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Subsections
Network Liaison's Functions
Each department with connections to Virginia Tech's network must have a Network Liaison or NL. The NL is an interface between the department and NI&S network management. The responsibilities of the NL include:
- Requesting IP addreses from the hostmaster and assigning them to individual users
- Sending host name registration information to the hostmaster
- Joining the
vt-dnetmailing list and forwarding information to users in the department as needed - Maintaining a database of all hosts in the department and their system managers
- Serving as a departmental point-of-contact for NI&S and the ITSO in allegations of misuse of the network or suspected compromises
In addition to the items above, the NL may also wish to:
- Provide first-level troubleshooting to users in the department
The rest of this document will attempt to provide some background information on each of these topics.
A list of NLs can be found at
https://www.nis.vt.edu/Accounts/NetworkLiaisons.html
LDAP and PIDs
All NLs should be sure their office, department, and home phone numbers are correct in Middleware's LDAP database.
Secondary NLs
Since the NL is the only person who can request addresses and register hosts, we strongly recommend that departments designate an alternate NL to assume these responsibilities if the primary NL is unavailable. The alternate, or Secondary NL should have access to all of the required information maintained by the NL.
It is particularly important that the data maintained by the NL be passed along if that NL is no longer going to perform that function. Without accurate host name and address information, the new NL will have to reconstruct all of the data.
vt-dnet
The vt-dnet-g@vt.edu mailing list is used for network management to send
information to NLs. It is very important that the NL read this list and
forward any relevant information to users in their department. Anyone
can subscribe to the list
here. Items of
importance on this list may include:
- Announcements of scheduled network downtime
- Announcements of network changes requiring some intervention from system managers (changes of addresses, etc.)
- Changes in procedures
Getting Started
In order to register as the NL for a department, send an email to
hostmaster@vt.edu with your name, PID, and department sub-domain (Sub-domains
are discussed later.)
If your department already has an NL, please have them contact the hostmaster for you with the above information.
Next: Network Protocol Addresses Up: Network Liaison's Handbook Previous: Network Liaison's Handbook
Phil Benchoff, Eric C. Landgraf 2019-05-09