Configuring an NIS client

To configure an NIS client:

1. If you want the client to obtain password and group information from NIS servers, use an editor to remove the entries for non-local users and groups from /etc/passwd and /etc/group on the client, and add the following single line entry to the end of both files:

   +:
   

   Variations other than this simple entry are possible with /etc/passwd. See ``Preparing /etc/passwd'' for details.

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   WARNING: Do not remove entries for local accounts and groups such as root, bin, and sys. The system must be able to locate these entries at times when NIS service may be unavailable.

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   For more information about configuring other files on a NIS client, see ``Preparing files on NIS clients''.

2. If the host is not configured as an NIS client, select Services Add NIS in the Client Manager.

   If the host is already configured as an NIS client, click on NIS client in the services listed in the Client Manager, and then select Services Modify.

3. Enter the name of the NIS domain. Note that this is not necessarily the same as the domain name used by DNS.

4. Select whether you want the client to be able to find a NIS server by broadcasting. This allows the client to bind to any server on the local subnet provided that it serves the same NIS domain.

5. Enter an optional list of IP addresses or domain names for the NIS servers to which the client can bind. These servers need not be on the local subnet but they must be in the same NIS domain. For each server, click on Add to add it to the list.

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   NOTE: The domain names entered for the NIS servers must be resolvable to IP addresses using entries in the client's /etc/hosts file or using DNS.

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6. Click on OK to exit.

See also:

• ``Setting up NIS clients for broadcasting''