Configuring A NIS+ Master/Home Directory Server and Clients

This lab will convert a single Sun host into a combination NIS+ Master Server and Home Directory server, with one or more Sun hosts as clients. For Home Directory access, the client hosts will use the NFS Automounter.

This lab does not presume to cover any other aspects of NIS+, NFS, or network administration.

A fresh OS install on all machines would be ideal, but is not an absolute necessity.

• Choose a NIS+ domain name (we will use solaris.edu in this example)

• Check root's /.profile file and ensure that /usr/sbin and /usr/lib/nis are the first pathnames at the beginning of the PATH statement before all others:

  
  PATH=/usr/sbin:/usr/lib/nis:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb:/etc:
  

• Edit the /etc/group file and add a new group called students with GID 5000

  
  students::5000:
  

• Create a new user account for an end user named Mulder:

  
  useradd -u 1701 -g 5000 -d /export/home/mulder -s /bin/ksh -m mulder

• Assign the new user a password:

  
  passwd mulder
  

• Edit the /etc/auto_home file to include a line for Mulder, specifying the NIS+ Master Server as his home directory location:

  
  mulder	scully:/export/home/mulder

• Edit the /etc/dfs/dfstab file to share the Master Server's /export/home directory:

  
  share -F nfs /export/home

• Edit the /etc/passwd file to remove the word "/export" from mulder's home directory path, leaving /home/mulder instead of /export/home/mulder:

  
  mulder:x:1701:5000::/home/mulder:/bin/ksh

• Edit the Master Server's /etc/hosts file to include the hostnames and IP addresses of all desired client machines

• Start the NFS daemons by running:

  
  /etc/init.d/nfs.server start

• Start the NIS+ server by running

  
  nisserver -r -d solaris.edu

• Populate the NIS+ Master's tables with:

  
  nispopulate -F -p /etc/ -l secret

• Reboot the NIS+ Master Server with:

  
  init 6

• On bootup, observe screen output for notice that the new NIS+ daemons have loaded.

• After the NIS+ Master has completely booted and is ready for a root login, setup and configure the client(s).

• Syntax:

  /usr/lib/nis/nisclient -i -h [NIS+ Master's host name here] -a [NIS+ Master's IP address here] -d [NIS+ domain name here]

• Run the following command to initialize the client:

  
  /usr/lib/nis/nisclient -i -h scully -a 174.44.211.115 -d solaris.edu

• Reboot the NIS+ client so that it will now bind to the NIS+ Master on bootup:

  
  init 6

Testing Our Results

To verify that all has been configured correctly, each student should move to a different client that has completed its reboot. If necessary, one student could use the Master itself. Log in as one of the new users created in the NIS+ Master Configuration section above.

Use CDE to create a uniquely colourful workspace with an individual look and layout for each student. Touch a file with an unusual name that only you would know as your own. Save the workspace configuration as you log out of CDE.

Now move to another client in your domain (or the Master itself) and log in. You should be given the exact same CDE workspace environment as the one you just created on the previous machine. Also, our touched file will be present. This is because we are now sharing home directory space for all users and clients from one place (the NIS+ Master Server) courtesy of automounting, and we are using NIS+ for password security. Thus, no matter which client we are now on, our workspace will always be just as we last saved it.

This quality of uniform workstation login behaviour can be a huge asset to users who change machine locations frequently. As a system administrator, your task of propagating data or information to all users is made easier by having their home directories located centrally.

Copyright © 1997, 2001 Jon C. LeBlanc.

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