Knowledge

NetInfo

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queries went through NetInfo. This led to a situation where basic tasks such as translating a UNIX UID to a user name string would not complete because NetInfo was stalled on a DNS lookup. At first, it was possible to disable NetInfo and use the Unix system files, but as of NeXTSTEP version 2
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wrap around NetInfo instead. NetInfo stores system wide network-type configuration information, such as users and groups, in binary databases; while Mac OS X machine and application specific settings are stored as
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As Netinfo has been completely removed from Mac OS X 10.5, the Netinfo-based command line tools have also been phased out and replaced by other tools. Also, Netinfo Manager has been removed.
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The Mac OS X version of NetInfo remedied this (and many other problems), but due to the early problems, NetInfo never took over the world of Unix system configuration.
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computers (although NeXT later licensed NetInfo to Xedoc, an Australian software company who produced NetInfo for other UNIX systems),
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support. Thus, NeXT computers became notorious for locking a user out of everyday tasks because a DNS server had stopped responding.
95: 264: 75:(Yellow Pages) on NeXT computers. It immediately caused controversy, much unfavorable. Not only was NetInfo unique to 130: 47: 220: 289: 72: 241: 113:, which files are located in /var/db/dslocal/ and are standard property list (XML-based) files. 199: 8: 109:, Netinfo has been completely phased out and replaced by a new local search node named 85: 80: 42:
system configuration files, though they are still present for running the machine in
68: 43: 99: 279: 106: 35: 284: 273: 105:. Mac OS X v10.4 is the last version to support Netinfo. Beginning with 63:
NetInfo was introduced in NeXTSTEP version 0.9, and replaced both the
126: 31: 27: 23: 52: 76: 64: 39: 271: 94:Apple has moved away from using NetInfo towards 129:. It can be viewed and modified through its 218: 137:utility, or command line tools such as 272: 38:"Tiger". NetInfo replaces most of the 239: 152:Netinfo stores the following data: 123:/private/var/db/netinfo/local.nidb/ 13: 121:The NetInfo Database is stored in 14: 301: 258: 240:Welch, John (November 16, 2007). 131:application programming interface 84:disabling NetInfo also disabled 221:"From Down Under to Everywhere" 219:Garfinkel, Simson (July 1993). 67:system configuration files and 242:"Analysis: The end of Netinfo" 233: 212: 125:, and can only be accessed by 1: 205: 16:System configuration database 22:is the system configuration 7: 193: 73:Network Information Service 10: 306: 58: 116: 147: 162:exports (nfs shares) 200:Apple Open Directory 34:versions up through 290:Directory services 98:, particularly in 297: 265:NetInfo man page 252: 251: 249: 248: 237: 231: 230: 228: 227: 216: 140: 124: 69:Sun Microsystems 44:single user mode 305: 304: 300: 299: 298: 296: 295: 294: 270: 269: 261: 256: 255: 246: 244: 238: 234: 225: 223: 217: 213: 208: 196: 156:afpuser_aliases 150: 138: 135:NetInfo Manager 122: 119: 100:Mac OS X Server 61: 17: 12: 11: 5: 303: 293: 292: 287: 282: 268: 267: 260: 259:External links 257: 254: 253: 232: 210: 209: 207: 204: 203: 202: 195: 192: 191: 190: 187: 184: 181: 178: 175: 172: 169: 166: 163: 160: 157: 149: 146: 118: 115: 107:Mac OS X v10.5 60: 57: 36:Mac OS X v10.4 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 302: 291: 288: 286: 283: 281: 278: 277: 275: 266: 263: 262: 243: 236: 222: 215: 211: 201: 198: 197: 188: 185: 182: 179: 176: 173: 170: 167: 164: 161: 158: 155: 154: 153: 145: 142: 136: 132: 128: 114: 112: 108: 104: 101: 97: 92: 89: 87: 82: 78: 74: 70: 66: 56: 54: 49: 45: 41: 37: 33: 29: 25: 21: 245:. Retrieved 235: 224:. Retrieved 214: 151: 143: 120: 110: 93: 90: 62: 46:; most Unix 19: 18: 274:Categories 247:2007-11-16 226:2007-12-24 206:References 180:protocols 194:See also 186:services 177:printers 174:networks 168:machines 32:Mac OS X 28:NeXTSTEP 24:database 159:aliases 111:dslocal 59:History 55:files. 20:NetInfo 171:mounts 165:groups 139:niutil 133:, the 280:MacOS 189:users 117:Files 53:plist 285:NeXT 183:rpcs 148:Data 127:root 96:LDAP 77:NeXT 65:Unix 48:APIs 40:Unix 30:and 86:DNS 81:DNS 26:in 276:: 141:. 102:. 71:' 250:. 229:.

Index

database
NeXTSTEP
Mac OS X
Mac OS X v10.4
Unix
single user mode
APIs
plist
Unix
Sun Microsystems
Network Information Service
NeXT
DNS
DNS
LDAP
Mac OS X Server

Mac OS X v10.5
root
application programming interface
NetInfo Manager
Apple Open Directory
"From Down Under to Everywhere"
"Analysis: The end of Netinfo"
NetInfo man page
Categories
MacOS
NeXT
Directory services

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