Adding a user without an entry in the local passwd file

If the local passwd file includes a ``+:'' entry on a line by itself, you do not need to update the local passwd(4) (and shadow(4)) file for NIS. However, you may need to manually create a home directory for the user on the client machine. Follow this procedure:

1. Log in as the NIS administrator or local administrator on the client machine.

2. Have the user use the yppasswd(1nis) command to set their NIS password. If you are working on the file server rather than on the user's machine, and if the NIS password maps have not yet been updated on the machine's NIS server, the following error message appears when you attempt to change ownership of the home directory:

   unknown user id: username
   

   In that case, you can use the following set of commands:
   
   cd /home/servername
   mkdir kathy
   chown userid kathy

   Note that you use the ID number from the password file entry rather than the login name to change the ownership of the user's home directory.