Preface

The IP Network Multipathing Administration Guide provides information about configuring and managing the IP Network Multipathing framework installed in your Solaris^TM Operating Environment. This book assumes that you have already installed the SunOS^TM 5.8 operating system, and you have set up any networking software that you plan to use. The SunOS 5.8 operating system is part of the Solaris product family, which includes many features, such as the Solaris Common Desktop Environment (CDE). The SunOS 5.8 operating system is compliant with AT&T's System V, Release 4 operating system.

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Note -

The Solaris operating environment runs on two types of hardware, or platforms: SPARC^TM and IA. The Solaris operating environment runs on both 64-bit and 32-bit address spaces. The information in this document pertains to both platforms and address spaces unless called out in a special chapter, section, note, bullet, figure, table, example, or code example.

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Who Should Use This Book

This book is intended for anyone responsible for administering one or more systems running the Solaris 8 release. To use this book, you should have one to two years of UNIX system administration experience. Attending UNIX\256 system administration training courses might be helpful.

How This Book Is Organized

Chapter 1, Overview of IP Network Multipathing provides an overview of IP Network Multipathing and also describes conceptual information about the Solaris deployment of IP Network Multipathing.

Chapter 2, Deploying Network Multipathing describes how to configure the various IP Network Multipathing parameters for creating interface groups and test address. This chapter also provides other useful procedures related to IP Network Multipathing.

Glossary provides definitions of key IP Network Multipathing terms.

Ordering Sun Documents

Fatbrain.com, an Internet professional bookstore, stocks select product documentation from Sun Microsystems, Inc.

For a list of documents and how to order them, visit the Sun Documentation Center on Fatbrain.com at http://www1.fatbrain.com/documentation/sun.

Accessing Sun Documentation Online

The docs.sun.com^SM Web site enables you to access Sun technical documentation online. You can browse the docs.sun.com archive or search for a specific book title or subject. The URL is http://docs.sun.com.

What Typographic Conventions Mean

The following table describes the typographic changes used in this book.

Table P-1 Typographic Conventions

Typeface or Symbol	Meaning	Example
AaBbCc123	The names of commands, files, and directories; on-screen computer output	Edit your .login file. Use ls -a to list all files. machine_name% you have mail.
AaBbCc123	What you type, contrasted with on-screen computer output	machine_name% su Password:
AaBbCc123	Command-line placeholder: replace with a real name or value	To delete a file, type rm filename.
AaBbCc123	Book titles, new words, or terms, or words to be emphasized.	Read Chapter 6 in User's Guide. These are called class options. You must be root to do this.

Shell Prompts in Command Examples

The following table shows the default system prompt and superuser prompt for the C shell, Bourne shell, and Korn shell.

Table P-2 Shell Prompts

Shell	Prompt
C shell prompt	machine_name%
C shell superuser prompt	machine_name#
Bourne shell and Korn shell prompt	$
Bourne shell and Korn shell superuser prompt	#