Initializing a Client

You can initialize a client in three different ways:

• By host name

• By broadcast

• By cold-start file

Each way has different prerequisites and associated tasks. For instance, before you can initialize a client by host name, the client's /etc/hosts or /etc/inet/ipnodes file must list the host name you will use and nsswitch.conf file must have files as the first choice on the hosts line. For IPv6 addresses, specify ipnodes as the first choice on the hosts line. Complete instructions for each method, including prerequisites and associated tasks, are provided in Solaris Naming Setup and Configuration Guide. Following is a summary of the steps that use the nisinit command.

To initialize a client by host name, use the -c and -H options, and include the name of the server from which the client will obtain its cold-start file:

nisinit -c -H hostname

To initialize a client by cold-start file, use the -c and -C options, and provide the name of the cold-start file:

nisinit -c -C filename

To initialize a client by broadcast, use the -c and -B options:

nisinit -c -B