YPBIND(8)               NetBSD System Manager's Manual               YPBIND(8)

NAME
     ypbind -- create and maintain a binding to a NIS server

SYNOPSIS
     ypbind [-broadcast] [-insecure] [-ypset] [-ypsetme]

DESCRIPTION
     ypbind finds the server for a particular NIS domain and stores informa-
     tion about it in a ``binding file''.  This binding information includes
     the IP address of the server associated with that particular domain and
     which port the server is using.  This information is stored in the direc-
     tory /var/yp/binding in a file named with the convention
     <domain>.version, where <domain> is the relevant domain.  The NIS system
     only supplies information on version 2.

     If ypbind is started without the -broadcast option, ypbind steps through
     the list of NIS servers specified in /var/yp/binding/<domain>.ypservers
     and contacts each in turn attempting to bind to that server.  It is
     strongly recommended that these hosts are in the local hosts file, and
     that hosts are looked up in local files before the NIS hosts map.

     If ypbind is started with the -broadcast option, or if
     /var/yp/binding/<domain>.ypservers does not exist, ypbind broadcasts to
     find a process willing to serve maps for the client's domain.

     Once a binding is established, ypbind maintains this binding by periodi-
     cally communicating with the server to which it is bound.  If the binding
     is somehow lost, e.g by server reboot, ypbind marks the domain as unbound
     and attempts to re-establish the binding.  When the binding is once again
     successful, ypbind marks the domain as bound and resumes its periodic
     check.

     The options are as follows:

     -broadcast  sends a broadcast requesting a NIS server to which to bind.

     -insecure   do not require that the server is running on a reserved port.
                 This may be necessary when connecting to SunOS 3.x or ULTRIX
                 NIS servers.

     -ypset      ypset(8) may be used to change the server to which a domain
                 is bound.

     -ypsetme    ypset(8) may be used only from this machine to change the
                 server to which a domain is bound.

     The -broadcast -ypset, and -ypsetme, options are inherently insecure and
     should be avoided.

FILES
     /var/yp/binding/<domain>.version - binding file for <domain>.
     /var/yp/binding/<domain>.ypservers - explicit list of servers to bind to
     for <domain>.

DIAGNOSTICS
     Messages are sent to syslogd(8) using the LOG_DAEMON facility.

SEE ALSO
     domainname(1), ypcat(1), ypmatch(1), ypwhich(1), nis(8), yppoll(8),
     ypset(8)

AUTHORS
     This version of ypbind was originally implemented by Theo de Raadt.  The
     ypservers support was implemented by Luke Mewburn.

NetBSD 5.0_STABLE              February 26, 2005             NetBSD 5.0_STABLE
