Networking is a fairly central aspect of a nineties workstation. The IPX is quite capable of sharing file systems and mounting remote file systems via NFS, browsing, ftp servers, web servers such as Apache, and Windows servers such as Samba.
Through the X-Windows protocol, the IPX is also capable of supporting X-servers or using X-clients.
Most of the setup for networking is done during the installation process, but it can be changed via configuration files in /etc.
I’m using a very simple name resolution system for local devices: hosts files. I run a separate network for my old machines with a router at 10.0.0.138.
Currently i also have a Sun UltraSparc 5 workstation, a Sun Enterprise 2 workstation, and an SGI Indy, a Trisquel Linux Netbook, and a PC all sharing files (for no particular reason).
Warning: Most of this stuff is pushing my knowledge, so take with a grain of salt.
| /etc/defaultdomain | cockatoo.com | I suspect this is unimportant without NIS. |
| /etc/defaultrouter | IntenetGateway 10.0.0.138 | |
| /etc/networks | 10.0.0 | |
| /etc/nsswitch.files | hosts: files dns | |
| /etc/resolve.conf | nameserver 10.0.0.133 nameserver 10.0.0.138 nameserver 61.9.226.33 nameserver 10.0.194.49 | Uses this machine, router, and then the telstra DNS servers. |
| /etc/password | root:x:0:1:Super-User:/:/sbin/sh graham:x:1001:14::/export/home/graham:/bin/sh | 14=sysadmin |
| /etc/mnttab (do not edit) | Current mounts. | |
| /etc/rmtab (do not edit) | Current shares mounted remotely. | |
| /etc/dfs/dfstab | share -F nfs /export/share/msdos share -F nfs /export/share/general | Works with nfs on PCs. |
| /etc/dfs/fstypes | nfs NFS Utilities | |
| /etc/inet/hosts | 127.0.0.1 10.0.0.133 SunSparcIPXSolaris251 10.0.0.138 InternetGateway 10.0.0.135 Sun-Ultra-5-1 10.0.0.225 IRIS | Add any other hosts |
| /etc/inet/netmasks | 10.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 |
Directories can be shared either at the shell:
share -F nfs /export/share/general
share -F nfs /export/share/msdosor by adding those lines to /etc/dfs/dfstab.
Remote drives shared through NFS require mount points prior to mounting:
- Mount point for Indy share: /Indy
- Mount point for Ultra-5 share: /ultra5-1
Mount at the shell:
mount -F nfs -o rw IRIS:/shared/general /Indy
mount -F nfs -o rw Sun-Ultra-5-1:/export/home/share/general /ultra5-1The IPX can be used as an X-terminal using the instructions here:
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19504-01/802-5818/6i9i51alo/index.html
The following command will login with a chooser window from 10.0.0.135.
/usr/openwin/bin/X -indirect Sun-Ultra-5-1It is also possible to login to the IPX from an X-terminal, eg Xming.