OPS335 NIS Lab

NIS (Network Information Services)

NIS server is used for password authentication. In this lab you will set up your Fedora PC as both an NFS and NIS server. You will then install one VM guest that will serve as your NFS and NIS client.

PART A: Setting up your NFS Server

Prerequisites
Before you begin make sure your Fedora 16 host and virtual machines are up to date (yum update).

Ensure both host and VM's have firewalls set up according to prior labs. And ensure you are using your learnid account (the first user created - this will be critical for success).

Ensure that your nfs server is running on the host and exporting the '/home' directory.

PART B: Setting up your NIS Server

• Install the NIS server and client onto your f13 host PC

 yum install ypserv ypbind

• Add the following line to the bottom of the file /etc/sysconfig/network

 NISDOMAIN="<learn-id>.org"
 YPSERV_ARGS="-p 783"

• Edit the file /etc/yp.conf and set up your domain:

 domain <learn-id>.org server 127.0.0.1

• Edit the file /etc/nsswitch.conf and add "nis" to three lines:

 passwd:     files nis
 shadow:     files nis
 group:      files nis

• Create the file /var/yp/securenets:

 host 127.0.0.1
 255.255.255.0   192.168.x.0

• Enable and start the NIS (ypserv) service.

systemctl start ypserv.service
systemctl enable ypserv.service

• Enable and start the NIS map transfer (ypxfrd) service.

systemctl start ypxfrd.service
systemctl enable ypxfrd.service

• Verify that your servers are running correctly with the following command:

 rpcinfo -p

• Now change to directory /var/yp and run this command

 make

• Enable and start the NIS binding (ypbind) service.

systemctl start ypbind.service

• You may need to enable another boolean relating to NIS.

getsebool -a | grep yp

• Use the following command to verify your NIS server is working - you should see joker's password record.

 ypcat passwd

• Add a new user named clown, with password "seneca99".
• Run 'ypcat passwd' again. If you don't see both joker's and clown's password records then cd to /var/yp and run the "make" command again.
• Now modify your firewall so that the guest VM (client vm01) will be able to access your NIS server. You'll have to open port 111 as well as port 783 (see step 2 above).

PART C: Setting up your VM to be an NFS client

• Login to your VM guest (vm01) and enable and start your ssh server with these commands

 chkconfig --levels 2345 sshd on
 service sshd start

• Use iptables to allow ssh connections to your VM guest machine.
• If you still have autofs installed (from last week) then uninstall it (yum remove autofs).
• Reboot your VM guest machine, login and use ifconfig to determine its IP address.
• Log out of your VM guest.
• From your Fedora host, ssh (as root) into your VM guest.
• Edit your guest's /etc/fstab file and insert this line

 192.168.122.1:/home  /home  nfs  defaults  0 0

• Use the "mount -a" command to mount the /home directory.
• Check that /home is mounted by running and recording the output of the "df -Th" command.
• Install ypbind
• Logout of your VM guest.

PART D: Setting up your VM to be an NIS client

• Open your VM guest graphical login window and login as joker.
• Verify that joker is using the /home directory imported from your Fedora host.
• Now modify your authentication to include NIS. You can do this by selecting System->Administration->Authentication from the GNOME menu. You'll have to set the following:

 NIS server address (192.168.122.1)
 NIS domain name (example.org)

• Now start the ypbind server with the command "service ypbind start".
• Test your configuration with the "ypcat passwd" command. You should see both joker's and clown's password records. NOTE: Clown's record is coming from your Fedora host because there is no clown user on your VM guest.
• Logout of joker and login as clown on your VM. NOTE: You may have to login as "other" if clown's name does not show up on the login screen.

Completing the Lab

Answer the following questions.

1. What is your full name and 9-digit Seneca student ID?
2. What is the function of the /etc/nsswitch.conf file?
3. What is the purpose of the "-p" option to the rpcinfo command?
4. Explain, in your own words, what the "make" command did in PART B step 10.
5. Explain the syntax/meaning of the two records in the /var/yp/securenets file.
6. What was the output of the "ypcat passwd" command from PART D, step 5?
7. Explain, in your own words, the function of the portmapper service as seen in the "rpcinfo -p" command. Hint: Use Wikipedia.
8. What did your final firewall on the host look like. Use iptables-save.