Preface
This book describes many aspects of the Solaris PC NetLink product from Sun Microsystems. This book is intended to help you gain a basic knowledge of the common areas of the Solaris PC NetLink software functionality and provide best practices for its use.
Sun BluePrints Program
The mission of the Sun BluePrints Program is to empower customers with the technical knowledge required to implement reliable, available, extensible, and secure information systems within the data center using Sun products. The Sun BluePrints Program is managed by the Enterprise Engineering Group. This group
provides a framework to identify, develop, and distribute best practices information that applies across the Sun product line. Technical subject matter experts in various areas contribute to the program and focus on the scope and usefulness of the information.
The Enterprise Engineering Group is the primary provider of the technical content of the Sun BluePrints Program that includes books, guides, and online articles. Through these vehicles, Sun can provide guidance, installation and implementation experiences, real-life scenarios, and late-breaking technical
information.
The monthly electronic magazine, Sun BluePrints Online is located on the Web at http://www.sun.com/blueprints.
Who Should Use This Book
This book is aimed at the following two types of audiences:
- System Administrators -- This book will help system administrators implement best practice procedures with regard to the PC NetLink software in the areas of performance tuning, resource management, backup and deployment, in large enterprise environments.
- System Planners -- This book provides in-depth knowledge of the PC NetLink product for you to explore before you deploy the product. The sizing information helps determine the correct configuration for meeting the requirements of your user community.
This book is primarily written for experienced system administrators and planners who are familiar with UNIX, the Solaris operating environment, and Microsoft Windows NT.
Scope of the Book
This does not replace the documentation supplied with the Solaris PC NetLink product. Instead it supplies additional information such as software architecture, server scaling information, performance tuning tips, and best practices that are not generally available in the standard documentation.
Solaris PC NetLink Update Information
This book was written during development and release of Solaris PC NetLink 1.0 and 1.1 software. For up-to-date information and announcements on new versions and capabilities of the PC NetLink software as it evolves, search the Sun web site at http://www.sun.com for the term "PC NetLink."
What's In A Name
After reading the description of the Solaris PC NetLink product in Chapter 1, you may recognize the
description but associate it with a different product name. The Solaris PC NetLink product has been known by a variety of names during its development. First, the Solaris PC NetLink product is based on the AT& T Advanced Server for UNIX (AS/U) product. The AT& T product in turn, was based on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 source code . The AT& T product, in turn, was based on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 source code. The AT& T product ships in various forms from different UNIX environments by several OEMs. When Sun acquired the code to start development, the internal project name was Project Cascade. The product's official product name used for the release of the product was SunLink Server.
The product name was immediately changed to Solaris PC NetLink. Unfortunately, time-to-market issues forced the first versions of the product to ship with the older name, SunLink Server. If you have one of the first versions of Solaris PC NetLink, your product probably is labeled, documented, and implemented in code as SunLink Server. That name still appears in the code and the and the man pages. Thus, Cascade Project, SunLink Server, and Solaris PC NetLink all refer to the same product.
Uses of the Term "PC NetLink"
Throughout the book the term "PC NetLink" is used in several contexts. The context of the term changes the meaning. Some of the most common uses of the term are:
- Solaris PC NetLink--This is the official name of the product. When the term "PC NetLink" is used in this context it implies the full product. This includes all forms of the software as well as the documentation, packaging, CD-ROM, and so on.
- PC NetLink Server--This refers to the concept of a Solaris server that is running the PC NetLink software. A "PC NetLink Server" supports all the Solaris functionality that the Solaris PC NetLink product offers. This includes PC client file and print access, Windows NT domain authentication, WINS services, and all other included client services.
- PC NetLink Server Manager--This implies the server software of the Solaris PC NetLink product. This usually means the daemons supplied with the Solaris PC NetLink software. It does not include the PC NetLink Server Manager.
- PC NetLink Server Manager--This refers specifically to the Java technology-based GUI that manages the configuration of the PC NetLink software. In initial releases of the Solaris PC NetLink product this software was identified as the "SunLink Server Manager."
How This Book Is Organized
Chapter 1, "Introduction to the PC NetLink Software," provides an overview of the Solaris PC NetLink product and describes its server functionality.
Chapter 2, "The PC NetLink Software Architecture," describes the architecture of the PC NetLink software as well as how it implements its services.
Chapter 3, "Turning a Solaris System for use with the PC NetLink software," focuses on tuning a Solaris server to best support the PC NetLink software. Benchmarks are used to study how each server subsystem influences PC NetLink software.
Chapter 4, "PC NetLink Tuning Parameters," looks at tuning the server from a PC NetLink software perspective. PC NetLink Registery parameters that control performance are reviewed and procedures for changing and managing these parameters is described.
Chapter 5, "Sizing a Solaris PC NetLink Server," explains how to size a PC NetLink server. Using a methodology applied to specific examples, it takes you step-by-step through the sizing exercise. A spreadsheet tool, available on the Sun web site, helps summarize and implement sizing.
Chapter 6, "Transitioning to a PC NetLink Server," investigates issues in transitioning from Windows NT servers and other Solaris-based products that offer functionality similar to that of Solaris PC NetLink. This chapter also discusses UNIX and Windows NT user account maintenance.
Chapter 7, "Server Consolidation and Resource Management," investigates consolidating the services of several servers onto one larger, scalable that support multiple services potentially solves system administration and server room requirements.
