nis module error

[Thomas Wouters]

On Mon, Jul 17, 2000 at 02:25:47PM -0600, Jacob Hunt wrote:

> I am new to python and want to use the nis module.  When I import the
> module I get the error:

> Traceback (innermost last):
>   File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
> ImportError: /usr/lib/python1.5/lib-dynload/nismodule.so: undefined
> symbol: yperr_string

> what does this mean?  How can I correct the problem or is there a way
> around it.
> I am using python 1.5.2 on x86 SuSE 6.4.

The error means the nismodule tries to use a symbol 'yperr_string', which
could be a function or a global variable, and it's listed as being
'external', but it can't find the module where that symbol should live. Try
using 'ldd nismodule.so', it should give something like this:

        libnsl.so.1 => /lib/libnsl.so.1 (0x40008000)
        libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x4001f000)
        /lib/ld-linux.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x2aaaa000)

You need to include the 'nsl' library, libnsl.so.*, in order for NIS to
work. This should be enabled by default, in the Modules/Setup file, but
maybe I'm mistaken, or it got removed somehow. Or perhaps SuSE places the
library in a strange spot, and you need to add that spot to /etc/ld.so.conf

-- 
Thomas Wouters <thomas at xs4all.net>

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