HP e3000/iX Network Planning and Configuration Guide (36922-90037)

36 Chapter2

Networking Concepts

Address Resolution

You use NMMGR to perform the following network directory functions:

• Add, modify, and delete entries in the directory.

• Review and inspect directory information.

• Merge a remote directory with a directory on the local node.

• Automatically update directories on a group of remote nodes by

using a background stream job controlled from a central

administrative node.

See Chapter 11, “Conﬁguring the Network Directory,” for more

information on conﬁguring the network directory through NMMGR.

More information on merging directories and on central administrative

nodes is included in this chapter.

When a Network Directory is Required

A network directory must be conﬁgured in the following circumstances:

• nodes running on X.25

• nodes not using domain name services

• nodes on a LAN network that do not support the HP-PROBE

protocol

The network directory of a node in a Point-to-Point network must

contain the IP addresses 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.

Planning the Network Directory

There are two theories about how network directories should be

planned and conﬁgured on a network, as follows:

• Centralized network directories.

• Decentralized network directories.

The centralized theory requires each node on the internet to have the

same network directory. This means that every node in the network

must have an entry in the network directory. The advantage to this is