# Network Information Service

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Directory service protocol from Sun Microsystems

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The **Network Information Service**, or **NIS** (originally called **Yellow Pages** or **YP**), is a [client–server](/source/Client%E2%80%93server) [directory service](/source/Directory_service) [protocol](/source/Protocol_(computing)) for [distributing](/source/Distributed_computing) [system configuration](/source/System_configuration) data such as [user](/source/User_(computing)) and [host names](/source/Host_name) between [computers](/source/Computer) on a [computer network](/source/Computer_network). [Sun Microsystems](/source/Sun_Microsystems) developed the NIS; the technology is [licensed](/source/Software_license) to virtually all other [Unix](/source/Unix) vendors.

Because [British Telecom](/source/British_Telecom) PLC owned the name "[Yellow Pages](/source/Yellow_Pages)" as a registered [trademark](/source/Trademark) in the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) for its paper-based, commercial [telephone directory](/source/Telephone_directory), Sun changed the name of its system to NIS, though all the commands and functions still start with "yp".[1]

A NIS/YP system maintains and distributes a central directory of user and group information, hostnames, e-mail aliases and other text-based tables of information in a computer network. For example, in a common [UNIX](/source/Unix) environment, the list of users for [identification](/source/Identification_(information)) is placed in [/etc/passwd](/source/Passwd_(file)) and secret [authentication](/source/Authentication) [hashes](/source/Cryptographic_hash_function) in /etc/shadow. NIS adds another "global" user list which is used for identifying users on any [client](/source/Client_(computing)) of the NIS domain.

Administrators have the ability to configure NIS to serve password data to outside processes to authenticate users using various versions of the Unix [crypt(3)](/source/Crypt_(C)) hash algorithms. However, in such cases, any NIS(0307) client can retrieve the entire password database for offline inspection.

## Successor technologies

The original NIS design was seen to have inherent limitations, especially in the areas of scalability and security, so other technologies have come to replace it.

Sun introduced [NIS+](/source/NIS%2B) as part of [Solaris 2](/source/Solaris_(operating_system)) in 1992, with the intention for it to eventually supersede NIS. NIS+ features much stronger security and authentication features, as well as a hierarchical design intended to provide greater scalability and flexibility. However, it was also more cumbersome to set up and administer, and was more difficult to integrate into an existing NIS environment than many existing users wished. [NIS+](/source/NIS%2B) was removed from Solaris 11.[2]

As a result, many users choose to remain with NIS, and over time other modern and secure distributed directory systems, most notably [Lightweight Directory Access Protocol](/source/Lightweight_Directory_Access_Protocol) (LDAP), came to replace it. For example, [slapd](/source/Slapd) (the standalone LDAP [daemon](/source/Daemon_(computer_software))) generally runs as a non-[root user](/source/Root_user), and [SASL](/source/Simple_Authentication_and_Security_Layer)-based encryption of LDAP traffic is natively supported.

On large [LANs](/source/LAN), [DNS](/source/Domain_name_system) servers may provide better [nameserver](/source/Nameserver) functionality than NIS or LDAP can provide, leaving just site-wide identification information for NIS master and slave systems to serve. However, some functions‍—‌such as the distribution of netmask information to clients, as well as the maintenance of e-mail aliases‍—‌may still be performed by NIS or LDAP. NIS maintains an [NFS](/source/Network_File_System_(protocol)) database information file as well as so called maps.

## See also

- [Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol](/source/Dynamic_Host_Configuration_Protocol) (DHCP)

- [Hesiod (name service)](/source/Hesiod_(name_service))

- [Name Service Switch](/source/Name_Service_Switch) (NSS)

- [Network information system](/source/Network_information_system), for a broader use of NIS to manage other system and networks

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** David N. Blank-Edelman (2009). [*Automating System Administration with Perl: Tools to Make You More Efficient*](https://books.google.com/books?id=daks78g9Pg0C&pg=PA151). [O'Reilly Media](/source/O'Reilly_Media). p. 151. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780596555634](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780596555634).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["End of Feature Notices for Oracle Solaris 11"](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/systems/end-of-notices/eonsolaris11-392732.html). [Oracle Corporation](/source/Oracle_Corporation). 2012-12-20.

## External links

- Thorsten Kukuk (2003-07-01). ["The Linux NIS(YP)/NYS/NIS+ HOWTO"](http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/NIS-HOWTO/). [Linux Documentation Project](/source/Linux_Documentation_Project).

- Van Emery (2005-04-15). ["Distributed Authentication System (DAS) Handbook"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060715144025/http://www.vanemery.com/DAS/DAS-manual.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.vanemery.com/DAS/DAS-manual.html) on 2006-07-15.

- Kristy Westphal (2001-01-22). ["NFS and NIS Security"](https://community.broadcom.com/symantecenterprise/communities/community-home/librarydocuments/viewdocument?DocumentKey=1e3cab2f-94cd-4487-a810-fbb863b44954&CommunityKey=1ecf5f55-9545-44d6-b0f4-4e4a7f5f5e68&tab=librarydocuments). [Symantec](/source/NortonLifeLock).

- ["Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: 2.2.3. Securing NIS"](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/6/html/security_guide/sect-security_guide-server_security-securing_nis). [Red Hat](/source/Red_Hat).

- Frédéric Raynal (2001-06-29). ["Yellow Pages, part 1"](http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/LDP/linuxfocus/English/July2001/article148.shtml). [ibiblio](/source/Ibiblio).

- RHEL 9 will remove support for NIS [Alexander Bokovoy, Sr. Principal Software Engineer slide show](https://ostconf.com/system/attachments/files/000/001/693/original/Alexander_Bokovoy.pdf)

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