8.1 NETWORKING

A network is a collection of computers connected by hardware and software to allow the sharing of data and resources. In order for the computers on a network to communicate, they must all speak the same language, or protocol. Today, it is a rare Digital UNIX system that is not a member of a network of some sort. Digital UNIX, like all other flavors of UNIX, supports Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking natively, which is the networking protocol of the Internet. In addition, Digital UNIX also supports Digital's DECnet, the native networking protocol of Digital's OpenVMS operating system, though only as an extra cost option. Due to the almost universal acceptance of TCP/IP, that is the only networking protocol that will be covered. This chapter is intended as a guide to configuring and managing basic TCP/IP networking on Digital UNIX systems. The first part of the chapter is an introduction to the requirements of TCP/IP networking on a Digital UNIX system. This includes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, subnets and subnet masks, and gateways and routing.

I will then cover the configuration process and provide examples of both the character-based setup sequence and the graphical configuration utility available on Digital UNIX version 4.0 and above. Following this, the different network interfaces available on a Digital UNIX system will be outlined, along with any special requirements or considerations. Next, some basic network troubleshooting tips will be demonstrated. Finally, several common network services for sharing resources across a network, such...