Files that NIS Ignores

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Once the ypbind daemon is running, the client relies solely on the following NIS maps instead of their corresponding files:

Table 1. NIS maps
Map Nickname File
hosts.byaddr hosts /etc/hosts
hosts.byname
ethers.byaddr ethers /etc/ethers
ethers.byname
networks.byaddr networks /etc/networks
networks.byname
rpc.bynumber /etc/rpc
services.byname services /etc/services
protocols.byname protocols /etc/protocols
protocols.bynumber
netgroup /etc/netgroup
netgroup.byhost
netgroup.byuser
publickey.byname /etc/publickey
netid.byname /etc/passwd
/etc/group
/etc/hosts
/etc/netid
netmasks.byaddr /etc/netmasks

You do not need to perform any configuration on the above files in order to use their corresponding NIS maps; the ypbind daemon does this automatically. However, the /etc/hosts file should have entries for the local loopback name and client's host name. Use either an editor or the smit hosts fast path to verify that the /etc/hosts file has these entries. For example, the client's /etc/hosts file should look similar to this example:

127.1         localhost   # local loopback name
200.10.2.101  zepher      # client's host name

The /etc/hosts file is accessed at boot time before NIS is available. After the system is running and the ypbind daemon is started, NIS ignores the /etc/hosts file.