Profiles and Configuration Tools

The tools to use to customize profiles depend on the active profile. If the active profile is reactive such as Automatic, then you use the netcfg and netadm commands to configure and monitor the profile. If the active profile is fixed such as DefaultFixed, then you use the dladm and ipadm commands.

The dladm and ipadm commands are effective only on active profiles. Consequently, before you use these commands, you must make sure of the following:

• Know which profile is active to ensure that you make changes to the correct target profile by using the appropriate commands.

• Know whether the target profile is reactive or fixed to avoid causing unexpected configuration behaviors after using the commands. A reactive profile manages the network configuration differently from a fixed profile. Accordingly, the behavior of the two profiles also differs when changes are implemented.

Follow these two procedures to properly use the dladm and ipadm commands on profiles.

How to Determine the Network Management Mode

A system's network management mode is automatic if a reactive NCP such as Automatic is the active NCP in the system. Use this procedure to know the network management mode before performing any network configuration. The procedure ensures that you are using the correct commands to implement configuration on the appropriate profile.

1. List the profiles in the system.

   # netadm list -x
   TYPE        PROFILE        STATE          AUXILIARY STATE
   ncp         Automatic      online         active
   ncu:phys    net0           online         interface/link is up
   ncu:ip      net0           online         interface/link is up
   ncu:phys    net1           online         interface/link is up
   ncu:ip      net1           offline*       waiting for IP address to be set
   ncp         testcfg        disabled       disabled by administrator
   loc         Automatic      offline        conditions for activation are unmet
   loc         NoNet          offline        conditions for activation are unmet
   loc         Lab            online         active
   loc         User           disabled       disabled by administrator

   The output provides two pieces of information:

   • The netadm list command is supported only if the network management mode is automatic. Therefore, the generation of a profile list indicates network management is in automatic mode. Otherwise, the netadm list command would have generated the following message to indicate that the DefaultFixed profile is active in the system instead.

     netadm: DefaultFixed NCP is enabled; automatic network management is not available.
     'netadm list' is only supported when automatic network management is active.

   • The profile list, if generated, also identifies which specific reactive NCP is enabled by means of that NCP's online status. In the sample output, the Automatic NCP is listed as the only existing reactive NCP. Other user-created NCPs would have been included in the list if these were also present in the system.

2. Make sure that the appropriate profile is active for the configuration tools that you want to use.

   For example, the dladm and ipadm commands can only be used on the DefaulfFixed profile. However, the netcfg command can only be used on reactive profiles such as Automatic, where network management is in automatic mode.

   If the profile whose properties you want to modify with your selected configuration tools is not active, proceed to the following step to enable the proper profile. Otherwise, you can begin using the tools to configure the network.

   For example, you do not want network management to be in automatic mode, but prefer to use command lines such as dladm and ipadm to configure datalinks and interfaces manually. The output in Step 1 shows that the Automatic profile is enabled. To use command lines for network configuration, you must therefore enable the DefaultFixed profile.

3. To configure a different profile, enable that profile by typing the following:

   # netadm enable -p ncp profile-name

   For example:

   # netadm enable -p ncp defaultfixed

   You also use the same command syntax if network management is in automatic mode, and you want to use a different reactive NCP. From the sample output of Step 1, suppose that you want to activate the user-created NCP testcfg in place of Automatic. You will therefore type:

   # netadm enable -p ncp testcfg

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   Caution - The command switches active profiles. When you switch active profiles, the existing network configuration is removed, and a new configuration is created. Any persistent changes that were implemented on a previously active NCP are excluded in the new active NCP.

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