This is a snapshot release of the NIS interface to Perl 5.  There are
three parts to the interface: the raw component (Net::NIS), the object-
oriented component (Net::NIS::Table), and the tied interface (Net::NIS).

Unless someone provides strong reason to support the raw or OO components,
they will be marked as deprecated and not documented or enhanced (but
still supported for backward compatibility).

The tied interface provides simple, Perl-like access to NIS databases:

  use Net::NIS;
  tie %ip, 'Net::NIS', 'hosts.byname'
    or die "Cannot tie to hosts.byname YP map: $yperr\n";
  $hostname = "test";
  print "$hostname's IP address is ", $ip{$hostname} || "<unknown>", "\n";

  # Look for any hosts named "test-XXX"
  @test_hosts = sort grep(/^test-/, keys %ip);

INSTALLATION:
------------

The usual:

      perl Makefile.PL
      make
      make test
      make install

You may see some (different) compiler warnings on Linux, FreeBSD,
and Solaris.  Suggestions welcome on portable ways to clean those up.


DEPENDENCIES:
-------------

Net::NIS is being developed under Perl 5.6.1.  It has been tested
with 5.005_03, and seems to work.  Sorry, Net::NIS will not compile
under Perl 5.004 or anything earlier.

The tests require that the "ypcat" and "domainname" executables be
found somewhere in your $PATH, and that the compile system be bound
to a YP server containing some of the "usual suspects" maps.  If you
build on a system not running NIS, the tests will fail.


BUGS:
-----

Net::NIS has not changed much (read "at all") in over seven years,
so I (Ed) am not about to go changing interfaces.  I have made some
bug fixes:

  * trailing-NUL bugs fixed: calling code no longer needs to trim
    NULs from returned keys, or append them in lookups.
  * YPERR_xxx constants are now properly defined

...and added some new features:

  * when called in scalar context, yp_match() returns
  * New magic variable "$yperr" for determining error status
  * New tied interface

There have been a lot of changes, and that means there will be
bugs.  Please report any bugs you encounter to <esm@pobox.com>.

have fun,
rik.	(1995-11-10)
Ed      (2002-02-20)


COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE:
---------------------

Copyright © 1995,2002 Rik Harris.

This package is free software; you may redistribute it and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
