Network Information Service (NIS) B.11.31.02 Administrator's Guide

5 Configuring and Administering an NIS Client
An NIS client is a system that obtains its configuration information from either an NIS master
server or an NIS slave server.
This chapter addresses the following topics:
• “Modifying the NIS Client passwd File” (page 39)
• “Modifying the NIS Client group File” (page 39)
• “Enabling the NIS Client Capability” (page 40)
• “Verifying the NIS Client Configuration” (page 41)
• “Guidelines for Changing Passwords in the NIS Domain” (page 41)
• “Preventing an NIS Client from Binding to Unknown Servers” (page 42)
• “Binding an NIS Client to a Server on a Different Subnet” (page 42)
Modifying the NIS Client passwd File
This section describes how to modify the NIS client /etc/passwd file. You may need to do this
if you want to validate login information with the NIS server instead of the local passwd file.
NOTE: Back up the /etc/passwd file before you perform the step described in this section.
To modify the NIS client passwd file, remove all the users from the /etc/passwd file, except
the root user, other users with administrative privileges and the system entries required for the
system to boot. Usually, system entries have user IDs less than 100.
The changes made to the /etc/passwd file on an NIS client must be identical to the changes
made on an NIS slave server.
Following is an example of an /etc/passwdfile on an NIS client:
root:0AnhFBmriKvHA:0:3: :/:/bin/ksh
daemon:*:1:5::/:/bin/sh
bin:*:2:2::/bin:/bin/sh
adm:*:4:4::/usr/adm:/bin/sh
uucp:*:5:3::/usr/spool/uucppublic:/usr/lib/uucp/uucico
lp:*:9:7::/usr/spool/lp:/bin/sh
hpdb:*:27:1:ALLBASE:/:/bin/sh
tstusr:*:101:4:Test User:/tstusr:/bin/sh
tstusr1:*:105:4:Test User1:/tstusr1:/bin/sh
tstusr2:*:106:4:Test User2:/tstusr2:/bin/sh
For more information, see passwd (4).
Modifying the NIS Client group File
This section describes how to modify the NIS client group file.
NOTE: Back up the /etc/group file before performing the steps described in this section.
To modify the NIS client group file, remove all groups from the /etc/group file except the
entries required for the system to boot. The groups that will be required are the groups listed in
the /etc/passwd file.
The changes made to the /etc/group file on an NIS client must be identical to the changes
made on the NIS slave server.
Following is an example of an /etc/group file on an NIS client:
root::0:root
other::1:root,hpdb
bin::2:root,bin
Modifying the NIS Client passwd File 39