Creating custom adapter names for AIX Realport service adapters

Installing RealPort on an AIX system involves the creation of a service adapter, upon which psuedo-ttys or lps are created for use by serial devices. The name of this service adapter follows the AIX convention of using the letters SA#, where # is the number of the SA (ex. SA3). This document will detail a method of creating a custom-named service adapter, in the event your service adapter name needs to use a specific naming convention.

In order to create a custom-named service adapter, you will not be able to use the SMIT utility as you would normally do. Instead, you will need to login as root, then create the service adapter from the command line. Here is the syntax for creating a custom-named service adapter:

Note: mst1 will be used in the following example as the name of our custom adapter.

# mkdev -c nts -s cts -t cts3_2 -l mst1 -a netaddr=10.1.3.90 -a state=up -a server_port=771

This command line which will create a service adapter named mst1 for a Portserver TS2 at IP address 10.1.3.90. Some of the things which can be changed in the command are the type of product you have (-t), the name of the service adapter (-l), IP address (-a netaddr=), and the tcp port which the driver talks to the unit on (-a server_port=).

Here is the list of product types useable with -t:

cts_8    Portserver 8

cts_16   Portserver 16

cts_II   Portserver II

cts3_2   Portserver TS2

cts3_4   Portserver TS4

cts3_8   Portserver TS8

cts3_16  Portserver TS16

dgo_1    Digi One Realport

el2      Etherlite 2

el2bal   Etherlite 2 RS422/485

el32     Etherlite 32

el80     Etherlite 80

el160    Etherlite 160

el162    Etherlite 162

flex     Digi Flex

other    Other Digi Realport Product

It should also be noted that if "-a server_port" is changed from other than 771, a corresponding change will need to occur on the Portserver product in question (tcp port can not be changed on Etherlite models).

Once the desired command line is entered, you should see:

mst1 Available

Once the adapter is seen in an Available state, it means the Realport daemon has successfully launched and the unit is available to create tty/lp devices on. After the next reboot, you will see an entry similar to this created in /etc/inittab:

ncxdt1:2b:respawn:/etc/ncxd -p771 /dev/mst1 10.1.3.90