Chapter 3. Setting Up Network, Peripheral, and Printer Connections

This chapter contains these sections:

Setting Up Network Connections

This section describes how to set up and test your network connection, and shows you how to enable electronic mail. Click a topic for more information:

Understanding Networking

The network provides three valuable services:

  • It lets you efficiently and transparently share peripheral hardware such as printers and drives.

  • It lets you quickly and easily share data and applications.

  • It provides many channels of communication, including electronic mail, electronic bulletin boards, and teleconferencing.

Fundamentally, the network expands a system's capabilities in a simple, cost-effective way. Because you can access peripherals, directories, and files on other systems as if they were connected directly to your own system, your system essentially has

  • unlimited disk space

  • as many input and output devices as are on the network, such as scanners and printers

  • the ability to read as many media types as there are drive types on the network, such as CD, tape, or floppy

  • a large assortment of applications (depending on how the software licensing is arranged)


Note: To share files and directories transparently, the manufacturer recommends purchasing the optional NFS networking software.

You can set up a network connection in a number of ways:

  • If there is an existing Ethernet network available and you can connect your system to it via an Ethernet cable, see “Setting Up an Ethernet Connection.”

  • If there is an existing Ethernet network available but you cannot connect your system to it via an Ethernet cable, you can either:

    • Use your system's serial port, the standard UUCP and SLIP software, and an optional modem to connect via a telephone line; see “Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection.”

    • Use your system's ISDN port (if it has one), the standard ISDN software, and optional hardware to connect via an ISDN telephone line; see the online ISDN User's Guide for information.

  • If there is not an existing Ethernet network available, you can set up a new Ethernet network; see “Setting Up a New Ethernet Network.”

  • To connect to an existing FDDI, TokenRing, or HyperNet network, you must purchase optional communications boards, and may need optional software from the system's manufacturer. Then see “Setting Up Other Network Connections.”

Overview of the Network Setup Tool

The Network Setup tool lets you set up your system software so you can communicate with other systems on your network. It also lets you enable the optional networking products, NFS and NIS.

Click the topic in which you are interested.

Once the connection is set up, see “Setting Up Electronic Mail” to enable electronic mail on your system.

Setting Up an Ethernet Connection

Your system comes standard with an Ethernet port and the TCP/IP software that you need to connect your system to an existing Ethernet network. The information below assumes that you have connected your system to an existing Ethernet network using an Ethernet cable, and that your network administrator has provided you with

  • a hostname and IP address for your system

  • the IP address of a system that has a current list of all other systems on the network

  • your network's NIS domain name (you need this only if your network runs NIS)

If the Network Setup tool is not already running, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

A Privileged User can turn on networking software by following these steps:

  1. Choose Ethernet as your network port by choosing “Ethernet ec0” from the menu button next to Network port.

  2. If you plan to use the Ethernet more frequently than any other network connection, click the check box next to This is the primary network port.


    Note: This item is greyed out if the Ethernet port is the only networking port on your system.


  3. Type the hostname in the field labeled This interface's name.

  4. Type the IP address in the IP address field. Make sure it consists of two to four numbers, separated by periods, such as 100.1.1.1

  5. The box next to Use default netmask is checked by default.

    Remove the check mark from this box only if your network administrator wants to specify a custom netmask (a logical grouping of systems on your network). An editable field appears into which you can type the netmask.

  6. Click the box next to Turn on networking for this port; the system will not actually turn on the networking software until you click the Apply button.

  7. Click the box next to Copy the hosts list from the server, then, in the text field that appears, type the IP address of a system on the network that contains a master list of all other systems on the network.

    If there is no master system on the network, you can build a host list using the Add Hosts button. For details, see “Building a Host List.”

  8. Look for a check box at the bottom of the window labeled Set up advanced networking.

    • If you see the check box, you have the optional NFS and NIS software installed. To turn on this software, see “Turning On NIS and NFS.”

    • If you do not see the check box, go on to the next step.

  9. Have the system turn on networking, or cancel your request.

    • To turn on networking, click Apply; then click Cancel to close the window.

      If you changed the IP address or primary network port, a notifier informs you that you need to restart the system before the changes will take effect. Click the OK button to restart the system; if you click Cancel in the notifier, you will not be able to communicate on the network using the new information until the next time you restart the system.

    • To cancel the request, click Cancel.

  10. If you have another network port installed and you want to set it up now, see “Setting Up Other Network Connections.”

  11. To test your network connection, see “Testing the Network Connection.”

Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection

Silicon Graphics, Inc. supports Hayes 2400 and Telebit modems. Telephone lines cannot transfer data as quickly as Ethernet cables, so a modem connection will always be slower than a direct Ethernet connection. If possible, purchase the highest speed modem that the system can support.

This section gives you the information you need to set up only these two types of modems; it does not provide the in-depth information necessary to set up a Hayes-compatible modem. For more information, see Chapter 21, “UUCP” in the IRIX Advanced Site and Server Administration Guide.


Note: Only the Administrator can set up a modem connection, since it requires logging into a UNIX shell as root.

The Administrator can use the standard system software to set up a modem in three different ways:

  • As a dial-in modem, other users can call your modem to log in to your system.

  • As a dial-out modem, you use the modem to call another modem to log in to the system to which that modem is connected.

  • As a dial-in/dial-out modem, other users can call your modem and you can call other modems.

To set up a modem, follow these steps:

  1. Physically connect the modem to a serial port on the system, and connect the modem to a telephone jack. See the owner's guide included with your system and the installation guide included with your modem for instructions and cabling information.


    Note: Do not connect the system to the modem with an ordinary telephone cable or a cable that you used to connect the modem to a PC; it will not transmit information correctly.


  2. Contact the network administrator to

    • describe your modem type and baud rate

    • decide which connection type is best for you; a SLIP connection lets you access all systems on the network as if you were connected by an Ethernet cable, while a UUCP connection lets you log in to a single system as a dumb terminal.

    • decide whether you should set the modem up for dial-in, dial-out, or dial-in/dial-out access.

    • ask the network administrator set up the access software on the network so you can log in

    • obtain the telephone number and IRIX commands that you need to access the network

  3. Install the eoe2.sw.uucp software. It is shipped with every system on tape or CD, but is not necessarily installed on your disk. Check whether it's installed by opening a shell window and typing:

    versions eoe2.sw.uucp

    If it's installed, you see this line:

    I eoe2.sw.uucp UUCP utilities.

    If the line does not appear, eoe2.sw.uucp is not installed. See “Installing Software” to install it.

  4. Use the documentation included with your modem to determine the modem's baud rate (the speed at which the modem can send and receive information).

  5. Turn on the correct software. See “Turning On Dial-In Modem Software,” “Turning On Dial-Out Modem Software,” or “Turning On Dial-In/Dial-Out Modem Software.”

  6. If you set up the modem for dial-out or dial-in/dial-out service, try calling up another modem. See “Dialing Out to Another Modem.”

    If you set up the modem for dial-in or dial-in/dial-out service, have another user try to dial in to your modem.

Turning On Dial-In Modem Software

You turn on dial-in modem software by editing the /etc/inittab file. You can use the mouse-based editor, jot, or a text-based editor such as vi.


Note: If you connected the modem to a port expansion board, follow these directions, but make the changes to the line that corresponds to the port you are using.

