Internal Network

The internal network enables you to advertise services in different zones on the server. Without the internal network, you must advertise all of a server's print queues and other services in a single zone. With the internal network, you can advertise services on any internal network zone.

The internal network also enables you to access any of its services from any working network that AppleTalk is bound to. You can bind and unbind interfaces---assign AppleTalk to specific interfaces---as often as necessary. As long as an interface is bound, the internal network and its services are accessible.

The internal network always supports two nodes, the AppleTalk stack (node 1 on the internal network) and the AppleTalk router (node 2 on the internal network). Nodes on the internal network are connection points between the AppleTalk software and the internal network. They do not represent physical devices. The internal network is a virtual network with no physical components. It is entirely contained within the AppleTalk module. The internal network appears to the router as if it were just one of a number of networks to which the router is connected. You configure the internal network following the same configuration rules as when you configure an external, physical network.

The internal network is an extended network. The rules for extended networks apply when you configure an internal network, with these conditions:

• A range of one is required. (User input is limited to a single number, which is then automatically translated into a range. For example, if you enter 12, it is translated automatically into a range of 12 to 12.)
• Novell Internet Access Server 4.1 routing software enables a device to advertise in any zone on the internal network. This capability lets you advertise print queues in different zones.
• You cannot specify multiple zones for the internal network of a server that uses transition routing. (See Transition Mode Routing for an explanation of transition routing.) The same is true of any extended network when transaction routing is configured.
• AFP file services are always advertised in the default zone you enter when you configure the internal network zones. If you do not specify a default zone, the first zone is used as the default zone. You can use NIASCFG to change this default zone.

When the router receives AppleTalk packets with a destination address for the server itself, the router forwards the packets internally to the AppleTalk protocol stack. For example, when a Macintosh user attempts to log in to the server, the router forwards the appropriate packets to the stack.