Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP)

■■■■Messages saying that NIS is unavailableCommands on a client limp along in background mode or function much slowerthan normalCommands on a client hang. Sometimes commands hang even though the systemas a whole seems fine and you can run new commandsCommands on a client crash with obscure messages, or no message at allNIS Problems Affecting One ClientIf only one or two clients are experiencing symptoms that indicate NIS bindingdifficulty, the problems probably are on those clients. If many NIS clients are failing tobind properly, the problem probably exists on one or more of the NIS servers. See“NIS Problems Affecting Many Clients” on page 117.ypbind Not Running on ClientOne client has problems, but other clients on the same subnet are operating normally.On the problem client, run ls -l on a directory, such as /usr, that contains filesowned by many users, including some not in the client /etc/passwd file. If theresulting display lists file owners who are not in the local /etc/passwd as numbers,rather than names, this indicates that NIS service is not working on the client.These symptoms usually mean that the client ypbind process is not running. Verifywhether the NIS client service is running.client# svcs network/nis/clientSTATE STIME FMRIdisabled Sep_01 svc:/network/nis/client:defaultIf the client is disabled, log in as superuser, or assume an equivalent role, and start theNIS client service.client# svcadm enable network/nis/clientMissing or Incorrect Domain NameOne client has problems, the other clients are operating normally, but ypbind isrunning on the problem client. The client might have an incorrectly set domain.On the client, run the domainname command to see which domain name is set.client7# domainname neverland.comCompare the output with the actual domain name in /var/yp on the NIS masterserver. The actual NIS domain is shown as a subdirectory in the /var/yp directory.114 System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP) • January 2005