Networking Terminology

Node

A node is a device that implements IP on the network. A node can be a host or a router.

A local node (or host) is the computer (or host) where you have logged-in. A remote node is a computer on the IP network where you are not logged in. A remote node does not have to be directly attached to your terminal.

Router

A router is a node that forwards IP packets not explicitly addressed to itself. It is a device that can forward packets between two or more IP networks. An IPv6 router can advertise prefixes. IPv6 router guidelines are beyond the scope of this manual. Refer to RFC 2461 for IPv6 router guidelines.

Host

A host is any node that is not a router.

Network Interface Name

A network interface is a communication device through which messages can be sent and received. An IPv6 address is associated with an interface name. Find the interface name(s) for a network interface by running the lanscan command and looking at the “Net-Interface Name PPA” field. For example,

lanscan
Hardware Station        Crd Hdw   Net-Interface  NM  MAC       HP-DLPI DLPI
Path     Address        In# State NamePPA        ID  Type      Support Mjr#
2/0/2    0x08000978F339 0   UP    lan0 snap0     1   ETHER     Yes     119

The interface name may include a colon (:), followed by an interface index number that denotes the interface number. The interface index number 0 is the first interface number for a card/encapsulation type and is known as the primary interface. The interface name lan0 is equivalent to lan0:0. The syntax is as follows:

nameX[:interface-index-number]

In the preceding syntax, name is the class of the interface. Valid name is lan (Ethernet LAN). X is the Physical Point of Attachment (PPA). interface-index-number is the number of the interface.

You must configure the primary interface for a LAN card before you can configure subsequent interfaces, known as secondary interfaces, for the same card. For example, you must configure lan0 before you configure lan0:1 and lan0:2.