NWAM Configuration Data

There are effectively two configuration repositories on the system: the NWAM profile repository, which is stored in the /etc/nwam directory, and the legacy configuration repository, which is made up of /etc/hostname,intf, and /etc/dladm.conf files, as well as various other configuration files that are associated with network services.

When NWAM is enabled, the process works primarily from its own repository. The legacy link and interface configuration that is stored in the /etc/hostname.intf and the /etc/dladm.conf files is ignored. NWAM configures links and interfaces directly, based on the NCP data.

Location profile data is read from the NWAM repository. However, in many cases NWAM applies a particular location by copying configuration data into the expected legacy location. For example, if you provide a custom nsswitch.conf file as part of a location, when applying that Location profile, NWAM copies the user-provided file to the /etc/nsswitch.conf file where the name service subsystem within Oracle Solaris expects that configuration data to be located.

Because NWAM overwrites legacy configuration data in the process of applying Location profiles, upon startup, any configuration that might be overwritten is saved. NWAM then restores that configuration upon shutdown. Although it is not a location that can be applied as part of the NWAM operation, this process is referred to as the Legacy location.

Property values for the following system-defined and user-defined network profiles are stored in the NWAM repository:

• NCPs – Contains values for the Automatic NCP, as well as any user-defined NCPs

• NCUs – Contains values for both link and interface NCUs

• Locations – Contains values for the three system-defined location types, as well as values for any user-defined locations

• ENMs – Contains information about applications

• Known WLANs – Contains information about wireless networks that you might be connected to automatically.

Configuration data for each NCP is stored persistently as a file in the /etc/nwam directory, using the format, ncp-name. There is one file per NCP, with the entries representing each NCU. For example, the file for the Automatic NCP is named ncp-Automatic.conf. All NCP files are stored in the /etc/nwam directory.

Location properties are stored in the /etc/nwam/loc.conf file.

ENM properties are stored in the /etc/nwam/enm.conf file. Known WLANs are stored in the /etc/nwam/known-wlan.conf file. This file format is similar to the file format of the /etc/dladm/datalink.conf file.

NCU Property Values

NCUs, the individual configuration objects of an NCP, represent individual links and interfaces on a system. General properties for both NCU types (link and interface), as well properties that are specific to each NCU type, are stored in the NWAM profile repository. The type, class, and parent properties are set when the NCU is created and cannot be changed later. Also, you cannot directly change an enabled property. The property is changed indirectly by enabling or disabling an NCU by using the nwamadm command.

The Automatic NCP consists of one link NCU for each physical link that is discovered in the system and one interface NCU that is plumbed on each link. The Automatic NCP changes dynamically upon insertion of additional physical links. As new links are inserted, a link NCU and corresponding interface NCU are created for each new link. The following tables define the values that are assigned to each NCU that makes up the Automatic NCP.

Table 2-1 Link NCU Properties for an Automatic NCP

Table 2-2 Interface NCU Properties for an Automatic NCP

Property Values of System-Defined Locations

The following table provides the default property values for the Automatic location, which is a system-defined profile. You can modify these values, with the exception of the activation-mode and the enabled properties. The system always activates the Automatic location when at least one interface is active and no other Location profile supersedes it.

Table 2-3 Properties of System-Defined Locations

The following table provides the predefined properties for the NoNet location. Note that you can modify these values, with the exception of the activation-mode and the enabled properties. The system always enables the NoNetlocation when there are no interfaces enabled.

Table 2-4 Properties of the NoNet Location

For more information about location properties, including the properties that make up user-defined locations, see the nwamcfg(1M) man page.