Updated: 24 May 2001

DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS
Network Management

The decnet_register tool has both command line and forms interfaces. When invoked from a video terminal, decnet_register is by default a forms-driven tool. You select a task and decnet_register prompts you for the information the task requires. The command line interface for decnet_register includes help information for all the tool's commands.

The following example shows the decnet_register main menu form.

DECNET_REGISTER - Manage node registrations in network directory services Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel 1 - Show information about registered node names 2 - Register or modify node names 3 - Update registered node towers using information from the nodes 4 - Rename a registered node name 5 - Repair the synonym and address links for registered node names 6 - Deregister node names 7 - Export node names to a data file 8 - Import node names from a data file 9 - Set preferences and network values 10 - Manage the directory service 11 - Spawn to DCL * Option (use Ctrl-Z to exit):

To select a task, type the appropriate number and press Return. You can cancel any task and return to this main menu by pressing Ctrl/Z.

To perform certain tasks discussed in this chapter, you need access rights. For more information about the access rights, refer to the DECnet-Plus DECdns Management, which also contains complete information about DECdns and the namespace and provides detailed namespace planning information. Note that when you use decnet_register to manage DECdns, these access rights are stored in the DECdns namespace rather than locally on your system. So, you might not be able to use certain decnet_register commands, even if you are logged in as a system account user.

Initializing the namespace consists of creating a backtranslation directory (commonly called .DNA_BackTranslation), a node synonym directory (commonly called .DNA_NodeSynonym), and the required DECdts directory (.DTSS_GlobalTimeServers). Some DECnet features do not work properly unless these directories exist; for example, you cannot use Phase IV node names if the node synonym directory (.DNA_NodeSynonym or equivalent) is not available.

As part of your job as a network manager, you might at times need to review the information registered for a node in the namespace. This information includes the node's address tower and, for the DECdns namespace, the names of the synonym and address-to-name backtranslation soft links.

To view this information, select Option 1 at the decnet_register main menu and respond to the prompts as they appear, one by one. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit. Output is similar to the following example:

Show registered node information Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile, DECdns, or PhaseIV * Directory service: Specify the node to show using an explicit or wildcard name, an NSAP, or a Phase IV synonym or address. * Node name or address: Specify the information to display as either brief, full, or names. Specify the output file name (a blank line indicates the terminal). * Display format: * Output file: Press Return to show the node values, Ctrl-Z to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service where the node's information is stored. Name services include the local namespace, the DECdns distributed namespace, and the Phase IV database.

Node Name or Address

Enter a node name or address, as follows:

Full name	The node's full name, including the directory or directories. You can replace all or part of any simple name in the full name, including the directory names, with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes.
Synonym	The node's Phase IV synonym. This must not contain any directory names. You can replace all or part of the synonym with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes.
NET or NSAP	The node's network entity title (NET), which is the node's NSAP (network service access point) with a selector field of 00 or its NSAP. You can replace the node ID field of the NET with a wildcard character (*) to show all nodes within an area. For more information about NETs, refer to the DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS Introduction and User's Guide.
Address	The node's Phase IV address, in the format area.id. You can replace the id field of the address with a wildcard character (*) to show all nodes within an area.

Display Format

The tool displays the node information in brief or full format or simply displays the node full name.

Output File

Enter a file name and press Return to send the output to a file. Press Return without entering a file name to display the information on the screen. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to cancel the show operation.

If you specify a full name, brief format appears as follows:

Directory Service: Local name file Node name: LOCAL:.grand.sales Phase IV synonym: SALES Node address: 49::00-04:AA-00-04-00-93-10:20 (4.147) Node address: 49::00-04:AA-00-04-00-93-10:21 (4.147) Node address: 41:45418715:00-41:08-00-2B-14-2D-47:21 Node address: 41:45418715:00-41:08-00-2B-14-2D-47:20 Number of nodes reported on: 1

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

5.3.4 Registering or Modifying a Node

You must register all DECnet Phase V nodes and Phase IV nodes in the namespace to make them accessible to other nodes in the network.

When you register a node name, decnet_register creates a node entry by that name in the namespace you specify. For nodes in the DECdns namespace, decnet_register also creates a Phase IV synonym soft link and an address-to-name backtranslation soft link. Each object and soft link is assigned the minimally required access control. You can later add additional access control to the object manually.

