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

CHAPTER 15Transitioning From NIS to LDAP(Overview/Tasks)This chapter describes how to enable support of NIS clients that use naminginformation stored in the LDAP directory. By following the procedures in this chapter,you can transition from using an NIS naming service to using LDAP naming services.To determine the benefits of transitioning to LDAP, see “LDAP Naming ServicesCompared to Other Naming Services” on page 126.The following information is included in this chapter.■ “NIS-to-LDAP Service Overview” on page 227■ “Transitioning From NIS to LDAP (Task Map)” on page 233■ “Prerequisites for the NIS-to-LDAP Transition” on page 234■ “Setting Up the NIS-to-LDAP Service” on page 234■ “NIS-to-LDAP Best Practices With Sun Java System Directory Server” on page 241■ “NIS-to-LDAP Restrictions” on page 244■ “NIS-to-LDAP Troubleshooting” on page 244■ “Reverting to NIS” on page 248NIS-to-LDAP Service OverviewThe NIS–to–LDAP transition service (N2L service) replaces existing NIS daemons onthe NIS master server with NIS–to–LDAP transition daemons. The N2L service alsocreates an NIS–to–LDAP mapping file on that server. The mapping file specifies themapping between NIS map entries and equivalent Directory Information Tree (DIT)entries in LDAP. An NIS master server that has gone through this transition is referredto as an N2L server. The slave servers do not have an NISLDAPmapping file, so theycontinue to function in the usual manner. The slave servers periodically update theirdata from the N2L server as if it were a regular NIS master.227