The Unified Name Services Architecture is a collection of programs,
libraries, API, and caches that provide a flexible and extensible system
that is transparent to the users of the traditional Unix Service API. It
allows the administrator to fully control how name service requests are
performed on a system-wide basis. It provides a high-performance
system-wide cache and associated cache-miss daemon.
The system-wide caches are stored in mmmmddddbbbbmmmm((((3333BBBB)))) format and are located in
/_v_a_r/_n_s/_c_a_c_h_e. There is one cache file per index for each name service
map. Cache files may be viewed and manipulated via the nnnnssssaaaaddddmmmmiiiinnnn((((1111))))
command. All name service requests that are not found in the cache are
then requested via the nnnnssssdddd((((1111)))) in memory filesystem /_n_s. nnnnssssdddd will lookup
the requested information as configured by the nnnnsssssssswwwwiiiittttcccchhhh....ccccoooonnnnffff((((4444)))) file.
The result is returned to the requesting program and placed into the
system-wide cache for future requests. If nsd is not running, the
traditional system configuration files located in /_e_t_c will be read.
Name service requests can be configured to use a number of protocols
including ffffiiiilllleeeessss((((7777)))),,,, ddddnnnnssss((((7777)))),,,, nnnniiiissss((((7777)))),,,, llllddddaaaapppp((((7777)))),,,, mmmmddddbbbbmmmm((((7777)))),,,, nnnnddddbbbbmmmm((((7777)))),,,, and the
Berkeley ddddbbbb((((7777)))).... In addition, the nnnniiiisssssssseeeerrrrvvvv((((7777)))) library acts as a NIS server.
Each of these protocols is implemented in a dynamic library located in
/_v_a_r/_n_s/_l_i_b which is used by the nsd process.
The Unified Name Service has added the new C API calls nnnnssss____llllooooooookkkkuuuupppp((((3333)))) and
nnnnssss____lllliiiisssstttt((((3333)))) to allow programs to easily access the UNS functionality.
Most of the traditional name service API functions such as ggggeeeettttppppwwwweeeennnntttt((((3333CCCC))))
and ggggeeeettttggggrrrreeeennnntttt((((3333CCCC)))) have been modified to use these new functions.
More information can be found in the various manual pages referenced
above, as well as in the NNNNeeeettttwwwwoooorrrrkkkkiiiinnnngggg aaaannnndddd MMMMaaaaiiiillll and NNNNeeeettttwwwwoooorrrrkkkk PPPPrrrrooooggggrrrraaaammmmmmmmiiiinnnngggg