To turn on the software so users in another location can call your modem to log in to your system, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the eoe2.sw.uucp software is installed and the modem is connected to a serial port on the system (see “Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection”).

  2. Turn on the modem.

  3. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose “Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  4. Edit /etc/inittab to turn off the port to which you connected the modem so you can set up the port correctly.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inittab

      Then press <Enter>. For detailed information on using the jot text editor, choose a topic from its Help menu.

    • Find the line in the file that corresponds to the port to which you connected the modem.

      Most of the lines start with tportnumber, where portnumber is the number of a serial port. If you connected your modem to port 2, you are looking for this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

    • If the word after the second colon in the line is something other than off (for example, respawn), change it to off; if it already says off, do not change it.

      For more information, see the man page for inittab and for gettydefs.

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  5. Inform the system of the changes. At the system prompt (#) type:

    telinit q
    

  6. Optimize performance for your particular brand of modem.

    • If you have a Hayes 2400 modem, use the fix-hayes command and specify a dial-in modem (-i) and the port number to which it is connected (for example, port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-hayes -i d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go on to the next step when you see the # prompt.

    • If you have a Telebit modem, use the fix-telebit command and specify a dial-in modem (-i) and the port number to which it is connected (for example, port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-telebit -i d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go on to the next step when you see the # prompt.

  7. Edit /etc/inittab so the system recognizes which port is set up for a modem (as opposed to a terminal), sets the correct baud rate, and lets users log in to the port to which you connected your modem.

    • Open the file with an editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inittab

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Find the line in the file that corresponds to the port to which you connected the modem.

      Most of the lines start with tportnumber, where portnumber is the number of a serial port. If you connected your modem to port 2, you are looking for this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

    • Change the word after the second colon in the line from off to respawn.

    • If you are setting up a Hayes 2400 modem, change ttydportnumber to ttymportnumber, and change co_9600 to du_2400; this lets the modem run at 2400, 1200, or 300 baud.

      For example, if you connected a Hayes 2400 modem to serial port 2, find this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

      Change it so it looks like this:

      t2:23:respawn:/etc/getty ttym2 du_2400 #Modem

    • If you are setting up a Telebit modem, change ttydportnumber to ttyfportnumber, change co to dx, and specify the baud rate.

      For example, if you connected a Telebit modem that runs at 19200 baud to serial port 2, find this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

      Change it so it looks like this:

      t2:23:respawn:/etc/getty ttyf2 dx_19200 #Modem

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  8. Inform the system of the changes. At the system prompt (#) type:

    telinit q
    

    Then press <Enter>.

  9. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

To test the setup, have someone try to dial in to the system through this modem. If the login prompt is garbled or does not appear, the caller should press the <Break> key and try again. If it still does not work, check all cable connections and make sure you edited the file correctly. For more information, see Chapter 21, “UUCP” in the IRIX Advanced Site and Server Administration Guide.

Turning On Dial-Out Modem Software

You turn on dial-out modem software by editing two files:
/usr/lib/uucp/Devices and /etc/inittab. You can use the mouse-based editor, jot, or a text-based editor such as vi.


Note: If you connected the modem to a port expansion board, follow these directions, but make the changes to the line that corresponds to the port you are using.

To turn on the software so you can call another modem and log in to the system to which that modem is connected, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the eoe2.sw.uucp software is installed and the modem is connected to a serial port on the system (see “Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection”).

  2. Turn on the modem.

  3. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose “Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password, then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  4. Edit /etc/inittab so the system keeps users from logging in to the port to which you connected your modem.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inittab

      Then press <Enter>. For detailed information on using the jot text editor, choose a topic from its Help menu.

    • Find the line in the file that corresponds to the port to which you connected the modem.

      Most of the lines start with tportnumber, where portnumber is the number of a serial port. If you connected your modem to port 2, you are looking for this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

    • If the word after the second colon in the line is something other than off (for example, it may be respawn), change it to off; if it already says off, do not change it.

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  5. Inform the system of the changes by typing:

    telinit q
    

    Then press <Enter>.

  6. Optimize performance for your particular brand of modem.

    • If you have a Hayes 2400 modem, use the fix-hayes command and specify a dial-out modem (-o) and the port number to which it is connected (for example, port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-hayes -o d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go on to the next step when you see the system prompt (#).

    • If you have a Telebit modem, use the fix-telebit command and specify a dial-out modem (-o) and the port number to which it is connected (for example, port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-telebit -o d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go to the next step when you see the # prompt.

  7. Edit /usr/lib/uucp/Devices to specify the port to which the modem is connected and set the correct baud rate.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /usr/lib/uucp/Devices

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Add one or more lines to specify the port number and baud rate for the modem. The line has this form:

      ACU tty<hi/low><portnumber> null baud 212 x modem

      If your modem runs at 2400 baud or less, hi/low is m; if it runs faster than 2400 baud, hi/low is f. portnumber is the number of the serial port to which the modem is connected. baud is the baud rate at which you will run the modem.

      For a Hayes 2400 connected to port 2 that accepts and sends data at 2400, 1200, and 300 baud, add these lines:

      ACU ttym2 null 2400 212 x hayes24

      ACU ttym2 null 1200 212 x hayes24

      ACU ttym2 null 300 212 x hayes24

      For a Telebit modem connected to port 2 that accepts and sends data at 19200 baud, add this line:

      ACU ttyf2 null 19200 212 x telebit

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  8. Change the owner of the port you are using from sys to uucp since the uucp software can use only those ports that are owned by uucp.

    • For a Hayes 2400 connected to port 2, type:

      chown uucp /dev/ttym2

      Then press <Enter>.

    • For a Telebit connected to port 2, type:

      chown uucp /dev/ttyf2

      Then press <Enter>.

  9. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

Try to dial out through this modem to verify the dial-out setup. See “Dialing Out to Another Modem.”

Turning On Dial-In/Dial-Out Modem Software

You turn on dial-in/dial-out modem software by editing two files:
/etc/inittab and /usr/lib/uucp/Devices. To edit the files, you can use the mouse-based editor, jot, or a text-based editor such as vi.


Note: If you connected the modem to a port expansion board, follow these directions, but make the changes to the line that corresponds to the port you are using.

After you turn on this software, you can use your modem to

  • call another modem and log in to the system to which that modem is connected

  • accept calls from other users and let them log in to your system

To turn on dial-in/dial-out software, follow these steps.

  1. Make sure the eoe2.sw.uucp software is installed and the modem is connected to a serial port on the system (see “Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection”).

  2. Turn on the modem.

  3. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose “Unix Shell” from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password, then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  4. Edit /etc/inittab to turn off the port to which you connected the modem so you can set up the port correctly.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inittab

      Then press <Enter>. For detailed information on using the jot text editor, choose a topic from its Help menu.

    • Find the line in the file that corresponds to the port to which you connected the modem.

      Most of the lines start with tportnumber, where portnumber is the number of a serial port. If you connected your modem to port 2, you are looking for this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

    • If the word after the second colon in the line is something other than off (for example, it may be respawn), change it to off; if it already says off, do not change it.

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  5. Inform the system of the changes. At the system prompt (#) type:

    telinit q
    

  6. Optimize performance for your particular brand of modem.

    • If you have a Hayes 2400 modem, use the fix-hayes command and specify a dial-in/dial-out modem (-io) and the port number to which it is connected (for example,
      port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-hayes -io d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go on to the next step when you see the # prompt.

