Compatible Systems 5.4 - Manual (Page 98)

92 Chapter 5 - DECnet Routing & Bridging
> Area
DECnet areas create a logical group of DECnet nodes. A DECnet area may
include one or more physical network segments. The Area value must be
within the range of 1 to 63.
The area information is specific to this individual router and, along with the
Node number, uniquely identifies it on the network. If you are unsure what
value to use here, check with your network administrator.
> Node
Each device in an area must have a unique node number. The Node value
must be within the range of 1 to 1023.
The node number is specific to this individual router and, along with the Area
number, uniquely identifies it on the network. If you are unsure what value to
use here, check with your administrator.
v Note: Using the same Area:Node combination as an address for two
different devices can cause difficult-to-diagnose problems on your network.
You should carefully track the assignment of this information for devices on
your DECnet network.
Hello Timer
DECnet hello messages tell end nodes which routers are available to route
packets. This parameter tells the router how frequently it should send hello
messages on its LAN interfaces.
The Hello Timer value is also inserted into the hello messages themselves.
Once an end node has received a hello message from a router, it begins to
track the availability of that router. If an end node does not hear an additional
hello message within 3 timer periods, it assumes that this router is no longer
available.
The default value for this parameter is 30 seconds.
v Note: The Hello Timer values for individual WAN interfaces are set in
separate windows. For more information, see the section in this chapter on
the DECnet: WAN Configuration Dialog Box.
Routing Timer
DECnet routing messages are exchanged between routers and contain routing
table information including node numbers, hello timer values, hop counts and
costs. This parameter tells the router how frequently it should send routing
messages on its LAN interfaces.
The default value for this parameter is 120 seconds.