Commands Reference, Volume 4

nistest Command

Purpose

Returns the state of the NIS+ namespace using a conditional expression.

Syntax

nistest [ [ -A ] [ -L ] [ -M ] [ -P ] ] [ -a | -t Type ] Object

nistest [ -A ] [ -L ] [ -M ] [ -P ] [ -a Rights ] IndexedName

The nistest command provides a way for shell scripts and other programs to test for the existence, type, and access rights of objects and entries. Entries are named using indexed names (see the nismatch command.)

Flags

-A	Specifies that all of the data within the table and all of the data in tables in the initial table's concatenation path be returned. This flag is only valid when using indexed names or following links.
-L	Follow links. If the object named by Object or the tablename component of IndexedName names a LINK type object, the link is followed when this switch is present.
-M	Specifies that the lookup should only be sent to the master server of the named data. This guarantees that the most up to date information is seen at the possible expense that the master server may be busy.
-P	Specifies that the lookup should follow the concatenation path of a table if the initial search is unsuccessful. This flag is only valid when using indexed names or following links.
-a Rights	Verifies that the current process has the desired or required access rights on the named object or entries. The access rights are specified in the same way as the nischmod command.
-t Type	Tests the type of Object. The value of type can be one of the following: G Return true if the object is a group object. D Return true if the object is a directory object. T Return true if the object is a table object. L Return true if the object is a link object. P Return true if the object is a private object.

RETURN VALUES

0	Success.
1	Failure due to object not present, not of specified type and/or no such access.
2	Failure due to illegal usage.

Examples

When testing for access rights, nistest returns success (0) if the specified rights are granted to the current user. Thus testing for access rights
```
nistest \-a w=mr skippy.domain
```
Tests that all authenticated NIS+ clients have read and modify access to the object named skippy.domain.
Testing for access on a particular entry in a table can be accomplished using the indexed name syntax. The following example tests to see if an entry in the password table can be modified.
```
nistest \-a o=m '[uid=99],passwd.org_dir'
```

Environment

NIS_PATH: If this variable is set, and the NIS+ name is not fully qualified, each directory specified will be searched until the object is found (see nisdefaults).

Related Information

The nischmod command and nisdefaults command.