet_device> rdma=desired
The PCIe3 40 GbE RoCE adapter supports only the RoCE version 1 (RoCE v1) protocol. When you enable
the RoCE version 2 (RoCE v2) protocol mode by using the no command, the Remote Direct Memory
Access (RDMA) feature is disabled automatically for the PCIe3 40 GbE RoCE adapter.

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Notices 709
Index
Special Characters ~e subcommand 24, 40, 42

~f subcommand 26, 30, 42
- subcommand 15 ~h subcommand 26
! subcommand 41, 43 ~m subcommand 26, 30, 42
? command 33 ~p subcommand 24, 42
. subcommand 28, 42 ~q subcommand 25, 42
.3270keys file 109 ~r subcommand 25, 42
.forward file 30, 31 ~s subcommand 27
.k5login file 111 ~t subcommand 27
.mailrc file 11, 33–39 ~v subcommand 24, 40, 42
.netrc file 109 ~w subcommand 42
.vacation.dir file 31 $HOME/.mailrc 101
.vacation.msg file 31 $HOME/mboxc 101
.vacation.pag file 31
/etc/aliases 7
/etc/clsnmp.conf 488, 491, 494
Numerics
/etc/exports file 526 802.3 164
/etc/gateways 377 802.3ad 385
/etc/hosts 104
/etc/mail/aliases 44
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf 52 A
/etc/mail/statistics 52
a subcommand 35, 41
/etc/named.ca 180
access control lists 521
/etc/named.data 180
access times
/etc/named.local 180
NFS 566
/etc/named.rev 180
ACL (access control lists)
/etc/netsvc.conf 45
NFS support 521
/etc/protocols 159
adapter
/etc/rc.net 105
16-port
/etc/rc.tcpip 43, 368
adapter board priority 689
/etc/sendmail.cf
EIA 232 interface signal 690
TCP/IP 177
EIA 422A description 687
/etc/services 159
EIA 422A interface signal 691
/etc/snmpd.conf 491, 500, 501
hardware information 688
/etc/snmpdv3.conf 488, 491, 494
install 687
/etc/xtab file 527
interrupt logic 689
/tmp/traffic 52
8-port
/usr/bin/bellmail 101
control logic 687
/usr/bin/mail 101
EIA 232 interface signal 686
/usr/bin/Mail 101
EIA 422A interface signal 685
/usr/bin/mailx 101
hardware information 682
/usr/bin/rmail 101
interrupt logic 683
/usr/lib/sendmail.cf 182
MIL-STD 188 interface signal
/usr/lib/uucp/Devices 634
684
/usr/share/lib/Mail.rc 101
8-port ISA
/usr/share/lib/Mail.rc file 33, 34, 37, 38
configuring 680
/var/spool/mail 101
application 587
/var/spool/mqueue 46, 101
direct-attached 585
+ subcommand 15
native-attached 585
= subcommand 14
node-attached 585
~: subcommand 42
adapters
~! subcommand 28, 42
2-port multiprotocol 675
~? subcommand 33
EtherChannel 385
~[option] path names 464
IEEE 802.3ad 385
~b subcommand 27
pci
~c subcommand 27
wide area network 675
~d subcommand 26, 42
PCI adapters
Index 711
adapters (continued) ate.def (continued)
PCI adapters (continued) parameters 649
ARTIC960Hx 676 ate.def file
add to heading subcommands 42 editing 656
add to message subcommands 42 file format 658
adding users to header fields 27 authentication methods
Address Resolution Protocol 142 Kerberos V.4 108
addresses Kerberos V.5 107, 108, 111
TCP/IP 168 Standard AIX 108
addressing mail authentication services
over a BNU or UUCP link 22 PC-NFS 556
to more than one user 20 autodialer connections
to users on a different network 21 device files 454
to users on local system 21 automount daemon
to users on your network 21 NFS (Network File System)
administrative logon file systems 550
BNU 467 autoprint option 39
alias subcommand 35
aliases
creating 35
B
listing 35 banner
Aliases, mail 44 controlling display of 39
alter subcommand 646, 647 Basic Networking Utilities
ARTIC960Hx 676 canceling remote jobs 477
asinfo file 660 communicating between local and remote 468
ask option 35 connected systems 472
askcc option 35 dialing multiple numbers 470
assigned numbers 159 dialing until a connection is made 469
asynchronous exchanging commands 472
options 584 exchanging files 470
asynchronous communication 590 full path names 464
asynchronous overview 582 identifying compatible systems 475
asynchronous point-to-point protocol job queue 472
user-level processes 628 ~[option] path names 464
Asynchronous Point-to-Point Protocol path names 464
configuration 628 printing files 474
asynchronous terminal emulation relative path names 464
command list 657 status of exchanges 472
Connected Main Menu 647 status of operations 472
control key sequences 647 system_name! path names 465
dialing directory 652 system_name!system_name! path names 465
editing default file 656 TCP/IP 102
file format list 658 bcc field 27
starting 646 Bellmail 7
Unconnected Main Menu 646 bellmail command 10
ATE binary mail options 34
command list 657 binding
Connected Main Menu 647 NFS (Network File System) 525
control key sequences 647 BINLD 334
customize 648 biod threads 529
dialing directory 652 BNU
dialing-out 654 canceling remote jobs 477
editing default file 656 communicating between local and remote 468
file format list 658 connected systems 472
overview 644 dialing multiple numbers 470
receiving a file 655 dialing until a connection is made 469
setup 645 exchanging commands 472
starting 646 exchanging files 470
transferring a file 655 full path names 464
troubleshooting 657 identifying compatible systems 475
Unconnected Main Menu 646 job queue 472
ate command 646, 657 ~[option] path names 464
ate.def overview 445
configuration file 649 path names 464

