Apple Mac OS X Server (Administrator’s Guide) - Manual (Page 111)

Directory Services 111
To create a shared NetInfo domain:
1 Open the Open Directory Assistant application.
2 Enter the connection and authentication information for the Mac OS X Server where you
want to create the shared NetInfo domain, then click Connect.
3 Click the right arrow to get to the Location step, and then select the setting that indicates the
server is at its permanent network location.
You cannot set up a shared NetInfo domain on a server that is in a temporary location.
4 Advance to the Directory Use step, and then select the option to provide directory
information to other servers.
5 Go to the Configure step, where you may select the option to enable LDAP support.
The shared directory automatically supports the NetInfo protocol. LDAP support is optional.
6 Go through the steps for configuring a Password Server.
As you go through each step, Open Directory Assistant displays the current Password Server
settings of the Mac OS X Server that you are configuring.
If you want the Password Server configuration to remain as-is, do not change any settings as
you go through these steps.
7 When you reach the Finish Up step, review its configuration summary and click Go Ahead to
apply the settings.
If you want to change any of the settings in the configuration summary, click the left arrow.
Keep clicking the left arrow until you get back to the step where you can make the desired
change. After changing the setting, click the right arrow until you get to the Finish Up step
again.
Configuring NetInfo Binding
When a Mac OS X computer starts up, it can bind its local directory domain to a shared
NetInfo domain. The shared NetInfo domain can bind to another shared NetInfo domain.
The binding process creates a hierarchy of NetInfo domains.
A NetInfo hierarchy has a structure like an upside-down tree. Local domains at the bottom of
the hierarchy bind to one or more shared domains, which may in turn bind to one or more
other shared domains, and so on. Each domain binds to only one shared domain, but a
shared domain can have any number of domains bind to it. A shared domain is called parent
domain, and each domain that binds to it is a child domain. At the top of the hierarchy is one
shared domain that doesn’t bind to another domain; this is the root domain.
A Mac OS X computer can bind to a shared NetInfo domain by using any combination of
three protocols: static, broadcast, or DHCP.