set_parms(1M)

NAME

set_parms — set system initial identity parameters: hostname, date/time, root password, and networking

SYNOPSIS

set_parms initial 
set_parms hostname 
set_parms timezone 
set_parms date_time 
set_parms ip_address 
set_parms addl_netwrk 
set_parms locale 

DESCRIPTION

The set_parms command is an interactive system set-up command that allows you to specify various "initial identity parameters" when first booting a newly installed operating system (whether preinstalled, or installed locally from media or an install server), and to revise these parameters later on a running system. Initial identity parameters are a minimal set of values required to bring a system to an initially useful state. They include the following:

system hostname
timezone for the system's location
date and time
root password
IP address, netmask
routemask, routing gateway, DNS, and NIS information
local language

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 help you set all of the initial identity parameters.

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

Note: The set_parms command only sets the root (superuser) password during "initial" processing, and then only if it is not already set. If so, it uses the passwd command, so the effect is immediate. See the passwd(1) manpage.

The set_parms command is also DHCP-aware. If you attempt to change DHCP-supplied data such as the hostname or IP address, set_parms issues a warning. If you continue with the changes, set_parms relinquishes the DHCP lease. On first-boot, set_parms asks if you would like to try getting set-up data from a DHCP server.

However invoked, the set_parms command often knows and provides default values for many of the initial identity parameters, based on values specified to Ignite-UX in a previous or recent installation of the system or found in system configuration files.

The set_parms command can be run only by the user with appropriate privilege.

Options

Each sub-area of set_parms is described below. In a first-boot situation all of the sub-areas are run sequentially. Special first-boot behavior is noted below if applicable, along with any special cases when invoking set_parms on a running system. When calling a sub-area directly, only a unique portion of the sub-area name is required to be given; for example, set_parms h.

initial

This allows the user to sequentially invoke all the sub-areas mentioned below. The user can configure multiple interfaces which are physically connected to the network using the Terminal User Interface (TUI). A # in the user interface field indicates a lan which is not physically connected to the network. If lan interfaces are configured as DHCP, the options ip_address and addl_netwrk are skipped.

hostname

Set 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, set_parms edits /etc/hosts to associate the new hostname with the current IP address of the system, if that can be determined. Note: It does not notify DNS (Domain Name Servers), etc. This higher level of configuration is handled later by broader configuration tools.

WARNING: When changing the hostname, set_parms does not know about optionally-installed software. If any such software remembers the previous hostname, it might not work properly after the hostname is changed.

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

The system must be rebooted for any change to take full effect.

timezone

Select a timezone based on your country of location. Also allows you to set a user-supplied timezone. The system must be rebooted for any change to take effect.

date_time

Set the system date and time interactively: This is similar to calling date as a privileged user, but without having to format a time specification string. The change takes effect immediately.

ip_address

Set or change the IP address and subnet mask for the system. This function edits the /etc/hosts file to associate the new IP address with the current hostname. Note: it does not notify DNS (Domain Name Servers), etc. This higher level of configuration is handled later by broader configuration tools.

If multiple lan interfaces are present, the user can select each LAN interface (network interface card or NIC) separately to configure it.

The system must be rebooted for any change to take effect.

addl_netwrk

Set the route mask (which defines the network and local subnet portions of a network address), set the routing gateway, and define access to the Domain Name System (DNS) and Network Information Service (NIS).

First-boot: These changes take effect immediately, without a reboot, because set_parms starts networking after setting the parameters.

Non-first-boot: A reboot is required for all of these changes to take effect.

locale

Allow the user to set the local language settings. The user can either select one of the languages from the menu or they can set new valid language. set_parms will verify whether the new language is installed. If it is not installed, the user must install the language before executing this option.

set_parms, Ignite-UX or Cold Install

After "cold-installing" HP-UX from tape, CD-ROM, or DVD, or using Ignite-UX to install HP-UX from any source including an install server, the file /tmp/install.vars is generally left on the system. This file is used to communicate to set_parms and other tools the hostname, networking, and other information that was used during the installation, to make it easier to use any of these values 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 configures.

In general, set_parms first looks in /tmp/install.vars for default information, then in the system configuration files in the /etc/rc.config.d directory. If any parameter is defined in both locations, the latter takes precedence.

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

Interaction with auto_parms

During the boot-up sequence, /sbin/rc always invokes auto_parms, which in turn detects the first-boot situation and it calls set_parms if either or both of these conditions are true. The set_parms starts its interface and, based on user input, might call back into auto_parms to obtain and set up the management of a DHCP lease. After set_parms completes this and other system set-up tasks, control passes back to /sbin/rc, which completes the boot-up sequence using the newly-created system initial identity parameters.

See the rc(1M) manpage for information about /sbin/rc for invocation context in the first-boot case.

If the system has multiple lan interfaces and the user wishes to configure some with DHCP and others with static IP, the user must invoke set_parms initial first to configure all the lan interfaces which they wish to configure as DHCP. The user should not allow the system to be rebooted while doing this configuration. Then the user should invoke set_parms ip_address to configure the remaining lan interfaces.

set_parms initial also allows the user to specify the DHCP server from which to get hostname and networking parameters and Class ID.

If multiple interfaces are configured with DHCP, there is a chance that multiple hostnames will be returned through different DHCP enabled lan interfaces. If hostname is not set in /etc/rc.config.d/netconf and none of the interfaces are configured with static IP addresses, then the hostname returned by the least index interface is updated in /etc/rc.config.d/netconf.

FILES

/sbin/set_parms

The command itself.

/sbin/set_parms.util

Common subroutines used by set_parms and the sub-area commands.

/sbin/set_parms.d/

Directory holding all of sub-area commands called by set_parms, which runs them in sorted order.

/sbin/ch_hostname.d/

Directory containing any hostname-change commands defined by the user. These are standalone commands run, in sorted order, by set_parms when setting or changing the hostname.

/tmp/install.vars

File set by Ignite-UX or Cold Install that contains networking and other system information used during the installation.

System configuration files modified by set_parms.

/etc/hosts

/etc/passwd

/etc/rc.config.d/LANG

/etc/rc.config.d/namesvrs

/etc/rc.config.d/netconf

/etc/resolv.conf

/etc/TIMEZONE

/usr/dt/config/Xconfig

AUTHOR

The set_parms command was developed by HP.

set_parms(1M)

Technical documentation

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