.TH NDB 7 .SH NAME ndb \- Network database .SH DESCRIPTION .PP The network database consists of files describing machines known to the local installation and machines known publicly. The files comprise multi-line tuples made up of attribute/value pairs of the form .IB attr = value or sometimes just .IR attr . Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with .B # are comments. .PP The file .B /lib/ndb/local is the root of the database. Other files are included in the database if a tuple with an attribute-value pair of attribute .B database and no value exists in .BR /lib/ndb/local . Within the .B database tuple, each pair with attribute .B file identifies a file to be included in the database. The files are searched in the order they appear. For example: .IP .EX database= file=/lib/ndb/common file=/lib/ndb/local file=/lib/ndb/global .EE .PP declares the database to be composed of the three files .BR /lib/ndb/common , .BR /lib/ndb/local , and .BR /lib/ndb/global . By default, .B /lib/ndb/local is searched before the others. However, .B /lib/ndb/local may be included in the .B database to redefine its ordering. .PP Within tuples, pairs on the same line bind tighter than pairs on different lines. .PP Programs search the database directly using the routines in .IR ndb (3). .\" or indirectly using .\" .B ndb/cs .\" and .\" .B ndb/dns .\" (see .\" .IR ndb (1)). .\" Both .\" .B ndb/cs The routine .I ndbipinfo imposes structure on the otherwise flat database by using knowledge specific to the network. The internet is made up of networks which can be subnetted multiple times. A network must have an .B ipnet attribute and is uniquely identified by the values of its .B ip and .B ipmask attributes. If the .B ipmask is missing, the relevant Class A, B or C one is used. .LP A search for an attribute associated with a network or host starts at the lowest level, the entry for the host or network itself, and works its way up, bit by bit, looking at entries for nets/subnets that include the network or host. The search ends when the attribute is found. For example, consider at the following entries: .IP .EX ipnet=murray-hill ip=135.104.0.0 ipmask=255.255.0.0 dns=135.104.10.1 ntp=ntp.cs.bell-labs.com ipnet=plan9 ip=135.104.9.0 ipmask=255.255.255.0 ntp=oncore.cs.bell-labs.com smtp=smtp1.cs.bell-labs.com ip=135.104.9.6 sys=anna dom=anna.cs.bell-labs.com smtp=smtp2.cs.bell-labs.com .EE .LP Here .B anna is on the subnet .B plan9 which is in turn on the class B net .BR murray-hill . Assume that we're searching for .BR anna 's .B NTP and .B SMTP servers. The search starts by looking for an entry with .BR sys=anna . We find the anna entry. Since it has an .B smtp=smtp2.cs.bell-labs.com pair, we're done looking for that attribute. To fulfill the NTP request, we continue by looking for networks that include anna's IP address. We lop off the right most one bit from anna's address and look for an .B ipnet= entry with .BR ip=135.104.9.4 . Not finding one, we drop another bit and look for an .B ipnet= entry with .BR ip=135.104.9.0 . There is such an entry and it has the pair, .BR ntp=oncore.cs.bell-labs.com , ending our search. .\" .PP .\" .I Ndb/cs .\" can be made to perform such network aware .\" searches by using metanames in the dialstring. .\" A metaname is a .\" .I $ .\" followed by an attribute name. .\" .I Ndb/cs .\" looks up the attribute relative to the system it is running .\" on. Thus, with the above example, if a program called .\" .IP .\" .EX .\" dial("tcp!$smtp!smtp", 0, 0, 0); .\" .EE .\" .LP .\" the dial would connect to the SMTP port of .\" .BR smtp2.cs.bell-labs.com . .PP A number of attributes are meaningful to programs and thus reserved. They are: .TF restricted .TP .B sys system name .TP .B dom Internet domain name .TP .B ip Internet address .TP .B ether Ethernet address .TP .B bootf file to download for initial bootstrap .TP .B ipnet Internet network name .TP .B ipmask Internet network mask .TP .B ipgw Internet gateway .TP .B auth authentication server to be used .TP .B authdom authentication domain. Plan 9 supports multiple authentication domains. To specify an authentication server for a particular domain, add a tuple containing both .B auth and .B authdom attributes and values. .TP .B fs file server to be used .TP .B tcp a TCP service name .TP .B udp a UDP service name .TP .B il an IL service name .TP .B port a TCP, UDP, or IL port number .TP .B restricted a TCP service that can be called only by ports numbered less that 1024 .TP .B proto a protocol supported by a host. .TP .B dnsdomain a domain name that .I ndb/dns adds onto any unrooted names when doing a search There may be multiple .B dnsdomain pairs. .TP .B dns a DNS server to use (for DNS and DHCP) .TP .B ntp an NTP server to use (for DHCP) .TP .B smtp an SMTP server to use (for DHCP) .TP .B time a time server to use (for DHCP) .TP .B wins a Windows name server (for DHCP) .TP .B mx mail exchanger (for DNS and DHCP) .TP .B soa start of area (for DNS) .sp .PD .\" .PP .\" The file .\" .B \*9/ndb/auth .\" is used during authentication to decide who has the power to `speak for' other .\" users; see .\" .IR authsrv (6). .SH EXAMPLES .LP A tuple for the CPU server, spindle. .LP .EX sys = spindle dom=spindle.research.bell-labs.com bootf=/mips/9powerboot ip=135.104.117.32 ether=080069020677 proto=il .EE .LP Entries for the network .B mh-astro-net and its subnets. .LP .EX ipnet=mh-astro-net ip=135.104.0.0 ipmask=255.255.255.0 fs=bootes.research.bell-labs.com ipgw=r70.research.bell-labs.com auth=p9auth.research.bell-labs.com ipnet=unix-room ip=135.104.117.0 ipgw=135.104.117.1 ipnet=third-floor ip=135.104.51.0 ipgw=135.104.51.1 .EE .LP Mappings between TCP service names and port numbers. .LP .EX .ta \w'\fLtcp=sysmonxxxxx'u \w'\fLtcp=sysmonxxxxxport=512xxx'u tcp=sysmon port=401 tcp=rexec port=512 restricted tcp=9fs port=564 .EE .SH FILES .TP .B \*9/ndb/local first database file searched .SH "SEE ALSO" .\" .IR dial (2), .IR ndb (1), .IR ndb (3) .\" .IR dhcpd (8), .\" .IR ipconfig (8), .\" .IR con (1)