NIS+ and the Name Service Switch

NIS+ works in conjunction with a separate program called the name service switch. The name service switch, sometimes referred to as "the switch," enables Solaris operating environmentbased workstations to obtain their information from more than one name service; specifically, from local or /etc files, NIS maps, DNS zone files, or NIS+ tables. The switch not only offers a choice of sources, but allows a workstation to specify different sources for different types of information. A complete description of the switch software and its associated files is provided in Chapter 2, The Name Service Switch.