Network Information Service (NIS) B.11.31.04 Administrator's Guide

5 connect to the master and slave servers to obtain NIS configuration information over
the 20.21.12.0 network. The entries in the /etc/rc.config.d/namesvrs file on
both the master and slave servers are shown in Figure 1-1. The daemons running on
the NIS master server are rpcbind, ypserv, ypxfrd, rpc.yppasswdd,
rpc.ypupdated, keyserv, and ypbind. The daemons running on the NIS slave
server are rpcbind, ypserv, ypxfrd, keyserv, and ypbind. The ypbind and
rpcbind daemons run on the NIS client. The ypbind daemon registers with the
rpcbind daemon on the client. The client uses the ypbind daemon to bind to the NIS
master or slave server.
NIS Naming Service Components
This section discusses the NIS naming service components.
The NIS naming service consists of the following components:
• NIS Maps
• NIS Domains
• NIS Daemons
• NIS Commands
• Default NIS Source Files
NIS Maps
NIS maps are databases that contain system information, such as user names, passwords,
and host names, in a database: dbm. The NIS maps are located in the
/var/yp/domainname/ directory on the NIS master server. For example, in a
marketing domain, the NIS maps are stored in the /var/yp/marketing directory
on the NIS master server. You can view the default NIS maps in the /etc/
rc.config.d/namesvrs file, and add new maps to it. However, HP recommends
that you do not delete or modify the default NIS maps.
NIS Domains
An NIS domain is a collection of systems that share a common set of NIS maps identified
by a domain name.
A system can belong to a domain only if there is a server for the domain's maps in a
accessible network. An NIS client system obtains its domain name and binds to an NIS
server as part of its boot process.
NIS Daemons
Table 1-1 lists the daemons that provide the NIS service.
NIS Naming Service Components 13