BNU (continued) BNU files (continued)
printing files 474 systems files 468
relative path names 464 Boot Image Negotiation Layer daemon(BINLD) 334
status of exchanges 472 break subcommand 647, 657
status of operations 472 bterm command 5
system_name! path names 465
system_name!system_name! path names 465
TCP/IP 102
C
BNU (Basic Networking Utilities) cache file system support
administrative login ID 467 NFS (Network File System) 522
daemons CacheFS
overview 465 cache file system 522
file transfer Callback functions 80
monitoring 474 canceling
scheduling 466 forwarded mail 31
log files 461 remote jobs 477
logon 467 vacation messages 31
logon failures CAPTURE_KEY control key sequence 647
debugging 480 cc field 27
maintenance 461 cd command 116, 117
monitoring cd subcommand 41
automatic 452 change message subcommands 42
file transfer 474 changing to another mailbox 19
remote connection 473 chauthent command 108
setting up 452 checking number of messages in mailbox 14
polling chmod command 109
remote systems 453 CIO (Concurrent Input/Output) 532
remote systems client 103
transporting files to 465 clsnmp 490
security 466 command
shell procedures 463 ifconfig 640
TCP/IP 466 lsdev 640
tip command netstat 639
variables 475 pdisable 640
BNU commands ping 641
executing remote 466 ps 640
maintenance 462 commands
status-checking 463 ? 33
BNU configuration ate 646, 657
files 446 bellmail 10
general 448 bterm 5
BNU directories cd 116, 117
administrative 447 chauthent 108
hidden 447 chmod 109
public directory 446 ct 468–470
spooling 447 cu 468, 469
structure 446 enq 119–121, 443
BNU examples enroll 32
direct connection 459 f 121, 443
modem connection 457–459 finger 121, 122, 443
TCP/IP connection 455 fmt 28
BNU files ftp 107, 108, 115–118, 443
administrative 447 host 121, 443
configuration 446 info 33
devices files l 33
TCP/IP 455 lsauthent 108
Devices files mail 11, 12, 20–23, 28, 37, 39, 40, 115
autodialer connections 454 man 33
Hardwired connections 453 mkdir 39
lock files 448 pg 34, 36
monitoring transfer 474 ping 115, 121, 443
permissions 468 rcp 107, 108, 115, 116, 443
remote.unknown file 468 refresh 119, 120, 443
structure 446 remsh 111, 443
Index 713
commands (continued) configuration (continued)
requesting execution of 472 native 109
rexec 111, 443 TCP/IP 105
rlogin 107, 108, 111, 121, 443 configure
rm 31 8-port ISA 680
rsh 107, 108, 111, 443 ate.def 649
rwho 121, 443 EIA 232 680, 681
securetcpip 109 connect subcommand 646, 647, 657
smit 120, 443 Constant functions 94
spell 28 control key sequences
status 118, 119 ATE 647
talk 115, 443 CAPTURE_KEY 647
telnet 107, 108, 111, 114, 121, 435, 443 MAINMENU_KEY 647
tftp 115, 118, 119, 443 PREVIOUS_KEY 647
tic 435 control subcommands 41, 42
tip 468 creating
tn 111, 443 .forward file 31
tn3270 111, 443 .netrc file 109
touch 434 aliases 35
utftp 118 default folders 39
uucp 470 distribution lists 35
uudecode 470, 471 mail 20
uuencode 470, 471 new message 30
uuname 475 secret mail 32
uupick 470, 471 creating new mail subcommands 41
uupoll 472, 475 crt option 36
uuq 472 ct command 468–470
uusend 470 cu command
uusnap 472 manual modem programming using 632
uustat 472, 477 customer scenarios 588
uuto 470 customize ATE 648
uux 472 customizing
vacation -I 31 mail 33
whois 121, 443 TCP/IP 109
xget 43
xmodem 657
xsend 32, 43
D
Commands d subcommand 16, 39, 41, 43
/usr/sbin/mailstats 53 daemons
bugfiler 101 network services 572
comsat 101 secure NFS 572
mail 7 SRC 529
mailq 46, 101 talkd 115
mailstats 101 TCP/IP 368
mhmail 7 uucico 472, 475
newaliases 45, 101 uutx 472
sendbug 101 uuxqt 472
sendmail 46, 50, 101 Daemons
smdemon.cleanu 101 sendmail
communicating starting 50
between local and remote systems 468 stopping 50
by hardwire or modem 469 syslogd 50
by modem 469 Data access functions 62
using Basic Networking Utilities 468 data link control (DLC)
using BNU 468 device manager environment
communication components 668
asynchronous 590 structure 668
methods 593 generic 668
parameters 591 data terminal equipment 3
serial 588 data terminal ready/data set ready 594
synchronous 589 DCE configuration 109
communications priority 683 DDN 380
configuration dead.letter file
DCE 109 retrieving and appending 26