    • If you have a Telebit modem, use the fix-telebit command and specify a dial-in/dial-out modem (-io) and the port number to which it is connected (for example, port 2). Type:

      /usr/lib/uucp/fix-telebit -io d2

      Then press <Enter>. Go on to the next step when you see the # prompt.

  7. Edit /usr/lib/uucp/Devices to specify the port to which the modem is connected and set the correct baud rate.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /usr/lib/uucp/Devices

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Add one or more lines to specify the port number and baud rate for the modem. The line has this form:

      ACU tty<hi/low><portnumber> null baud 212 x modem

      If your modem runs at 2400 baud or less, hi/low is m; if it runs faster than 2400 baud, hi/low is f. portnumber is the number of the serial port to which the modem is connected. baud is the baud rate at which you will run the modem.

      For a Hayes 2400 connected to port 2 that accepts and sends data at 2400, 1200, and 300 baud, add these lines:

      ACU ttym2 null 2400 212 x hayes24

      ACU ttym2 null 1200 212 x hayes24

      ACU ttym2 null 300 212 x hayes24

      For a Telebit modem connected to port 2 that accepts and sends data at 19200 baud, add this line:

      ACU ttyf2 null 19200 212 x telebit

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  8. Edit /etc/inittab so the system recognizes which port is set up for a modem (as opposed to a terminal), sets the correct baud rate, and lets users log in to the port to which you connected your modem.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inittab

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Find the line in the file that corresponds to the port to which you connected the modem.

      Most of the lines start with tportnumber, where portnumber is the number of a serial port. If you connected your modem to port 2, you are looking for this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

    • If you are setting up a Hayes 2400 modem, change off to respawn, change /etc/getty to /usr/lib/uucp/uugetty, change ttydportnumber to ttymportnumber, and change co_9600 to du_2400 (this lets the modem run at 2400, 1200, or 300 baud). Also add a few options to specify dial-in/dial-out.

      For example, if you connected a Hayes 2400 modem to serial port 2, find this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

      Change it (keeping all the information on one line) so it looks like this:

      t2:23:respawn:/usr/lib/uucp/uugetty -Nt60 -ihayes24in,conn ttym2 du_2400 #Modem
      

    • If you are setting up a Telebit modem, change off to respawn, change /etc/getty to /usr/lib/uucp/uugetty, change ttydportnumber to ttyfportnumber, change co to dx, and specify the baud rate. Also add a few options to specify dial-in/dial-out.

      For example, if you connected a Telebit modem that runs at 19200 baud to serial port 2, find this line:

      t2:23:off:/etc/getty ttyd2 co_9600 #port 2

      Change it (keeping all the information on one line) so it looks like this:

      t2:23:respawn:/usr/lib/uucp/uugetty -Nt60 -itelebitin,conn ttyf2 dx_19200 #Modem
      

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  9. Inform the system of the changes by typing:

    telinit q
    

    Then press <Enter>.

  10. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

Try to dial out through this modem to verify the dial-out setup. See “Dialing Out to Another Modem”.

To test the dial-in setup, have someone try to dial in to the system through this modem. If the login prompt is garbled or does not appear, the caller should press the <Break> key and try again. If it still does not work, check all cable connections and make sure you edited the files correctly. For more information, see the IRIX Advanced Site and Server Administration Guide.

Dialing Out to Another Modem

You use the cu utility to dial out to another modem. Follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the modem is connected to both the system and a working telephone line.

  2. Make sure the modem is turned on.

  3. Dial out to another modem using cu and the telephone number.

    • If you have a Hayes modem you must use the -s option to specify the baud rate of the modem you are calling. To call a modem running at 1200 baud at 1-800-555-1212, type:

      cu -s1200 18005551212

      Then press <Enter>.

    • If you have a Telebit modem, to call another modem at
      1-800-555-1212, type:

      cu 18005551212

      Then press <Enter>.

    • If everything is working, you hear the modem dialing. After a few moments you see this message:

      Connected

      Go on to step 4.

    • If you do not hear dialing or see the Connected message, press <Ctrl-C>. Then try calling again, adding the -d (debug) option to the cu command line. For example, if you have a Hayes modem, retry the connection by typing:

      cu -d -s1200 18005551212

      Then press <Enter>.

      The -d option reports all the activities of the modem. Look for error messages, and check the edits you made to turn on modem software. Also check all cable connections.

  4. If you do not see the login prompt, press <Enter>.

    • If the login prompt is garbled or does not appear, press the <Break> key and try again.

  5. When you see the login prompt, log in to the system.

  6. When you have finished using the remote system, log out. Often this breaks the connection to the remote modem (that is, it hangs up the telephone). You know the connection is broken when you see these messages:

    Lost Carrier

    Disconnected

    If logging out does not break the connection, try these methods:

    • Press <Enter> <Enter>

    • Press <Ctrl-C>

    • Type ~.

Setting Up Other Network Connections

Your system comes standard with Ethernet hardware and software. You may also purchase these optional networking interface products:

  • FDDI

  • TokenRing

  • Hypernet

Once the optional board and its supporting software are installed, contact your network administrator for this information:

  • a hostname and IP address for your system

  • the IP address of a system that has a current list of all other systems on the network

  • your network's NIS domain name (you need this only if your network runs NIS)

A Privileged User can turn on networking software by following these steps:

  1. If the Network Setup tool is not already running, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

  2. Specify the network port that you want to enable by choosing either “FDDI,” “TokenRing,” or “Hypernet” from the menu button next to Network port.

  3. If you plan to use this port more frequently than any other network connection, click the check box next to This is the primary network port.

  4. Type the hostname in the field labeled This interface's name.

  5. Type the IP address in the IP address field. Make sure it consists of two to four numbers, separated by periods, such as 100.1.1.1

  6. The box next to Use default netmask is checked by default.

    Remove the check mark from this box only if your network administrator wants to specify a custom netmask (a logical grouping of systems on your network). An editable field appears into which you can type the netmask.

  7. Click the box next to Turn on networking for this port; the system will not actually turn on the networking software until you click the Apply button.

  8. Click the box next to Copy the hosts list from the server, then, in the text field that appears, type the IP address of a system on the network that contains a master list of all other systems on the network.

    If there is no master system on the network, you can build a host list using the Add Hosts button. For details, see “Building a Host List.”

  9. Look for a check box at the bottom of the window labeled Set up advanced networking.

    • If you see the check box, you have the optional NFS and NIS software installed. To turn on this software; see “Turning On NIS and NFS.”

    • If you do not see the check box, go on to the next step.

  10. Have the system turn on networking, or cancel your request.

    • To turn on networking, click Apply; then click Cancel to close the window.

      If you changed the IP address or primary network port, a notifier informs you that you need to restart the system before the changes will take effect. Click the OK button to restart the system; if you click Cancel in the notifier, you will not be able to communicate on the network using the new information until the next time you restart the system.

    • To cancel the request, click Cancel.

  11. To try out your new network, see “Testing the Network Connection.”

Setting Up a New Ethernet Network

This information describes how to set up a small Ethernet network of Silicon Graphics systems. It does not cover the issues involved in integrating Silicon Graphics systems into other types of existing networks, or the issues involved in connecting your small network to the larger Internet system.

If possible, select one person to set up and take care of the network. It does not require much maintenance, and having someone in charge can eliminate confusion later. This person is referred to as the network administrator in other online information. This person must also be the Administrator for his own system, which will be the master system on the network.

