Global Table or Local File

Depending on how you use the nisprefadm command, it creates either a local client_info file or a domain client_info table:

• File. You can use nisprefadm to create a local, machine-specific client_info file that is stored in the machine's /var/nis directory. A local file specifies server preferences for that machine only. When a machine has a local /var/nis/client_info file, it ignores any server preferences contained in a domain client_info.org_dir table. To create a local client_info file, you run nisprefadm with the -L option.

• Table. You can use nisprefadm to create an NIS+ client_info table which is stored in each domain's org_dir NIS+ directory object. This table can specify server preferences for:

  • Individual machines. (If a machine has a local /var/nis/client_info file, any preferences for that machine that happen to be in the domain client_info table are ignored.)

  • All the machines on a particular subnet. (If a machine on the subnet has a local /var/nis/client_info file or individual preferences set for it in the table it ignores subnet preferences.)

  To create a global client_info table that applies to all machine on a subnet, you run nisprefadm with the -G and -C options as described in "Specifying Global Server Preferences".

  Note that if a machine has its own local client_info file as described below, it will ignore all server preferences set for it in a global client_info table. If a machine has either a local client_info file or a machine-specific entry for it in the global client_info table, it will ignore preferences set for its subnet.

Use only the nisprefadm command to make changes to client_info files and tables. Never use other NIS+ commands such as nistbladm.

When working with client_info tables or files, you must use either the -G or the -L option to specify that your command apply to either the global table (-G) or local file (-L) of the machine you are running the command on.