This is a summary of important configuration files for Solaris.

/etc

• hosts - List of IP adderss/Hostnames.

• hostname.interface - This file will contain a single line which should be a hostname from /etc/hosts. On startup the interface referenced will be configured using the hostname information from /etc/hosts. For example, the file /etc/hostname.qfe0 may contain the word www.acme.com. On startup /etc/hosts will be consulted for an ip address for www.acme.com and qfe0 will be configured with that address. Instead of a hostname the file may contain specific commands to be passed to ifconfig for customized interface configuration though this option is rarely used. See /etc/init.d/network for details.

• dhcp.interface - Identifies "interface" for dhcp configuration.

• netmasks - A list of networks with assocated netmasks. Used for setting the correct netmask when interfaces are configured during boot.

• nodename - Contains the system hostname.

• defaultrouter - Contains the IP address of the default gateway.

• inetd.conf - Configuration file for the inetd daemon. The inetd daemon can listen on network ports for connection attempts and start services as required. Telnet, ftp and the r* services are typically handled by inetd but most network services can be configured to run via inetd.

• inittab - Very important file that should be edited VERY carefully. This file controls the behavior of the init process. Carefully review the man page before mucking with this file then be sure to backup the original.

• domainname - NIS domain.

• nsswitch.conf - Defines where to look for name service information and in what order. For example, "hosts: files dns ldap" says that when looking up a hostname first check /etc/hosts then dns and finally ldap.

• pam.conf - Configuration file for Plugable Authentication Modules. Modules can be plugged into PAM to allow authentication using virtually any source imaginable. For example Solaris can be configured to authenticate users via a directory server by adding the appropriate modules.

• path_to_inst - This file lists paths of installed devices. It is a critical file but can be recreated via "boot -a". It can also be used to associate device instances with device paths.

• dfs/dfstab

• vfstab - This file contains a list of filesystems to be mounted at boot or manually. Solaris version of the traditional fstab file.

• passwd, shadow, group

• resolv.conf - Identifies nameservers for name resolution.

• default/* - These files control certain default system characteristics like password aging, locale etc.