NIS+ Transition Guide


Links between tables produce an effect similar to paths, except that the link involves a search through only one table: the remote table. With a search path, NIS+ first searches the local table, and only if it is unsuccessful does it search the remote table. With a link, the search moves directly to the remote table. In fact, the remote table virtually replaces the local table. The benefit of a link is that it allows a lower domain to access the information in a higher domain without the need to administer its own table.

To create a link, use the nisln command. You must have modify rights to the table object.

Deciding whether to use a path or to link NIS+ tables in a domain is a complex decision, but here are some basic principles:

Figure 2-7 summarizes this principle.

Figure 2-7 Information Distribution Across an NIS+ Hierarchy