The NIS Administration Guide documents the Silicon Graphics® implementation of the network information service NIS. NIS is adapted from Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s 4.0 release of NIS, with bug fixes from release 4.1. This guide was prepared in conjunction with the release of IRIX™ Release 5.1.
NIS is a database service that provides location information about network entities to other network services, such as NFS. Systems with heterogeneous architectures and operating systems can participate in the same NIS. The service can also include systems connected to different types of networks.
This guide was formerly published under the title NFS and NIS Administration Guide and Man Pages, and documented the Network File System, NFS™, as well as NIS. Information about NFS is now published in a separate volume called the NFS Administration Guide.
The purpose of this guide is to provide the information needed to set up and maintain NIS. It explains the software fundamentals of the product and provides procedures to help you install, test, and troubleshoot NIS on your network. It also contains recommendations for planning and administering NIS.
Table In-1 contains a summary of each chapter in this guide and suggests how to use the chapter.
Table 1. Contents of Each Chapter
Chapter | Summary | When to Read |
|---|---|---|
Introduces the vocabulary of NIS, describes the relationship of NIS to other network software, and explains how NIS domains are organized. | Read this chapter to learn NIS basics. If you are already experienced with NIS, you can skip Chapter 1. | |
Describes the fundamental operation of NIS and its database. | Read this chapter for the background required to do the procedures in Chapter 4, “Setting Up and Testing NIS.” | |
Presents the issues you need to consider before you implement NIS for your site and offers planning recommendations. | Review this chapter before setting up NIS on your network. | |
Contains procedures for implementing NIS on server and client systems and procedures for verifying their operation. | Use this chapter as a guide through NIS setup tasks. | |
Explains how to change NIS and its database when conditions in your network change. It also contains information on managing security with NIS. | Refer to this chapter when you need to update NIS maps, implement security, or add new users to NIS. | |
Describes problems that can arise when maps are propagated and when NIS server or client software is malfunctioning. Recommends corrective action for each type of problem. | Use this chapter to identify the source of NIS problems and take corrective action. Read the information in the final section before phoning Silicon Graphics' Technical Assistance Center. |
To use NIS setup and maintenance information, you should have experience in these areas:
Setting up network services
Assessing the needs of network users
Maintaining hosts databases
Understanding the UNIX® filesystem structure
Using UNIX editors
To troubleshoot NIS, you should be familiar with these concepts:
Theory of network services
Silicon Graphics network implementation
You can find supplementary information in these documents and books:
IRIX Advanced Site and Server Administration Guide (Silicon Graphics publication) explains the fundamentals of system and network administration for Silicon Graphics systems on a local area network.
NFS Administration Guide (Silicon Graphics publication) explains how to set up and maintain Silicon Graphics' implementation of the Network File System.
Stern, Hal, Managing NFS and NIS, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 1991. This book contains detailed, but not Silicon Graphics-specific, information about NIS and how to administer and use it.
This guide uses several font conventions:
| italics | Italics are used for command and manual page names, filenames, variables, host names, user IDs, map names, and the first use of new terms. | |
| Courier | Courier is used for examples of system output and for the contents of files. | |
| Courier bold | Courier bold is used for commands and other text that you are to type literally. |