The network administrator will assign a unique name (a hostname) and a unique number (an IP address) to each system on the network. The hostname should be 10 lower-case characters or less, and cannot contain any spaces or special characters; the IP address is four numbers separated by periods (.) such as 100.1.1.1. For example, if you are connecting three systems, you could use these names and numbers:

mars 

100.1.1.1

saturn 

100.1.1.2

venus 

100.1.1.3

To set up your network, follow these steps:

  1. Physically connect the systems with Ethernet cables and tranceiver boxes.

  2. Start up all of the systems.

  3. On the master system (the system that the network administrator uses), start the Network Setup tool by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window.

  4. See “Setting Up Network Software on the Master System” for details on turning on the software on the master system.

  5. On each of the other systems, start the Network Setup tool by choosing “ System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon.

    See “Setting Up Network Software on Client Systems” for details on turning on the software on other systems.

  6. To try out your new network, see “Testing the Network Connection.”

Setting Up Network Software on the Master System

If the Network Setup tool is not already running, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

A Privileged User can turn on networking software on the network master system with the Network Setup tool. However, the Administrator must perform the last step, which involves logging into a shell window as root to turn on the directoryserver.

Follow these steps:

  1. Choose Ethernet as your network port by choosing “Ethernet ec0” from the menu button next to Network port.

  2. Click the check box next to This is the primary network port.

  3. Type the name that you chose for the system (a hostname) in the field labeled This interface's name.

  4. Type the IP address that you chose for the system in the IP address field. Make sure it consists of four numbers, separated by periods, such as 100.1.1.1

  5. Make sure the box next to Use default netmask is checked.

  6. Click the box next to Turn on networking for this port; the system will not actually turn on the networking software until you click the Apply button.

  7. Create the master list of hostnames and IP addresses; click the Add Hosts button, then follow the instructions in “Building a Host List.”

  8. Have the system turn on networking, or cancel your request.

    • To turn on networking, click Apply; then click Cancel to close the window.

      If you changed the IP address or primary network port, a notifier informs you that you need to restart the system before the changes will take effect. Click the OK button to restart the system; if you click Cancel in the notifier, you will not be able to communicate on the network using the new information until the next time you restart the system.

    • To cancel the request, just click Cancel.

  9. Turn on the directoryserver.

    • Choose "Unix Shell" from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password, then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

    • Turn on the directoryserver by typing:

      chkconfig directoryserver on

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Close the shell window by typing:

      logout

      Then press <Enter>.

  10. Go on to “Setting Up Network Software on Client Systems” to set up the other systems on the network.

Setting Up Network Software on Client Systems

Once the master system is set up (see “Setting Up Network Software on the Master System”), you must set up the software on the rest of the systems that are connected to the network.

If the Network Setup tool is not already running, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

A Privileged User can turn on networking software by following these steps:

  1. Choose Ethernet as your network port by choosing “Ethernet ec0” from the menu button next to Network port.

  2. Click the check box next to This is the primary network port.

  3. Type the name that the network administrator chose for the system (a hostname) in the field labeled This interface's name.

  4. Type the IP address that the network administrator chose for the system in the IP address field. Make sure it consists of four numbers, separated by periods, such as 100.1.1.2

  5. Make sure the box next to Use default netmask is checked.

  6. Click the box next to Turn on networking for this port; the system will not actually turn on the networking software until you click the Apply button.

  7. Click the box next to Copy the hosts list from the server, then, in the text field that appears, type the IP address of a system on the network that contains a master list of all other systems on the network.

  8. Have the system turn on networking, or cancel your request.

    • To turn on networking, click OK; then click Cancel to close the Network Setup window.

      If you changed the IP address or primary network port, a notifier informs you that you need to restart the system before the changes will take effect. Click the OK button to restart the system; if you click Cancel in the notifier, you will not be able to communicate on the network using the new information until the next time you restart the system.

    • To cancel the request, just click Cancel.

  9. To try out your new network, see “Testing the Network Connection.”

Building a Host List

You can use the Network Setup tool or the System Setup tool to create or add to the list of hosts that your system can access across the network. You cannot delete hosts from the list using these tools.If you are unsure whether to add hosts to the list using these tools, or if you need to delete hosts from your host list, please see “Understanding the Host List.”

Any Privileged User can add a host to the host list by following these steps:

  1. If the Network Setup tool or System Setup tool is not already running, start the Network Setup tool by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu in the System Manager, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

  2. Click the Add Hosts button.

  3. Place an icon for each host in the icon panel.

    • Type a hostname in the Host Name field.

    • Type a corresponding IP address in the IP address field; if the system recognized the hostname, it automatically filled in the correct IP address.

    • Click the Add button to add the system to the icon panel.


      Note: This does not add the system to the host list, it adds it to the icon panel only.


    • Add as many systems as you like to the icon panel.

    • If you add a system to the icon panel and decide not to add it to the host list, select the system and click the Delete button.


      Note: This does not delete the system from the host list (the /etc/hosts file); it deletes the system from the icon panel only. This tool does not let you delete systems from the host list. See “Understanding the Host List.”


  4. Update the host list (the /etc/hosts file) with all the hosts shown in the icon panel, or cancel your request.

    • Click the Apply button to add the hosts to the host list; then click the Cancel button to close the Add Hosts window.

    • Click the Cancel button to close the Add Hosts window and not add any hosts to the host list.

Understanding the Host List

Each system on a network has a unique hostname and IP address. On an established network, the network administrator creates a master list of all hostnames and IP addresses, and stores it in the /etc/hosts file on the master system. The easiest way for you to obtain a complete, up-to-date host list is to click the check box the Network Setup or System Setup tool, then enter the IP address of the master system (server) in the field that appears. The tool then copies the list onto your system, and you do not need to add any hosts using the Add Hosts button.

If you are setting up a new, small network (that is, if you need to build a master list), or if you have a complete host list but need to add a few more hosts, use the Add Hosts button. All hosts that you add using the tools are added to the end of the /etc/hosts file.

The Network Setup and System Setup tools do not let you delete hosts from the host list. To delete a host, an experienced Administrator must delete the host's line from the /etc/hosts file using a text editor.

Turning On NIS and NFS

To check whether you have the NFS/NIS option installed, click the words Network Setup to start the Network Setup tool, and look at the bottom of the tool for a check box labeled Set up advanced networking. If it is not there or is greyed out, you do not have the optional software.

If you have installed the NFS option, be sure to turn it on. It enables the Share tool, a utility called automount, and the NFS Mount Manager, which let you freely share peripherals and files that are connected to other systems on the network as if they were connected to your own system; for details, see “Using Disk Space on Other Systems.” Turn on NIS only if your network administrator tells you it is necessary and provides you with an NIS domain name.

If the Network Setup tool is not already running, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Network Setup icon in the System Manager window. Or, click the words Network Setup now.

A Privileged User can turn on NIS and/or NFS by obtaining the NIS domain name from the network administrator, then following these steps:

  1. Click the box next to Set up advanced networking.

  2. Enter the information the system needs to start up NIS.

    • Click the check box next to Turn on NIS.

    • In the text field that appears, type in the NIS domain name that your network administrator provided.

  3. Click the check box next to Turn on NFS.

  4. Turn on these options, or cancel your request.

    • To turn on the optional networking software (and to enable networking if you filled in other portions of the window), click the Apply button; then click the Cancel button to close the window.

