NIS+ Configuration Overview

Using the configuration scripts is the recommended method of setting up and configuring an NIS+ namespace. Using these scripts is easier than to trying to set up an NIS+ namespace with the NIS+ command set, as described in Chapter 6, Configuring NIS+ Clients, Chapter 7, Configuring NIS+ Servers, and Chapter 8, Configuring an NIS+ Non-Root Domain.

(See the nisserver, nispopulate, and nisclient man pages for complete descriptions of the scripts. See the Glossary for definitions of terms and acronyms you do not recognize.)

You should not use the small sample NIS+ namespace referred to in this tutorial manual as a basis for your actual NIS+ namespace. You should destroy the sample namespace after you finish exploring it, instead of adding on to it. It is better to begin again and carefully plan your NIS+ hierarchy before you create your actual namespace.

Table 4-1 summarizes the recommended generic configuration procedure. The left column lists the major configuration activities, such as configuring the root domain or creating a client. The text in the middle describes the activities. The third column lists which script or commands accomplish each step.

Table 4-1 Recommended NIS+ Configuration Procedure Overview

The NIS+ scripts enable to you to skip most of the individual procedures included in the above activities.

NIS+ and the Service Management Facility

Most of the command line administrative tasks associated with the NIS+ service are managed by the Service Management Facility (SMF). For an overview of SMF, refer to Chapter 18, Managing Services (Overview), in System Administration Guide: Basic Administration. Also refer to the svcadm(1M) and svcs(1) man pages for more details.

• Administrative actions on the NIS+ service, such as enabling, disabling, or restarting, can be performed using the svcadm command. When the service is started or stopped, any dependent processes are also started or stopped.

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  Tip - Temporarily disabling a service by using the -t option provides some protection for the service configuration. If the service is disabled with the -t option, the original settings would be restored for the service after a reboot. If the service is disabled without -t, the service will remain disabled after reboot.

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• SMF automatically starts nis_cachemgr when it enables the NIS+ service, if it detects the /var/nis/NIS_COLD_START file.

• The NIS+ Fault Managed Resource Identifier (FMRI) is svc:/network/rpc/nisplus:<instance>.

• The FMRI for keyserv is svc:/network/rpc/keyserv:<instance>.

• You can query the status of NIS+ by using the svcs command.

  • Example of svcs command and output.

    # svcs \*nisplus\*
    STATE          STIME    FMRI
    disabled       Sep_01   svc:/network/rpc/nisplus:default

  • Example of svcs -l command and output.

    # svcs -l network/rpc/nisplus
    fmri         svc:/network/rpc/nisplus:default
    enabled      false
    state        disabled
    next_state   none
    restarter    svc:/system/svc/restarter:default
    dependency   require_all/none svc:/network/rpc/keyserv (online)

    You can also use the svccfg utility to get more detailed information about a service. See the svccfg(1M) man page.

• You can check a daemon's presence by using the ps command.

  # ps -e | grep rpc.nisd

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  Note - Do not use the -f option with ps because this option attempts to translate user IDs to names, which causes more naming service lookups that might not succeed.

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Using svcadm With rpc.nisd -x

In general, the /usr/sbin/rpc.nisd daemon is administered using the svcadm command. However, when rpc.nisd is invoked with -x nisplusLDAPinitialUpdateOnly=yes, rpc.nisd performs the specified action, then exits. That is, rpc.nisd does not daemonize. SMF should not be used in conjunction with -x nisplusLDAPinitialUpdateOnly=yes. SMF can be used any other time you want to start, stop, or restart the rpc.nisd daemon.

The following example shows rpc.nisd used with -x nisplusLDAPinitialUpdateOnly=yes.

# /usr/sbin/rpc.nisd -m mappingfile \
-x nisplusLDAPinitialUpdateAction=from_ldap \
-x nisplusLDAPinitialUpdateOnly=yes

Modifying the /lib/svc/method/nisplus File

If you want to include specific options when you invoke the rpc.nisd daemon with SMF, add the options to the /lib/svc/method/nisplus file. The following list provides some commonly used options.

-S 0

Sets the server's security level to 0, which is required at this point for bootstrapping.

Because no cred table exists yet, no NIS+ principals can have credentials. If you use a higher security level, you are locked out of the server.

-B

Supports DNS forwarding

-Y

Starts the NIS+ daemon in NIS-compatibility mode

How to Modify the /lib/svc/method/nisplus File

1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

   Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Chapter 9, Using Role-Based Access Control (Tasks), in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

2. Stop the NIS+ service.

   # svcadm disable network/rpc/nisplus:default

3. Open the /lib/svc/method/nisplus file.

   Use your preferred text editor.

4. Edit the file to add the desired options.

   Example –

   Change:

   /usr/sbin/rpc.nisd $nisd_flags || exit $?

   To:

   /usr/sbin/rpc.nisd $nisd_flags -Y -B || exit $?

   In this example, the -Y and -B options are added to rpc.nisd, so the options are automatically implemented at startup.

5. Save and quit.
6. Start the NIS+ service.

   # svcadm enable network/rpc/nisplus:default