Dial-in Server With Dynamic Point-to-Point Links

A dynamic point-to-point link is one of two types of configurations that you can use for a dial-in server functioning as the network endpoint that remote hosts access. In this configuration scheme, the server connects to its remote hosts over a dynamically allocated point-to-point link. The dial-in server uses its dynamic links on an as-needed basis to establish communications with the remote hosts it serves.

• Network interface - The dynamic point-to-point link uses the ipdptp* virtual network interface with an asterisk wildcard character. The asterisk enables the link to be allocated dynamically. You must specify this interface in the configuration file.

• Addressing method - The configuration file must include the host names or IP addresses of the machines that communicate over the link. Refer to "Determining IP Addressing for Your PPP Link" for complete details.

• Name service - Although NIS and NIS+ are not recommended for remote hosts, the dial-in server in a remote host-to-network configuration can be an NIS client on the network to which it is physically connected. If NIS is on the server's physical network, make sure that the NIS maps are updated with the host names and IP addresses of the remote hosts. You can use DNS on the dial-in server and its remote hosts. For more information regarding DNS and name services in general, refer to Solaris Naming Administration Guide. If you use local files for name service, PPP access the /etc/inet/hosts file on the dial-in server for address resolution.

• Dial-in support - You must update the /etc/passwd file on the dynamic point-to-point dial-in server. The dynamic link server does not directly dial out to the remote hosts.

• Routing requirements - Because RIP is part of the Solaris TCP/IP protocol stack, it runs by default on remote hosts. Turn off RIP to improve performance, if necessary, and instead use static routing. See "To Select Static Routing on a Host" and "Turning Off RIP" for details.