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nis_manual_setup(7) Miscellaneous Information Manual nis_manual_setup(7)

NAME
nis_manual_setup - Describes how to manually set up the Network Information Service (NIS)

DESCRIPTION
Setting up NIS includes configuring the following: Master server Slave servers Clients

Note
You must have the Additional Networking Services subset installed to create an NIS master or slave server.

To configure NIS with support for enhanced security, and optionally create secure versions of NIS maps, carefully read the instructions in
the Creating and Maintaining Accounts chapter of the Security guide before proceeding with the setup described in this reference page.

Setting Up the Master Server
There can be only one master server in an NIS domain. To set up a master server, log in as superuser and perform the following steps: Cre-
ate the /var/yp/src/mail.aliases file.

The mail.aliases file defines networkwide mail aliases. Creating this file is optional. However, if you want to define and dis-
tribute mail aliases on your network, you must create it. If you do not create a mail.aliases file, when the NIS maps are built, a
message telling you that the mail.aliases file could not be found is displayed on the screen.

For information on defining mail aliases, see the aliases(4) reference page. Create the /var/yp/src/netgroup file.

The netgroup file defines networkwide groups and is used for permission checking when doing remote mounts, remote logins, and
accessing remote shells. Creating this file is optional. However, if you want to define and distribute network group information
on your network, you must create it. If you do not create a netgroup file, when the NIS maps are built, a message telling you that
the netgroup file could not be found is displayed on the screen.

For information on defining network groups, see the netgroup(4) reference page. Copy into the /var/yp/src directory the local /etc
files that you intend to make into NIS maps for distribution. Be sure that the information in the files is up to date.

When the default set of NIS maps is created, the following file names are recognized in the /var/yp/src directory: aliases, group,
hosts, mail.aliases, netgroup, networks, passwd, protocols, rpc, and services. If you do not want to distribute one of the default
maps, do not copy the local /etc file for it into the /var/yp/src directory. If a file is absent from the /var/yp/src directory,
when the NIS maps are built, a message telling you that the file could not be found is displayed on the screen. Remove the entry
for root from the passwd file after you copy it into the /var/yp/src directory. Copy Automount and AutoFS maps, or other site-spe-
cific maps, into the /var/yp/src directory. For information on creating these maps, see the Network Administration manual. Create
the domain directory by entering the following command, replacing test_domain with the name of your domain: # mkdir
/var/yp/test_domain

Note
A NIS domain name is not the same as a BIND domain name. If you configure the system with an incorrect NIS domain name, all NIS-
related operations (such as logging in and the ls -l command) hang for several minutes, then fail.
Edit the /var/yp/Makefile file, if necessary.

If you are using the NIS master server to serve the auto.master map, the auto.home map, or both, you must remove the number sign (#)
from the beginning of the following lines: #all: passwd group hosts networks rpc services protocols netgroup # aliases
auto.home auto.master . . . #$(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.home.time: $(DIR)/auto.home # -@if [ -f $(DIR)/auto.home ]; then #
$(SED) -e "/^#/d" -e s/#.*$$// $(DIR)/auto.home | # $(MAKEDBM) -a $(METHOD) - $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.home; #
$(TOUCH) $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.home.time; # $(ECHO) "updated auto.home"; # if [ ! $(NOPUSH) ]; then
# $(YPPUSH) auto.home; # $(ECHO) "pushed auto.home"; # else #
: ; # fi # else # $(ECHO) "couldn't find $(DIR)/auto.home"; # fi # #$(YPDB-
DIR)/$(DOM)/auto.master.time: $(DIR)/auto.master # -@if [ -f $(DIR)/auto.master ]; then # $(SED) -e "/^#/d" -e
s/#.*$$// $(DIR)/auto.master | # $(MAKEDBM) -a $(METHOD) - $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.master; # $(TOUCH)
$(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.master.time; # $(ECHO) "updated auto.master"; # if [ ! $(NOPUSH) ]; then #
$(YPPUSH) auto.master; # $(ECHO) "pushed auto.master"; # else # : ;
# fi # else # $(ECHO) "couldn't find $(DIR)/auto.master"; # fi . . . #auto.home:
$(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.home.time #auto.master: $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/auto.master.time . . . #$(DIR)/auto.home: #$(DIR)/auto.master:

Place a number sign (#) at the beginning of the following lines: all: passwd group hosts networks rpc services protocols netgroup
aliases Create the ypservers map.

