Installation of NIS (YP) server and clients: First, need to install the required rpms: ypbind yp-tools on all machines, and in addition ypserv on ouhep1. ouhep1 is the NIS server, and all clients get their user info from it. On the server: In /var/yp/Makefile, change MINUID and MINGID to the minimum UID and GID you'd like to be propagated by NIS. Here I set it to 300 and 100, respectively, since we have a user with UID 300, and I wanted to be sure that the default linux group users, GID=100) gets in. And comment out the maps you don't want to be built. Here, I have all: passwd group hosts rpc services netid protocols mail Then generate NIS database: export NISDOMAIN= /usr/lib/yp/ypinit -m On the client machines: Remove all local users (which will be in the NIS maps) from /etc/passwd and /etc/group (with "userdel ). On all machines (i.e., including the server): In /etc/host.conf, add 'nis': order hosts,bind,nis In /etc/yp.conf, add: ypserver ouhep1 In /etc/nsswitch.conf, change the following: ------ passwd: files nisplus nis shadow: files nisplus nis group: files nisplus nis hosts: files nisplus dns nis protocols: files nisplus nis services: files nisplus nis netgroup: files nisplus nis automount: files nisplus nis aliases: files nisplus nis ------ In /etc/sysconfig/network, add: NISDOMAIN= Then add services: /sbin/chkconfig --add ypbind /sbin/chkconfig ypbind on On the server, also: /sbin/chkconfig --add ypserv /sbin/chkconfig --add yppasswdd /sbin/chkconfig ypserv on /sbin/chkconfig yppasswdd on Then start first the server: /etc/init.d/ypserv start /etc/init.d/yppasswdd start /etc/init.d/ypbind start then the clients: /etc/init.d/ypbind start If that doesn't work, reboot all machines, that should do it.