Linux System Administration

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Network Information System (NIS) and Network File System (NFS)

Client Side of NIS

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The client side of NIS (Network Information Service) involves configuring a system to use NIS services for centralised user authentication and system configuration information retrieval. Here are the steps to set up the client side of NIS:

1. Install NIS Client Packages:

Ensure that the NIS client packages are installed on the system. This package is commonly named ypbind on most Linux distributions.

sudo apt-get install ypbind # On Debian/Ubuntu 
sudo yum install ypbind # On Red Hat/CentOS

2. Configure NIS Domain:

Edit the NIS configuration file, typically located at /etc/defaultdomain, and specify the NIS domain name. Replace nisdomain with your actual NIS domain name.

sudo nano /etc/defaultdomain 
# Add the line: nisdomainname nisdomain

3. Configure NIS Client:

Edit the NIS client configuration file at /etc/yp.conf. Add the NIS server’s hostname or IP address. Replace nis_server with the actual hostname or IP of your NIS server.

sudo nano /etc/yp.conf # Add the line: domain nisdomain server nis_server

4. Start NIS Client Service:

Start the NIS client service (ypbind).

sudo service ypbind start # On SysV systems sudo systemctl start ypbind # On systemd systems

5. Verify NIS Configuration:

Use the ypwhich command to verify if the NIS client is properly configured and is connected to the NIS server.

ypwhich

6. Test NIS Authentication:

You can now log in using NIS credentials. Ensure that the user account exists in the NIS server’s database.

login: NIS_username password: NIS_password

7. Set Up NIS Maps (Optional):

If additional NIS maps are needed (besides the default ones like passwd, group, etc.), configure them on the NIS server and make sure the client is set up to retrieve them.

Additional Tips:

  • Automate NIS Client Startup: Ensure the NIS client service starts automatically on system boot.
sudo systemctl enable ypbind # On systemd systems
  • Debugging and Troubleshooting: Use log files (/var/log/ypbind.log or /var/log/messages) to troubleshoot any issues with the NIS client.
  • NIS Cache Clearing: If you make changes to NIS maps on the server, you may need to clear the client’s cache with sudo ypclear.

Remember to replace nisdomain and nis_server with your actual NIS domain name and server information.

By following these steps, you’ll have successfully configured a Linux system as an NIS client, allowing it to retrieve user authentication and system configuration information from the NIS server.