Network Information System (NIS)

NIS is a database of commonly-replicated configuration files, and a means of updating, querying, and overriding items in the database on a per-user or per-machine basis. For example, the /etc/passwd file is required on all UNIX systems. In an environment such as ECEnet, where all users are allowed to log in to a well-defined set of machines, it is sensible to keep their password, home directory, username and other /etc/passwd information in one spot in order to eliminate inadvertent inconsistencies. This spot is called an NIS map, and is maintained on the NIS master server and periodically propagated to the NIS slave servers. Activities which in the absence of NIS would require a machine to consult a local configuration file, such as the matching of a user's UID to a name, are handled via NIS remote procedure calls. Thus, any alterations to the NIS database made on the master server are automatically made available to all NIS clients. In a large network such as ECEnet, this can be a major timesaver.

In conjunction with NFS and amd, NIS's most tangible benefit is that it allows ECEnet users to have the same home directory and password, regardless of which ECE machine they are logged into. It also makes electronic mail to someuser@anymachine.ece.northwestern.edu go to the right place.

NIS used to be called YP (for "Yellow Pages"), but then Sun found out that Yellow Pages was another company's trademark. Oops.

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