      If you changed the IP address or primary network port, a notifier informs you that you need to restart the system before the changes will take effect. Click the OK button to restart the system; if you click Cancel in the notifier, you will not be able to communicate on the network using the new information until the next time you restart the system.

    • To cancel the request, click Cancel.

Testing the Network Connection

To test the connection, follow these steps:

  1. Choose “Hosts” from the Search For rollover menu in the Find toolchest.

  2. In the field next to whose name contains string, type the name of a system that you know is running and is connected to the network; choose “is ignored” from all other menu buttons displayed in the Search tool.

  3. Click the Search button.

    • If the system appears in the Search window, your network connection is working.

    • If the system does not appear, try another system. If it still does not appear, see “Troubleshooting Network Errors.”

Setting Up Electronic Mail

You can set up your system to send and receive electronic mail (e-mail) once you have verified that the network connection works (see “Testing the Network Connection”).

The IRIX e-mail system has two parts. The first is the Mail program that you use to read, compose, and send mail. This is covered in detail in the Mail (1) reference (man) page. The second is sendmail, the mechanism that interprets your mail messages and sends them to the correct location.

This section gives you a brief introduction to how sendmail works, then shows you how to set up mail automatically or manually by editing the /usr/lib/sendmail.cf file. For more detailed information on sendmail, see Chapter 20, “IRIX sendmail” in the IRIX Advanced Site and Server Administration Guide.

About sendmail

sendmail routes mail through a network using two pieces of information: your system's domain name and the hostname of your domain's forwarder (the system that forwards mail from your domain to other domains). You can obtain this information from your network administrator.

A domain is a group of systems whose hostnames have the same suffix; this suffix is the domain name. For example, mars.bldg1.abc and saturn.bldg1.abc belong to the bldg1.abc domain, while venus.bldg2.abc belongs to the bldg2.abc domain.

To simplify network administration and increase network efficiency, large networks typically consist of several domains. For example, company abc has one large network that connects systems that are in buildings 1, 2, and 3. Its overall network is abc and it consists of three domains: bldg1.abc, bldg2.abc, and bldg3.abc. All systems that physically reside in building 1 are in the bldg1.abc domain, and so on. Often systems that are part of the same domain are physically close to each other. A typical hostname on this network can be mars.bldg1.abc.

Small networks typically consist of a single domain, or may not even use the concept of domains. For example, company xyz has a simple one-domain network called xyz; all hostnames end in .xyz. Because all hostnames have the same suffix, the suffix has no significance, so company xyz can simply drop the suffix and therefore drop the concept of domains altogether.

If the hostname that you chose with your network administrator has a period (.) in it, your site uses domains. Your domain name is everything that follows the first period. For example, the domain name of host mars.bldg1.abc is bldg1.abc.

When you send mail to a system that is in your domain, sendmail delivers the mail directly to that system. When you send mail to a system that is in a different domain, sendmail delivers the mail to the forwarder host in your domain. The forwarder host knows how to reach hosts in other domains, so it forwards the mail to the correct location.

sendmail uses the information in the /usr/lib/sendmail.cf file to identify the local domain and the forwarder host. “Automatically Configuring sendmail” shows you how to run a program to add domain and forwarder information to sendmail.cf. “Manually Configuring sendmail” shows you how to edit sendmail.cf to add this information.

Automatically Configuring sendmail

To configure sendmail automatically, follow these steps:

  1. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose "Unix Shell" from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password, then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  2. Rename /etc/sendmail.cf, in case you need it in the future, by typing:

    mv /etc/sendmail.cf /etc/sendmail.cf.orig

    Then press <Enter>.

  3. Create a copy of /etc/sendmail.cf.auto and name it /etc/sendmail.cf by typing:

    cp /etc/sendmail.cf.auto /etc/sendmail.cf

    Then press <Enter>.

  4. Stop sendmail from running by typing:

    /etc/init.d/mail stop

    Then press <Enter>.

  5. Run the configuration program.

    • Start the program by typing:

      /usr/etc/configmail setup

      Then press <Enter>.

      You see a message that ends with these lines:

      Suggested setting: [domain name]

      Enter new setting: ([domain name]):

    • If your network uses domains, type the domain name (everything after the first period in your hostname), then press <Enter>.

      If it does not use domain names, press <Enter>.

      You see a message that ends with these lines:

      Suggested setting: hostname

      Enter new setting (hostname):

    • Type the full hostname of the forwarder, then press <Enter>.

      The configuration program is complete when you see the system prompt.

  6. Restart sendmail by typing:

    /etc/init.d/mail start

    Then press <Enter>.

  7. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

To test the setup, try sending mail to other users on systems that are in your own domain and other domains. See the Mail (1) reference (man) page for information on using Mail.

Manually Configuring sendmail

If your network is particularly complex, or you are not satisfied with the speed of mail delivery that you experience after configuring sendmail automatically, you may want to edit /usr/lib/sendmail.cf directly.

Follow these steps:

  1. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose "Unix Shell" from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password, then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  2. Rename /etc/sendmail.cf, in case you need it in the future, by typing:

    mv /etc/sendmail.cf /etc/sendmail.cf.orig

    Then press <Enter>.

  3. Stop sendmail from running by typing:

    /etc/init.d/mail stop

    Then press <Enter>.

  4. Edit /etc/sendmail.cf.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/sendmail.cf

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Find the five lines that contain two-letter codes (called macros) in the sendmail.cf file. They are listed below:

      DD BAR.FOO.COM
      CD
      DF FORWARDHOST.BAR.FOO.COM
      CF FORWARDHOST.BAR.FOO.COM FORWARDHOST
      DT FOO.COM
      


      Note: These lines do not appear one after the other as shown above; they are separated by blocks of comments.


    • Customize the five lines for your type of network.

      The information that you add to these lines varies, depending on your network's configuration. If your network has multiple domains, see “Editing sendmail Macros for Multiple Domains”; if it has one domain, see “Editing sendmail Macros for a Single Domain”; if it has no domain, see “Editing sendmail Macros for No Domain.”

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  5. If your network uses one or more domains, go on to the next step. If your network does not use domains, you must create a new file, then add one line to it.

    • Create /usr/etc/resolv.conf with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /usr/etc/resolv.conf

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Add this as the first line:

      hostresorder local bind

    • Save your changes and quit jot.

  6. Restart sendmail by typing:

    /etc/init.d/mail start

    Then press <Enter>.

  7. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

To test the setup, try sending mail to other users on systems that are in your own domain and other domains. See the Mail (1) reference (man) page for information on using Mail.

Editing sendmail Macros for Multiple Domains

If your network has multiple domains, append the name of your system's domain to DD and DT, append all domains to which you want a direct connection to CD, append the full hostname of the forwarder to DF, and append the full hostname and all aliases of the forwarder to CF.

For example, if your system's domain is bldg1.abc, the forwarder's hostname is forward.bldg1.abc and its alias is forwarder, and you want a direct mail connection to the bldg2.abc domain, you will edit the lines to look like this:

DDbldg1.abc
CDbldg1.abc bldg2.abc
DFforward.bldg1.abc
CFforward.bldg1.abc forward
DTbldg1.abc

Editing sendmail Macros for a Single Domain

If your network has one domain, append the name of your domain to DD, CD, and DT, append the full hostname of your system to DF, and append the full hostname and all aliases of your system to CF.

