set_parms(1M)

NAME

set_parms — set up system hostname, networking, date/time and root password

SYNOPSIS

set_parms initial

DESCRIPTION

set_parms is an interactive system set up program which allows the user to set up various important system parameters when first booting up a newly installed operating system. In a first boot situation, set_parms is invoked automatically by /sbin/auto_parms. For set_parms purposes, first boot is defined as having no hostname set when the system starts up. This causes set_parms to step through all of its sub-areas to allow the user to set a hostname, select the proper timezone for the system's location, set the date and time, set a root password, and set an IP address, netmask, default routing, DNS, and NIS information.

After the system has booted and is running, set_parms may also be called directly from the command line to finish setting up a particular sub-area (first form above), or to step through all areas (via set_parms initial) similar to how it works at first boot. There are certain limitations to its actions when it's run after first boot, see below.

set_parms has two available user interfaces: a terminal-based interface and a graphical interface. At first boot, the graphical interface will be used if the system console is a graphics device, otherwise a terminal interface is used. If called on a normal running system, the graphical interface will be used if and only if a DISPLAY variable is set in the user's environment and an X server can be contacted at the host referenced in the DISPLAY variable. If run under CDE, set_parms should select the graphical interface.

set_parms is also DHCP-aware. If the user attempts to change DHCP supplied data such as the hostname or IP address, set_parms will issue a warning. If the user continues with the changes, then set_parms will relinquish the DHCP lease. On first boot, set_parms will ask the user if he would like to try getting set up data from a DHCP server.

set_parms can only be run by the super-user.

Options

Each sub-area is described below. In a first boot situation, all of the sub-areas are run sequentially. Special first boot behavior is noted if applicable, along with any concerns when calling set_parms on a running system. When calling a sub-area directly, only a unique portion of the sub-area name must be given.

hostname

Sets the system hostname. Validates a user supplied hostname according to host naming conventions and sets various system initialization variables to operate with that hostname. Particularly, it edits /etc/hosts to associate the new hostname with the current IP address of the system, if that can be determined. First boot : Also allows the user to specify a DHCP server to get hostname and networking information from, then confirms the information.

WARNING: set_parms does not know about optionally installed software when changing the hostname. If such software remembers the previous hostname, then it may not work properly after the hostname is changed.

A mechanism is provided that helps generalize the hostname changing function. set_parms will call, in ls(1) sorted order, any executable programs installed in the directory /sbin/ch_hostname.d. This occurs in first boot or non-first boot calls. HP may in the future supply special programs in this location. The system administrator may also supply custom programs for site installations using, for example, Ignite-UX.

The system must be rebooted after the hostname is changed for it to take full effect.

timezone

Allows the user to select a timezone based on the country of location. Also allows setting a user-supplied timezone. The system will need to be rebooted for a change to take effect.

date_time

Allows the user to set the system date and time interactively. The change takes effect immediately.

root_passwd

Allows the user to set or change the root password of the system. This function just calls the passwd(1) command.

ip_address

Allows the user to set or change the primary IP address of the system. An IP address change will require a system reboot to take effect. Edits the /etc/hosts file to associate the new IP address with the current hostname. First boot: also lets the user pick the lan interface to set up for this and subsequent networking functions. Non-first boot: In multiple lan systems, it assumes that the IP address is being changed for the lowest numbered IP address/Lan Interface Card data set in the /etc/rc.config.d/netconf file.

addl_netwrk

Allows the user to set the subnet mask, which defines the network and local portions of a network address, the default routing gateway, and define access to the Domain Name System (DNS) and Network Information Service (NIS). A reboot is required for everything to take effect in the non-first-boot case.

set_parms and Ignite-UX/Cold Install

After "cold installing" HP-UX from a CD, or using Ignite-UX to install HP-UX, the file /tmp/install.vars is generally left on the system. This file is used to communicate to set_parms hostname and networking information that was used during the installation, in case the user wants to use any of these parameters as final system parameters. In particular, set_parms uses as defaults the shell-style variables in this file that begin with INST_. For example, INST_LAN_DEV indicates which LAN interface was used during a network cold install. This is the LAN interface that set_parms will configure. In general, set_parms first looks in the system configuration files in the /etc/rc.config.d directory for default information, then in /tmp/install.vars.

If Ignite-UX is installed on your system, see the manual pages for ignite(5) and instl_adm(4). In particular, look at instl_adm(4) for descriptions of the is_net_info_temporary, run_setparms, and final variables.

Native Language Support (NLS):

set_parms supports all of the standard HP supplied languages. In first boot situations, the language set_parms uses will be dictated by either geocustoms(1M) or the LANG variable as set in /etc/rc.config.d/LANG. Geocustoms , if called by set_parms, allows the user to pick both a system set up language (the language of the system administrator setting up the system, to use in the user interface) and a system default language (the language of the end user). set_parms uses the system set up language as picked within geocustoms, unless the system default language is set to be an Asian language. In this case, it will use the Asian language, (from the file /etc/rc.config.d/LANG), since geocustoms itself does not provide an Asian language user interface.

Interaction with auto_parms and geocustoms

During the boot-up sequence, /sbin/rc always invokes auto_parms, which in turn detects the first boot situation and the need to run geocustoms (independent conditions) and calls set_parms if either or both of these conditions are true. set_parms first sets up an X-windows environment (if the system console is on a graphics display), and then calls geocustoms if necessary. After geocustoms (if called) is finished, and in a first boot situation, set_parms starts its interface and, based on user input, may call back into auto_parms to obtain and set up the management of a DHCP lease. After this has been done, and after set_parms completes its other system set-up actions, control passes back to /sbin/rc which completes the boot-up sequence utilizing the newly created system data.

EXAMPLES

See /sbin/rc for invocation context in the first boot case.

FILES

/sbin/set_parms: The main driver program.
/sbin/set_parms.util: Common subroutines used by set_parms and the sub-area programs.
/sbin/set_parms.d/: Directory which holds all of the sub-area programs called by set_parms. set_parms runs these in sorted order.
/sbin/ch_hostname.d/: Directory containing the hostname-change programs defined by the user. These are standalone programs run, in sorted order, by set_parms when setting or changing the hostname.
/tmp/install.vars: File set by Ignite-UX/Cold Install which contains networking and other system information used during the installation.