Chapter 5: Setting Up Communications Across the Network

Adaptive Server can communicate with other Adaptive Servers, Open Server applications, and client software across a network. Clients can communicate with one or more servers, and servers can communicate with other servers via remote procedure calls.

Adaptive Server uses interface files and directory services to establish client and RPC connections. On UNIX platforms, the interfaces file is named interfaces. This chapter describes the interfaces file and provides specific configuration information for each supported UNIX platform.

Adaptive Servers and clients use different interfaces files. Interfaces files contain entries for all Adaptive Servers, backup servers, and other server products on the network.

Table 5-1 shows where to find more information on server and client interfaces file tasks and topics.

**Table 5-1: Where to find interfaces file tasks and topics**
Type of interfaces file	Task or topic	See
UNIX server or client	Adding entries for multiple Adaptive Server installations	Chapter 7, “Customizing Localization for Adaptive Server”
	Creating a master interfaces file for multiple installations	“Creating a master interfaces file”
	Configuring for multiple networks	“Configuring interfaces files for multiple networks” in this document
	Reference information	“Understand the format of the interfaces file” in this document
PC-client	Configuring a client	Installing Adaptive Server and OmniConnect on UNIX Platforms
	Reference information and instructions for advanced tasks	Open Client Supplement for your PC client platform, or the appropriate Open Client documentation
Client platforms not listed	Configuring, reference information, and instructions for advanced tasks	Open Client Supplement for your PC client platform, or the appropriate Open Client documentation