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

5 Configuring and Administering an NIS Client

An NIS client obtains its configuration information using the NIS map information

from either an NIS master server or an NIS slave server.

You must configure the NIS master server before configuring the NIS client.

This chapter addresses the following topics:

• “Modifying the NIS Client passwd File” (page 51)

• “Modifying the NIS Client group File” (page 52)

• “Enabling the NIS Client” (page 53)

• “Verifying the NIS Client Configuration” (page 54)

• “Guidelines for Changing Passwords in the NIS Domain” (page 55)

• “Preventing an NIS Client from Binding to Unknown Servers” (page 55)

• “Binding an NIS Client to a Server on a Different Subnet” (page 57)

Modifying the NIS Client passwd File

This section describes how to modify the NIS client's /etc/passwd file.

Modifying the NIS client's /etc/passwd file is optional. Modifying the NIS client

/etc/passwd file enables the host running the NIS client to use the information in

the NIS maps to validate user login information using the configured NIS domain

instead of the local /etc/passwd file. If you do not modify the local /etc/passwd

file, only users defined in the local /etc/passwd file can log into the host.

Following is a sample /etc/passwd file 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

where:

root

is the login name.

0AnhFBmriKvHA

is the encrypted password.

is the numerical user ID.

is the numerical group ID.

is a field that contains user information; such as name, office

location, address, and phone number. In the sample /etc/

passwd file, this field is empty.

is the initial working directory.

/bin/ksh

is the program to use as the shell prompt.

Modifying the NIS Client passwd File 51