dead.letter file (continued) e subcommand 23, 24, 41
saving the message in 25 editing header information 26
debugging editor option 40
BNU editors
logon failures 480 e 40
default vi 23, 40
folders 39 EIA 232
personal mailbox 11 description 681
default route 371 interface signal 686, 690
deleting EIA 232D standard 592
.forward file 31 EIA 422A
mail 16 interface signal 685, 691
messages 16 emulation
dialing applications 5
multiple numbers 470 emulators
until a connection is made 469 bidirectional mode 5
dialing directory printer 5
ATE 652 terminal 5
file format 658 enabling mail options 34
DIO (Direct Input/Output) 532 enq command 119–121, 443
direct connections enqueuing jobs using smit 120
BNU configuration enroll command 32
example 459 environment variables
direct-attached adapter 585 MAIL 11
directories MAILCHECK 11
BNU structure 446 MAILMSG 11
directory subcommand 646, 657 EOT subcommand 42
disabling mail options 34, 35 error messages
diskless support NFS 564
NFS escape option 23
SUN 572 ESCDELAY 435
display subcommands 41 EtherChannel
displaying configuring 387
ATE Connected Main Menu 647 forced failover 391
ATE Unconnected Main Menu 646 lossless failover 391
contents of mailbox 13 lossless recovery 391
current message number 14 managing
logged-in users 121, 122 Change adapters 396
mail banner 37 Change the Alternate Address 396
mail header 37 List EtherChannels 395
mail header information 14 Remove 398
distribution lists recovery, automatic 391
creating 35 troubleshooting 405
listing 35 Ethernet Version 2 163
DLC (data link control) 668 ex subcommand 17
DNS (Domain Name Service) 173 exchanging files
domain name servers BNU 470
name server exiting
configuring 182 mail 16
dp subcommand 16 mail editor 25
dt subcommand 16 exporting
DTR/DSR NFS (Network File System) 520
definition 594 exports file 526
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
addresses
TCP/IP 188
F
parameter assignments f command 121, 443
TCP/IP 188 f subcommand 14, 41
proxy daemon 297 fields
dynamic screen assignment 660 bcc 26, 27
cc 26, 27
E header 26
subject 26, 27
e editor 40 to 26, 27
Index 715
file formats frames 122
ate.def 658 ftp command 107, 108, 115–118, 443
dialing directory 658 full path names 464
file handle
NFS (Network File System) 525
file subcommand 19
G
file systems 519 gateways
file transfer TCP/IP 372
TCP/IP 115 GDLC (generic data link control)
file transfer commands 443 controls
file transfers installing 670
BNU criteria 669
monitoring 474 interface
files implementing 669
.3270keys 109, 110 ioctl operations 670
.forward 30, 31 kernel services 672
.k5login 111 overview 668
.mailrc 11, 33–39 generic data link control 668
.netrc 109 get subcommand 118
.vacation.dir 31 get_auth_methods subroutine 108
.vacation.msg 31
.vacation.pag 31
/usr/share/lib/Mail.rc 33, 34, 37, 38 H
ASCII to binary 470, 471
h subcommand 13, 36, 41
ate.def 646, 647, 656
Hardwired connections
binary to ASCII 470, 471
Devices files for 453
copying from local host to remote host 118
header fields
copying from remote host to local host 117
adding to 26
dead.letter 11
changing 26
decoding 470, 471
listing ignored 38
encoding 470, 471
listing retained 38
exchanging 470
resetting 38
mbox 11
header information
printing 119, 474
adding or changing 26
receiving 471
help subcommand 646, 647, 657
sending 470
help, mail 33
transferring 115
hidden directories
vacation.def 31
BNU 447
Files
hierarchical network 104
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf 52
hop count 372
/etc/mail/statistics 52
host 103
/tmp/traffic 52
host addresses 168
/var/spool/mqueue/log 50
host command 121, 443
Files and directories
host connections
/usr/bin/bellmail 101
local to remote 111
/usr/bin/mail 101
telnet, tn, or tn3270 command 111
/usr/bin/Mail 101
host emulation 5
/usr/bin/mailx 101
host route 371
/usr/bin/rmail 101
/usr/share/lib/Mail.rc 101
/var/spool/mail 101 I
/var/spool/mqueue 101
$HOME/.mailrc 101 identifying compatible systems 475
$HOME/mbox 101 IEEE 802.3ad
finger command 121, 122, 443 managing
flat network 104 Change the Alternate Address 396
flow control 593 List Link Aggregations 395
fmt command 28 IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation
folder option 39 managing
folder subcommand 14, 19, 41 Remove 398
forwarding ifconfig command 640
all mail 30 ignore subcommand 35, 38, 41
mail messages 30 ignoring
selected messages 30 date header 38