To register or modify a DECnet Phase V node in the namespace, select Option 2 at the decnet_register main menu and respond to the prompts as they appear, one by one. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit. Output is similar to the following example:

Register or modify node information Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile, DECdns, or PhaseIV. * Directory service: LocalFile Specify the explicit name of the node to register or modify: * Node name: sales Attempting to look up node name * Node name: LOCAL:.grand.sales * Synonym: SALES Specify how to handle the node's registered address towers, using either modify, keep, replace, or delete. The current number of towers is "4". * What should be done with the current address towers: Modify Register or modify node address information Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use ? to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel The first six towers for "LOCAL:.grand.sales" are: 1) SC3/NSP/CLNS=4.147 2) SC3/TP4/CLNS=4.147 3) SC3/TP4/CLNS=41:45418715:00-41:08-00-2B-14-2D-47:21 4) SC3/NSP/CLNS=41:45418715:00-41:08-00-2B-14-2D-47:20 5) none 6) none The address must be CLNS NSAP or DECnet Phase IV address. The transport must be either TP4, TP4=tsel, or (Network Services Protocol) NSP. The Session Control version (SC2 or SC3) cannot be changed. Tower number 1 * Address: CLNS=4.147 * Transport: NSP * Specify another address tower (No or Yes): No * Press Return to register the node, Ctrl-Z to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service where the node's information is to be registered. Name services include the local namespace, the DECdns distributed namespace, and the Phase IV database.

Node Name

Enter an explicit node name, as follows: Enter a node full name formatted for the local namespace or for DECdns, or enter a Phase IV node name. Do not include any wildcard characters.

Synonym

Enter the node's Phase IV synonym. You can replace all or part of the synonym with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes.

Address Towers

Enter one of the specified keywords (modify, keep, replace, or delete) to indicate what you want to do with the node's registered address towers.

To add an address tower, specify the node's NSAP or its Phase IV address. Specify one of the following transports: TP4, TP4=tsel, or NSP.

The display continues:

Directory Service: LocalFile Registering the node LOCAL:.grand.sales Modifying the node synonym Modifying the node towers * Press Return to continue

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

5.3.5 Updating Registered Node Addresses

The update function establishes a network management connection to a node, reads the node's addressing information directly from the node, and updates the node registration to contain the correct addresses. You must specify a usable address in order to establish a network connection to the node to obtain the remainder of the addressing information.

To update addressing information for the node, select Option 3 at the decnet_register main menu and respond to the prompts as they appear, one by one. Output is similar to the following example:

Update node towers information using network management Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile, DECdns, or PhaseIV. * Directory service: decdns Specify the node to update using an explicit or wildcard name or Phase IV synonym. If explicitly specifying the local node name, indicate "Local", otherwise indicate "Remote" (wildcard names must always be "Remote"). * Node name: sales * Node is remote or local: remote Specify the NET, NSAP, or Phase IV address to use to access the node and obtain the node's full tower set. If you do not specify an address, an attempt will be made to use the currently defined addresses. * Node address: 4.147 Press Return to update, Ctrl-D to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service where the node's information is to be updated. Name services include the local namespace, DECdns, and the Phase IV database.

Node Name

Enter a node name, as follows:

Full name	The node's full name properly formatted for the local namespace or DECdns. You can replace all or part of any simple name in the full name with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes. Wildcard names must always be remote.
Synonym	The node's Phase IV synonym. You can replace all or part of the synonym with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes. Wildcard names must always be remote.

Node is Remote or Local

If the node to be updated is the local node, specify Local to force use of the local network management connection. Names that include wildcard characters must always be remote.

Node Address

The node address can be the node's network entity title (NET), which is the node's NSAP with a selector field of 00 or its NSAP, or the node's Phase IV address, in the format area.id. You can specify a node address only if you specified an explicit node name.

The display continues:

Directory Service: DECdns Updating the tower set for "LOCAL:.grand.sales" Number of nodes updates: 1 Number of update failures: 0 * Press Return to continue

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

5.3.6 Renaming a Registered Node

If the name of a node registered in the namespace changes, make sure to change the node name in the namespace.

Option 4 of decnet_register changes the name of a node in the namespace without changing any other information associated with the node name. For nodes registered in the DECdns namespace, the synonym soft link and address-to-name backtranslation soft link are updated to point to the new name. For the local namespace, this information is changed in the database.

