Defining NIM networks

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Networks are defined in the NIM environment using the NIM define operation.

The command line syntax is as follows: 
nim -o define -t NetworkType -a Attribute=Value ... MachineName
where the following attributes are required:
Item Description
-a net_addr=Value Specifies the IP address of the network being defined. If the network address is not known, see Determining a network's IP address.
-a snm=Value Specifies the subnet mask for the network.
-t NetworkType Specifies the type of network being defined. Valid values are atm, tok, ent, fddi, hfi, and generic.
The following attributes are optional:
Item Description
-a comments=Value Provides comments about this network.
-a ieee_ent=Value Specifies IEEE 802.3 Ethernet configuration. This is only valid for networks that are defined with the ent type or those that have an other_net_type attribute set to ent.
-a other_net_type=Value Specifies another network type that applies to this logical network. Each NIM network is used to represent one logical network that exists in the NIM environment. When the network is defined, the type of network interface used in the network must be supplied. Usually, a network is composed of only one type. However, a bridge can be used to connect different network types together to form one logical network. In that situation, NIM needs to know what the other network interface types are, and this attribute is used to specify that information. For more information on how to use the other_net_type attribute, see Defining a heterogeneous network.
-a routing=Value ... Stores NIM routing information for a network. This attribute requires a sequence number when specified. When a new NIM route is specified, the routing attribute consists of three values:
Value 1
Specifies the NIM name of the destination network for this route.
Value 2
Specifies the host name of the gateway to use in order to communicate with the destination network.
Value 3
Specifies the host name of the gateway used by the destination network to get back to this network.

This attribute can be used to add a default route or static route. To add a default route, specify default for Value 1. Then, specify the default gateway for the network in Value 2. Leave Value 3 blank.

For more information on adding and changing routes, see Defining NIM routes, Establishing a default NIM route between networks, and Establishing a static NIM route between networks.
-a verbose=Value Displays information for debugging. Use verbose=5 to show maximum detail.

It is also possible to define NIM networks automatically when client machines are defined. To do this, use the find_net and net_definition attributes when defining the client. For more information, see NIM machines.