Two NIS+ Configuration Methods

The rest of this part of the guide describes two different methods of configuring an NIS+ namespace:

• With the setup (configuration) scripts. This chapter and Chapter 4, Configuring NIS+ With Scripts describe how to configure NIS+ using the three NIS+ scripts: nisserver, nispopulate, and nisclient. This is the easiest, as well as recommended, method.

• With the NIS+ command set. Chapter 6, Configuring NIS+ Clients, Chapter 7, Configuring NIS+ Servers, and Chapter 8, Configuring an NIS+ Non-Root Domain describe how to configure NIS+ using the NIS+ command set. While this method gives you more flexibility than the scripts method, it is more difficult. This method should be used only by experienced NIS+ administrators who need to configure a namespace with characteristics significantly different than those provided by the configuration scripts.

If you use the NIS+ command set, you must also make sure that each machine using NIS+ for its naming service has the correct nsswitch.conf file in its /etc directory as described in Chapter 1, Name Service Switch. If you use the NIS+ configuration scripts on a given machine, this step is performed for you.

See Chapter 22, Removing NIS+ for information on how to remove an NIS+ directory or domain, an NIS+ server, or the NIS+ namespace.