Chapter 8, "Monitoring the Resources Used by PC NetLink Software," reviews the Solaris commands to monitor system usage. This chapter focuses on tracking resources consumed by the PC NetLink software. The chapter includes scripts to help resolve resource consumption problems by specific users or clients.
Chapter 9, "Printing With PC NetLink," provides procedures for setting up and maintaining printer services with the Solaris PC NetLink product. It highlights issues to be aware of when printing using the PC NetLink software with the different Solaris releases.
Chapter 10, "PC NetLink Setup Maintenance and Troubleshooting Procedures," provides procedures for backing up user data and the databases used by the PC NetLink software. Procedures for setting up Directory Replication, Roaming Profiles, combining UNIX and Windows NT permissions, and other PC NetLink services are also provided.
Appendix A, "File Service Benchmark Methodology," explains how the benchmarks are used to support sizing in Chapter 5. It also defines the client, server, and network environment used to execute the Ziff-Davis NetBench benchmark.
Appendix B, "A Profile of an Average End User," profiles the end user that the sizing example presented in Chapter 5 was based on.
Appendix C, "Man Pages and Help Files," provides the text of all the UNIX man pages that were supplied by the Solaris PC NetLink product. Useful help files for the NET command are also listed.
Related Documentation
The Solaris PC NetLink product ships with several online manuals. The manuals are available in HTML, PDF, and AnswerBook2TM formats:
- PC NetLink Administration Guide
- PC NetLink Installation Guide
After installation is finished, these sources of information are available to administrators:
- PC NetLink Server Administration Guide--Explains critical concepts and describes how to administer a PC NetLink server. To access this information, print the PDF version located in the doc folder on the product CD, or point your browser to one of the following URLs:
- From the Solaris machine where the PC NetLink software is installed: file:/opt/lanman/shares/admindoc/TOC.htm
- From a PC client machine: file://servername/admindoc/toc.htm where servername is the name of a PC NetLink server.
- PC NetLink Server Manager Online Help--The PC NetLink Server Manager administration tool includes on-line help to guide you through system administration and configuration tasks. To start PC NetLink Server Manager, do the following:
- On a Solaris system, enter the following command while logged in as root:hostname% /opt/lanman/sbin/slsmgr &
- On a Microsoft Windows client machine, click Start and select PC NetLink Server Manager from the Programs submenu.
- Once the PC NetLink Server Manager is running, you can access on-line help topics by clicking the Help Topics button at the lower right part of the window.
- UNIX style man pages for all the utilities and data files are included with the Solaris PC NetLink product. These man pages and the text of the PC NetLink net help command are printed in Appendix 3.
- The following BluePrints books also offer in depth information on related subjects that may apply to your installation of PC NetLink.
- Solaris Guide for Windows NT Administrators
- Resource Management
Refer to the BluePrints web site: http://www.sun.com/blueprints for details.
Ordering Sun Documentation
Pearsoned.com, an Internet professional bookstore, stocks select product documentation from Sun Microsystems, Inc. For a list of documents and how to order them, visit the Sun Documentation Center at:
http://vig.pearsoned.com/store/home/1,,store-6404_id-2,00.html
Accessing Sun Documentation Online
The docs.sun.com web site enables you to access Sun technical documentation on the Web. You can browse the docs.sun.com archive or search for a specific book title or subject at:
http://docs.sun.com
Accessing BluePrints Updates and Tools Online
Every effort has been made to make this book as accurate as possible. If corrections are made after publication, they will be posted on the BluePrints web site (http://www.sun.com/blueprints). In addition to updates, the sizing tool described in Chapter 5 is available via a link labeled "Scripts and Tools" is acquired about the Solaris PC NetLink
product. Check the site for the latest version of the tool before planning as a new PC NetLink server.
As information is learned about the Solaris PC NetLink product, BluePrints articles will appear in the online magazine, which is available at: http://www.sun.com/blueprints. In addition to the monthly publication, previous articles are listed by date.
The author can be reached via email address don.devitt@sun.com.
Sun Server Performance Information
Many performance-related papers and tools referenced in several chapters of this book are available at the sun performance web site: http://www.sun.com/sun-on-net/performance.The paper Solaris Memory Sizing White Paper by Richard McDougall, referred to in Chapter 4, explains Solaris memory management as well as the tools to monitor memory usage. You can download the tools from: http://www.sun.com/sun-on-net/performance/.
SymbEL Toolkit
The SE Toolkit, referred to in Chapter 8, is available at http://www.sun.com/sun-on-net/performance/se3/. SymbEL (known as SE) is an interpreted language that provides an extensive toolkit for building performance monitors and viewers.
With this too, you can apply performance rules every 30 seconds or so against a running system to check for bottle necks.
Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG)
The Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG) is a tool to monitor the traffic load on network links via SNMP protocol. It is referenced in Chapter 8 as a method to monitor network activity. For more information, see http://mrtg.hdl.com/mrtg.html.
Common Internet File System (CIFS) Web Site
CIFS, or the Common Internet File System, is based on existing Server Message Block (SMB) protocol that the PC NetLink software supports. The CIFS web site is good source information. The URL is:http://www.cifs.com/
Ziff-Davis Benchmark Web Site
You can download the documentation and software for the NetBench benchmark used in several chapters of this book from the Ziff-Davis web site at http://www.zdnet.com/zdbop/
