SMIT Help Information for NIS

Note: The information contained in this article is structured as help information for the System Management Information Tool (SMIT) and is not intended for general reading.

Change NIS Domain Name of this Host

A domain is a logical group of clients and servers. All hosts (clients and servers) within a domain must have the same domain name.

Configure & Modify NIS

An NIS server is a host that provides resources for other computers on the network. In the NIS environment, only NIS servers have a set of NIS maps, which they make available to clients over the network. These server computers run the ypserv daemon continually in order to process information for NIS maps. An NIS master server is a host that maintains the authoritative NIS maps for each domain. Any changes to an NIS map should be made on the master server. The changes made to the master server are then propagated to the slave servers.

Before NIS can be configured, the portmap daemon must be running.

Start & Stop Configured NIS Daemons

The NIS daemons are used to connect clients to servers within a domain, to allow passwords to be added or modified, and to look up information in the NIS maps.

Configure this Host as a NIS Master Server

Executes the ypinit command and starts the NIS daemons to configure a master server.

The master server is a host that maintains NIS maps for each domain. Each domain contains one and only one master server.

Configure this Host as a NIS Slave Server

Executes the ypinit command to retrieve maps from an NIS master server and starts the ypserv daemon to configure a slave server.

The slave server is a host that maintains replicas of NIS maps. It is used to provide services when the master server is unavailable and to balance the processing load. Each domain can have multiple slave servers, and it is recommended that each domain have at least one slave server.

Configure this Host as a NIS Client

Starts the ypbind daemon, which allows this host to operate as a client.

A client queries NIS servers for system information.

Remove NIS Server (Client) Configuration from this Host

Executes the rmyp command to remove all maps and stop all NIS daemons.

Current domain name of this host

All hosts (clients and servers) within a domain must have the same domain name.

This field is filled in for you with the current domain name.

Domains being served by this master

A master server can serve more than one domain.

This field is filled in for you with the names of all domains being served by this master.

Start Keyserv Daemon

The keyserv daemon stores the public or private encryption keys of each user logged into the system. The keyserv daemon also keeps the secure network services operating normally. Select this option if you want to run secure network services.

Stop Keyserv Daemon

The keyserv daemon stores the public or private encryption keys of each user logged into the system. The keyserv daemon also keeps the secure network services operating normally. Select this option if you no longer want to run secure network services.

Add/Change Keys for Users

Creates or changes a public key for a user. These keys are needed for using secure Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol or secure Network File System (NFS).

Network Information Service

NIS is a distributed database system to share system information. NIS is used when there are a number of systems that need to share system information. This information includes the /etc/passwd, /etc/group, and /etc/hosts files. NIS improves network performance in the following ways:

• NIS reduces the effort of maintaining a large number of systems and provides a global user ID and group ID name space.
• Without NIS, having a large number of systems on the network can create problems for the user. The user would need to remember a different password for every system they use, or else maintain the same password for every system themselves, and update their password on each system separately.
• NFS can be used to make the user's directories and files available on every system. Since NFS does not try to translate user IDs or group IDs between systems, the person administering the system must ensure that each user in the network has the same user ID and group ID on every system. If this is not done, a user on one system who creates a file and logs into another system may find that the file is owned by another user.
• Using an automated system like NIS makes system maintenance easier and less time-consuming, and removes the need for users to do their own password maintenance.

To ensure that the information in NIS maps is reliable and consistent throughout an NIS domain

All updates to the maps located on the NIS master server must be propagated, or copied, to the NIS slave servers. When a map on the NIS master server is updated, the make command automatically executes the yppush command after rebuilding the map.

The yppush command notifies all NIS slave servers that a map must be transferred. The ypserv daemon on each NIS slave server invokes the ypxfr command to get the updated map. A NIS slave server that is out of service when the yppush command is invoked retains the earlier version of the NIS map when it returns to the network.

Start and Stop Network Information Service Daemons

NIS daemons are started and stopped by using the startsrc and stopsrc commands. The daemons are usually started by the commands used for configuring the NIS master server, slave servers, and clients. The daemons may be started and stopped individually by using the startsrc and stopsrc commands.

START the ypupdated daemon?

Updates information in NIS maps.

RESTART NIS Daemons to Change Master Server

The chmaster command executes the ypinit command and restarts the NIS daemons to change a master server.

RESTART ypserv Daemon to Change Slave Server

Re-executes the ypinit command to retrieve maps from a master server and re-starts the ypserv daemon to change the slave server.

Domain name of this host

The chypdom command will change the domain name of the system. The DomainName parameter specifies the new domain name for the system.

HOSTNAME of the master server

The master server specified should already be configured and running.

START the ypbind daemon?

The ypbind daemon binds, or connects, processes on an NIS client to services on an NIS server.

START the yppasswdd daemon?

The yppasswdd daemon is a server that receives and executes requests for new passwords from the yppasswd command.

ypserv Daemon

The ypserv daemon looks up information in its local NIS maps .

Transfer NIS Map to Local Host

Transfers an NIS map from an NIS server to a local host.

FORCE the transfer?

-f - Forces the transfer to occur even if the version at the master is not more recent than the local version.