---- Glossary --------------------------------------

client - A system that obtains all or part of its
resources from another system (a server).

domain - A part of the Internet naming hierarchy.
It represents a group of systems on a network that
share administrative files.

domain name - The identification of a group of
systems on a local network.  The domain name is
required for a name service to work properly.  An
Internet domain name consists of component names
separated by periods (for example:
tundra.mpk.cal.us).  As you read a domain name from
left to right, the component names identify more
general (and usually remote) areas of
administrative authority.

DNS - Domain Name Service.  A type of name service
that is commonly used by systems that connect to
the Internet.

/etc - A directory owned and maintained by a system
administrator.  Contains user id data files,
accounting programs, and installation information.

gateway - A system that acts as a bridge between
two physical networks, forwarding traffic between
them.

host name - The name by which a system is known to
other systems on a network.  This name must be
unique among all the systems within any given
domain (usually, this means within any single
organization).  A host name can be any combination
of letters, numbers, and minus sign (-), but it
cannot begin or end with a minus sign.

Internet Protocol (IP) - A set of conventions used
by Solaris-based systems to communicate with other
systems via networks.

IP address - A unique number that identifies a
networked system so it can communicate via Internet
Protocols.  It consists of four numbers separated
by periods.  Most often, each part of the IP
address is a number between 0 and 225; however, the
first number must be less than 224, and the last
number generally cannot be 0.

IP addresses are logically divided into two parts:
the network (similar to a telephone area code), and
the host (similar to a phone number).

LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.  A
type of name service that is commonly used by
systems that connect to the Internet.

name service - A distributed network database that
contains key system information about all the
systems on a network, so the systems can
communicate with each other.  With a name service,
the system information can be maintained, managed,
and accessed on a network-wide basis.  Sun supports
the following naming services: NIS+ and NIS
(formerly YP).  Without a naming service, each
system has to maintain its own copy of the system
information in the local /etc files.

name server - A server that provides a naming
service to systems on a network.  When using NIS+,
the name server can be a master or replica server;
when using NIS, the name server can be a master or
slave server.

netmask - A bit mask. which is 32 bits long, used
to determine important network or system
information from an IP address.

networked systems - A group of systems (called
hosts) connected together through hardware and
software, so they can communicate and share
information; referred to as a local area network
(LAN).  One or more servers are needed when systems
area networked.  Networked systems can be set up as
the following system types: standalone, server,
diskless, or dataless.

non-networked systems - Systems that are not
connected to a network or do not rely on other
systems.  Non-networked systems should be set up as
system type standalone.

NIS - Network Information Service, Plus.  A type of
name service that is standard on SunOS 3.x, 4.x,
and Solaris 1.x systems.

NIS+ - Network Information Service, Plus.  The
replacement for NIS that provides automatic
information updating and adds security features
such as authorization and authentication.  NIS+ is
the standard name service on Solaris 2.x systems.

server - A system that provides services to systems
on a network To serve diskless clients, a server
must have disk space set aside for each diskless
client's root file system and swap space
(/export/root, /export/swap).  To serve dataless
clients, a server must provide the /usr and
/usr/kvm file systems.

Solaris installation program - A menu-driven,
interactive program that enables you to set up a
system to install Solaris.  If installing from a
graphics monitor, a graphical user interface (GUI)
is provided; if installing Solaris from a
non-graphics monitor, a character user interface
(CUI) is provided.

subnet - A working scheme that divides a single
logical network into smaller physical networks to
simplify routing.

system type - A term that defines how a system will
be set up to run Solaris.  The valid system types
are: standalone system, dataless client, and
diskless client.

time zone - Any of the 24 longitudinal divisions of
the earth's surface for which a standard time is
kept.
