InterDomain Networks
InterDomain Networks (IDNs) are internal, high-speed, hardware connections that enable dynamic system domains (referred to as domains in this chapter) on the Sun Enterprise 10000 server to communicate with each other as though they are communicating over a standard network. For more information, refer to the Sun Enterprise 10000 InterDomain Networks User Guide in the SSP 3.2 AnswerBook2TM collection.
General Issues
This section contains general issues about the IDN feature. Read this section before you attempt to configure an IDN.
Software Support
To use IDNs, the SSP must be running SSP version 3.2.
idn.conf(4) File
IDNs are initialized on the domain by using the idn.conf(4) file. Each domain must have an idn.conf(4) file to be a member of an IDN. This file is used to instantiate each instance of the driver and to initialize multiple parameters that can affect the performance and behavior of the IDN. You must ensure that the values of the parameters are within the allowed ranges of the values. Refer to the Sun Enterprise 10000 InterDomain Networks User Guide in the SSP 3.2 AnswerBook2TM collection for more information about the idn.conf(4) parameters.
Caution - Values outside of the allowed range can result in panics occurring on the domain after the domain is rebooted. If the domain panics, the event detector daemon detects the panic and reboots the domain, causing the domain to panic again. Thus, the domain cannot be rebooted if the idn.conf(4) file contains an incorrect value. Sun Microsystems suggests that any /etc/hostname.idnX file be removed to prevent automatic loading of the IDN driver upon reboot.
OpenBootTM PROM
Be aware of the following issues with the idn-smr-size variable and with breaking to the OpenBoot PROM (OBP) prompt on the Sun Enterprise 10000 server.
idn-smr-size Variable
The OBP variable for the IDN feature, idn-smr-size, is present in Solaris 2.6. If Solaris 2.6 is installed on a domain, do not set the value to any other value other than zero (the default value). The IDN feature is not supported in the Solaris 2.6 operating environment.
OBP Environment
Before you break to the OBP prompt, unlink the domain from its IDN by using the domain_unlink(1M) command. Do not break to OBP while the domain is linked to an IDN.
Known Bugs
The following is a list of bugs that are known to exist in this release of the IDN feature.
VerExec Error Occurs When a Solaris 2.6 Domain Is Rebooted From OBP (4254715)
Errors that are related to the IDN feature can occur on domains running the Solaris 2.6 operating environment. Some messages can be safely ignored; however, some messages are related to setting the OBP variable idn-smr-size to a value other than zero.
Workaround: The Solaris 2.6 operating environment does not support the IDN feature. Do not change the default value of idn-smr-size on domains that are running the Solaris 2.6 operating environment.
IDN Driver Can Panic if idn_slab_mintotal Is Set to a Value Other Than Zero (4273317)
Parameter values set outside of the allowed range can result in panics occurring on the domain. You must ensure that you use a value that is within the allowed range of values.
The following is a list of parameters that can cause a panic if the value set in the idn.conf(4) file is outside of the allowed range.
-
idn_slab_mintotal
-
idn_slab_bufcount
-
idn_smr_bufsize
Workaround: No workaround exists for this bug. The domain will continue to panic because of the incorrect values in the idn.conf(4) file any time the IDN driver is loaded. You must ensure that you use values that are within the allowed range.
Setting idn_protocol_nservers Value to the Minimum Value of One Causes Panic (4275051)
Setting the idn.conf(4) parameter idn_protocol_nservers to one can cause the domain to panic. The idn.conf(4) parameters are initialized when the domain is rebooted and the IDN driver is loaded. If the domain panics, the event detector daemon reboots the domain, and the domain panics again, causing an unrecoverable error.
Workaround: Do not set this parameter to one. If this error occurs, reboot the domain to single-user mode and remove the /etc/hostname.idnX file to prevent the IDN driver from being automatically loaded at reboot.
Remote Domain Reporting Master Domain Without CPU ID (4275420)
Certain combinations of CPU IDs and domain IDs in a domain responding to a connect request can cause incorrect information being sent in the connect request.
Workaround: None
IDN Driver Does Not Implement MIB-II Kernel Statistics (4276084)
The IDN driver does not implement MIB-II kernel statistics for this release. Thus, network management tools that display MIB-II kernel statistics will not be able to display statistics about IDNs.
Workaround: No workaround exists for this bug. It will not be fixed in this release.
Setting idn_msgwait_nego to the Minimum Value (1 Second) Can Cause IDN Operations to Fail (4277617)
Setting the idn.conf(4) parameter idn_msgwait_nego to 1 second can cause IDN operations to fail. The idn.conf(4) parameters are initialized when the domain is rebooted. If this error occurs, you must reset the value and reboot the domain before you can execute IDN operations.
Workaround: Do not set this parameter to one. This bug will not be fixed in this release.
Patches
This section contains a list of patches that should be applied before you attempt to set up an IDN.
108317-01
Description: IDN driver can will panic if property (idn_slab_mintotal) set out of range
Bugs fixed: 4273317, 4275051, 4275420
Note -
You must go to the SunSolve web site to obtain this patch.
Documentation Errata
This section contains descriptions of errors in the publications that were found after the release of the IDN feature.
domain_link(1M) and domain_unlink(1M)
The domain_link(1M) and domain_unlink(1M) man pages should have included a note that instructs users to use the proper domain name for the SUNW_HOSTNAME variable when they are linking or unlinking domains. The domain must support the IDN feature. The IDN user guide includes this information.
IDN Parameter Values
Some of the parameter values given in "Configuring InterDomain Networks" in the Sun Enterprise 10000 InterDomain Networks User Guide are incorrect. The following table contains the proper values.
Table 4-2 Corrections to IDN Parameter Values|
Parameter |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Default |
|---|---|---|---|
|
idn_awolmsg_interval |
0 |
3600 |
60 |
|
idn_hiwat |
1024 |
1048576 |
262144 |
|
idn_lowat |
1 |
524288 |
1 |
|
idn_msgwait_cfg |
1 |
300 |
40 |
|
idn_msgwait_cmd |
1 |
300 |
40 |
|
idn_msgwait_con |
1 |
300 |
20 |
|
idn_msgwait_nego |
1 |
300 |
20 |
|
idn_netsvr_spin_count |
0 |
10000 |
500 |
|
idn_netsvr_wait_min |
0 |
3000 |
40 |
idn.conf(4) File Parameters
Some of the parameter descriptions in "Configuring InterDomain Networks" in the Sun Enterprise 10000 InterDomain Networks User Guide state that the parameter can be changed at any time or that the domain must be unlinked from the IDN before the parameter can be changed. This information is incorrect. All idn.conf(4) file parameters can be changed while the domain is linked to the IDN; however, the domain must be rebooted before the values take affect.
The value of the idn_smr_bufsize parameter must be a power of two.
The idn.conf(4) file parameter table includes the idn_modunloadable parameter. This parameter is an ndd(1M) parameter. It is not an idn.conf(4) parameter.
The description of the idn.conf(4) parameter idn_smr_size is incorrect. The description should state that the size of the shared memory region (SMR) is limited by the value of the OBP variable idn-smr-size. The size of the SMR is determined by the minimum value of the idn-smr-size variable and by the minimum value of the idn_smr_size parameter. If idn-smr-size is set to zero, the OBP variable overrides the value of the idn.conf(4) parameter.
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