Reference
About SimpleNetworkStarter
¬
In this topic	SimpleNetworkStarter (SNS) application
	Other stuff 
	Other stuff 

¬Summary	

You use the SimpleNetworkStarter application to create services for a two-level NetInfo domain hierarchy network. These services include a NetInfo server to provide access to a root NetInfo domain as well as shared filesystems and other services. 

Be sure you understand the requirements of your network before you use SimpleNetworkStarter.  

To start SimpleNetworkStarter, you must be logged in as root on the computer that will host the services you want to establish. 

SimpleNetworkStarter provides a window that makes building a two-level network as easy as one-two-three. Click a radio button in section 1 and then make choices from sections 2 and 3 as they are available. 

You can user SimpleNetworkStarter on several different computers in your network to establish complementary services distributed across your network. 

Once you've built a two-level network, you can create other two-level networks and then use NetInfoManager to combine them into a three- or four-level network. 

	For quick on-line help while you're using SimpleNetworkStarter, choose Info ¬ Help from the SNS menu. Or hold down the Help key and click a command, panel, window, or button. (If you don't have a Help key, hold down the Control and Alt keys.)

¬Before you use SimpleNetworkStarter 

You should plan your network to determine numbers of computers and users involved along with the amount of network traffic, data storage, and subnets. Be sure computers hosting services have sufficient resources (disk space, memory, and speed). 

If you're using SNS to set up a tiny network, you'll probably want to locate all network services on a single host. 

If you'll be building a two-level network with more than a few computers, you'll want to use SNS on other computers to create clone NetInfo servers, about one clone for every ten computers. 

If your two-level network will include routers, bridges, or other similar equipment to make subnets, be sure to use SNS to create a clone NetInfo server within each subnet. 

You can use SNS to create multiple two-level networks and then use NetInfoManager to combine all two-level networks into a single three-level network (or four-level network). 

In addition to planning your network, you should make copies of the /etc/hostconfig file and the /etc/netinfo directory. You'll need to restore these if something goes wrong with your SNS session. 

Also, back up the /usr/adm/SNS.log file if you want to keep it as a record of past SNS sessions. 

¬Starting up SimpleNetworkStarter  

SimpleNetworkStarter lets you set up a computer to behave as a host for all or part of a wide variety of network services. Log in as root on the computer that you want to affect. Back up files you want to save, then start up SimpleNetworkStarter. 

SNS starts up its log file, inspects the /etc/netinfo directory, and presents a window with three sections. 

¬Using SimpleNetworkStarter  

Using SimpleNetworkStarter involves making choices in each of the three sections of the SNS window. 

Your choice in section 1 determines which choices in sections 2 and 3 will be available to you. You can specify a computer to be simply a valid resident of the network (for email primarly), or a network resident that can has access to exported filesystems, or a provider of network services. 

Section 2 lets you specify a hostname and IP address as well as set network options for routing and netmasks along with NetInfo options of additional NetInfo servers. 

Section 3 lets you create various network services on the host you're using. Choose everything for a computer that will host all services for a tiny network. Choose one or more options to set up services on a particular computer, then move to another computer and use SNS section 3 to set up other services, and so on, to distribute services across several hosts. 

Clicking Configure directs SNS to backup existing domain database files then create a database for a new, root domain. 

¬Effects of SimpleNetworkStarter   

SimpleNetworkStarter creates a new domain that is the parent of the local domain of the computer you're using. The new domain contains a set of directories and properties, some of which copied from the local domain. The new domain has no parent, and is therefore named the / (root) domain. The database for the new root domain is by default tagged network (/etc/netinfo/network.nidb). 

Note that the group directories are copied from the local domain to the new parent, and any groups you've created in the local domain will also be available in the parent. If you want a group strictly for the local domain of a particular computer, create the group after you've created the new root domain. 

¬Effects of section 1.  

A network resident that shares administrative data has /etc/hostconfig values of HOSTNAME and INETADDR set to -AUTOMATIC-. 

A provider of configuration services has /etc/hostconfig values of HOSTNAME and INETADDR set specifically, and NETMASTER set to -YES-. 

¬Effects of section 2.  

If in section 1 you chose Access shared network resources as a client, you'll see -AUTOMATIC- as the value for Host name and IP address. Otherwise you'll have to enter a name and IP address manually. 

If your network includes subnets, or if you want to set up additional NetInfo servers, use these options. 

¬Effects of section 3.  

You can choose any or all of the options listed in section 3 for the computer you're using. 

If you choose to maintain a clone copy of network administrative data, you're choosing a clone NetInfo server. SNS will disallow this choice if you do not already have a master NetInfo server established. 

Limiting access to administrative data to the local network means that NetInfo domain information is not available to client requests across subnet boundries. 

Choosing to automatically add new NEXTSTEP systems to the network establishes a configuration server on this computer. Attaching a NEXTSTEP computer to the network and turning it on will trigger the configuration server to check for previously used host names and IP addresses, optionally require password validation, and add the computer as a valid resident of the network. 

To require a password to add computers to the network lets you specify a password validation whenever someone tries to add a new computer to the network. You may use the root password of the computer hosting the configuration server or you can specify a unique password for this function. 

To run the network time server software on this computer establishes a clone time server. A provider of network time services has its /etc/hostconfig value of TIME set to -AUTOMATIC- unless it is a master time server (not generally advised). Other computers will get their time from this computer (or from other computers also running clone time servers). 

If you choose to maintain the network's e-mail server on this computer, be sure it has sufficient hard disk storage for the e-mail queue. Also be sure it has sufficient memory and is fast enough to provide e-mail, especially if this computer will also host other services. 

You can choose to run the /usr/etc/snmpd process to collect network statistics, if you will be using th eSimple Network Management Protocol facility. 

If you check Homes for network users, you will create a shared filesystem area that contains home directories for network users. Users' storage requirements may vary from a few Megabytes to many tens of Megabytes, so be sure this computer has sufficient storage space. 

If you check Shared applications, you'll create a shared filesystem that contains applications you want available to all network users. Check the total storage required by all of your applications and be sure this computer has sufficient hard disk space. 

If you check Shared data, you'll create a shared filesystem that contains whatever you and your users decide belongs there. 

You can locate shared filesystem on multiple hosts. If you use a computer to host one or more shared filesystems, be sure your calculations include whatever extra storage will be required for temporary and swap files. 

¬
Related topics  (click a ¬)
¬Concepts
You need to understand NetInfo fundamentals before you set up a NetInfo network.
;../../../NetInfo/AboutNetInfo.rtfd;;¬	About NetInfo

Need to understand NFS and shared filesystems? 
;../../../NetworkFiles/AboutNetworkFiles.rtfd;;¬	About Network File Systems 

Check how to set up NetInfo networks 
;../../../Setup/AboutSetup.rtfd;;¬	About Setup

¬How to
;../../../Setup/SetUpTinyNetwork.rtfd;;¬	Set up a tiny network 
;../../../Setup/SetUpTwo-LevelNetwork.rtfd;;¬	Set up a two-level network 
;../../../Setup/SetUpThree-LevelNetwork.rtfd;;¬	Set up a three-level network 
;../../../Setup/SetUpFour-LevelNetwork.rtfd;;¬	Set up a four-level network