[comp.sys.next] Using /etc/passwd and /etc/group while still using NetInfo

mike@shogun.cc.umich.edu (Michael Nowak) (07/18/89)

Thanks to Anne Louise Gockel (alg@wrath.cs.cornell.edu), we've figured
out how to use /etc/passwd while still using NetInfo.  This procedure
also works for /etc/group (the NetInfo database is groups).  The
original impetus for this was to solve the problem of using large
password files with NetInfo.  People have reported problems loading
large password files using niload.  This may help to solve the
problem.

Note that doing this will not effect Yellow Pages operation if
/etc/passwd and /etc/group still end with a '+'.

1.  Become root on the NeXT and open a Shell.

2.  List the current /users database:

	nitul -list . /users
	
3.  Destroy all the entries for the database using:

	niutil -destory . /users/xxx
	
    where xxx is a user name.  You might also try to do this with
    a script.  My awk skills are pretty limited but something
    like:
    
    #!/bin/sh
    for i in `niutil -list . /users | awk '{print $2}'`; do
      niutil -destroy . /users/$i
    done
    
4.  Destroy the users database using:

	niutil -destroy . /users
	
5.  Now, as far as I can tell, the system will look to /etc/passwd for
    user information.
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Michael Nowak                                          ...mailrus!shogun!mike
 Workstation Consultant                               mike@shogun.cc.umich.edu
 U of M Computing Center User Services              Mike_Nowak@um.cc.umich.edu

    ...working for but in no way representing the University of Michigan...

epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) (07/19/89)

In article <1140@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> mike@shogun.us.cc.umich.edu () writes:
>	niutil -destroy . /users

A different situation: we \wanted/ to use netinfo

We created a root domain to serve a NeXT cluster, copied all the
users and groups from . to /, and did this.  No one could log in.
It turns out that you must have a /users in . to be able to use
the one in ..--it's o.k. it it's empty, but it has to be there.
And yes, we did have a valid /etc/passwd at the time.

					-=EPS=- / SFSU

mike@shogun.cc.umich.edu (Michael Nowak) (07/21/89)

In article <1140@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> mike@shogun.us.cc.umich.edu () writes:
>Thanks to Anne Louise Gockel (alg@wrath.cs.cornell.edu), we've figured
>out how to use /etc/passwd while still using NetInfo.  This procedure
>also works for /etc/group (the NetInfo database is groups).  The
>original impetus for this was to solve the problem of using large
>password files with NetInfo.  People have reported problems loading
>large password files using niload.  This may help to solve the
>problem.
 
[ Procedure deleted. ]

We've found that this doens't work all the time.  It appears to
be only successful on a client of a configuration server.  It doesn't
seem to work on configuration servers or standalone machines.  The
result is that you don't get a login window or all combinations
of names and passwords fail.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Michael Nowak                                          ...mailrus!shogun!mike
 Workstation Consultant                               mike@shogun.cc.umich.edu
 U of M Computing Center User Services              Mike_Nowak@um.cc.umich.edu

    ...working for but in no way representing the University of Michigan...