rogerj@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Roger Jagoda) (03/17/90)
Folks, We have noticed a bug in the way netinfo interfaces work. Have any of you run into these bugs and have fixes/work-arounds? Basically, there are two NetInfo interfaces, a command line one, and a NeXTStep one. This is VERY smart of NeXT as it allows for REMOTE administratiion where a NeXTStep interface isn't always available (such as over a network. Even though there is Host for punching a NeXTStep interface over e network, it's not quite useable yet....too slow). The problem is that the two interfaces have different effects sometimes: You can add a user with UserManager or with nu -a. Problem is, nu adds a user but doesn't create the proper symbolic links. Example: nu -a joe.student give passwd give group give home directory create mailbox Add User? YES. Fine, but although you've set the symbolic link to be made to /user in /etc/nu.cf, the link IS NOT made and needs to be done with a modification, nu -m. Now, if you use UserManager (using the Long Menus for completeness) the link IS made but other things also happen. Nu doesn't write into the netinfo groups domain. In other words after you add a user, then do an nidump group /, you won't see all the userids of a group next to the entry...this is either a bug or a feature depending on how you view things. However, if you use UserManager, that process DOES write to the groups domain so that an nidump of group in "/" will give this HUGE entry after the group name. This is important because if you make a mistake, you could write someone into the daemon group or worse if you're not careful when typing. We use nu for that and other reasons. There are shell scripts under /etc/nulib that explain SOME of what goes on, but there must be more to it than that because under /etc/nulib/ nu1.sh, there is the command to make the symbolic link, for example, but that link is NOT made as the BROWSER shows a user / Net <server> /Users <userid> columns instead of just / user <userid>. To get this you have to do nu -m and modify item 6 (home directory) to be /user/userid and answer YES to clobber existing symlink (which, er, doesn't really exist). Has anyone else noticed these inconsistencies and has work-arounds or other means of getting around them? Thanks in advance for listening! --Roger Jagoda --Cornell University --FQOJ@CORNELLA.CIT.CORNELL.EDU