[CentOS] Need to restart ypserv to update the nis maps

Mon Aug 11 07:56:04 UTC 2008
Clint Dilks <clintd at scms.waikato.ac.nz>

Clint Dilks wrote:
> Theo Band wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> I use NIS om my network (CentOS4.6). When an update on a map occurs 
>> (home directory changed in /etc/passwd for instance), I run make -C 
>> /var/yp/ and check the result on a client. On the client I use "ypcat 
>> passwd" and find indeed that the update has propagated (the clients 
>> run ypbind service). On the client I have configured 
>> /etc/nsswitch.conf with :
>> passwd:     files nis
>> shadow:     files nis
>> group:      files nis
>>
>> The problem is however that on the client, if I try to use the new 
>> data, it still uses the old one. For instance "cd ~john" still 
>> directs me to the old path instead of to the updated path (as 
>> correctly reported by "ypcat passwd").
>> To solve it I need to restart the ypserv service on the nis server 
>> for every change.
>>
>> Does anyone now what could be the problem or where I should look? 
>> Apparently the OS gets password and user info using another way than 
>> the ypcat tool.
>>
>> (ypserv-2.13-18,ypbind-1.17.2-13)
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Theo
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>>
> Hi Theo,
>
> As you are talking about the users homes I assume you are providing 
> this via something like NFS?
>
> If so it is your autofs information that controls what home gets 
> mounted not the passwd information.
>
> You can configure autofs to reference a NIS map.  Normally I would 
> expect this to be something like auto_home.  An entry in this file 
> might look like
> <user>          <server>:<nfs exported dir>:&
>
> And you would have an entry in /etc/auto.master
> /home  auto.home
>
> I hope this helps :)
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>
Just to clarify this post.  The password file is still referenced eg if 
you have a user bob on your system with a home dir set to /home/bob 
(from the passwd file)  autofs tells your system where to mount 
/home/bob from rather than looking on local disk.