ignoring (continued) log files (continued)
from header 38 BNU 461
to header 38 logon
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) BNU 467
configuring 98 UUCP 467
overview 97 LS (link station)
including files in a message 25 definition 672
inetd daemon statistics
debugging 434 querying 672
info command 33 lsauthent command 108
install lsdev command 640
8-port 681
installation
TCP/IP 105
M
interfaces m option 471
TCP/IP 162 m subcommand 23, 30, 41
Internet Control Message Protocol 143 macdef subcommand 110
Internet protocol 144 macros
Internet Protocol Version 6 123 writing ftp 110
IPv6 mail
also see Internet Protocol Version 6 123 adding dead.letter contents to message 26
IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) adding information to a message 24
upgrade to IPv6 with IPv4 configured 131 adding to header fields 26
upgrade to IPv6 with IPv4 not configured 133 addressing 20
iSCSI software initiators 411 addressing to more than one user 20
addressing to users on a different network 21
J addressing to users on local system 21
addressing to users on your network 21
jobs applications 10
starting the transmission 475 banner 39
bcc field 27
canceling forwarded 31
K canceling vacation messages 31
Kerberos V.5 cc field 27, 35
authentication 107, 111 changing header fields 26
user validation 109 changing the current message 24
kernel extension changing to another mailbox 19
NFS 571 checking mail folder 12
kvalid_user subroutine 109 checking number of messages in mailbox 14
checking personal mailbox 12
checking system mailbox 12
L combining delete and print subcommands 39
creating 20
LAN (Local Area Network) description 3
creating a new message 30
libauthm.a library 108
creating folders 39
libraries
creating secret mail 32
libauthm.a 108
customizing 33
libvaliduser.a 109
dead.letter file 11
Library control functions 54
deleting 16
libvaliduser.a library 109
deleting messages 16
line discipline 595
disabling options 34, 35
Link Aggregation 385
displaying banner 37
link station 672
displaying current message number 14
links
displaying header 37
testing 672
displaying mail header information 14
tracing 672
displaying mailbox contents 13
list command 33
editing a message 23
listing
enabling options 34
aliases 35
exiting 16
distribution lists 35
filter configurations 53
ignored header fields 38
filter requirements 53
retained header fields 38
finding current folder 19
local-busy mode 672
finding current mailbox 19
log files
folders 11, 17
Index 717
mail (continued) Mail (continued)
forwarding all 30 log file, managing 51
forwarding messages 30 logging 50
forwarding selected messages 30 mailers
help 33 bellmail 7
ignoring date header 38 BNU 7
ignoring from header 38 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) 7
ignoring to header 38 management tasks 43
including files with message 25 message access programs 97
incomplete messages 11 message routing program 7
long messages 36 POP (Post Office Protocol) 97
message list 36 queue
organizing 17 determine processing intervals 49
over a BNU or UUCP link 22 files 46
overview 8 forcing 49
personal mailbox 11 managing 46
queue printing 46
q control file 47 specify processing intervals 48
quitting 16 statistics
ranges of messages 13 statistics 53
reading messages 11, 15 system management overview 7
reading next message 15 traffic, logging 52
reading previous message 15 user interfaces 7
receiving 11 mail command 11, 12, 20–23, 28, 37, 39, 40, 115
receiving secret mail 32 mail editor
replying to 29 displaying a message 24
saving messages with headers 18 displaying lines of a message 24
saving messages without headers 18 editing a message 23
scrolling your mailbox 13 exiting without saving 25
secret mail 32 quitting 25
sending 20, 28 reformatting a message 28
sending secret mail 32 selecting an editor 40
sent messages 39 spell-checking 28
starting 12 starting 23
status 12 starting from the command line 23
storing 10 starting from the mailbox prompt 23
subcommands 40 subcommands 42
subject field 27, 35 MAIL environment variable 11
system commands 40 mail headers
text editors 40 controlling display of 38
to field 27 mail options
top lines of messages 37 binary 34
undeleting messages 16 valued 34
vacation message notices 31 mail program 8, 10
viewing enabled options 34 mailbox
Mail subcommands 41
aliases 44 system 11
aliases database 45 MAILCHECK environment variable 11
commands Mailers
mailq 46 bellmail 7
commands, list of BNU 7
IMAP and POP 102 MAILMSG environment variable 11
debugging 96 MAINMENU_KEY control key sequence 647
files man command 33
/etc/mail/aliases 44 managing TTY devices 595
/etc/mail/sendmail.cf 52 manual modem programming 632
/etc/mail/statistics 52 mapped file support
/etc/netsvc.conf 45 NFS (Network File System) 523
/var/spool/mqueue 46 mbox 11
/var/spool/mqueue/log 50 message handler program 9
files and directories, list of 101 Message handling functions 78
filter 53 message handling subcommands 41
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) 97 Message modification functions 68
installation 7 message number

