16.5 Naming Services and NFS
16.5.1 Naming service overview
Name Services

Sometimes it is useful to have a common user and group list for hosts on a network. In such situations, a naming service can be implemented by the system administrator. A naming service allows users to be recognized by all remote machines on the network. If the system administrator on your network chooses not to use a naming service, you must have an account on a remote machine in order to login to it.

DNS (Domain Name Service)

  • Network information service provided by the Internet and TCP/IP networks
  • Host names and addresses only

NIS (Network Information Services)

  • Provides centralized administration of network information users, workstations, applications, etc.
  • Runs on top of TCP/IP
  • Stable and widely used by all UNIX vendors and many non-UNIX operating systems
  • Easy to Implement
  • Works Well in Small Flat Domains (acme.com)
  • No Security Features

NIS+

  • Sun's newest naming service for Solaris
  • Enhanced security features
  • Difficult to Configure
  • Scales Well for Large Hierarchical Domains (sun.com, sales.sun.com, etc.)
    • Distributed file system developed by Sun and embraced by industry as a standard
    • Enables computers of different architectures running different operating systems to access remote resources as if they were local
    • Uses standard network protocols (TCP, RPC, and XDR)