2.1 Configuring the TotalNET Master Server

A TotalNET master server acts as the central database for multiple TAS hosts and their associated information. TAS hosts in the enterprise find out about the TotalNET master through the enterprise's host-naming facility. To name a master host, you need to set up the TotalNET master command alias. A master host must have access to all TAS hosts, and preferably all other network servers.

The following steps describe how to use the system's hosts file:

1. Check for the presence of a TotalNET system manager--tnmaster--from a previous TAS installation. If you have one, indicate whether you want it to serve as your desired master system.

   If you do not have one, or if you do not want the current one to play the master system role, you may add one using the method for adding server aliases in your enterprise. For example, to configure the TotalNET system manager in the server's "hosts" file, such as the /etc/hosts file, you might add the following tnmaster IP address, tnmaster alias, and DNS address:

   IP Address	Alias
   199.240.202.10	spirogyra
   199.240.202.3	simba simba.syntax.com tnmaster tnmaster.syntax.com
   199.242.200.1	syntax

2. Decide where to place the TotalNET master command alias, according to local administrative requirements. If you wish to have a single TotalNET master system--and, consequently, a single list of TAS hosts--for your entire enterprise, put the TotalNET master command host in your top-level domain. If you want to have a separate TotalNET master for each of your sub-domains, you can create several aliases.

   If you use DNS, you only need to make one change to the DNS database to change the TotalNET master. You must add an alias or aliases to the appropriate DNS domain. If you use NIS, you must add an alias to the appropriate NIS map. NIS does not have the notion of nested domains. If you use a simple host-file solution you need to add the TotalNET master command alias to the host file of every TAS host in your enterprise. Because of the increasing popularity of the Internet and intranets, most sites will use DNS to establish the TotalNET master alias.

   To understand DNS "nested domains" in relation to a TotalNET master server, imagine you have a set of such domains with the innermost domain inner.top.customer.com. Hosts in this domain have names like host1.inner.top.customer.com. When searching for a host named tnmaster, the standard DNS resolver looks for the following system aliases, in order:

   • tnmaster.inner.top.customer.com

   • tnmaster.top.customer.com

   • tnmaster.customer.com

   In other words, DNS automatically searches enclosing domains when trying to find a system by name. This means that you can decide where to place the tnmaster alias, according to local administrative requirements. If you wish to have a single TotalNET master system and, consequently, a single list of TAS hosts for your entire enterprise, you can put the tnmaster host in your top-level domain--tnmaster.customer.com. If you want to have a separate TotalNET master for each of your sub-domains, you can create several aliases, such as tnmaster.top.customer.com and tnmaster.yoyo.customer.com.