message number (continued) national languages
displaying 14 BNU support of 446
methods native configuration 109
TCP/IP 445 native-attached adapter 585
metric 372 netstat command 639
mh program 9 network 103
MIB (Management Information Base) Network
variables 505 LAN (Local Area Network) 3
MIL-STD MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) 3
interface signal 684 physical 3
MIL-STD 188 systems and protocols 3
signal voltage level 684 WAN (Wide Area Network) 3
Milter 53 network adapter cards
Miscellaneous functions 94 TCP/IP 159
mkdir command 39 network addresses 168
mMail Network concepts 1
queue Network File System (NFS) 519
move 49 network interfaces
modem configuration TCP/IP 162
automated 633 network lock manager 559
modem considerations 632 Network Management 482
modem lights 641 network planning
modems TCP/IP 104
AT command summary network route 371
dial modifiers 620 network services
result codes summary 619 daemons
S-registers Summary 618 list of 572
attaching a modem 610 utilities
cabling 609 list of 572
commands network status monitor 559
sending AT commands 611, 612 NFS
configuring 611 proxy serving 523
connections NFS (Network File System)
BNU configuration example 457–459 /etc/exports file 526
considerations 607 /etc/xtab file 527
hayes and hayes-compatible 613 access times 566
overview 605 ACL (Access Control Lists) 521
standards automount daemon 550
ITU-TSS 605, 606 binding 525
Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP) 605 biod threads
telecommunications standards 605 how to change number of 529
troubleshooting 614 cache file system 522
modify subcommand 646, 647 checklist for configuring 541
monitoring clients
BNU how to configure 542
automatic 452 controlling 528
file transfer 474 directory 520
remote connection 473 error messages
mount command mount 564
NFS (Network File System) nfs_server 564
file systems 548 exporting 520
mount points file handle 525
NFS (Network File System) 542 file system 520
mounting process file systems
NFS (Network File System) 525 how to change exported 547
MTU how to enable root access 548
Path MTU discovery 420 how to export 543
Multiple Screen utility 658 how to mount automatically 550
how to mount explicitly 548
how to unexport 547
N how to unmount 556
n subcommand 15, 41, 43 grace period 531
name resolution groups 569
TCP/IP 173 implementation 528
Index 719
NFS (Network File System) (continued) NFS files (continued)
kernel extension 571 list of 571
mapped files 523 NFS Replication
mount points 542 Global Namespace 533
mounting process 525 NFS servers
mounts hung programs 567
predefined 556 problem determination
types of 524 name resolution 568
network lock manager nfsd daemons
architecture 559 NFS (Network File System) 529
crash recovery process 560 NIC 702
grace period 560 NIC (Network Information Center) 380
how to start 560 NIS_LADP name resolution 187
network file locking process 560 no header option 39
troubleshooting 561 node-attached adapter 585
network services
list of 520
network status monitor 559
O
nfsd daemons options
how to change number of 529 ask 35
overview 519 askcc 35
PC-NFS autoprint 39
authentication services 556 crt 36
print-spooling services 557 editor 40
portmap daemon 528 escape 23
problem determination folder 39
authentication schemes 568 m 471
hard-mounted files 563 no header 39
hung programs 567 p 471
list of commands 562 q 471
permissions 568 quiet 39
soft-mounted files 563 record 39
RPC 528 screen 36
rpc. set folder 11
how to configure 557 toplines 37
rpc.pcnfsd visual 40
how to start 557 organizing mail 17
how to verify accessibility 558
secure NFS
networking daemons 572 P
networking utilities 572
p option 471
servers
p subcommand 15, 39
how to configure 541
P subcommand 38
stateless servers 520
packet 103
system startup
packets 122
how to start 541
parameters
XDR 528
baud rate 591
NFS commands
bits-per-character 591
list of 572
bits-per-second 591
NFS daemons
mark bits 592
command line arguments
parity 591
how to change 529
start 592
controlling 528
stop 592
how to get current status 530
Path MTU discovery 420
how to start 530
path names
how to stop 530
beginning with a tilde 464
locking
BNU 464
list of 572
full 464
secure NFS 572
home directory of user 464
NFS DIO and CIO Support 532
identifying on another system 465
NFS diskless support
identifying through multiple systems 465
SUN
~[option] 464
clients 572
relative 464
NFS files

