The NIS-to-LDAP transition service (N2L service) replaces existing NIS daemons on the NIS master server with NIS-to-LDAP transition daemons. The N2L service also creates an NIS-to-LDAP mapping file on that server. The mapping file specifies the mapping between NIS map entries and equivalent Directory Information Tree (DIT) entries in LDAP. An NIS master server that has gone through this transition is referred to as an N2L server. The slave servers do not have an NISLDAPmapping file, so they continue to function in the usual manner. The slave servers periodically update their data from the N2L server as if it were a regular NIS master.
The behavior of the N2L service is controlled by the ypserv and NISLDAPmapping configuration files. A script, inityp2l, assists with the initial setup of these configuration files. Once the N2L server has been established, you can maintain N2L by directly editing the configuration files.
The N2L service supports the following:
Import of NIS maps into the LDAP Directory Information Tree (DIT)
Client access to DIT information with the speed and extensibility of NIS
In any naming system, only one source of information can be the authoritative source. In traditional NIS, NIS sources are the authoritative information. When using the N2L service, the source of authoritative data is the LDAP directory. The directory is managed by using directory management tools, as described in Chapter 1, Introduction to the LDAP Naming Service.
NIS sources are retained for emergency backup or backout only. After you use the N2L service, you must phase out NIS clients. Eventually, all NIS clients should be replaced by LDAP naming service clients.
Additional overview information is provided in the following sections: