[9fans] new termrc

[9fans] new termrc

[geoff]

I've just pushed out a new (and I hope stable) /rc/bin/termrc
and /cfg/example/termrc.  Machine-specific configuration should
go into /cfg/$sysname/termrc.  If you don't use DHCP (i.e., you
statically configure terminal IP addresses), this affects you.
You'll probably want to look at the diffs in any case.

[9fans] Re: new termrc

[Alex Brainman]

On Apr 27, 9:16 am, g...@plan9.bell-labs.com wrote:
> I've just pushed out a new (and I hope stable) /rc/bin/termrc
> and /cfg/example/termrc.  Machine-specific configuration should
> go into /cfg/$sysname/termrc.  If you don't use DHCP (i.e., you
> statically configure terminal IP addresses), this affects you.
> You'll probably want to look at the diffs in any case.

I need an advice. I have a standalone plan9 computer, and if I use
the /rc/bin/termrc, then my $sysname is blank. It's, obviously,
because I use DHCP to set my ip address and other parameters, and I
use those settings as part of my network database. But at the time
when /rc/bin/termrc sets $sysname, network is not started yet and all
those parameters aren't available yet.

My /lib/ndb/local includes line:

	file=/lib/ndb/common

and I use DHCP to get my address and /lib/ndb/common contains:

ip=192.168.21.14 ipmask=255.255.255.128 ipgw=192.168.21.1
	sys=plan9term
	dom=plan9term.linux.sge.local sge.local
	dns=192.168.21.1

If I move

sysname=`{cat /dev/sysname}

line down after section where network is set, $sysname gets correct
value all right.

What am I doing wrong? Or is my setup "non-standard" enough and
I'can't use this general /rc/bin/termrc?

Thank you.


Alex

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Russ Cox]

> I need an advice. I have a standalone plan9 computer, and if I use
> the /rc/bin/termrc, then my $sysname is blank. It's, obviously,
> because I use DHCP to set my ip address and other parameters, and I
> use those settings as part of my network database. But at the time
> when /rc/bin/termrc sets $sysname, network is not started yet and all
> those parameters aren't available yet.

ndb/cs sets $sysname when it starts up by
looking for an entry in the ndb with the 
right ethernet address (cat /net/ether0/addr).
if you add ether=010203040506 (with your
ethernet address) to the entry for your system
then $sysname should get set.

russ

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Lucio De Re]

> if you add ether=010203040506 (with your
> ethernet address) to the entry for your system
> then $sysname should get set.

But that is ugly, as you now need to track the ethernet address in
/lib/ndb/local and possibly in the DHCP configuration, when all the
pertinent details can be obtained from the DHCP server.  Are there any
philosophical reasons that the DHCP data, retrieved using ip/ipconfig,
say, cannot at least supplement whatever may have been already set up
by termrc (or cpurc)?  If there isn't I'll gladly look into it, DHCP
isn't entirely alien to me.

++L

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[erik quanstrom]

if you're using a plan 9 dhcp server, you need the ethernet
entry anyway to figure out whom to give what configuration.

i think this would only be an issue with a non-plan 9 dhcp server.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Lucio De Re]

> i think this would only be an issue with a non-plan 9 dhcp server.

A common enough occurrence, I imagine.

++L

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Russ Cox]

> But that is ugly, as you now need to track the ethernet address in
> /lib/ndb/local and possibly in the DHCP configuration, when all the
> pertinent details can be obtained from the DHCP server.  Are there any
> philosophical reasons that the DHCP data, retrieved using ip/ipconfig,
> say, cannot at least supplement whatever may have been already set up
> by termrc (or cpurc)?  If there isn't I'll gladly look into it, DHCP
> isn't entirely alien to me.

The pertinent details cannot be obtained
from a non-Plan 9 DHCP server.
If you are using a Plan 9 DHCP server
then you are correct -- all the details
do get used from DHCP and no extra work
is necessary.  But it sounds like his DHCP
server is a random NAT box.

All you need to put in /lib/ndb/local in that
case is 

	sys=yourname ether=010203040506

and the DHCP info will be used (via /net/ndb,
which ipconfig fills in) for the rest.

Truth be told, when I set up a standalone
system I don't even bother doing this.  I just do

	sysname=foo
	echo -n foo >/dev/sysname

in cpurc before starting cs.  It doesn't really
matter one way or the other.

Russ

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Steve Simon]

> if you add ether=010203040506 (with your
> ethernet address) to the entry for your system
> then $sysname should get set.

Beware, the ether= field must have the ethernet address
in lower case, this is because all fields are case sensitive
when they are matched by libndb and the accress printed
by /dev/ether0/addr is in lower case.

-Steve

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[Devon H. O'Dell]

2007/4/30, Steve Simon <steve@quintile.net>:
> > if you add ether=010203040506 (with your
> > ethernet address) to the entry for your system
> > then $sysname should get set.
>
> Beware, the ether= field must have the ethernet address
> in lower case, this is because all fields are case sensitive
> when they are matched by libndb and the accress printed
> by /dev/ether0/addr is in lower case.

This is true. I remember getting bitten by this and Boyd (may his soul
rest in peace) ranting about how ridiculous it was when we were
setting things up on a Mini-ITX board.

> -Steve

--dho

Re: [9fans] Re: new termrc

[matt]

you could always do

sysname=foo

in plan9.ini

you can also set other environment variables in there to use in termrc, 
termrc.local and cpurc

I have a plan9.ini menu that sets ip=10.0.0.9 or 192.168.9.9 or DHCP 
which I then use in termrc.local to choose how to use ip/ipconfig

[9fans] Re: new termrc

[Alex Brainman]

On May 1, 1:10 am, r...@swtch.com (Russ Cox) wrote:

> if you add ether=010203040506 (with your
> ethernet address) to the entry for your system
> then $sysname should get set.

I have and it does, thank you russ. I just thought, the information is
already inside my DHCP server (non-plan9) and should be used by my
terminal. But that's good enough anyway.


Alex

[9fans] Re: new termrc

[Alex Brainman]

On May 1, 1:37 am, quans...@coraid.com (erik quanstrom) wrote:
> i think this would only be an issue with a non-plan 9 dhcp server.

my DHCP server is http://www.isc.org/products/DHCP
 running on linux.

Alex

[9fans] Re: new termrc

[Alex Brainman]

On May 1, 1:43 am, r...@swtch.com (Russ Cox) wrote:
> ...  But it sounds like his DHCP
> server is a random NAT box.
>

DHCP server is http://www.isc.org/products/DHCP running on linux.


Alex