Summary

Although networking is a topic that could consume many chapters in this book, I’ve described the fundamentals that you will need to know to set up a Solaris system on the network.

After reading this chapter, you should have an understanding of the two types of network models: ISO/OSI and TCP/IP. This chapter described all of the component layers of these two models.

The network hardware and software components were described, along with all of the configuration files you might need to customize to get your network services operational.

Finally, this chapter discussed the network-related commands and utilities you will use for monitoring and maintaining the network. In a networked environment, system performance depends on how well you’ve maintained your network. An overloaded network will disguise itself as a slow system and can even cause downtime. Monitor your network continuously. You need to know how the network looks when things are running well so that you know what to look for when the network is performing poorly. The network commands described in this chapter only report numbers. You’re the one who decides whether these numbers are acceptable for your environment. As stated earlier, when it comes to system administration, practice and experience will help you excel as a system administrator. The same holds true for administering a network.

For additional reading on Solaris network administration, I recommend the Solaris 8 Network Administrator Certification Training Guide by Rafeeq Rehman (New Riders Publishing).

The next chapter will describe how to access disks and file systems across the network using NFS.