Creating interfaces files for SPX

If Novell Protocol Suite Version 3.0.1 is installed on your machine, you can create interfaces file entries to support the SPX/IPX protocol. Interfaces file entries for SPX have the following format:

servername retry_attempts delay_interval<newline> <tab>service_type api protocol device address<newline>

Each entry line that follows the servername line must begin with a <tab> character or a blank space. Use a single space between each component on an entry line.

The servername, retry_attempts, delay_interval, and service_type components have the same meaning in an SPX entry as in a TCP entry. Table 5-3 describes the other components.

**Table 5-3: remaining components in the interfaces file**
Component	Value
api	api is the application programming interface to the network. Since Adaptive Server uses the Transport Layer Interface (TLI) for SPX protocol connections, use the letters “tli”.
protocol	protocol is the name of the network protocol. Use the letters “spx” to designate the SPX protocol.
device	device is the network device endpoint supplied for SPX networks. The device that is supplied with the Novell Protocol Suite network software is named /dev/nspx.
address	address is a composite entry generated from the network number, node, and socket number, defined as follows: The first four bytes of the address represent the network number converted to hexadecimal. The next six bytes represent the network node of the machine running Adaptive Server. Both the network number and node are assigned by the network administrator of your system. You can check the /usr/netware/npsconfig file to determine the network and node numbers for your machine. The socket number is a hexadecimal number between 0x8000 and 0xFFFF that identifies the process on the machine. If you choose a socket number that is already in use on the machine where your Adaptive Server is located, you receive a message similar to the following when you attempt to restart your Adaptive Server: `ninit: t_bind, Incorrect permissions ninitconn_free: t_close, fd=5, Illegal transport fd ninit: All master network listeners have failed. Shutting down. ueshutdown: exiting` More than one Adaptive Server can have the same socket number, if each server is on a different machine. The combination of network number, node, and socket uniquely identifies the Adaptive Server. For example, if your machine has a network number of 4D160D14 and a node number of 000000000001, and you use socket number 86bb, the following address entry is added: `/x4D160D1400000000000186bb`

Table 5-3: remaining components in the interfaces file

Component

Value

api

api is the application programming interface to the network. Since Adaptive Server uses the Transport Layer Interface (TLI) for SPX protocol connections, use the letters “tli”.

protocol

protocol is the name of the network protocol. Use the letters “spx” to designate the SPX protocol.

device

device is the network device endpoint supplied for SPX networks. The device that is supplied with the Novell Protocol Suite network software is named /dev/nspx.

address

address is a composite entry generated from the network number, node, and socket number, defined as follows:

The first four bytes of the address represent the network number converted to hexadecimal.
The next six bytes represent the network node of the machine running Adaptive Server.
Both the network number and node are assigned by the network administrator of your system. You can check the /usr/netware/npsconfig file to determine the network and node numbers for your machine.
The socket number is a hexadecimal number between 0x8000 and 0xFFFF that identifies the process on the machine.

If you choose a socket number that is already in use on the machine where your Adaptive Server is located, you receive a message similar to the following when you attempt to restart your Adaptive Server:

ninit: t_bind, Incorrect permissions ninitconn_free: t_close, fd=5, Illegal transport fd ninit: All master network listeners have failed. Shutting down. ueshutdown: exiting

More than one Adaptive Server can have the same socket number, if each server is on a different machine. The combination of network number, node, and socket uniquely identifies the Adaptive Server.

For example, if your machine has a network number of 4D160D14 and a node number of 000000000001, and you use socket number 86bb, the following address entry is added:

/x4D160D1400000000000186bb