This article describes how to use 4.3 BSD ASCII network configurations on an AIX system, additional AIX commands and command options, name and address resolution on AIX systems, and differences between 4.3 BSD network management and AIX network management.
You can administer AIX network interfaces through the SMIT and ODM files, or through 4.3 BSD ASCII configuration files.
To administer network interfaces through 4.3 BSD ASCII configuration files, uncomment the commands in the /etc/rc.net file below the heading:
# Part II - Traditional Configuration
Then if you want flat file configuration and SRC support, edit the /etc/rc.net file and uncomment the hostname, ifconfig, and route commands with the appropriate parameters.
If you want flat file configuration without SRC support, use the smit setbootup_option fast path to change the system to BSD-style rc configuration. This option configures the system to use the /etc/rc.bsdnet file at startup. You will also have to edit the /etc/rc.bsdnet file and uncomment the hostname, ifconfig, and route commands with the appropriate parameters.
The AIX ifconfig command has the following additional options:
The AIX netstat command has the -v flag. The netstat -v command prints driver statistics such as transmit byte count, transmit error count, receive byte count, and receive error count.
The following additional commands are supported on AIX:
| securetcpip | The securetcpip shell script enables controlled access mode, which provides enhanced network security. It disallows execution of several unsecured TCP/IP programs, such as the tftp, rcp, rlogin, and rsh programs. It also restricts the use of the .netrc file. | |
| gated | The gated command provides MIB support for SNMP. | |
| no | The no command sets network options that include: | |
| dogticks | Sets timer granularity for ifwatchdog routines. | |
| subnetsarelocal | Determines if packet address is on the local network. | |
| ipsendredirects | Specifies whether the kernel should send redirect signals. | |
| ipforwarding | Specifies whether the kernel should forward packets. | |
| tcp_ttl | Specifies the time-to-live for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets. | |
| udp_ttl | Specifies the time-to-live for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets. | |
| maxttl | Specifies the time-to-live for Routing Information Protocol (RIP) packets. | |
| ipfragttl | Specifies the time-to-live for Internet Protocol (IP) fragments. | |
| lowclust | Specifies a low water mark for cluster mbuf pool. | |
| lowmbuf | Specifies a low water mark for the mbuf pool. | |
| thewall | Specifies the maximum amount of memory that will be allocated to the mbuf and cluster mbuf pool. | |
| arpt_killc | Specifies the time in minutes before an inactive complete Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) entry will be deleted. | |
| iptrace | The iptrace command provides interface-level packet tracing for Internet protocols. | |
| ipreport | The ipreport command formats the trace into
human-readable form. An example of using this command is the following:
iptrace -i en0 /tmp/iptrace.log # kill iptrace daemon kill `ps ax | grep iptrace | awk '{ print $1 }'` ipreport /tmp/iptrace.log | more | |
The gethostbyname and gethostbyaddr subroutines in the libc library provide support for Domain Name Service, Network Information Services (NIS, formerly called Yellow Pages), and the /etc/hosts database. If the /etc/resolv.conf file exists, the name server is always checked first. If the name is not resolved and NIS is running, NIS is checked. If NIS is not running, the /etc/hosts file is checked.
On AIX systems, the network daemons are started from the /etc/rc.tcpip file, not the /etc/rc.local file. The /etc/rc.tcpip shell script is invoked from the /etc/inittab file, not the /etc/rc file.
If the System Resource Controller (SRC) is running, the TCP/IP daemons run under SRC control. If you do not want the TCP/IP daemons running under SRC control, use the smit setbootup_option fast path to change the system to BSD-style rc configuration.
These network management functions available on 4.3 BSD are supported by AIX:
The tn3270 command is a link to the telnet command, but it uses the /etc/map3270 file and the current TERM environment variable value to provide 3270 keyboard mappings. Thus, the tn3270 command operates exactly like the BSD version.
If you want to change the escape sequences from the defaults used by the tn3270, telnet, or tn commands, set the TNESC environment variable before starting these commands.