NIS+ Security Overview

NIS+ protects the structure of the namespace, and the information it stores, by the complementary processes of authorization and authentication.

Authorization

Every component in the namespace specifies the type of operation it will accept and from whom.

Authentication

NIS+ attempts to authenticate every request for access to the namespace. Requests come from NIS+ principals. A NIS+ principal can be a process, machine, root, or a user. Valid NIS+ principals possess a NIS+ credential. NIS+ authenticates the originator of the request (principal) by checking the principal's credential.

If the principal possesses an authentic (valid) credential, and if the principal's request is one that the principal is authorized to perform, NIS+ carries out the request. If either the credential is missing or not valid, or the request is not one the principal is authorized to perform, NIS+ denies the request for access. The entire NIS+ security system is described in Security.