Introduction

Network Information Service plus (NIS+), a service used for network naming and administration, expands the services provided by Network Information Service (NIS). NIS+ works on a client-server model, and it stores information at a central location that allows clients to access it over the network. This central location, called the NIS+ namespace, can store information such as security details, workstation addresses, mail information, and so on.

The NIS+ namespace is hierarchical in nature, and it can be easily configured according to the logical structure of an organization. NIS+ also has a special security system to protect the structure of the namespace and its information; it checks both authentication and authorization to process a user's request.

This article summarizes the basic steps and commands for NIS+ installation, configuration, and administration.

Installation and configuration

The installation and configuration examples use the following machine names as root server and client:

• NIS+ server: server (9.124.111.62)
• NIS+ client: client (9.124.111.61)

Installation

The installation of NIS+ requires the bos.net.nisplus fileset.

1. Check the availability of the fileset using the following command:

   # lslpp –l | grep bos.net.nisplus

   
   

2. Planning the NIS+ layout includes selecting the root domain name, root server machine, clients, and slave machines. Preparing a sketch of the domain hierarchy is also handy when configuring NIS+.
3. The /usr/lib/security/methods.cfg file should have the NISPLUS module defined in it, as follows:

   NISPLUS: program = /usr/lib/security/NISPLUS

   
   

   The NISPLUS load module should be available in /usr/lib/security.

4. In the /etc/security/user file, define the SYSTEM attribute in the default section as NISPLUS or compat:

   default: SYSTEM = NISPLUS OR compat

   
   

5. Include the /usr/lib/nis directory in the default PATH, as follows:

   # export PATH=$PATH:/usr/lib/nis

   
   

Configuration

Starting the configuration of NISPLUS server requires a root domain name. Let's use the root domain name isl.com.

1. Execute the nisserver command, as follows:

   # nisserver -r -d isl.com

   
   

   You should see the following display:

   # nisserver -r -d isl.com. 0513-059 The keyserv Subsystem has been started. Subsystem PID is 303260. This script sets up this machine "indus29" as an NIS+ root master server for domain isl.com.. Domain name : isl.com NIS+ group : admin.isl.com NIS (YP) compatibility : OFF Security Level : 2=DES Is this information correct? (type 'y' to accept, 'n' to change)

   
   

   Change the attributes defined above by selecting n, and select y to continue.

   You should see the following display:

   This script will set up your machine as a root master server for domain isl.com without NIS compatibility at security level 2. WARNING: this script removes directories and files related to NIS+ under /var/nis directory with the exception of the client_info NIS_COLD_START and NIS_SHARED_DIRCACHE files which will be renamed to <file>.no_nisplus. If you want to save these files, you should abort from this script now to save these files first. WARNING: once this script is executed, you will not be able to restore the existing NIS+ server environment. However, you can restore your NIS+ client environment using "nisclient -i" with the proper domain name and server information. Do you want to continue? (type 'y' to continue, 'n' to exit this script)

   
   

   Select y to proceed, which triggers setting up the NIS+ server.

2. The next step is to populate the NIS+ tables from the local files. You can use the following series of steps to copy the required files to the /var/tmp/nisplus directory, and then use the nispopulate command to populate the tables. This might take a long time, depending on the number of users in the system.

   # mkdir -p /var/tmp/nisplus # cp /etc/passwd /var/tmp/nisplus/passwd # cp /etc/hosts /var/tmp/nisplus/hosts # cp /etc/group /var/tmp/nisplus/group # cp /etc/rpc /var/tmp/nisplus/rpc # cp /etc/protocols /var/tmp/nisplus/protocols # cp /etc/networks /var/tmp/nisplus/networks # cp /etc/services /var/tmp/nisplus/services # cd /var/tmp/nisplus # /usr/lib/nis/nispopulate -v -F -f -l <passwd>

   
   

   You have to give a password with the nispopulate command, which is used later for communication between the clients and server.

