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netconfig(SFF)


netconfig -- network configuration database

Synopsis

#include <netconfig.h>

Description

The network configuration database system file, /etc/netconfig, stores information about networks that are connected to the system and that are available for use. At system startup, initsock(ADMN) (invoked by init) reads /etc/netconfig to initialize the in-kernel socket system's mapping of socket families, types and protocols to device files.

The netconfig database and the routines that access it (see getnetconfig(SLIB)) are part of the Network Selection component. The Network Selection component also includes the environment variable NETPATH and a group of routines that access the netconfig database using NETPATH components as links to the netconfig entries. NETPATH is described in sh(C); the NETPATH access routines are discussed in getnetpath(SLIB).

Files


/etc/netconfig

/usr/include/netconfig.h

Usage

netconfig contains an entry for each network available on the system. Entries are separated by newlines. Fields are separated by whitespace and occur in the order in which they are described below. Whitespace can be embedded by escaping an ASCII space or tab with a backslash character (\). Backslashes may be embedded as ``\\''. Lines that begin with a hash sign (#) are treated as comments and ignored.

netconfig database fields

Each field in the network configuration database corresponds to an element in the netconfig structure. netconfig and the identifiers described on this manual page are defined in /usr/include/netconfig.h.

``network ID''
A string used to uniquely identify a network. The string consists of non-null characters, and has a length of at least 1. No maximum length is specified. This namespace is locally significant and the local system administrator is the naming authority. Note that all network IDs on a system must be unique.

``semantics''
A string identifying the semantics of the network (that is, the set of services it supports) by identifying the service interface it provides. The ``semantics'' field is mandatory. The following semantics are recognized.

tpi_clts
Transport Provider Interface, connectionless

tpi_cots
Transport Provider Interface, connection oriented

tpi_cots_ord
Transport Provider Interface, connection oriented, supports orderly release.

tpi_raw
Transport Provider Interface, raw

``flag''
This field records certain boolean attributes of networks. ``flag'' contains a string composed of a combination of characters, each of which indicates the value of the corresponding attribute. If the character is present, the attribute is true. If the character is absent, the attribute is false. A dash (-) indicates that none of the attributes is present. Two characters are currently recognized:

v
Visible (default) network. Used when the environment variable NETPATH is unset.

b
Enable RPC broadcast. The network will accept broadcasts. If this flag is not set, then broadcasts will not be allowed on the network. The flag must be set for UDP networks, otherwise some applications which need to broadcast will fail. Note that connection oriented transports do not support broadcasts.

``protocol family''
The ``protocol family'' (see also the ``protocol name'' field below) is provided for protocol-specific applications.

The ``protocol family'' field contains a string that identifies a protocol family. This string follows the same rules as those for the ``network ID'' field. A dash in this field indicates that no protocol family identifier applies: that is, the network is experimental. The following are examples:


loopback
Loopback (local to host).

inet
Internetwork: for example, UDP, TCP

implink
ARPANET IMP addresses

pup
PUP protocols: for example, BSP

chaos
MIT CHAOS protocols

ns
XEROX NS protocols

nbs
NBS protocols

ecma
European Computer Manufacturers Association

datakit
DATAKIT protocols

ccitt
CCITT protocols: for example, X.25

sna
IBM SNA

decnet
DECNET

dli
Direct data link interface

lat
LAT

hylink
NSC Hyperchannel

appletalk
Apple Talk

nit
Network Interface Tap

ieee802
IEEE 802.2; also ISO 8802

osi
Umbrella for all families used by OSI (for example, protosw lookup)

x25
CCITT X.25 in particular

osinet
AFI = 47, IDI = 4

gosip
U.S. Government OSI

``protocol name''
The ``protocol name'' field contains a string that identifies a protocol. This string follows the same rules as those for the ``network ID'' field. The following protocol names are recognized. A dash indicates that none of the names listed below applies:

tcp
Transmission Control Protocol

udp
User Datagram Protocol

icmp
Internet Control Message Protocol

``network device''
The ``network device'' is the full pathname of the device used to connect to the transport provider. Typically, this device will be in the /dev directory. This field must have an entry.

``directory lookup libraries''
These libraries support a directory service (that is, a name-to-address mapping service) for the network. This service is implemented by the name-to-address mapping feature. If a network is not provided with such a library, the netdir(SLIB) feature will not work. A dash in this field indicates the absence of any lookup libraries, in which case name-to-address mapping for the network is non-functional. This field consists of a comma-separated list of full pathnames to dynamically linked libraries. Commas may be embedded as ``\,''; backslashes as ``\\''.

netconfig structure members

The netconfig structure includes the following members corresponding to the fields in the netconfig database entries:

char * nc_netid
Network ID, including NULL terminator

unsigned long nc_semantics
Semantics

unsigned long nc_flag
Flags

char * nc_protofmly
Protocol family

char * nc_proto
Protocol name

char * nc_device
Full pathname of the network device

unsigned long nc_nlookups
Number of directory lookup libraries

char ** nc_lookups
Full pathnames of the directory lookup libraries

unsigned long nc_unused[9]
Reserved for future expansion (not advertised at user level)
The nc_semantics variable takes the following values, corresponding to the semantics identified above:

NC_TPI_CLTS

NC_TPI_COTS

NC_TPI_COTS_ORD

NC_TPI_RAW

The nc_flag variable is a bitfield. The NC_VISIBLE bit, corresponding to the attribute identified above, is currently recognized. NC_NOFLAG indicates the absence of any attributes.

References

getnetconfig(SLIB), getnetpath(SLIB), icmp(ADMP), initsock(ADMN), ip(ADMP), netdir(SLIB)
© 2005 The SCO Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 6.0.0 - 01 June 2005