2.4. Which directory service to use
Clearly, LDAP is the future for
directory services on all operating systems, including Solaris.
However, at the time this book was written, LDAP was only starting to
be integrated with operating systems. Windows 2000 is the first such
offering from Microsoft. Solaris 8 includes a fully integrated LDAP
client, but no server. Moreover, LDAP is more complex to administer
than other directory services.
NIS is perhaps the easiest to administer, but it is also the most
limited. It is, however, the universal directory for Unix systems.
DNS is the standard for hostnames and addresses, and you'll
find it handy for accessing hosts outside your domain.
NIS+ has gained some acceptance among other non-Solaris Unix
operating systems, including HP's HP-UX, IBM, AIX, and Linux.
NIS+ is much more secure than NIS.
This rest of this book ignores NIS+ and LDAP, and focuses on NIS and
to some degree DNS, since those are what you are most likely to
encounter. If you are concerned about security, you'll need to
seriously consider deploying NIS+ until LDAP catches up. If security
is not a concern, then
NIS is fine.
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| 2.3. Name service switch |  | 3. Network Information Service Operation |
