Table 13-2 summarizes several major enhancements in NIS+ compared to NIS.
Table 13-2 NIS and NIS+ Features Compared
Feature |
NIS |
NIS+ |
---|---|---|
Name space |
Has a flat on-hierarchical organization; centralized flat file database for each independent network domain |
Has a hierarchical organization; partitioned into directories to support each network subset or autonomous domain |
Data Storage Scheme |
Multiple bicolumn "maps" (files) having key-value pairs |
Multicolumn database with multiple, searchable columns |
Resource Access Across Domains |
Not supported |
Permitted for authorized users |
Privileges for Updating |
Updates require superuser privileges on master server |
Updates can be performed remotely by authorized users |
Update Process |
Updates require using make files on master servers |
Updates are performed easily through command-line interface |
Update Propagation |
Is administrator initiated and requires transfer of whole maps |
Automatic and high-performance updating via incremental transfer |
Security |
Database not secure |
Fine-grained access control to NIS+ directories, table column, and entries |
Commands and Functions Prefixes |
Prefixed by the letters yp, as in ypmatch(1) and ypcat(1) |
Prefixed by the letters nis, as in nismatch(1) and nischown(1) |
NIS+ includes features that enable NIS sites to migrate to the new name service in a smooth, phased manner. NIS sites that migrate to NIS+ will gain the following benefits:
Distributed and remote administration of network domains by authorized users
Support for hierarchical domains
Fast and automatic propagation of updates from master to replica servers
Fine-grained access to tables and network resources
Easier and more consistent administrative operations
Increased naming service reliability and availability