*BSD News Article 69712


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!inquo!bofh.dot!in-news.erinet.com!bug.rahul.net!rahul.net!a2i!genmagic!sgigate.sgi.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!startide.ctr.columbia.edu!wpaul
From: wpaul@ctr.columbia.edu (Bill Paul)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: NIS, SunOS and FreeBSD
Date: 29 May 1996 17:52:45 GMT
Organization: Columbia University Center for Telecommunications Research
Lines: 43
Message-ID: <4oi2td$3dh@sol.ctr.columbia.edu>
References: <4oh6pd$imk@charm.il.ft.hse.nl>
NNTP-Posting-Host: startide.ctr.columbia.edu
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]

Daring to challenge the will of the almighty Leviam00se, Edwin Mons
(edwinm@il.ft.hse.nl) had the courage to say:

: Hi.

: I just wondered, is it possible for FreeBSD to use the YP maps used on
: Sun workstations.  The part in which I am particularly interested is
: the yppasswd map.  Can SunOS and FreeBSD share the same encrypted
: passwords?
: I run SunOS 4.0.2 on Sun 386i's on the Sun side, and FreeBSD 2.1.0 on an
: Intel clone on the other side..

: Edwin Mons <edwinm@il.ft.hse.nl>

The answer is yes, but with one caveat.

FreeBSD 2.1.0 should work fine as an NIS client of the Sun machine,
provided you remember the following:

FreeBSD ships with a special MD5-based crypt() function. This means
that it generates crypted passwords that are not compatible with those
generated by the DES-based crypt() found on other platforms. It further
means that using passwd.bywhatever maps from a Sun system with DES-based
passwords will fail because the FreeBSD client will be unable to generate
crypted passwords that match.

To fix this, you must install the DES crypt distribution for FreeBSD.
Note that there are two: one for the U.S., and one for everywhere else.
You should be able to find the des.aa distribution archive on a FreeBSD
mirror site outside the U.S. This archive contains a new libcrypt which
is DES-compatible. Once you install this on your FreeBSD system, it
will work just fine with the SunOS NIS server.

-Bill

--
=============================================================================
-Bill Paul            (212) 854-6020 | System Manager, Master of Unix-Fu
Work:         wpaul@ctr.columbia.edu | Center for Telecommunications Research
Home:  wpaul@skynet.ctr.columbia.edu | Columbia University, New York City
=============================================================================
 "If you're ever in trouble, go to the CTR. Ask for Bill. He will help you."
=============================================================================