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Configuring a Router With More Than Two Interfaces

If the router contains more than two interfaces, you must modify the /etc/config/netif.options file in addition to the /etc/hosts and /etc/sys_id files. In the netif.options file, you must define the interface type (enp1, ipg0, and so on). By default, the names for the third and fourth interfaces are gate2-$HOSTNAME and gate3-$HOSTNAME, where $HOSTNAME is the value returned when you issue the hostname command. If you want to modify the interface names, see "Modifying the Network Interface Configuration" for the detailed procedure.

To set up a router with more than two interfaces and using the default naming scheme, follow this procedure:

  1. Log in as root.

  2. Assign valid Internet names and addresses to all interfaces in the /etc/hosts file. For example, the /etc/hosts file entries for the router freeway, with four interfaces, would look like this:

    192.26.30.1 freeway
    192.26.32.4 gate-freeway
    192.26.41.5 gate2-freeway
    192.26.59.6 gate3-freeway

  3. Ensure that the router has the appropriate name in its /etc/sys_id file. Following this example, the /etc/sys_id file should look like this:

    freeway

  4. Modify the netif.options file to define your interface types. For this example, the third and fourth interfaces are FDDI (ipg*). Change the if3name and if4name variables from

    if3name=
    if4name=

    to

    if3name=ipg0
    if4name=ipg1

  5. Save your changes to the netif.options file.

  6. Reconfigure the kernel and reboot the station to initialize your changes and interfaces. Some systems prompt you for permission, as in the following example. Others simply return a shell prompt. In either case, enter the reboot command when the kernel has been reconfigured:

    /etc/autoconfig

    Automatically reconfigure the operating system? (y/n)y

    reboot

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