Network Information Services (NIS and NIS+) Guide

Cred Table

The cred table stores credential information about NIS+ principals. Each domain has one cred table, which stores the credential information of client workstations that belong to that domain and client users who are allowed to log in to them, in other words, the principals of that domain. The cred tables are located in their domains' org_dir subdirectory.

Attention: Do not link a cred table. Each org_dir directory should have its own cred table. Do not use a link to some other org_dir cred table.

The cred table has five columns:

Cred table
Column	Content	Description
NIS+ Principal Name	Principal name of a principal user	Principal name of a principal user or workstation
Authentication Type	Local	DES
Authentication Name	UID	Secure RPC netname
Public Data	GID list	Public key
Private Data		Encrypted private key

The authentication type determines the types of values found in the other four entries.

If the authentication type is local, the others contain a principal user's name, UID, and GID; the private data is empty.
If the authentication type is DES, the others contain a principal's name, secure RPC netname, public key, and encrypted private key. These keys are used in conjunction with other information to encrypt and decrypt a DES credential.

See Administering NIS+ Credentials, for additional information on credentials and the cred table.