Setting Up JumpStart in a Name Service Environment

As previously stated, you can use the sysidcfg file to answer system identification questions during the initial part of installation, regardless of whether a name service is used. When the sysidcfg file is used with the NIS naming service, identification parameters (such as locale and timezone) can be provided from the name service. The sysidcfg file necessary for installing a JumpStart client on a network running the NIS name service is typically much shorter, and a separate sysidcfg file for each client is unnecessary.

You’ll use the /etc/locale, /etc/timezone, /etc/hosts, /etc/ethers, and /etc/netmasks files as the source for creating NIS databases to support JumpStart client installations. See Chapter 23 for more information on NIS and how to create NIS maps.