Mac OS X Installation Procedure

Configuring Domain Name System (DNS) server:

 1. Open the System Preferences application.     
 2. From the View menu, select Network.
 3. Select desired network connection and select Configure button.
 4. Select the TCP/IP button.
 5. After DNS Servers: enter the address of your DNS server(s) (clon00 etc).
 6. Click on the Apply Now button.

To setup NIS service type following as root:

 rpcinfo -p

If the portmapper is not running, you'll get the message

 rpcinfo: can't contact portmapper: RPC: remote system error - Connection refused

To fix that type:

 sudo launchctl start com.apple.portmap

Repeat check, you should see something like:

 program vers proto   port
   100000    2   tcp    111  portmapper
   100000    2   udp    111  portmapper

Type following:

 sudo domainname CCCHP
 sudo ypbind

If last command does not return after 10 seconds, Ctrl-C and run it in debug mode:

 sudo ypbind -d

It should return error message, one of following:

1. Unknown domain CCCHP: a NIS server was found but it doesn't know the NIS domain name you have specified. Check the name and reenter the domainname command. 2. Dead domain CCCHP: a NIS server was found and it knows the domain name you've specified. However, this domain is currently marked inactive and cannot be used. Check if you should specify another domain and repeat the domainname command with its name. 3. Domainname not set. Aborting: You forgot or mistyped the domainname command. Enter it correctly and repeat the test. 4. /var/yp/binding/CCCHP.ypservers does not exist, defaulting to broadcast: The system has sent out a broadcast message to search for a NIS server, but no server has responded. This can have different reasons: 4.1. The NIS server is not running: Make sure that the NIS server really is there. If you know its name, you can use the ping command to see if it's alive. 4.2. The NIS server and your machine are in two different IP subnets: In this case it's impossible that your machine can find the NIS server automatically. Create a file /var/yp/binding/CCCHP.ypservers that contains the IP address(es) of your NIS server(s). 4.3. The administrator of the NIS server disabled server recovery through broadcasts for security reasons: In this case, do the same as in the "different IP subnet" situation. 4.4. There is an error in the IP netmask of your ethernet interface: Enter ifconfig -a to get a list of all your network interfaces and check whether the netmasks are set correctly. Perhaps there was a simple typo during system installation. Many network features will work correctly even with this error, but services that rely on broadcasts certainly will not.

In case of clonpc7 (subnet 68) file CCCHP.ypservers must contains IP address of clon00, because of clon00 is on subnet 167. In general it make sense to put both our servers: 129.57.167.5 (clon00), 129.57.167.14 (clon10) and central JLAB server(s). If machine is not on 167 subnet, corresponding clon00's port can be specified as well, for example 129.57.68.1 (clon00-daq1).

Now try again:

 sudo ypbind -d

Every about 10 seconds tt should return something like that:

 ypbind: returned from 129.57.68.1 about CCCHP

Type Ctrl-C and start the same without debug flag:

 sudo ypbind

It should return after about 10 seconds. Make sure everything is configured correctly by command:

 ypwhich

It should return the name of NIS server, for example:

 clon00-daq1.jlab.org

All above actions were just tests. Not we can make NIS configuration permanent:

 1. Launch the application Directory Access in the folder Utilities in Applications.
 2. If the key icon in the lower left corner is locked, click on the lock to authenticate with Directory Access in order to make changes.
  3. Make sure the checkmark at the item BSD Flat File and NIS is set and select the corresponding line. If the checkmark was not set, you must press the Apply button before you continue to the next step.
  4. Click the Configure... button.
  5. Enter the name of your NIS domain at Domain Name (must be already set to CCCHP).
  6. If the NIS severs are located in a different subnet, or the NIS administrator has deactivated server recovery through broadcast messages, enter the IP address(es) of your server(s) into the NIS Servers table (must be already set). It is recommended to use IP addresses instead of computer names because otherwise we would create dependencies between NIS and name resolution: NIS could only start if the name resolver is running yet what cannot be guaranteed under all circumstances.
  7. Press OK.
  8. In Directory Access go to the tab view item Authentication.
  9. In the Search menu, select the option Custom Path.
 10. Press the Add... button
 11. Select your NIS domain as valid source for the authentication of users. Among other directory services, the NIS domain should be displayed in the form /BSD/CCCHP in the overview. Add this entry. After that, it should appear at the end of the list Directory Node (also see the picture below).
 12. Now click on Apply at the lower right corner of the window. The configuration will be saved. It becomes active after a few seconds without restarting the computer.