The ypservers map is a list of all of the domain's slave servers. To create this map, enter the following command, replacing
test_domain with the name of your domain and replacing slave1, slave2, to slaven with the names of the slave servers: #
/var/yp/makedbm - /var/yp/test_domain/ypservers slave1 slave2 slaven

Be sure to include on this list all of the slave servers in your domain. If you add a slave server to your domain, you must remake
this list. Create the NIS maps.

To create the NIS maps that are distributed throughout the domain, edit the /var/yp/Makefile file to add the domain name you have
chosen.

For example, if your domain name is test_domain, edit the /var/yp/Makefile file in the following way: . . . # # ***** DOM must
be filled in with the domain name !! # DOM=test_domain . . .

Then change to the /var/yp/nis_domain directory (test_domain in this example) and enter the following commands: # cd test_domain #
make -f /var/yp/Makefile NOPUSH="Y" Decide whether to run the yppasswdd daemon.

The yppasswdd daemon runs on the master server and allows the master copy of the password file to be updated remotely by using the
yppasswd command. You should run the yppasswdd daemon on your master server.

If you decide to run the yppasswdd daemon, edit the /etc/rc.config.common file by issuing the following command: # /usr/sbin/rcmgr
-c set NIS_PASSWDD YES To complete setting up the master server, see the "Setting Up NIS Clients" section in this reference page.

Setting Up Slave Servers
Use the following procedure to set up a slave server: Create the domain directory by entering the following command, replacing test_domain
with the name of your domain: # mkdir /var/yp/test_domain

Note
A NIS domain name is not the same as a BIND domain name. If you configure the system with an incorrect NIS domain name, all NIS-
related operations (such as logging in and ls -l commands) hang for several minutes, then fail.
Copy the master's maps to the slave server.

You must copy each map from the master individually, using the following command format:

/var/yp/ypxfr [-a method] -h nis_master -c -d nis_domain mapname

For example, to transfer the dbm/ndbm passwd maps from the master server, host1, to a slave server, type the following commands.
The domain in this example is test_domain.

# /var/yp/ypxfr -h host1 -c -d test_domain passwd.byname # /var/yp/ypxfr -h host1 -c -d test_domain passwd.byuid The
/var/yp/nis_domain directory on the master server lists all of the maps that your slave server can serve. You can also transfer
btree and hash format maps by using the -a switch. See the ypxfr(8) reference page for more information. Edit the
/var/spool/cron/crontabs/root file by adding the following lines. Note that there should be no blank lines in the
/var/spool/cron/crontabs/root file. . . . # Network Information Service: SLAVE server entries 30 * * * * sh /var/yp/ypxfr_1per-
hour 31 1,13 * * * sh /var/yp/ypxfr_2perday 32 1 * * * sh /var/yp/ypxfr_1perday The first line is a comment. The second line runs
the following command once an hour at 30 minutes past the hour: sh /var/yp/ypxfr_1perhour The third line runs the following command
twice per day at 01:31 and 13:31: sh /var/yp/ypxfr_2perday The fourth line runs the following command once per day at 01:32: sh
/var/yp/ypxfr_1perday

See the crontab(1) reference page for more information. To complete setting up a slave server, see the "Setting Up NIS Clients"
section in this reference page.

Setting Up NIS Clients
This section explains how to set up an NIS client. Because the master server and all slave servers are considered NIS clients, you must
also complete these steps to set up these servers: Prepare the local /etc files.

