🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Aug6.153031.14574@newsgate.sps.mot.com>  
reed@prism.sps.mot.com (Tim Reed) writes:
> 
> We have 4 NeXTs (soon to be 5) and 2 Suns on our network. I was  
> wondering if cloning the netinfo manager for the NeXTs is advisable  
> or just a waste of time.
> 
> Does everyone who manages a network use NI clones?
> Have there been any problems because of the clones?
> Has it saved the day for anyone?
Here are the reasons I can come up with for having clones:
If your master server goes down, any machines which happen to be booting  
can attach to the clone and work happily until the master comes back up,  
at which time the master and clone will get back into sync.

If you have a whole slew of machines in several subnets (like we do at  
UIUC), if your top-level master is in subnet A and you have a network  
netinfo server in subnet B, it is smart to make that network netinfo  
server in subnet B a clone of that master top level domain.  When machines  
in subnet B attach to a top level machine, they will likely connect with  
the machine in their own subnet because broadcast traffic is much faster  
than going across 3 routers to the other subnet.

If your master server's netinfo (/etc/netinfo/masterlevel.nidb) directory  
gets frazzled, it is possible to reconstruct it from your clone's.  I have  
never succeeded in this (it's always been easier to go from the last  
backup), but the general steps should be:
- use niutil -createprop -t clone/toplevel master clone.machine.edu
- follow the directions for 'making a clone' on the old master server  
(that means nidomain -c to clone what is now the master server)
- Change the master property back in the top level if you want to make the  
original master the master once more
- reboot !!!
--
David Lemson                                           (312) 732-4741
FNBC Sys Admin (Summer) UIUC NeXT Campus Consultant(rest of the time)
E-mail to: lemson@fnbc.com                          NeXTMail accepted