path names (continued) R
system_name! 465
system_name!system_name! 465 r subcommand 29, 41
PC-NFS 556, 557 R subcommand 29, 41
PCI adapters rcp command 107, 108, 115, 116, 443
ARTIC960Hx 676 RDMA 704
pdisable command 640 reading
perform subcommand 646, 647, 657 mail 11, 15
permissions files 468 messages 15
personal mailbox 11 next message 15
pg command 34, 36 previous message 15
ping command 115, 121, 443, 641 ready to send/clear to send 593
pipe subcommand 28, 42 real-time conversation 115
planning asynchronous communication 582 receive subcommand 647, 657
point-to-point protocol receiving
user-level processes 628 files 471
polling mail 11
BNU secret mail 32
remote systems 453 receiving a file with ATE 655
POP (Post Office Protocol) record option 39
configuring 98 Referral export option
overview 97 Replica export option 533
port 103 reformatting a message 28
portmap daemon refresh command 119, 120, 443
NFS (Network File System) 528 relative path names 464
ports remote communication commands 443
serial vs. system 589 remote connections
pre subcommand 41 BNU
PREVIOUS_KEY control key sequence 647 monitoring 473
print commands 443 remote login commands 443
printer emulators 5 remote systems
printing BNU
files 119, 474 polling 453
from remote systems 121 copying files 116, 118
problems 641 displaying logged-in users 121, 122
process 103 logging in directly 116
product selection criteria 585 logging in indirectly 117
programs logging into 114
mail 8 printing from 121
message handler 9 printing to 119
mh 9 remote.unknown file 468
sendmail 8 remsh command 111, 443
protocol 103 replying to mail 29
protocols requesting execution of a command 472
gateway 373 resetting header fields 38
ps command 640 retain subcommand 38
public directory Return key subcommand 43
BNU 446 rexec command 111, 443
put subcommand 119 RFC 1010 142
RFC 1100 142
RFC 1155 482
Q RFC 1157 482
q option 471 RFC 1213 482
q subcommand 16, 41, 43 RFC 1227 482
questionnaire RFC 1229 482
SLIP 642 RFC 1231 482
quiet option 39 RFC 1398 482
quit subcommand 646, 647, 657 RFC 1512 482
quitting RFC 1514 482
mail 16 RFC 1592 482
mail editor 25 RFC 1905 482
RFC 1907 482
RFC 2572 482
RFC 2573 482
Index 721
RFC 2574 482 serial (continued)
RFC 2575 482 transmission 588
RFC 791 144 serial line internet protocol 631
rlogin command 107, 108, 111, 121, 443 Serial Optical 165
rm command 31 Serial over Ethernet driver 664
rmail 101 serial ports
RoCE 702, 704 distinguished from system ports 589
route server
definition of 371 TCP/IP 107
routers servers
TCP/IP 372 NFS (Network File System)
routing stateless 520
TCP/IP 371 Servers
routing table 371 configuring IMAP 98
RPC configuring POP 98
NFS 528 service access point 671
rpcinfo command set folder option 11
NFS configuration 558 set folder subcommand 17
rsh command 107, 108, 111, 443 set subcommand 17, 34, 41
RTS/CTS set_auth_methods subroutine 108
definition 593 shell procedures
run-time static configuration 135 BNU 463
rwho command 121, 443 short-hold mode 672
SLIP
activating a connection 638
S configuration 631
s subcommand 17, 18, 41, 43 connection deactivation
SAP (service access point) temporary 638
definition 671 debugging problems 639
statistics questionnaire 642
querying 672 removing an interface 639
saving SMB 577
messages with headers 18 SMB client file system 577
messages without headers 18 SMBCFS 577
scenarios smfi_addheader 69
customer 588 smfi_addrcpt 75
screen option 36 smfi_addrcpt_par 75
Scripts smfi_chgfrom 74
/usr/lib/smdemon.cleanu 51 smfi_chgheader 71
scrolling your mailbox 13 smfi_delrcpt 76
secret mail smfi_getpriv 64
sending and receiving 32 smfi_getsymval 63
subcommands 43 smfi_insheader 72
secret mailbox smfi_main 62
subcommands 43 smfi_opensocket 55
secure rcmds smfi_progress 78
system configuration 108 smfi_quarantine 79
securetcpip command 109 smfi_register 56
security smfi_replacebody 77
BNU 466 smfi_setbacklog 60
selecting a mail editor 40 smfi_setconn 58
send subcommand 647, 657 smfi_setdbg 60
sending smfi_setmlreply 67
files 470 smfi_setpriv 65
mail 20, 28 smfi_setreply 65
secret mail 32 smfi_setsymlist 95
sendmail smfi_settimeout 59
filter 53 smfi_stop 61
Sendmail smfi_version 95
starting 50 smit command 120, 443
stopping 50 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol 7
sendmail program 8 SNMP
serial introduction 482
communication 588 SNMPv1