For example, if your domain is abc, your system's hostname is mars.abc, and its alias is mars, you will edit the lines to look like this:

DDabc
CDabc
DFmars.abc
CFmars.abc mars
DTabc

Editing sendmail Macros for No Domain

If your network has no domain, append the full hostname of your system to DF, and append the full hostname and all aliases of your system to CF. Edit the lines that contain DD, CD, and DT so only the macros remain.

For example, if your system's hostname is mars and its alias is martian, you will edit the lines to look like this:

DD
CD
DFmars
CFmars martian
DT

Setting Up Peripheral Connections

Adding a new peripheral device such as a drive or an input device requires at least two steps:

  1. Physically set up the device and connect it to a SCSI, parallel, or serial port on the system.


    Note: With SCSI devices, you must also select an unused SCSI address. See your system owner's guide.


  2. Set up system software so it can communicate with the device.

Often it requires one more step:

  1. Set up a software application so it can access the device.

The system can detect most SCSI devices and set them up automatically. When you connect a device to a serial or parallel port, the system usually cannot detect the device or set it up. The rule of thumb is this: if you connect a device, turn it on, power up the system, and log in to the system and do not see either a configured icon or a notifier requesting information about the device, a Privileged User must manually set up system software.

Click the topic in which you are interested.

Setting Up SCSI Peripherals

When you connect a device to the SCSI port, turn on the device, and restart the system, the system can detect and recognize most new devices.

  • If the device is a printer, a Privileged User must use the Printer Manager to set up printing software; see “Setting Up a SCSI Printer.”

  • If the device is a hard disk drive, a Privileged User must choose “Disk Manager” from the System toolchest, and use this tool to specify a directory from which the system can access the disk; see “Setting Up a New Disk.”

  • If the device is another type of drive, such as a floppy, CD, or tape drive, the system automatically sets up the system software for you, and places an icon for the device on your desktop.


    Note: To let other people access your CD drive to install software across the network, see “Allowing Remote Users to Install Software from Your CD Drive.”

    This list shows the names that the system assigns to the devices.

    tape drive 

    Each tape drive is labeled either dat or qic, depending on whether it's a DAT or QIC format drive (see also “About Tape Formats and Capacities”), and an icon for it appears on your desktop. If you have two DAT drives, they'll both be labeled dat.

    CD drive 

    Each CD drive is labeled cdrom, and an icon for it appears on your desktop. If you have two CD drives, they'll both be labeled cdrom.

    The first CD drive you connect will have a mount point of /CDROM; the second will have a mount point of /CDROM2.

    See also “Allowing Remote Users to Install Software from Your CD Drive.”

    floppy or floptical drive 


    Each floppy or floptical drive is labeled floppy, and an icon for it appears on your desktop. If you have two floppy or floptical drives, or one floppy and one floptical, they'll both be labeled floppy.

    The first floppy or floptical drive you connect will have a mount point of /floppy; the second will have a mount point of /floppy2.

    SyQuest drive 

    Each SyQuest drive is labeled syquest, and an icon for it appears on your desktop. If you have two SyQuest drives, they'll both be labeled syquest.

    The first SyQuest drive you connect will have a mount point of /syquest; the second will have a mount point of /syquest2.

For information on formatting and using floppy and floptical disks, see “Formatting Floppy and Floptical Disks.” If you encounter problems using removable media, see “Troubleshooting Problems with Removable Media.”

Allowing Remote Users to Install Software From Your CD Drive

The Administrator needs to edit an IRIX file to allow remote software installation from a CD that's connected to your system. If you do not edit this file, remote users will be able to view the release notes on a software distribution CD, but will not be able to install the software that it contains.

To allow remote software installation, follow these steps:

  1. Log in as root through a shell window.

    • Choose "Unix Shell" from the Desktop toolchest.

    • Position your cursor within the new window and type:

      login root

      Then press <Enter>.

      If a prompt for a password appears, type the password then press <Enter>. If a prompt appears but the root account has no password, just press <Enter>.

  2. Edit /etc/inetd.conf.

    • Open the file with a text editor such as jot by typing:

      jot /etc/inetd.conf

      Then press <Enter>.

    • Find the line that begins with “tftp”:

      tftp dgram udp wait guest /usr/etc/tftpd tftpd -s /usr/local/boot /usr/etc/boot
      

    • At the end of this line, add the full pathname of your CD drive, for example, /CDROM. The last part of the line (note that this is not the complete line) would then look like this:

    
    tftpd -s /usr/local/boot /usr/etc/boot /CDROM
    

    • Save your changes and quit the text editor.

  3. Inform the system of the change by typing:

    killall -HUP inetd

    Then press <Enter>. It may take a few minutes for the change to take effect.

  4. Log out of the root account by typing:

    logout

    Then press <Enter>. The shell window disappears.

Overview of the Port Setup Tool

A Privileged User can use the Port Setup tool to set up system software so serial peripherals will work with the system. Once the peripheral is set up, the system automatically makes it public, that is, makes it accessible to all other systems on the network.

Click the topic about which you would like more information.

The Port Setup tool does not support SCSI devices, network connections, parallel devices, or modems. See “Setting Up SCSI Peripherals,” “Setting Up Network Connections,” “Setting Up a Parallel Printer,” or “Setting Up a Modem (Serial) Connection” to set up these devices.

Setting Up Serial Peripherals

See your system's owner's guide for detailed information on how to

  • find or build a serial cable that can transfer data from the system to the peripheral

  • connect the serial peripheral to a serial port on your system

If the Port Setup window is not already open, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Port Setup icon. Or, click the words Port Setup now.

Once the peripheral is connected to the system, follow these steps:

  1. Turn on the peripheral.

  2. In the Port Setup window, select the icon that's labeled with the port to which you connected the peripheral, then click the Connect button.

  3. In the Connect Device to Serial Port window, double-click the icon that represents the type of peripheral you connected.

    • If you double-click a spaceball, dial and button box, or digitizer tablet icon, the system sets the peripheral up automatically; it is ready to use.


      Note: At this time the Port Setup tool supports only CalComp tablets. See the system release notes for information on setting up other types of tablets.


    • If you double-click the terminal icon, the system needs more information; see “Setting Up a Terminal.”

    • If you double-click the printer icon, the Printer Manager starts. See “Setting Up a Serial Printer.”

    • If you double-click the MIDI keyboard icon, the Midi Port Configuration window appears. Click OK to turn on the port, or see “Turning on a MIDI Port.”

Setting Up a Terminal

Check the manual that came with your terminal to find the baud rate at which the terminal can send and receive information, then follow these steps:

  1. If the Terminal Setup window is not already open, see “Setting Up Serial Peripherals.”

  2. Choose the baud rate from the menu button next to Baud rate.

  3. In the Terminal on Serial Port window, choose the terminal type from the menu button next to Terminal type.

    If your terminal type does not appear on the menu, you can either:

    • Check the terminal's manual for information on how your terminal can emulate a type that does appear on the menu. Make the appropriate adjustments to the terminal, then choose the correct emulation type.

    • Choose “Other” from the menu button, then, in the Other terminal type field, type the name of a different emulation mode.

      All emulation modes supported by the system are listed in the /usr/share/lib/terminfo/i, /usr/share/lib/terminfo/v, /usr/share/lib/terminfo/w and /usr/share/lib/terminfo/x directories.