If you want your system to query an NIS server for password or group information, or both, a plus sign followed by a colon (+:) must
be the last line of the /etc/passwd file, the /etc/group file, or both. For example: root:9Pf.mMEPUz08t:0:1:System PRIVILEGED
Account,,,:/:/bin/csh field:OnGgTH5moq4Yw:0:1:Field Svc Account,,,:/usr/field:/bin/csh operator:Ni6WK/uqs0vaE:25:28:Operator
Account,,,:/etc/operator: guest:Nologin:100:31:Guest account:/usr/spool/uucppublic:/bin/date +:

Note
If +: is not the last line of the file, all entries following the +: are ignored.
Edit the /etc/rc.config.common file by using the /usr/sbin/rcmgr utility. The syntax for the /usr/sbin/rcmgr command is:
/usr/sbin/rcmgr -c set variable value You should set the value of the NIS_CONF variable and the NIS_ARGS in the /etc/rc.config.com-
mon file to the following values for the master server, slave servers, and clients:

NIS_CONF YES NIS_ARGS -S nisdomain, server1,server2,server3 You must set the NIS_TYPE variable to the system type: MASTER for master
servers, SLAVE for slave servers, and CLIENT for clients. The servers must list themselves in the server list if the system is run-
ning with the -S option.

For example, to set up host2 to be a client server in the domain test_domain, and run the ypbind daemon with the -S option, enter
the following commands:

# /usr/sbin/rcmgr -c set NIS_CONF YES # /usr/sbin/rcmgr -c set NIS_TYPE CLIENT # /usr/sbin/rcmgr -c set NIS_DOMAIN test_domain #
/usr/sbin/rcmgr -c set NIS_ARGS "-S test_domain,host2,host1,host3" Start the NIS daemons by issuing the
following command:

# /sbin/init.d/nis start To reconfigure NIS on your system, you must kill the daemons that are running and the restart them. To
kill the daemons, enter the following command:

# /sbin/init.d/nis stop Restart the daemons by using the "/sbin/init.d/nis start" command.

Post-Setup Procedures
You must edit the /etc/svc.conf file after you configure NIS on your system. The /etc/svc.conf file is the database service selection con-
figuration file that your system references to determine what distributed database lookup services are running on your system, which data-
bases are being served by them, and in what order to query them. After configuring NIS, you must edit the /etc/svc.conf file to tell your
system that you want NIS servers queried for distributed database information. For information on editing the /etc/svc.conf file, see the
Network Administration manual.

Adding Users in a Distributed Environment
In an NIS environment you can add a user account to either the local passwd file or the NIS distributed passwd file. Accounts added to the
local passwd file are visible only to the system to which they are added. Accounts added to the NIS distributed passwd file are visible to
all NIS clients that have access to the distributed file.

Gathering Information
Before adding new user accounts to the passwd database, gather the following information: Determine whether you want to add the account to
the local passwd file or the the NIS distributed passwd file. Gather the following information on the users you want to add: Login names
User identification numbers (UIDs) Group identification numbers (GIDs) Real names, office numbers, and telephone extensions Initial working
directories Program to use as a shell

Adding User Accounts to the NIS Distributed passwd File
To add user accounts in a distributed environment, you must edit the master passwd file on the NIS master server. To do this, perform the
following steps: Log in as superuser on the NIS master server. Change to the /var/yp/src directory. Edit the passwd database to add an
entry for each new user.

The format for each entry is the same as the format in the /etc/passwd file, which is as follows:

Leave the passwd field blank. Rebuild the passwd database.

Change to the /var/yp directory and enter the make passwd command, as follows: # cd /var/yp # make passwd updated passwd pushed
passwd Use the yppasswd command to set the password for each new user, as follows: # yppasswd new_user NIS password: New password:
password Retype new password: password NIS passwd changed on NIS-master

Your system is not secure if no password is set.

Adding User Accounts to the Local passwd File in an NIS Distributed Environment
To add a user account to only the local system in an NIS environment, you must add the account manually. (For more information, see the
System Administration manual.) These entries must appear before to the plus sign and colon (+:) at the end of the file.

A user's account information may be partially distributed. If the user's entry in the /etc/passwd file has a prepended "+", both databases
are read with the information from the /etc/passwd file (except for the UID and gid fields) overlaying the information from the NIS dis-
tributed user account database.

If the user's entry in the /etc/passwd file has a prepended "-", the user is excluded from the password database.

See the Security guide for more information.

RELATED INFORMATION
domainname(1), nis_intro(7), nissetup(8), svc.conf(4), ypbind(8), yppasswd(1), ypserv(8), ypxfr(8)

System Administration, Network Administration, Security delim off

nis_manual_setup(7)

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