linux

[Nagashayana S.H.]

what is the diffrence between NIS and NFS?
where NIS and NFS will be exactly used?

[V. Nyga]

Hi,

NIS means that you use a (NIS-)server to share the 'hosts', 'passwd' and 'group' to all clients, so you don't have to define this for every client itself.
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Information_Service

NFS is to share directories in a network - it's also the protocol/job/program to manage this.
So the clients see these directories as their own directories.
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System_%28protocol%29

HTH
Volkmar
P.S.
If this is a linux question you should also tell which linux. Here's the linux forum:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/familyhome.do?familyId=118

[Laurent Menase]

Hi,
Both are services, but 2 different services.
Both are using RPC communications,
Both were developped by SUN
NIS, is a network information name service
you use it like we use LDAP now, to spread accounts definitions, group defs, hosts definitions, automount definitions..

NFS is network file system
So you may mount a filesystem from a server to a client. NFS can be used through the automounter.

You can for instance describe all your user account, on NIS , auto mount table too, so when a system is configured, all the users defined as beeing allowed on the system with the nis tables will be able to log on that system and have their count automounted.


- usually the trend is to use more ldap than NIS for those descriptions as NIS is not really secure. (NIS+ brings more security capabilities)

[Dennis Handly]

Any reason you are asking Linux questions here in HP-UX?

NFS is Network File System.
NIS is Network Information System, which includes the former YP (yellow pages) commands. It allows centralized passwords, etc.

[Andrew Cowan]

NFS has a future, NIS doesn't :)