NetInfo Command Reference (Mac OS X for Unix Geeks)

3.6. NetInfo Command Reference

This section provides an overview of the NetInfo command-line utilities used in this chapter. The following sections, Section 3.7 and Section 3.8, demonstrate how to use nicl, nireport, nidump, and niload. For more details on these or other NetInfo utilities, see their respective manpages.

nidump

Syntax

nidump [-T timeout] (-r directory|format) [-t] domain

Description

You can dump NetInfo information in a flat file format (such as the /etc/hosts format) or in a raw format that uses a C-like syntax:

{
  "name" = ( "localhost" );
  "ip_address" = ( "127.0.0.1" );
  "serves" = ( "./local" );
}

Options

-T timeout: Specifies a timeout in seconds.
-t: Treats the domain as a tagged domain, which includes a machine name and a tagged NetInfo database. For example, abbot/local refers to the local NetInfo domain of the machine named abbot.
-r directory: Dumps the directory in raw format. Directory should be a path to a NetInfo directory, such as /users/root or /machines.
format: Specifies a format corresponding to a Unix flat file of the same name. Can be one of: aliases, bootptab, bootparams, ethers, exports, fstab, group, hosts, networks, passwd, printcap, protocols, resolv.conf, rpc, services, or mountmaps.
domain: Specifies a NetInfo domain. For standalone machines, use a dot (.), which refers to the local domain.

nireport

Syntax

nireport [-T timeout] [-t] domain directory [property ...]

Description

You can list all NetInfo groups by using the nireport utility. To use nireport, use the following syntax:

Options

-T timeout: Specifies a timeout in seconds.
-t: Treats the domain as a tagged domain, which includes a machine name and a tagged NetInfo database.
domain: Specifies a NetInfo domain.
directory: Denotes a path to a NetInfo directory.
property ...: Specifies one or more NetInfo properties. For example, each user listed in the /users directory has name, passwd, uid, and gid properties (as well as a few other properties). Every directory has a name property that corresponds to the directory name. For example, the /machines directory's name property is machines.

You can use nireport to list any portion of the NetInfo directory. For example, to list the top-level directory, specify the local domain, the / directory, and the name property, as in nireport . / name.

nicl

Syntax

nicl [options] datasource [command]

Description

Use nicl to modify entries in the NetInfo database. You can manipulate directories and properties with nicl. The datasource may be the path to a NetInfo directory (such as / ) or the filesystem path of a NetInfo database (you must use the -raw option for this). Use -raw to work directly with the NetInfo database, such as /var/db/netinfo/local.nidb. This is useful in cases when the NetInfo daemon is down (such as when you boot into single-user mode).

Options

-c: Create a new data source.
-p: Prompt for a password. You can use this instead of prefixing the command with sudo.
-P password: Use the specified password.
-q: Be quiet.
-raw: Indicates that the datasource is a filesystem path to a NetInfo database.
-ro: Open datasource as read-only.
-t: Treats the domain as a tagged domain, which includes a machine name and a tagged NetInfo database.
-u user: Use the specified user's identity when running the command. You'll be prompted for a password.
-v: Be verbose.
-x500: Use X.500 names (see the nicl manpage for more details).

Commands

-append path key val ...: Appends a value to an existing property. The property is created if it does not already exist.
-copy path newparent: Copies the specified path to a new parent path.
-create path [key [val ...] ]: Creates a NetInfo directory specified by path. See Section 3.8.2, later in this chapter, for a complete example.
-delete path [key [val ...] ]: Destroys the specified path and all its contents. If you specify a key and/or value, only the specified key is deleted. For an example, see Section 3.7.5, later in this chapter.
-domainname: Prints the NetInfo domain name of datasource.
-flush: Flushes the directory cache.
-insert path key val index: Operates like -append, but instead of placing the value at the end, it inserts it at the specified index.
-list path [key ...]: Lists all the NetInfo directories in the specified path. For example, to list all users, use nicl / -list /users.
-merge path key val ...: Operates like -append, but if the value already exists, it is not duplicated. See Section 3.7.3, later in this chapter.
-move path newparent: Moves the specified path to a new parent path.
-read path [key ...]: Displays all the properties of the specified path. For example, to see root's properties, use nicl / -read /users/root.
-search arguments: Performs a search within the NetInfo database. For complete details, see the nicl manpage.
-rename path oldkey newkey: Renames a property.
-resync: Resynchronizes NetInfo.
-rparent: Prints the NetInfo parent of datasource.
-statistics: Displays NetInfo server statistics.