NAME
nwamd - network auto-magic daemon

SYNOPSIS

/lib/inet/nwamd


DESCRIPTION

nwamd is a system daemon to manage network interfaces.

This daemon is started automatically by svc:/network/physical:nwam
and should not be invoked directly. It does not constitute a programming
interface.


Operation


Whether this daemon is enabled or not depends on your installation medium. To
check, enter the following at the command line:

% svcs svc:/network/physical

Two instances will be listed, one online and the other disabled. If the
"nwam" instance is online, then this daemon will be running.

To go from manual mode to auto-magic mode, enter the following at the command
line:

% svcadm disable svc:/network/physical:default
% svcadm enable svc:/network/physical:nwam

To go from auto-magic mode to manual mode:

% svcadm disable svc:/network/physical:nwam
% svcadm enable svc:/network/physical:default

When switching modes like this, keep in mind that all network interfaces
will be brought down then back up. Therefore, if a different IP address is
configured in this process, existing applications and sessions may be
disrupted.

The default configuration policy is to have one link active at a time.  If a
wired link is available (i.e. physically connected), it will be preferred over
wireless links.  This default policy can be changed by creating alternate
Network Configuration Profiles (NCPs); the nwam-manager GUI tool or the
nwamcfg(1M) command may be used to create and
modify NCPs.

If you used an earlier version of nwamd, which created an
/etc/nwam/llp configuration file, configuration present in that
file will automatically be incorporated into the default NCP upon upgrade to
the current version of nwamd.


Profiles


The NWAM service manages network configuration by storing desired property
values in profiles.  It then determines which profile should be active at
a given time, depending on current network conditions, and activates that
profile.  In addition to the Network Configuration Profiles (NCPs) discussed
in the previous section, nwamd also manages Location and External
Network Modifier (ENM) profiles.

Network Configuration Profiles (NCPs)

An NCP specifies the configuration of the local network components, including
physical links, IP tunnel links, and IP interfaces.  An IP interface must be
associated with an underlying link of either type.  These components are
collectively referred to as Network Configuration Units, or NCUs.

Locations

A Location specifies system-wide network configuration, including areas such
as name services, domain, IP Filter and IPsec configuration.

External Network Modifiers (ENMs)

External Network Modifiers are, as the name suggests, applications external to
the NWAM service that may modify and/or create network configuration.
nwamd will activate/deactivate an ENM depending on conditions that
are specified as part of the ENM profile.



ATTRIBUTES


See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

ATTRIBUTE TYPE		ATTRIBUTE VALUE
Availability		SUNWcsr
Interface Stability	Committed


SEE ALSO


svcs(1), netcfgd(1M), nwamadm(1M), nwamcfg(1M), svcadm(1M), attributes(5),
smf(5), nwam-manager(need reference)


NOTES


The networking service is managed by the service management facility, smf(5),
under the service identifier:

svc:/network/physical

Administrative actions on this service, such as enabling, disabling, or
requesting restart, can be performed using svcadm(1M). The service's status
can be queried using the svcs(1) command.