What a Network Directory Provides
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When a Network Directory is Required
A network directory must be configured on nodes with X.25 links. Point-to-Point nodes that do not use domain name services require network directory configuration. You must also configure a network directory when non-HP nodes are part of an HP LAN or Token Ring and you are not using domain name services. At least one node on LAN and Token Ring networks must have a network directory if any of the nodes on that network are to communicate with the internet and you are not using domain name services. The network directory of a node in a point-to-point network must contain the IP address of all other nodes that you want the node to be able to reach. When configuring the network directory for a point-to-point network, make sure that the IP address you enter in the network directory matches the data in the mapping screens (path name NETXPORT.NI.NIname.MAPPING.mapentry). For nodes on an X.25 network, the network directory maps the X.25 address key to an IP address to allow a node to communicate within the X.25 network. You must configure a network directory for nodes using X.25.
Probe and Proxy Servers
Because HP e3000s on an IEEE 802.3/Ethernet LAN use a proprietary HP protocol called probe, they are able to communicate on a LAN without a network directory. A node on an HP LAN can determine connection information about a node on the same LAN by sending a multicast probe request out on the LAN. The target node recognizes its address in the probe request and sends an individually addressed probe reply with the necessary connection information to the requesting node. The probe request/reply mechanism is sufficient to obtain connection requirements in an HP LAN environment. However, at least one node on an HP LAN must have a network directory if the nodes on that LAN are to communicate with other networks and you are not using domain name services. The node with the network directory on a LAN is called a proxy server. By using the probe protocol, a LAN node without a network directory can multicast a request for an internet address from the proxy server. For backup purposes, you should designate at least two nodes on a LAN to be proxy servers. A node is configured as a proxy server in the Probe Protocol Configuration screen, (path name NETXPORT.NI.NIname.PROTOCOL.PROBE).
Path Report Lists
A path report is an internal structure containing all configured paths to a given IP address in the internet. The path report list is a list of all path reports in a network directory. Each path report contains the protocol stacks that the data must pass through to get to a given IP address. An example of a path report where the protocol stack contains TCP with checksum error checking (level 4) over IP (level 3i) over IEEE 802.3 (level 2), is indicated in the following format: TCP.IP.IEEE802.3 In the network directory, IP addresses must be unique so that a single path report can be identified.
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Chapter 13 Network Directory |
Planning the Network Directory |