This section briefly describes configuration system components.
Configuration Daemons
The Configuration daemon loads the initial configuration from NVRAM when the terminal boots and reads the initial configuration file. The daemon also provides both network and local access to all of the terminal's configuration data.The User Preferences daemon provides network and local access to user preferences data only.
Configuration Parameters
The two basic types of parameters are read/write and read-only. Some parameters take single values, others take several, and others are organized into tables of values. The parameters essential for terminal booting are saved in the terminal's NVRAM; others must be loaded from remote configuration files when a terminal boots. Parameters are grouped and named according to their functions; for example, the names of parameters in the "boot" group all start with boot. For details about the different types of parameters and about parameter groupings, see "Parameter Types and Groups".
Configuration Language
Remote configuration files and interactive remote configuration through a TELNET connection use a common language. For details about the language and assignment statements, see "The Configuration Language".
Default Configuration Values
Default configuration values allow the terminal to run with a minimum of configuration effort. Some default values change during operations as a result of network operations and the status of processes. For more information about default and optional values for specific parameters, see the alphabetical listing of configuration parameters in the Remote Configuration Parameter Quick Reference.
Configuration Methods
The methods of configuring NCD terminals are:
Some parameters in remote configuration files can be written to NVRAM, thus altering the values read from NVRAM the next time the terminal boots.
Remote configuration files are described in "Creating Remote Configuration Files" and in the NCDware System Administrator's Guide for UNIX Systems.
Access to configuration data through a TELNET connection is controlled through passwords and host access control.
This method of configuring a terminal is described in the System Administrator's Guide.
You can allow users to write their own settings to files and control which parameters, if any, they can set. Also, you can completely disable the clients or restrict access to them by enforcing passwords locally.
From one terminal's configuration client, you can access another terminal's configuration data remotely. Such access is controlled through passwords and host access control.
The System Administrator's Guide describes how to use the Change Setup Parameters and Change Quick Setup local clients. The configuration clients (including all their fields) are described in Chapter 9, Using Configuration Menus.
Users can also write their preference settings to a file in their home directories, and you can use the ncdloadprefs utility in a startup file to load the file each time the X server resets. This allows users to retain their own preference settings, no matter which terminal they are using. This utility is described in the System Administrator's Guide.
From one terminal's Change User Preferences client, you can modify or display another terminal's user preference parameters. You can disable the client or require passwords to use it.
The Change User Preferences client, including all of its fields, is described in the User's Guide and in Chapter 9, Using Configuration Menus.
For information about using the NVRAM utility and Boot Monitor Setup menus, see Chapter 11, Boot Monitor and NVRAM.
NCDware provides the following types of access control for terminal configuration data:
Controlling access to configuration data, statistical data, and local clients is described in the System Administrator's Guide, except for parameter protection, which is described in "Protecting Configuration Parameters".