Alan Civita wrote:

hi i've setted up a NIS server and NIS clients on SuSE 8.2.. at KDe login screen i can see all the users on NIS database..but i'm able only to login with my local user. If i try to login with another user ( which i can see on the KDE login screen) an error appears: impossible to create Home directory? how can i do? I have to map the /home directory, which resides on the NIS Server, with NFS? or Samba? thx

Alan, Attached below is the NIS/Autoumounter 8.1 Cookbook built and tested by Steve Sheriff and myself. It should answer your questions ... NIS/Autofs Example Setup Sources: Damian O'Hara: damian@uklinux.net Steve Sheriff: fsanta@arrakis.es Please read the whole cookbook before you start. This cookbook has been developed by an advanced computer engineer and by a novice Linux user who already had a working Linux-only network, the latter looking to save time as a system administrator. If you have never networked computers you will be in for a pleasant surprise as Linux does most of it for you. The present document has to assume however that you already have a correctly configured network (like clients can see yahoo.com) can undertake to edit or create (e.g.) /etc /auto.master and know what chkconfig does at the command line. Indeed, the comand line is where you should be if you are reading this as you will be running a network and therefore be resposnible for the work of others. You will not be able to afford yourself the luxury of a gui as you will be wanting to squeeze every possible byte of energy from your server to be able to serve your clients to the maximum. Backup your system and good luck. SuSE 8.1 NIS/Autofs Setup for new systems running command line only (recommended) On the 8.1 installation on the server you will be asked to setup the users you require. Setup as many as you wish bearing in mind that Yast2 makes this task easier at setup and after setup. If you plan to add more users then no problem. On the client do not setup any users other than root. Yast2 will give you a warning to this effect but ignore it. Do not at any stage use Yast2 to setup the NIS server. Please use <tab> as whitespace. Here are our example boxes, both with a minimal install of SuSE 8.1. Server: fred.local.com 192.168.1.160 Client: wilma.local.com 192.168.1.161 NIS domain : jola All actions below are done as "root" user on both boxes. ============================================== Fred: Install minimum system and add ypserv and ypbind (needs CDs 1,2,4). Create a dummy user with home directory in /home/USERNAME Create /etc/defaultdomain and add the following to it: jola Create /etc/auto.home and populate with: * 192.168.1.160:/home/& Put the following (only) into /etc/auto.master: /home auto.home yp rw Set the domainname for now: dommainname jola Initialise the ypserver: /usr/lib/yp/ypinit -m after "fred.com" is displayed press control-d ignore the errors beacuse ypserv isn't running yet. Start ypserv: chkconfig ypserv on rcypserv start Setup ypbind: Add the following to /etc/yp.conf: ypserver 192.168.1.160 chkconfig ypbind on rcypbind start Export the home area: Add the following to /etc/exports: /home 192.168.1.160(rw) (Or use Yast2>network advanced>nfs server>192.168.1.160>options>rw) Start the nfs server: chkconfig nfsserver on rcnfsserver start ============================================== Wilma: Install minimum system and add ypbind. Run "yast nis" Select "Use NIS" "Start Automounter" NIS domain = jola Address of NIS Server = 192.168.1.160 Create /etc/auto.home and populate with: * 192.168.1.160:/home/& Put the following (only) into /etc/auto.master: /home auto.home yp rw Restart the automounter: rcautofs restart Do an init 1 and back up to init 3 or reboot fred Then the same on wilma. In that order. Then to test the client: su - USERNAME and check that su works and that the home directory mounts OK. That's it! Notes: Existing systems. You can use the above method on existing systems but. . . The automounter will render useless any existing /home directories on any client that you have. You may wish to create a directory under e.g. /usr/local/users and move their home directories there before you start. Where they eventually end up is a matter for you to decide. If you do so using Yast2 then remember that you'll have to reenter the user password again (bug or feature?) What is more important we feel is that wherever their home directory is, it should be totally transparent to the user wherever they log in. Tested with SuSE 8.1: Server PIV 1.8 256 scsi and PIV 1.8 1024 eide (former faster) Clients PII 450 Summary: 1. Not for the faint hearted. 2. Buy more memory. 3. Go with the scsi