$ Linux Command

Network

nisdomainname

Show or set the NIS (Network Information Service) domain name.

nisdomainnetworkyellow-pagesyp

Additional Notes

nisdomainname prints or sets the NIS (Network Information Service, formerly called Yellow Pages) domain name for the current system. The NIS domain name is used by NIS clients and servers to identify which NIS domain the system belongs to.

It is distinct from the DNS domain name. The NIS domain name is typically set at boot time by startup scripts and is stored in the /proc/sys/kernel/domainname kernel parameter.

Syntax

nisdomainname [name]

Parameters

  • name: The NIS domain name to set. If omitted, the current NIS domain name is displayed.

Options

  • --help: Display help and exit.
  • --version: Show version information.

Examples

nisdomainname

Show the current NIS domain name.

nisdomainname mydomain

Set the NIS domain name to mydomain.

sudo nisdomainname example-nis

Setting the domain name typically requires root privileges.

Practical Notes

  • The NIS domain name is not the same as the DNS domain name. A system can have a DNS domain of example.com and an NIS domain of my-nis-domain.
  • NIS is largely obsolete and has been replaced by LDAP, Active Directory, or SSSD. It is considered insecure for modern environments.
  • The domainname command (without the nis- prefix) is often an alias for nisdomainname.
  • The NIS domain name can also be set via the NISDOMAIN environment variable.