nimhttp Command

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Purpose

Allows the Network Installation Management (NIM) client to send HTTP resource requests to the NIM HTTP service of the NIM server.

Syntax

nimhttp [ -i <ip_address> ] [ -p <port> ] [ -f <filename> ] [ -s ] [ -o options ] [ -v ]

Description

The NIM clients can use the nimhttp command to download resources from a NIM server within the directory. This directory is specified by the document_root option in the httpd.conf file when the NIM HTTP service is enabled.

For more information about the steps to configure NIM HTTP service on a NIM server, see the Using NIM for installing AIX updates and new packages over the HTTP protocol topic.

Flags

Table 1. Flags
Item Description
-f filename or -f foldername Specifies the file or folder name to be fetched from the NIM server. The server provides a directory listing for the specified folder, if the following two criteria are met:
  • A folder name is specified instead of a file name to fetch from the NIM server.
  • The enable_directory_listing option in the httpd.conf file of the NIM server is set to yes.
-i ip_address Specifies the IP address of the destination NIM server that must be used to send the HTTP resource requests.
-o option Specifies the option that is used to fetch resources. The following values are the valid options for -o flag:
dest=dest_value
Specifies the path of the destination directory to download the resources from a NIM server.
cert=cert_value
Specifies the file path of the privacy enhanced mail (PEM) format file that contains a certificate and a private key.
ca_cert=ca_cert_value
Specifies the file path of the certificate authority that is used to sign digital certificates.
-p port Specifies the port of the destination NIM server.
-s Specifies that the nimhttp command must use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) handshake for authentication.
-v Enables verbose output.

Examples

  • To get a file from the NIM server to a client, enter the following command:
    # nimhttp -f /export/nim/scripts/sample.txt -o dest=/tmp
# cat /tmp/export/nim/scripts/sample.txt
This is a sample file
#
  • To get the directory listing from NIM server, enter the following command:
    # nimhttp -f /export/nim/scripts/ -o dest=/tmp
# cat /tmp/export/nim/scripts/.content
FILE: sample.txt 0:0 00100644 22
#
  • To get a file from a specified destination IP address and port of a NIM server, enter the following command:
    # nimhttp -i octopus -p 4901 -f /export/nim/scripts/sample.txt -o dest=/tmp
# cat /tmp/export/nim/scripts/sample.txt
This is a sample file
#
  • To get a file from a NIM server by using the SSL handshake, enter the following command:
    # nimhttp -f /export/nim/scripts/sample.txt -o dest=/tmp -s
# cat /tmp/export/nim/scripts/sample.txt
This is a sample file
#
  • To get a file from a NIM server by using the SSL handshake and to authenticate the file by using a specific certificate file, enter the following command:
    # nimhttp -f /export/nim/scripts/sample.txt -o dest=/tmp -o ca_cert=/ssl_nimsh/certs/octopus.pem  -s
# cat /tmp/export/nim/scripts/sample.txt
This is a sample file
#