Task 3: Set the Frequency of Map Propagation

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2

After you have completed migrating Network Information Service (NIS) maps to a Windows-based server running Server for NIS, you can ensure that your maps refresh across the network at regular intervals by setting how often maps are propagated to subordinate (also known as slave) servers.

This topic contains the following sections:

Change the Frequency of Map Updates to UNIX Subordinate NIS servers

Propagating Maps Immediately

Completing Server for NIS Configuration

Change the Frequency of Map Updates to UNIX Subordinate NIS servers

Perform the following steps to change the frequency of map updates to UNIX-based subordinate (also known as slave) NIS servers.

Using the Windows interface

Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

1. Open the Identity Management for UNIX management console by doing one of the following:

   • Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Identity Management for UNIX.

   • Click Start, click Run, type idmumgmt.msc in the Open text box, then click OK.

2. If necessary, connect to the computer you want to manage by right-clicking the Identity Management for UNIX node in the hierarchy pane, and then clicking Connect to another computer. Otherwise, go on to the next step.

3. Click Server for NIS in the hierarchy pane.

4. Open Map Updates by doing one of the following:

   • Right-click the Server for NIS node, and then click Map Updates.

   • With the Server for NIS node highlighted, click Map Updates in the Actions pane.

5. In the Server for NIS Properties dialog box, type the number of days, hours and minutes you want to lapse between map updates.

6. Click OK to save your changes.

Using a command line

1. Open a Command Prompt window in one of the following two ways:

   • Click Start, and then click Command Prompt on the Start menu.

   • Click Start, click Run, type cmd into the Open text box, and click OK.

2. At a command prompt, type:

   nisadmin config pushint=[[days**:]hh:]mm [-s Server] [-u** User] [-p Password]

The following table contains the arguments for the nisadmin command.

Propagating Maps Immediately

You do not have to wait for the Map Updates interval to expire to refresh maps. You can propagate maps immediately using one of the following two procedures:

Propagate changed maps now

Propagate selected maps now

Propagate changed maps now

You can propagate any changed maps immediately either by using the Windows interface, or in a command-line environment.

Using the Windows interface

Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

1. Open the Identity Management for UNIX management console by doing one of the following:

   • Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Identity Management for UNIX.

   • Click Start, click Run, type idmumgmt.msc in the Open text box, then click OK.

2. If necessary, connect to the computer you want to manage by right-clicking the Identity Management for UNIX node in the hierarchy pane, and then clicking Connect to another computer. Otherwise, go on to step 3.

3. Click Server for NIS in the hierarchy pane.

4. Click Check for updates now.

Using a command line

1. Open a Command Prompt window in one of the following two ways:

   • Click Start, and then click Command Prompt on the Start menu.

   • Click Start, click Run, type cmd into the Open text box, and click OK.

2. At a command prompt, type:

   nisadmin [server] syncall [–u user [–p password]]

   The following arguments are acceptable with the nisadmin syncall command.

   Argument	Description
   syncall	Propagate all maps.
   server	The name of the server where the maps are stored.
   user	The name of the user who has administrator permissions on the server, if different from the current user.
   password	The password of the user who has administrator permissions on the server, if different from the current user. If you type a user name but omit the password, you will be prompted for the password.

Propagate selected maps now

Using the Windows interface

1. Open the Identity Management for UNIX management console by doing one of the following:

   • Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Identity Management for UNIX.

   • Click Start, click Run, type idmumgmt.msc in the Open text box, then click OK.

2. If necessary, connect to the computer you want to manage by right-clicking the Identity Management for UNIX node in the hierarchy pane, and then clicking Connect to another computer. Otherwise, go on to step 3.

3. In the console tree, expand Server for NIS and view the list of available domains.

4. Expand the domain of interest, and click the NIS Maps object in the hierarchy pane to view NIS maps in the details pane.

5. In the NIS Maps in this Domain list, click to select a map you want to update immediately.

1. Propagate the selected maps by doing one of the following:

   • Click Propagate in the Actions pane.

   • On the Actions menu, click Propagate.

   • Right-click the selected map object(s), then click Propagate.

2. On the Identity Management for UNIX dialog box, click Yes to begin map propagation.

Using a command line

1. Open a Command Prompt window in one of the following two ways:

   • Click Start, and then click Command Prompt on the Start menu.

   • Click Start, click Run, type cmd into the Open text box, and click OK.

2. At a command prompt, type:

   yppush [-d ActiveDirectoryNISDomain] [-q] [**-t Timeout] [-h **Hosts] MapName

   The following table shows the arguments accepted by the yppush command.

   Argument	Description
   -d ActiveDirectoryNISDomain	NIS domain name in Active Directory.
   -q	Quiet mode. Do not wait for response from subordinate (slave) servers and do not report errors.
   -t Timeout	The number of seconds to wait for a response from the subordinate server before sending the next request. Must be greater than zero. The default value is 30.
   -h Hosts	The hosts to notify of changes. Default is all subordinate servers in the domain. Can be used multiple times for more than one computer.
   MapName	The name of the NIS map to be transferred.

Completing Server for NIS Configuration

The final step in initial setup of Server for NIS is to specify an encryption method for user passwords. To learn how to perform this task, see Task 4: Set the Encryption Method for NIS Domains.

See Also

Other Resources

Sending periodic map updates to subordinate (slave) NIS servers Change the frequency of map updates to UNIX subordinate (slave) NIS servers Manage NIS Maps