To change the node name, select Option 4 at the decnet_register main menu and respond to the prompts as they appear, one by one. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit. Output is similar to the following example:

Rename a registered node Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile, DECdns, or PhaseIV. * Directory service: LocalFile Specify the current name and the new name for the node. Both names must be explicit full names. * Old node name: Local:.hiho * New node name: Local:.happy Specify the Phase IV synonym to use after the node has been renamed. Enter an asterisk (*) to keep the old synonym name. Leave the field blank to indicate no synonym. * New synonym: happy Press Return to rename, Ctrl-D to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service containing information for the node to be renamed. Name services include the local namespace, DECdns, and the Phase IV database. Nodes can be renamed only within a name service. You cannot change the name service when renaming a node.

Old Node Name

Enter the node's current full name properly formatted for the name service.

New Node Name

Enter the node's new full name properly formatted for the name service.

New Synonym

Enter the new Phase IV synonym for the node. To keep the current synonym, enter an asterisk. To have no synonym, leave the field empty.

Directory Service: Local name file Checking the current node registration Renaming: LOCAL:.hiho To: happy * Press Return to continue

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

5.3.7 Repairing a Node's Synonym and Reverse Address Links

If the synonym or reverse address mapping links for the local namespace and the DECdns name service are deleted or changed accidentally, use the repair option to restore the correct soft links. Use Option 1 of the decnet_register main menu to display the current values for a node's synonym link and reverse address mapping link.

To repair synonym or reverse address mapping links, select Option 5 at the decnet_register main menu. The tool prompts you for the name of the directory service where the node information is stored and for the name of the node whose soft links are to be repaired. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit. Output is similar to the following example:

Repair node synonym and reverse address mapping links Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile or DECdns. * Directory service: decdns Specify the node to repair using an explicit or wildcard full name. * Node name: hiho Press Return to repair, Ctrl-Z to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service where synonym and reverse address mapping links need to be repaired. Specify either LocalFile or DECdns.

Node Name

Enter the node's full name properly formatted for the DECdns name service. This argument is not used for the local namespace. You can replace all or part of any simple name with a wildcard character (*) to repair multiple nodes.

The display continues:

Directory Service: DECdns No repairs needed: Hiho Number of nodes repaired: 0 Number not needing repair: 1

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

5.3.8 Deregistering a Node from the Namespace

To maximize performance, keep your namespace as up-to-date and uncluttered as possible. This includes removing obsolete node registrations from the namespace. To deregister a node from the namespace, select Option 6 at the decnet_register main menu. The tool prompts you for the node name to be removed. Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit. Output is similar to the following example:

Deregister node names Use Return, Ctrl-N, and Ctrl-P to move between input fields Use "?" to obtain help, Ctrl-Z to cancel Specify the directory service as LocalFile, DECdns, or PhaseIV. * Directory service: LocalFile Specify the node to deregister using an explicit or wildcard name, an NSAP, or a Phase IV synonym or address. * Node name or address: hiho Specify whether or not to display node name, synonym, and NSAP information before indicating that the nodes should or should not be deregistered. * Display node information (no or yes): Press Return to deregister, Ctrl-Z to cancel

For help answering the prompts, refer to the following:

Directory Service

Identify the name service where the node's information is stored. Name services include the local namespace, the DECdns distributed namespace, and the Phase IV database.

Node Name or Address

Enter a node name or address, as follows:

Full name	The node's full name, including the directory or directories. You can replace all or part of any simple name in the full name, including the directory names, with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes.
Synonym	The node's Phase IV synonym. This must not contain any directory names. You can replace all or part of the synonym with a wildcard character (*) to show multiple nodes.
NET or NSAP	The node's network entity title (NET), which is the node's NSAP with a selector field of 00 or its NSAP. You can replace the node ID field of the NET with a wildcard character (*) to show all nodes within an area. For more information about NETs, refer to the DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS Introduction and User's Guide.
Address	The node's Phase IV address, in the format area.id. You can replace the id field of the address with a wildcard character (*) to show all nodes within an area.

Display Node Information (NO or YES)

Enter NO to deregister the node without first confirming. Enter YES to see information about the node before you deregister it.

Directory Service: Local name file Deregistering: Local:.hiho Number of nodes deregistered: 1 Press Return to continue

Press the appropriate control key sequence for your platform to exit.

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