3. Add the root server to the hosts table using the following command:

   nistbladm –A cname=<rootservername.domainname.> name=<rootservername> addr=<ipaddress of rootserver> hosts.org_dir.domainname

   
   

   For example:

   nistbladm -A cname=server.isl.com. name=server addr=9.124.111.62 hosts.org_dir.isl.com

   
   

   The addition of this entry to the host table completes the NIS+ server configuration.

4. To check if the server is up, run the following commands:

   # niscat passwd.org_dir # nisls

   
   

5. Use the following command to add clients to the hosts table on the NIS+ server:

   # nistbladm –A cname=<clientname.domainname.> name=<clientname> addr=<ipaddress of the client> hosts.org_dir.domainname.

   
   

   For example:

   # nistbladm -A cname=client.isl.com. name=client addr=9.124.111.61 hosts.org_dir.isl.com

   
   

6. After adding clients to the host table, go to a client and initialize the client by using the following series of commands:

   # /usr/lib/nis/nisclient -D # stopsrc -s keyserv # /usr/lib/nis/nisclient -i -h <rootservername> -a <rootserverip> -d <domainname>

   
   

   For example:

   # /usr/lib/nis/nisclient -i -h server -a 9.124.113.62 -d isl.com

   
   

7. Reboot the client:

   # shutdown -Fr

   
   

   Configuration of the NIS+ client is now complete.

8. You can use the nisstat command from the client to check the server details. This ensures that the setup is correct.

   # nisstat

   
   

Administration

This section discusses general administration and basic commands for your NIS+ setup.

1. To stop NIS+ and remove the domainname, enter the following:

   # stopsrc -s nis_cachemgr # /usr/lib/nis/nisserver -D # stopsrc -s keyserv # /usr/lib/nis/nisclient –D

   
   

   Remove all the files in the /var/nis/ directory.

2. To create a group, check the domainname and use the nisgrpadm command to create a group (for example, testgrp).

   # domainname isl.com # nisgrpadm -c testgrp.isl.com Group "testgrp.isl.com" created

   
   

3. To see if the groups formed, enter:

   # nisls groups_dir groups_dir.isl.com: admin testgrp

   
   

4. To create an NIS+ user (for example, nispuser), enter:

   # nismkuser nispuser

   
   

5. To display the users, enter:

   # niscat passwd.org_dir

   
   

   Similarly, you can use the niscat command to check several entries present in the NIS+ tables. For example, you can use it to display the host entries, as follows:

   # niscat -h hosts.org_dir

   
   

6. To add the user to a group, enter:

   # nisgrpadm -a testgrp nispuser

   
   

   The command added nispuser.isl.com to the testgrp.isl.com group.

7. To check the group entry for the testgrp group, enter:

   # nisgrpadm -l testgrp.isl.com

   
   

   To check the group entry for the testgrp.isl.com group, enter:

   nispuser

   
   

8. Another useful command is nisls, which can be used to check the entries of the NIS+ tables. For example, to list the tables that have been populated, enter:

   # nisls org_dir

   
   

   To list the groups, enter:

   # nisls groups_dir

   
   

Conclusion

Though NIS+ has some advantages over NIS, it is important to note that there is no relation between NIS+ and NIS. The commands and the overall structure of NIS+ are different from NIS. The syntax for some commands in NIS+ is different from the commands for NIS. NIS+ was designed from scratch, and it is not an extension of NIS.

See the Network Information Services (NIS and NIS+) Guide in the Resources section for detailed information on other commands used for NIS+ administration.

Resources

Learn

• Network Information Services (NIS and NIS+) Guide: Browse through the AIX documentation site for additional information on NIS and NIS+.
  
  
• Network Information Service+ (NIS+) Overview: You can find additional information on NIS+ here.
  
  
• NIS Administration: Visit the Network Information Services (NIS and NIS+) Guide and learn more about system administration tasks for NIS+.
  
  
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Table of contents

• Introduction
• Installation and configuration
• Administration
• Conclusion
• Resources
• About the author
• Comments

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