NIS - Network Information Service

What is NIS?

NIS stands for Network Information Service. It is a client-server directory service protocol used to distribute system configuration data such as user and host names between computers on a network.

Why is NIS useful?

  • Centralizes authentication and configuration management across multiple systems.

  • Reduces redundancy by storing user accounts, groups, and host information in one location.

  • Simplifies administration in networks with many Unix/Linux systems.

  • Allows users to log into any system on the network with the same credentials.

How it works?

  • The NIS server (also called a master server) maintains a database of configuration files (maps).

  • NIS clients query the server for information such as user IDs, passwords, or hostnames.

  • A binding process connects clients to an available NIS server (master or slave).

  • Changes made on the master server can be propagated to slave servers.

Where is NIS used?

  • In Unix and Linux-based networks, especially legacy environments.

  • Educational institutions, research labs, or enterprises with centralized system management.

  • Environments that predate LDAP or where LDAP is not required.

Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?

  • NIS operates at the Application Layer (Layer 7) of the OSI model.

  • It uses RPC (Remote Procedure Call), which also functions at the application layer.

IS NIS Windows specific?

  • No, NIS is not Windows-specific.

  • It was originally developed by Sun Microsystems for Unix systems and is not natively supported on Windows.

IS NIS Linux Specific?

  • No, NIS is not Linux-specific, but it is widely supported and used on Linux and Unix systems.

  • Both client and server implementations exist for Linux distributions.

Which Transport Protocol is used by NIS?

  • NIS uses UDP and TCP as its transport protocols.

  • It primarily relies on RPC (Remote Procedure Call), which can operate over both UDP and TCP.

Which Port is used by NIS?

  • NIS typically uses port 111 for the portmapper (RPCbind).

  • The actual NIS services may use dynamic ports assigned by the portmapper.

  • ypserv and ypbind services communicate over these dynamically assigned ports.

Is NIS using Client server model?

  • Yes, NIS uses a client-server model.

  • The NIS server holds the directory data, while clients request and retrieve information from the server.

Topics in this section,

  • In this section, you are going to learn

  • Terminology

  • Version Info

  • rfc details

  • setup

  • setup

  • packet details

  • usecases

  • features

  • Reference links