Chapter 5. Naming Services
Once a network has been conceived and various functions assigned to different hosts, it is critical that at least one directory system be set up to locate hosts on the network. Additional naming services may be required to support directory services for Internet domains. In this chapter I discuss the importance of distributed naming services for locating hosts, users, and resources on a network, and walk through the configuration of a Solaris Domain Name System (DNS). DNS allows IP addresses to be mapped to human-friendly hostnames and vice versa. Solaris goes one step further than DNS in supporting hierarchical namespaces, using Sun’s Network Information Service (NIS/NIS+). NIS/NIS+ is examined as a comprehensive network resource management system for both authorizing access to resources and hosts and handling client/server authentication. Finally, I review the newer Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and its implementation under Solaris.
Domains and Name Services
Before looking more closely at the implementations of various naming services, I will focus on what the term domain really means. In general terms, a domain is like a nation state, with clearly identifiable borders, security mechanisms to repel intruders, and a set of shared expectations (codified in laws) about what constitutes neighborly behavior. An economic relationship exists between citizens of the domain, such that services can be provided where an account can be maintained of ...
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