NonStop Networking Overview

For procedures about configuring the various subsystems to use the HOSTS file, see the:
• TCP/IPv6 Configuration and Management Manual
• TCP/IP Configuration and Management Manual
• Cluster I/O Protocols (CIP) Configuration and Management Manual
Domain Name System (DNS)
The Internet has created an ever-increasing demand for IP addresses, and IP address management
has presented a challenging task for administrators. In the past, administrators could manage the
IP addresses in a single file containing all the host information (HOSTS File ) with name-to-address
mappings for every host connected to the network. Now assigning and maintaining new IP addresses
and resolving domain names to IP addresses have become difficult and cumbersome tasks.
An effective solution to this problem is the Domain Name System (DNS), a distributed database
that implements a name hierarchy for TCP/IP-based networks. DNS defines the rules for name
syntax in a hierarchical name space and for delegation of authority over names. A name server
is a server program that maps domain names to IP addresses. A set of DNS name servers operating
at multiple sites cooperatively solve the domain name to IP address mapping problem.
Every time you use a domain name, a DNS service translates the name into the corresponding IP
address. For example, the domain name www.sample.com translates to 188.135.212.3.
To use the domain name system, you must assign a name, in ARPANET standard format, to each
system on the network or internetwork. You configure this name in your network configuration
scripts. (See the TCP/IPv6 Configuration and Management Manual and the Cluster I/O Protocols
(CIP) Configuration and Management Manual for details.)
You also need to create a set of ASCII files on each system which contains the addressing
information the system needs. Instructions for creating these files are in the TCP/IP Configuration
and Management Manual.
Once you have configured the domain name services, the network can access the node using the
node’s domain name and the domain name service routines will resolve the domain name to the
node’s IP address.
Allocation of IP Addresses
IP addresses are allocated in several ways. First, it is important to distinguish between IP addresses
for components associated with a system and attached to the maintenance LAN (formerly known
as the private LAN) and interfaces on components used for data communication between the system
and other devices on the network. Devices in an Integrity NonStop system that are attached to the
maintenance LAN include maintenance switches, NonStop System Consoles (NSCs), processor
switches, ServerNet switch boards, CLIMs, and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units.
Maintenance entity IP addresses come as statically configured IP addresses but can also be changed
to dynamically configured IP addresses.
Address allocation has become more complex with the implementation of IPv6 (see IPv6 (page 28))
which introduced stateless address auto configuration, a process in which IP addresses actually
expire, and with the increasing use of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers.
IP address allocation for network interfaces on your NonStop systems can be obtained by contacting
your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for an IPv6 address range for your site. See the IANA web
page at:
http://www.iana.org/ipaddress/ip-addresses.htm
for more information about regional registries and address allocations.
Allocation of IP Addresses 25