  4. Have the system make the changes, or cancel your request.

    • To set up the terminal using the type and baud rate shown in the window, click OK. The terminal's icon appears in the Port Setup window.

    • To cancel the request and keep the port free, click Cancel. The port remains available in the Port Setup window.

  5. Test the setup.

    • Make sure the terminal is powered on and is connected to the system.

    • On the terminal's keyboard, press the <Enter> key and the <Break> key several times, until you see the login prompt.

      If you cannot get the prompt, turn the terminal off and on again, then try again.

    • Log in to the system, then log out. The terminal is ready to use.

Turning on a MIDI Port

Any Privileged User can enable a serial port for use with a MIDI device by following these steps:

  1. If the MIDI Port Configuration window is not already open, see “Setting Up Serial Peripherals.”

  2. Click the radio button next to Start MIDI on this port so a blue triangle appears in the button.

  3. Turn MIDI on for this port, or cancel your request.

    • Click OK to turn on MIDI and close the window.

    • Click Cancel to leave the port off and close the window.

When you already have MIDI turned on for a port then choose to disconnect it, you see the same window; click OK to turn off MIDI.

Setting Up Parallel Peripherals

The Port Setup tool does not support parallel peripherals. To set up a parallel printer, see “Setting Up a Parallel Printer.” To set up other parallel devices, see the documentation that came with the device.

Deleting Serial Peripherals

When you physically disconnect a peripheral from your system, a Privileged User should also delete the peripheral's icon from the Port Setup tool. The system cannot detect a disconnected serial peripheral, so this is the only way the Port Setup tool will be able to display an accurate list of available ports.

  1. IIf the Port Setup window is not already open, start it by choosing “System Manager” from the System toolchest, choosing “System Admin Tools” from the Tools menu, then double-clicking the Port Setup icon. Or, click the words Port Setup now.

  2. In the Ports Setup window, select the peripheral's icon, then click the Disconnect button.

    • If you disconnected a MIDI device, the MIDI configuration window appears. Click the OK button in this window.

    • If you disconnected a printer, the Printer Manager window appears. Select the printer, click the Delete button in this window, then choose “Quit” from the Printer menu.

    • If you disconnected any other type of peripheral, its icon disappears, and the port is available for use.

Setting Up Printer Connections

You can set up your system to access printers that are directly connected to your system, or to other systems on the network.

Overview of the Printer Manager

The Printer Manager lets a Privileged User set up software for a new local printer, access printers that are connected to other systems on the network, and set system-wide settings for printers. Each User can use the Printer Manager to view all available printers, and to drag printers onto the desktop for convenient access. See “Printing Files” in IRIS Essentials for information on printing files from the desktop.

If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

About the Menus

The Printer menu contains these choices:

  • “Add” lets you set up a new printer that's connected to either your own system or to another system on the network. This command is equivalent to the Add button.

  • “Change Connection” lets you change the setup information about the selected printer.

  • “Delete” removes the selected printer from the list of available printers. This command is equivalent to the Delete button.

  • “Set Default” makes the selected printer the default printer. This command is equivalent to the Default button.

  • “Show Queue” shows the PrintStatus window for the selected printer.

  • “Set Options” lets you set printer-specific options for the selected printer. This item is available only if the printer is connected to a system that has the optional Impressario™ software. (For more information, see “About Impressario.”) This command is equivalent to the Options button.

  • “Send Test Page” sends a one-page print job to the selected printer.

  • “Quit” quits the Printer Manager.

The Arrange menu contains these choices:

  • “by Printer Name” sorts the list of printers alphabetically by name.

  • “by Hostname” sorts the list alphabetically by the hosts to which the printers are connected.

  • “by Printer Type” sorts the list alphabetically by the types of printers.

The Help menu contains a list of help topics. To view a topic, choose it from this menu.

Setting Up Printing Software

A Privileged User can set up software for printers that are either connected directly to the system or are connected to other systems on the network.

Setting Up a Serial Printer

A Privileged User can set up software for a serial printer by following these steps:

  1. Physically connect the printer to a serial port on your system using the serial cable provided with the printer, then power on the printer.

  2. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  3. Choose “Add” from the Printer menu or click the Add button.

  4. In the Add Printer window, click in the New Printer Name field and type in a name.

    You can choose any name you like. It can consist of up to 14 letters and numbers, and can include an underbar (_); it cannot include any spaces or special characters such as #, @, &, or /.

  5. Next to Connection Type, click the Local box.

  6. Complete the Location Code and Location Description fields.

    • In the Location Code field, enter a code that helps identify the printer location. For example, your network adminstrator might want you to enter the mailstop of the system the printer is attached to.

    • In the Location Description field, enter a description that helps you remember where the printer is located. For example, you might enter “Roger's cube at the back of building 1.”

  7. In the Printer Type list, choose the type that best describes your printer.


    Note: If the appropriate type of printer does not appear in the list, you may not have the correct printer driver software installed. Contact the printer's manufacturer.


  8. Specify the printer's serial connection, handshake, and baud rate; you can find handshake and baud rate information in the manual that came with the printer.

    • Next to Connection, click Serial.

    • From the menu button next to Serial Port, choose the port number to which you connected the printer .

    • From the Handshake menu button, choose the printer's handshake. (A software handshake is the same as xon/xoff flow control.)

    • Choose the printer's baud rate from the Baud Rate menu button.

  9. Have the system set up the printer, or cancel your request.

    • When the information is correct, click OK.

    • To cancel your request, click Cancel.

  10. The printer appears in the Printer Manager window. You can drag the printer's icon onto the desktop for easy access.

Setting Up a Parallel Printer

A Privileged User can set up software for a parallel printer by following these steps:

  1. Physically connect the printer to a parallel port on your system using the parallel cable provided with the printer, then power on the printer.

  2. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  3. Choose “Add” from the Printer menu or click the Add button.

  4. In the Add Printer window, click in the New Printer Name field and type in a name.

    You can choose any name you like. It can consist of up to 14 letters and numbers, and can include an underbar (_); it cannot include any spaces or special characters such as #, @, &, or /.

  5. Next to Connection Type, click the Local box.

  6. Complete the Location Code and Location Description fields.

    • In the Location Code field, enter a code that helps identify the printer location. For example, your network adminstrator might want you to enter the mailstop of the system the printer is attached to.

    • In the Location Description field, enter a description that helps you remember where the printer is located. For example, you might enter “Roger's cube at the back of building 1.”

  7. In the Printer Type list, choose the type that best describes your printer.


    Note: If the appropriate type of printer does not appear in the list, you may not have the correct printer driver software installed. Contact the printer's manufacturer.


  8. Specify the printer's connection.

    • Next to Connection, click Parallel.

    • If you have more than one parallel port, click the port you connected the printer to in the list next to Parallel Ports.

  9. Have the system set up the printer, or cancel your request.

    • When the information is correct, click OK.

    • To cancel your request, click Cancel.

  10. The printer appears in the Printer Manager window. You can drag the printer's icon onto the desktop for easy access.

Setting Up a SCSI Printer

The software necessary to support SCSI printers is an optional product. To install the software, see “Installing Software.”