SNMP (continued) subcommands (continued)
SNMPv1 (continued) ~f 26, 30, 42
access policies 500 ~h 26
configuring 500 ~m 26, 30, 42
daemon 500 ~p 24, 42
processing 501 ~q 25, 42
troubleshooting 517 ~r 25, 42
SNMPv3 ~s 27
introduction 483 ~t 27
issuing requests 490 ~v 24, 40, 42
troubleshooting 498 ~w 42
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) a 35, 41
SNMPv1 add to heading 42
migrate to SNMPv3 491 add to message 42
SNMPv3 alias 35
creating users in 494 alter 646, 647
dynamically update keys in 488 break 647, 657
migrate from SNMPv1 491 cd 41
SNMP daemon change message 42
MIB variables support 505 connect 646, 647, 657
SoE driver 664 control 41, 42
source subcommand 34 creating new mail 41
spell command 28 d 16, 39, 41, 43
spell-checking mail 28 directory 646, 657
spooling directory display 41
BNU 447 dp 16
SRC (System Resource Controller) dt 16
NFS (Network File System) e 23, 24, 41
daemons 530 EOT 42
standards compliance 684, 690 ex 17
starting f 14, 41
ATE 646 file 19
ATE Connected Main Menu 647 folder 14, 19, 41
ATE Unconnected Main Menu 646 get 118
mail editor 23 h 36, 41
mail program 12 help 646, 647, 657
static configuration 135 ignore 35, 38, 41
statistics m 23, 30, 41
querying macdef 110
SAP 672 message handling 41
status modify 646, 647
command 118, 119 n 15, 41, 43
mail 12 p 15, 39
of BNU job queue 472 P 38
of BNU operations 472 perform 646, 647, 657
of command and file exchanges 472 pipe 28, 42
of systems connected by BNU 472 pre 41
storing put 119
mail 10 q 16, 41, 43
mail in folders 17 quit 646, 647, 657
subcommands r 29, 41
- 15 R 29, 41
! 41, 43 receive 647, 657
? 33 retain 38
. 28, 42 Return key 43
+ 15 s 17, 18, 41, 43
= 14 secret mail 43
~: 42 secret mailbox 43
~! 28, 42 send 647, 657
~? 33 set 17, 34, 41
~b 27 set folder 17
~c 27 source 34
~d 26, 42 t 15, 36, 38, 41
~e 24, 40, 42 T 38
Index 723
subcommands (continued) TCP/IP (continued)
terminate 647, 657 addresses (continued)
top 37, 38, 41 local loopback 172
u 16, 41 network 168
unalias 35 subnet 170
unset 34, 35 subnet masks 171
v 23, 24 zeros 170
w 17, 18, 41, 43 BINLD 334
x 17, 41 BNU
z 13, 36 devices files 455
subject field 27 BNU connections 466
subroutines client 103
get_auth_methods 108 client network services 370
kvalid_user 109 commands
set_auth_methods 108 file transfer 115
subservers list of 107
TCP/IP 369, 444 configuration 105
subsystems copying files 116, 118
TCP/IP 369, 444 daemons
synchronization 589 how to configure gated 377
synchronous communication 589 how to configure routed 377
SYSLOG Facility 100 inetd 369
system commands SRC (System Resource Controller) 434
sending secret mail 43 subservers 444
system mailbox 11 subsystems 444
system ports displaying logged-in users 121, 122
distinguished from serial ports 589 enqueuing a job with enq command 120
system_name! path names 465 enqueuing jobs using smit 120
system_name!system_name! path names 465 examples
BNU configuration 455
file transfer commands 116, 118, 443
T File Transfer Protocol (FTP) 115
t subcommand 15, 36, 38, 41 frames
T subcommand 38 definition 122
talk command 115, 443 host 103
talkd daemon 115 host connections 111
TCP/IP hosts 106
/etc/gated.conf 377 installation 105
/etc/gateways 377, 433 installation and configuration key set 110
/etc/hosts 104, 106, 173, 177, 179, 431 interfaces 162
/etc/named.boot 180 Internet Protocol Version 6 123
/etc/named.ca 180 key set 110
/etc/named.data 180 list of commands 440
/etc/named.local 180 list of daemons 444
/etc/named.rev 180 mail command 102
/etc/networks 377, 433 mail server 182
/etc/protocols 159 Message Handling commands 102
/etc/rc.net 105 methods 445
/etc/rc.tcpip 368, 377 name resolution
/etc/resolv.conf 177, 180, 431 how to perform local 179
/etc/sendmail.cf 177, 182 planning for domain 180
/etc/services 159 process 177
/etc/syslog.conf 432 troubleshooting 431
/usr/lib/sendmail.cf 182 name server
addresses configuration files 180
broadcast 172 how to configure host to use 184
class A 168 how to configure mail server 182
class B 169 zone of authority 174
class C 169 naming
comparison 172 authority 173
DHCP 188 conventions 174
DHCP proxy daemon 297 DNS (Domain Name Service) 173
host 168 domain 173
local 168 flat network 104, 173

