Scenario: Setting up System i to communicate with LAN
As a network administrator, you would like to add a new system to your local area network (LAN). This scenario provides a network administrator with prerequisite information as well as instructions on how to set up your system to communicate with the LAN.
Situation
You are the network administrator for a small wholesale company, Sampson Organic Produce. Your customers include area grocery stores and individual families who want organically grown, high-quality produce. Your business has been growing and you have recently purchased a new System i product to help manage your inventory more efficiently.
In the past, resources and key business applications were stored on individual workstations. As your business developed, it became apparent that data from these applications needed to be shared more easily. For example, employees who take telephone orders need a quicker way to check stock to determine product availability. In the past, they made customers wait while checking with an employee who had access to the in-stock database.
You plan to consolidate all of these key business applications on the new system. You have already completed all the required hardware planning and setup tasks for your new system. You have researched communication and networking and have decided to create an Ethernet LAN.
Objectives
After you add your system to the LAN, you need to meet the following objectives:
- To set up the system to communicate with the LAN.
- To set up a printer for the LAN.
- To ensure that the data stored on the system is protected.
- To locate TCP/IP services to communicate with other hosts.
Details
The following figure shows a System i product that is connected to a router. Three workstations and a printer are also connected to the router, depicting the network for Sampson Organic Produce.
- System A runs on i5/OS Version 5 Release 4 (V5R4).
- System A has the IP address 192.168.1.3.
- System A has the subnet mask of 255.255.255.128.
- Workstation 1 has the IP address of 192.168.1.4.
- Workstation 2 has the IP address of 192.168.1.5.
- Workstation 3 has the IP address of 192.168.1.6.
- The printer has the IP address of 192.168.1.7.
- The router in the network has the IP address of 192.168.1.1.
Tip: When no external network connection is planned,
you can use a hub in place of a router or switch.
Prerequisites and assumptions
This scenario assumes the following prerequisites have been met in this network environment:
- All cabling and hardware setup has been completed for the network.
- If you use a router, the router has been configured. Configuration is not applicable to hubs or switches.
Configuration steps
Complete the following tasks. After each step, there is a link to the next task.
- Reviewing planning worksheet
A network planning worksheet helps you better understand your network environment. - Installing the TCP/IP Connectivity Utilities for i5/OS licensed program
Use this procedure to install the TCP/IP Connectivity Utilities for i5/OS licensed program. - Configuring TCP/IP
Use this procedure to configure TCP/IP. - Testing TCP/IP
Use this procedure to test TCP/IP connections. - Installing and configuring iSeries Access for Windows on your workstation
In order to use iSeries™ Navigator (a component of iSeries Access for Windows®), also install the client on your personal computer. - Optional: Configuring printers on the LAN
In order to set up a System i™ product as a print server that manages print jobs, you need to configure the printers on the LAN. - Testing network connections
After you have completed the printer configuration for the network, you should test all connections in the network. - Securing your system
The recommended system values are generated by the IBM® eServer™ Security Planner for the Sampson Organic Produce Company. - Implementing system security recommendations
Use this procedure to implement security on System i. - Exploring TCP/IP services, applications, and protocols
There are many other TCP/IP services that Sampson Organic Produce can implement in the future. The most common utilities are Telnet and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). In addition, the company might want more information about printing, TCP/IP applications, protocols, services, and iSeries Navigator for additional features.
Parent topic:
Network scenarios