When creating credential information, you will often have to enter a principal's rpc-netname and principal-name.
Each has its own syntax:
Secure RPC netname. A Secure RPC netname is a name whose syntax is determined by the Secure RPC protocol. Therefore, it does not follow NIS+ naming conventions:
For users, the syntax is: unix.uid@domain
For machines, the syntax is: unix.hostname@domain
If a Secure RPC netname identifies a user, it requires the user's UID. If it identifies a machine, it requires the machine's host name. (When used with the nisaddcred command it is always preceded by the -p (lowercase) flag.)
A Secure RPC netname always begins with the unix (all lowercase) prefix and ends with a domain name. However, because it follows the Secure RPC protocol, the domain name does not contain a trailing dot.
Principal name. An NIS+ principal follows the normal NIS+ naming conventions, but it must always be fully qualified. the syntax is: principal.domain.
Whether it identifies a client user or a client machine, it begins with the principal's name, followed by a dot and the complete domain name, ending in a dot. (When used with nisaddcred to create credential information, it is always preceded by the -P (uppercase) flag. When used to remove credential information, it does not use the -P flag.)