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NIS created users without a home directory

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Homework and Emergencies Emergency UNIX and Linux Support NIS created users without a home directory
# 1  
Old 05-27-2014
Wrench NIS created users without a home directory
Hi all,

So I have created two Centos machines. One is configured as a NIS master and the second is a NIS cleint. The NIS configs are all working perfectly.

I created a user nisuser on NIS Master and I can use it on the client. BUT it doesnt show a home directory . Ive been told there is something else like automount of autfs that I need to configure that will automount the home directory onto any client. I havent done any such configs.

Can you guys guide me as to what exactly I need to study or redirect me to a good tutorial ?

Regards
# 2  
Old 05-27-2014
You're confounding NIS with NFS. The former allows hosts to share information services such as the user database and hostnames. The latter allows home directories to be shared (for instance).

The NIS Master and NFS master do not have to be the same host, but it's not unsual to make it so. On the NFS Master, you install the nfs tools and start the nfs service. You modify /etc/exports (man 5 exports) to tell NFS to export some path, ie /home:
Code:
/home  *(rw,no_root_squash)

On the other host, you modify /etc/fstab
Code:
... (previous fstab entries)
master:/home  /home    nfs  rw

Where "master" is the hostname of your NFS master. Then run mount:
Code:
# mount -a -t nfs

Let's say you have a user Joe, who is listed in the NIS user database and has a home directory on host "master" as /home/joe. When you login on the "client" host as user Joe, the home directory should be available. If the login process hangs or you get the error "No such directory" then something went wrong.
Last edited by otheus; 05-27-2014 at 05:35 PM.. Reason: fixed field reversal for fstab
This User Gave Thanks to otheus For This Post:
Junaid Subhani
# 3  
Old 05-27-2014
I agree yo what you have said. But this is nfs. I am more interested in using automount/autofs. Can you guide me in that regard ?
# 4  
Old 05-27-2014
So autofs builds on NFS in the way that each directory will be mounted "on demand" and unmounted after a few minutes of inactivity. It is largely a pointless technology, but it still has its uses. The server set up is essentially the same. For the client setup, don't use the fstab entry, but rather, configure autofs and enable the autofs daemon with chkconfig.

I haven't done this in a while, but the following might work:
/etc/auto.master
Code:
/home /etc/auto.home --timeout 600

To /etc/auto.home:
Code:
* -fstype=nfs master:/home/&

Then restart autofs

---------- Post updated at 10:46 PM ---------- Previous update was at 10:44 PM ----------

Here's a concise set of examples.
http://www.linux-consulting.com/Amd_.../autofs-5.html
# 5  
Old 05-27-2014
Here is my client side configuration:

Code:
[root@Barium home]#
[root@Barium home]# cat /etc/auto.master
/home /etc/auto.home --timeout 600
[root@Barium home]# cat /etc/auto.home
* -fstype=nfs 192.168.1.10:/home/&
[root@Barium home]# ypwhich
Titanium
[root@Barium home]# cat /etc/hosts | grep Titanium
192.168.1.10 Titanium
[root@Barium home]# ypcat passwd
nisuser:$6$LZhXWN9NSvbnUZcu$Iryf0Xiez0GNBQAMzdUNpdA/.1kJIYiO.DnivPiUMPcV09J6jUBdqFDom51J5Ieo2w1h63SkhcNAK5TC6IxUu/:500:100::/home/nisuser:/bin/bash
[root@Barium home]#
[root@Barium home]#
[root@Barium home]# su - nisuser
su: warning: cannot change directory to /home/nisuser: No such file or directory
-bash-4.1$

Seems like it isnt working.
# 6  
Old 05-27-2014
There is a caveat to working with autofs: The top-level directory must not exist before autofs is started. Try this (on the client): NOTE: THIS WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING IN /HOME ON THE CLIENT

Code:
service autofs stop
rm -rf /home
service autofs start

Then su - nisuser
# 7  
Old 05-27-2014
It just went crazy :/

Code:
[root@Barium home]# service autofs stop
Stopping automount:                                        [  OK  ]
[root@Barium home]# rm -rf /home
[root@Barium home]# service autofs start
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
chdir: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
Starting automount:                                        [  OK  ]
[root@Barium home]# su - nisuser
su: warning: cannot change directory to /home/nisuser: No such file or directory
shell-init: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
job-working-directory: error retrieving current directory: getcwd: cannot access parent directories: No such file or directory
-bash-4.1$
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