SUMMARY: NIS+ server problems

From: Ulla Fischer (ulla@dmi.min.dk)
Date: Thu Apr 14 1994 - 03:12:06 CDT


My nis+ server problem was solved by updating the credentials for the
server, and update the keys in all the NIS+ directories, because I as
part of the troubleshooting had changed the root-passwd of the server:

1) kill keyserv
2) shutdown and restart the nisd with -S 0.
3) nisaddcred des
4) run nisupdkeys on all your nis directories, eg.
        nisupdkey org_dir.e.dmi.min.dk
        nisupdkey groups_dir.e.dmi.min.dk
        nisupdkey e.dmi.min.dk
5) shutdown NIS+ and restart it with -S 2.
6) start keyserv

On some clients it was necessary to do nisinit -c -H server
to update the NIS_COLD_START file.

I still don't know why the problem started in the first place --
before I changed the root-passwd. And I think I will run NIS in the
future instead of NIS+

Thanks a lot to
janderso%pgn138fs@motown.ge.com
jlu@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu

And especially thanks to
casper@fwi.uva.nl

Yours,
Ulla

Ulla> I run Solaris 2.2 on both server and clients. The server runs
Ulla> securitylevel 0 (started with rpc.nisd -r -S 0). Last friday all
Ulla> my nis+ clients started not being able to use any
Ulla> nis-commands. They got the following answer:

Ulla> NIS+ error: Unable to authenticate NIS+ server.

Ulla> I looked at the messages file at one client, and found the
Ulla> following:

Ulla> Apr 11 16:32:56 pratt syslog: authdes_refresh: unable to encrypt
Ulla> conversation key
Ulla> Apr 11 16:35:03 pratt syslog: authdes_refresh: unable to encrypt
Ulla> conversation key
Ulla> Apr 11 16:35:22 pratt syslog: authdes_refresh: unable to encrypt
Ulla> conversation key
Ulla> Apr 11 16:48:00 pratt syslog: authdes_seccreate: unable to gen
Ulla> conversation key
Ulla> Apr 11 16:55:23 pratt syslog: authdes_seccreate: unable to gen
Ulla> conversation key

Ulla> The situation is the same on the server!

Ulla> Then I was not able to log in as myself on any client. Only as
Ulla> root. Same situation on the server.

Ulla> On the server I tried to update the clients credentials with
Ulla> nisaddcred, with the following result:

Ulla> NIS+ error: Unable to authenticate NIS+ server

Ulla> Now just before I stopped working (giving up), I tried nisinit
Ulla> my client, rm /var/nis/* (I wanted to have the COLD_START_FILE
Ulla> opdated). I found out that I can read the nis-files, if the
Ulla> keyserv process is not running, but as soon as I start it, I get
Ulla> the error:

Ulla> NIS+ error: Unable to authenticate NIS+ server

Ulla> I can login, when the keyserv process is not running, but of
Ulla> cause gets the error

Ulla> Could not set unix.4019@e.dmi.min.dk's secret key May be the
Ulla> keyserv is down?

Ulla> It seems obvious to mee, that the problem is inconsistency
Ulla> between the cred.org_dir database and the keys used to authorize
Ulla> users. But I can't update the cred.org_dir file even when logged
Ulla> in as root on the server. I think I must run a nisinit -r, but
Ulla> what happens then to all my existing database files?

Ulla> I know this description is a little loose, but the situation has
Ulla> been changing slightly during the two days I have been working
Ulla> fulltime on it. And I do not have the clear overview of how the
Ulla> security is handles in NIS+.

Ulla> Thank you very much for your help.

Ulla> Yours,



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