Worker Servers

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NIS worker servers act as intermediaries between clients and the master server by keeping exact replicas of the master server's maps.

Note: NIS worker servers are conventionally known as NIS slave servers. These terms are used interchangeably to use more inclusive language.

All changes to the maps are made on the master server. Then, the changes are propagated from the master server to the worker servers. Once a worker server is added to the domain, it is able to answer the same queries that the master is able to answer. In this way, worker servers can help with extra load on the master server without violating the authority of the master server.

Worker servers also act as a backup in case the master server or the network fails. A client requesting information waits until a server responds. This waiting time varies depending on the reason the server is unreachable. Adding worker servers increases the availability of information even if the master server is unavailable.

Normally, there should be at least one worker server for each domain. The number of worker servers in a domain should be balanced to achieve the desired level of availability and response time without adding the expense of copying data to too many systems.