🚀 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.

Ask yourself:  What will happen to my network if my master NetInfo machine  
crashes?  Assuming you have backed it up, a clone allows your network to  
operate while you are building a new master.  Also, a clone gives the  
network some efficiency.  If the NetInfo master is heavily loaded then the  
other machines must wait on the master for a NetInfo request. 

> Does everyone who manages a network use NI clones?

Any network I manage of more than two machines has a clone.  Otherwise I  
rely on backups.

> Have there been any problems because of the clones?
> Has it saved the day for anyone?

Yes.  Clones and Master can get confused and confuse each other.  This  
occurs, however, when things are confusing. Don't despair, this can happen  
when there isn't a clone too.  Confusing things are known to happen when:
*	There is more than one master,
*	The serves properties are screwed up,
*	A server gets confused (for example: unpredictable things that  
occur when a disk becomes 100% full).

Overall I like NetInfo but I do take precautions.  I back up my system  
regularly and I have a script that runs every eight hours that backs up  
the NetInfo databases to a well known (local) directory on the master.  I  
recycle the back ups after a week (another script function).

--
Dennis P. Glatting
Sr. Technical Manager
Trirex Systems Inc.
315 Post Road West
Westport, Connecticut   06880
203-221-4614