TCP/IP (continued) TCP/IP (continued)
naming (continued) routing (continued)
hierarchical network 104, 173 how to get an autonomous system
how to choose names 174 number 380
network 103 metric 372
network adapter cards protocols 373
how to configure 160 routed 371
how to install 159 routers 372
network interfaces static 371, 373
802.3 164 troubleshooting 433
automatic configuration 163 routing table 371
automatic creation 163 sendmail command 102
Ethernet Version 2 163 server 103
managing 165 server network services 370
manual creation 163 servers 106
multiple 165 SLIP
Serial Optical 165 /usr/lib/uucp/Devices 634, 636
SLIP configuration 165 how to configure over modem 634
Token-Ring 164 how to configure over null modem
troubleshooting 437 636
network planning 104 how to deactivate a SLIP connection
overview 102 638
packet 103 status commands 121, 443
packets Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) 115
definition 122 troubleshooting
headers 139–141 communication 431
tracing 139 ESCDELAY 435
troubleshooting 439, 440 name resolution 431
parameter assignments network interface 437, 438
DHCP 188 packet delivery 439, 440
point-to-point protocol routing 433
used as an alternative to SLIP 628 SRC 434
user-level processes 628 telnet or rlogin 435
port 103 TERM 435
print commands 443 TTY
printing from remote systems 121 used for SLIP over a modem 634
process 103 used for SLIP over a null modem 636
protocol 103 values, default 163
protocols TCP/IP customization
application-level 154 changing the key set assignment 110
assigned numbers 159 writing FTP macros 110
network-level 142–144 TCP/IP files
transport-level 146, 147, 152 copying from local host to remote host 118, 119
real-time conversation 115 copying from remote host to local host 117, 118
remote communication commands 443 TCP/IP print operations
remote login commands 443 remote systems 119
RFCs TCP/IP security
RFC 1010 142 configuration files 109
RFC 1100 142 telnet command 107, 108, 111, 114, 121, 435, 443
RFC 791 144 telnet connection
supported 445 debugging 435
route telnetd daemon
default 371 debugging 435
definition of 371 temporarily deactivating SLIP 638
host 371 TERM
network 371 TCP/IP
routing TERM 435
dynamic 371, 373 TERM environment variable 595
gated 371 termcap conversion 595
gateways 106, 372–374 terminal 594
hop count 372 terminal emulators 5
how to configure gated 377 terminal negotiation 111
how to configure routed 377 terminate subcommand 647, 657
terminfo database 595
Index 725
tftp command 115, 118, 119, 443 uucico daemon 465, 472, 475
tic command 435 uuclean command 463
tip command uucleanup command 463
configuring 476 UUCP 468
overview 475 UUCP (UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program) 445, 467
variables uucp command 470
order of use 475 uucpd daemon 466
tn command 111, 443 uudecode command 470, 471
tn3270 command 111, 443 uudemon.admin command 463
to field 27 uudemon.cleanu command 463
Token-Ring 164 uuencode command 470, 471
top subcommand 37, 38, 41 uuname command 475
toplines option 37 uupick command 470, 471
topology uupoll command 463, 472, 475
overview 588 uuq command 463, 472
touch command 434 uusched daemon 466
transferring uusend command 470
files 115 uusnap command 463, 472
spooled jobs 475 uustat command 463, 472, 477
transferring a file with ATE 655 uuto command 470
Transmission Control Protocol 152 Uutry command 473, 474
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol 104 uutx daemon 472
transmitter on/transmitter off 594 uux command 472
Trivial File Transfer Protocol 118 uuxqt daemon 466, 472
troubleshooting
ATE 657
EtherChannel 405
V
Troubleshooting v subcommand 23, 24
SNMPv1 517 vacation message notices 31
SNMPv3 498 vacation-I command 31
TTY 597 vacation.def file 31
TTY valued mail options 34
configuring SLIP over a modem 634 variables
configuring SLIP over a Null Modem Cable 636 tip command
definition 594 order of use 475
examples 594 vi editor 23, 40
managing 595 viewing enabled mail options 34
tasks VIPA (Virtual IP Address) 383
setting tty characteristics 595 Virtual IP Address (VIPA) 383
using the Multiple Screen utility 658 visual option 40
troubleshooting
error log information 599
tty log identifiers 599 W
w subcommand 17, 18, 41, 43
U WAN (Wide Area Network) description 3
whois command 121, 443
u subcommand 16, 41 writing ftp macros 110
umount command
NFS (Network File System)
file systems 556 X
unalias subcommand 35
x subcommand 17, 41
undeleting messages 16
XDR
UNIX-to-UNIX copy program 445
NFS (Network File System) 528
unset subcommand 34, 35
xmodem protocol 657
User Datagram Protocol 147
XON/XOFF
user validation
definition 594
Kerberos V.5 109
xsend command 32
users
xtab file 527
adding to message header fields 27
xxfi_abort callback 90
utftp command 118
xxfi_body 89
utilities
xxfi_close 91
network services 572
xxfi_connect 82
NFS
xxfi_data 86
secure 572

xxfi_envfrom 84
xxfi_envrcpt 85
xxfi_eoh 88
xxfi_eom 90
xxfi_header 87
xxfi_helo 83
xxfi_negotiate 92
xxfi_unknown 86
Z
z subcommand 13, 36
Index 727
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Network and communication concepts

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Data Layer 5: Session Manages the connections between applications

Segments Layer 4: Transport Ensures error-free data transmission

Manages the connections to other machines

Figure 1. OSI Reference Model

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TCP/IP commands for emulation

BNU commands for emulation

cu Connects your terminal to another terminal connected to either a UNIX or non-UNIX

Common network commands

Table 1. Commonly used communication commands

<system_name> is 192.9.200.4 (300,11,310,4)

<system_name>: unknown host

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A display similar to the following is returned:

brown Console Mar 15 13:19

A display similar to the following is returned:

Login name: brown

Mail user-agent programs

Mail program interface

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Message handler (mh)

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Default personal mailbox

dead.letter file for incomplete messages

Mail handling and receiving

YOU HAVE NEW MAIL

Checking your system mailbox for mail

No mail for YourID

Mail Type ? for help.

The status can be any of the following:

Checking your personal mailbox or mail folder for mail

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A file or directory in the path name does not exist

2. To display a listing of the messages in the dept folder, enter:

A file or directory in the path name does not exist

Mailbox content display options

1. The mail program must be installed on your system.

On last screenful of messages.

On first screenful of messages.

Message filtering for specific information

Current message numbers

Total number of messages in your mailbox

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Reading mail options

Reading messages in your mailbox

Reading the next message in your mailbox

Reading the previous message in your mailbox

Exiting mail and saving changes

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