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 traditional configuration repository, which includes the /etc/ipadm/ipadm.conf and /etc/dladm/datalink.conf files, as well as other configuration files that are associated with network services.

When NWAM manages network configuration, it works primarily from its own repository. The interface configuration that is stored in the /etc/ipadm/ipadm.conf file is ignored. NWAM configures physical links and interfaces directly based on the NCP data.

Location profile data is read from the NWAM profile repository. When a location is activated, this configuration is applied to the running system in most cases by setting the appropriate SMF service properties and restarting the corresponding services to apply the configuration changes. This action overwrites existing values for those service properties.

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 data is referred to as the Legacy location data.

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 as 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 netadm 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 3-1 Link NCU Properties for the Automatic NCP

Table 3-2 Interface NCU Properties for the 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 3-3 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 enabled properties. The system always enables the NoNet location when there are no active interfaces.

Table 3-4 Properties of the NoNet Location

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