[SunHELP] Network card configuration questions?

[velociraptor]

On 8/5/05, James Marcinek <jmarc1 at jemconsult.biz> wrote:
> Hello Everyone,
>
> My background has mainly been AIX and Linux up to this point and I have
some
> questions on configuring network cards with SUN platforms. I currently have
a
> little Sparcstation 10 that I have to play with but this question most
likely
> relates to others too.
>
> I can't see a network card if the system is booted without being connected
to
> the internet (with the ifconfig -a). I had a static IP set when I built the
> system but moved it to another network in which I'm going to use DHCP. Upon
> boot, I recieved errors which were likely due to different subnet settings
from
> my previous environments. Normally with AIX or linux this is not a big deal
as I
> can edit a file and bring the interface backup. How does one do this with
Sun?
> Where is the information kept for each device?
>
> I've also have another system (Sun E250) which has a second NIC but hasn't
been
> used. We're not sure if the card is bad or not...

First off--man ifconfig :)

If there are no config files for a Sun ethernet interface (at least under
Solaris), you will not see the network adaptors.  You have to 'plumb'
them to get them to show (which of course requires you to know
what they are called--hmeX, ceX, dmfeX, etc).

As to config files for static addresses:

/etc/hostname.interface_name  <--hostname, which should then be
  in /etc/hosts

/etc/defaultrouter <--default route for the box
/etc/nodename

You might also need info in /etc/networks if you are using a funky
netmask...

Some advocate "sys-unconfig", but I prefer to change the appropriate
files manually, as sys-unconfig messes with a lot of other stuff, too.
(vfstab!?!, hosts, etc.)

For dhcp, never done that with Suns, but googling popped up the
following:

http://www.rite-group.com/consulting/solaris_dhcp.html

The major thing about Solaris is that you have to have a FQDN
for stuff to "work right".  Often times this means "faking" DNS
internally to get them to work, unless your DHCP addresses
are "registered" with your upstream ISP.

Good luck with it--
=Nadine=