Specifying Preferred-Only Servers

You can specify what clients do when no preferred servers are available.

By default, if a client cannot reach a preferred server, it uses whatever other server it can find. You can specify that clients may only use preferred servers by setting the preferred-only option. See "Preferred Only Servers Versus All Servers" for background information on the preferred-only and all servers options.

To specify what clients do when no preferred servers are available, run nisprefadm with the -o value option.

How to Specify Preferred-Only Servers

To specify that clients using a server list may only obtain NIS+ information from servers named in the list:

Run nisprefadm with the -o pref_only option.

#nisprefadm -L|-G -o pref_only

Where:

• -L|-G determines whether you are modifying a local or a domain-wide server list.

• -o -pref_only specifies that clients can only obtain NIS+ information from servers on the list.

This option is ignored for domains that are not served by any preferred servers.

For example, to specify in altair's local client_info file that altair must always use preferred servers and cannot use any server not on altair's preferred server list:

altair# nisprefadm -L -o pref_only

How to Revert to Using Non-Preferred Servers

To specify that clients using a server list may obtain NIS+ information from servers not named in the list if no preferred servers are available:

Run nisprefadm with the -o all option.

#nisprefadm -L|-G -o all

Where:

• -L|-G determines whether you are modifying a local or a domain-wide server list.

• -o -all specifies that clients may obtain NIS+ information from servers not on the list if no preferred servers are available.

This is the default behavior. You only need to use the -o all option if you have previously specified preferred-only servers with the -o pref_only option.

For example, to specify in altair's local client_info file that altair can now use non-preferred servers if no preferred servers can be reached:

altair# nisprefadm -L -o all