A Privileged User can set up software for a SCSI printer by following these steps:

  1. Shut down your system by choosing “System Shutdown” from the System toolchest, then turning off the system's power.

  2. Assign an unused SCSI address to the printer (see also “About SCSI Devices, Controllers, and Addresses”), and physically connect it to a SCSI port on your system using the SCSI cable provided with the printer. Then power on the printer (see your owner's guide and the printer's manual for more information).

  3. Power on your system.

  4. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  5. Choose “Add” from the Printer menu or click the Add button.

  6. In the Add Printer window, click in the New Printer Name field and type in a name.

    You can choose any name you like. It can consist of up to 14 letters and numbers, and can include an underbar (_); it cannot include any spaces or special characters such as #, @, &, or /.

  7. Next to Connection Type, click the Local box.

  8. Complete the Location Code and Location Description fields.

    • In the Location Code field, enter a code that helps identify the printer location. For example, your network adminstrator might want you to enter the mailstop of the system the printer is attached to.

    • In the Location Description field, enter a description that helps you remember where the printer is located. For example, you might enter “Roger's cube at the back of building 1.”

  9. In the Printer Type list, choose the type that best describes your printer.


    Note: If the appropriate type of printer does not appear in the list, you may not have the correct printer driver software installed. Contact the printer's manufacturer.


  10. Specify the printer's connection.

    • Next to Connection, click SCSI.

    • In the list of SCSI printers that appears, click one to select it. If no printers appear, click the Rescan button.

  11. Have the system set up the printer, or cancel your request.

    • When the information is correct, click OK.

    • To cancel your request, click Cancel.

  12. The printer appears in the Printer Manager window. You can drag the printer's icon onto the desktop for easy access.

Accessing a Printer Across the Network

This information applies to you if you want to access a printer that's connected to another system on your network.

A Privileged User can access a printer that's connected to another system on the network by following these steps:

  1. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  2. Choose “Add” from the Printer menu or click the Add button.

  3. In the Add Printer window, click in the New Printer Name field and type in a name.

    You can choose any name you like. It can consist of up to 14 letters and numbers, and can include an underbar (_); it cannot include any spaces or special characters such as #, @, &, or /.

  4. Specify that the printer is connected to another system, and specify the other system's hostname and local name for the printer.

    • Next to Connection Type, click the Network box.

    • Click in the Remote Host Name field and type in the name of the system to which the printer is connected.

    • Click the List Printers button to see a list of all printers that are connected to the remote system.

    • Click a printer to select it; it appears in the Remote Printer Name field.

  5. Have the system set up the printer, or cancel your request.

    • When the information is correct, click OK.

    • To cancel your request, click Cancel.

  6. The printer appears in the Printer Manager window. You can drag the printer's icon onto the desktop for easy access.

A Privileged User can also use the Search tool to add a network printer by following these steps:

  1. Choose “Printers” from the Search For rollover menu in the Find toolchest.

  2. In the Search tool, use the Match menu to specify the type of printer you want to find (use the Help menu in this window for details).

  3. Click the Search button. After a few moments, one or more printer icons should appear in the yellow area of the window.

    If no printers appear, either none are available, or none match the search criteria that you specified using the Match menu.

  4. Drag one or more printer icons onto your desktop.

Changing the Setup of a Printer

When you change the physical setup of a printer, for example, when you connect it to a different port on your system or when someone moves a printer from one system to another system on the network, you must use the Printer Manager to change the setup information. If you do not change the information, you will not be able to access the printer.

If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

A Privileged User can change the setup information by following these steps:

  1. In the Printer Manager window, select the printer's icon, then choose “Change Connection” from the Printer menu.

  2. In the Change Connection window, you can change all of the information about the printer except its name. See “Setting Up Printing Software” for details.


    Note: If you want to change the name of the printer, you must delete the printer (see “Deleting a Printer”) then add it as if it were new (see “Setting Up Printing Software”).


  3. Have the system set up the printer with the new information, or cancel your request.

    • When the information is correct, click OK.

    • To cancel your request, click Cancel.

Deleting a Printer

A Privileged User can delete a printer from the Printer Manager. Typically you do this if the printer has been permanently removed from your system or from another system on the network.

Notify other users on your network before you delete a printer that is directly connected to your system. If other users had added your printer as a network printer on their systems, they will no longer be able to access the printer once you delete it.

If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

To delete a printer, follow these steps:

  1. In the Printer Manager window, select the printer's icon, then choose “Delete” from the Printer menu or click the Delete button.

    If there are jobs in the printer's queue, a notifier appears that lets you either cancel all the jobs, or send them to a different printer; see “Moving Print Jobs to a Different Printer.”

  2. A dialog appears to confirm that you want to delete the printer; to do so, click the OK button.

Moving Print Jobs to a Different Printer

If there are jobs in the queue of a printer that you are deleting, you can either cancel those jobs or move them to a different printer.

  • To cancel all jobs, click the box next to Delete jobs from queue, then click the OK button.

  • To move the jobs to a different printer, click the box next to Move jobs to printer, select a printer from the list by clicking it, then click the OK button.

  • To cancel your request to delete the printer, click the Cancel button.

Designating a Default Printer

From the desktop, people can send files to a particular printer in two ways:

  • Select a file and choose “Print” from the Selected toolchest or menu. The system sends the file to the printer that a Privileged User has designated as the default printer for the system.

  • Drag a file onto a specific printer, or drag a file onto PrintPanel and specify a printer. The system sends the file to that printer.

Any Privileged User can designate a default printer for all users on the system by following these steps:

  1. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  2. Select the printer's icon, then choose “Set Default” from the Printer menu or click the Default button. A label appears above the list of printers that indicates which printer is the system default.

Setting Printer-Specific Options

If the optional Impressario software is installed on the system to which a printer is connected (see “About Impressario”), any User can customize the way a printer handles individual print jobs by following these steps:

  1. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  2. Select the printer's icon, then choose “Set Options” from the Printer menu or click the Options button.

    The Options window for that printer appears.


    Note: If “Set Options” is greyed out, the selected printer is not an Impressario printer.


When a Privileged User changes the settings, a notifier requests whether he is changing the setting only for himself (Personal ) or for all users on the system (All Users).

Any User can also customize the way a printer prints a particular job using PrintPanel, whether or not they have the optional Impressario software installed. To use PrintPanel, follow these steps:

  1. Choose “An Icon” from the Find toolchest, type PrintPanel, and press <Enter>.

  2. When the PrintPanel icon appears in the drop pocket, drag it onto your desktop.

  3. To customize a print job, drag the file onto the PrintPanel icon; a settings panel appears.

  4. See the Help menu in PrintPanel for more information.

Checking a Printer's Queue

Any User can view a printer's queue by following these steps:

  1. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  2. Select the printer's icon, then choose “Show Queue” from the Printer menu (or just double-click the printer's icon). The PrintStatus window for that printer appears.

You can also view the queue by double-clicking the printer's icon in your desktop, or by double-clicking the printer's name in PrintPanel.

For information on managing the queue, use the Help menu in the PrintStatus window.

Printing a Test Page from Printer Manager

Any User can send a test page to a printer by following these steps:

  1. If the Printer Manager is not already running, start it by choosing “Printer Manager” from the System toolchest or by clicking the words Printer Manager now.

  2. Select the printer's icon, then choose “Send Test Page” from the Printer menu.

Setting Up lpr

The Printer Manager now supports remote lpr printers. To access an lpr printer across the network, see “Accessing a Printer Across the Network.”