# NetInfo

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/NetInfo.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetInfo
> Source revision: 1257124961
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Distributed network configuration database

**NetInfo** was a distributed network configuration [database](/source/Database) in [NeXTSTEP](/source/NeXTSTEP) and [Mac OS X](/source/Mac_OS_X) versions up through [Mac OS X Tiger (10.4)](/source/Mac_OS_X_Tiger). NetInfo stored network-wide configuration information, such as users and groups, in a binary database consisting of directories that could optionally be obtained from a domain server. NetInfo replaced many [Unix](/source/Unix) system configuration files, though they are still present for running the machine in [single user mode](/source/Single_user_mode); most Unix [APIs](/source/Application_programming_interface) wrapped NetInfo instead.

## History

NetInfo was introduced in NeXTSTEP version 0.9, and replaced both the [Unix](/source/Unix) system configuration files and [Sun Microsystems](/source/Sun_Microsystems)' [Network Information Service](/source/Network_Information_Service) (Yellow Pages) on NeXT computers. It immediately caused controversy. Not only was NetInfo unique to [NeXT](/source/NeXT) computers (although NeXT later licensed NetInfo to Xedoc, an Australian software company who produced NetInfo for other UNIX systems), [DNS](/source/Domain_name_system) queries went through NetInfo.[1] This meant basic tasks such as translating a UNIX UID to a user name string could stall because NetInfo was stuck on a DNS lookup. At first, it was possible to disable NetInfo and use the Unix system files, but starting in NeXTSTEP version 2, this disabled [DNS](/source/Domain_name_system) support. Thus, NeXT computers became notorious for locking a user out of everyday tasks because a DNS server had stopped responding.

The Mac OS X version of NetInfo remedied this (and many other problems), but by this time popular alternatives had emerged. Apple moved away from using NetInfo towards [LDAP](/source/Lightweight_Directory_Access_Protocol).[\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073535/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/oct/08pantherserver.html). Mac OS X Tiger (10.4) was the last version to support NetInfo. Beginning with [Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)](/source/Mac_OS_X_v10.5), NetInfo was completely phased out and replaced by a new local search node named *dslocal*, which uses standard [property list](/source/Property_list) files in /var/db/dslocal/.[2]

## Files

The NetInfo Database was stored in /private/var/db/netinfo/local.nidb/, and could only be accessed by [root](/source/Superuser). It could also be viewed and modified through its [application programming interface](/source/Application_programming_interface), the [NetInfo Manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NetInfo_Manager&action=edit&redlink=1) utility, or command line tools such as niutil.

As NetInfo was completely removed from Mac OS X Leopard (10.5), the NetInfo utilities have been phased out and replaced by other tools.

## Data

NetInfo had directories for the following data:

- afpuser_aliases

- aliases

- exports (nfs shares)

- groups

- machines

- mounts

- networks

- printers

- protocols

- rpcs

- services

- users

## See also

- [Apple Open Directory](/source/Apple_Open_Directory)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Garfinkel, Simson (July 1993). ["From Down Under to Everywhere"](http://www.simson.net/ref/NeXT/nextworld/93.7/93.7.Nov.Community04.html). Retrieved 2007-12-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Welch, John (November 16, 2007). ["Analysis: The end of Netinfo"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071212175259/http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/11/16/netinfo/index.php?pf=1). *Macworld*. Archived from [the original](http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/11/16/netinfo/index.php?pf=1) on 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2007-11-16.

## External links

- [netinfo man page](https://web.archive.org/web/20041013054852/https://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man5/netinfo.5.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [NetInfo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetInfo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetInfo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.