When configuring an OpenLDAP system for integration with PAM and NSS the /etc/nsswitch.conf file needs to be modified. Which of the following parameters completes this line from the…

Question

Options

• Apam
• Bldap
• Cpam_nss
• Dpam_ldap
• Enone

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  77% (40)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  13% (7)
• E
  6% (3)

Explanation

Option B (ldap) is correct because /etc/nsswitch.conf maps name service lookups to their data sources, and ldap is the recognized keyword that tells NSS to query an LDAP directory. The complete line passwd: files ldap instructs the system to first check local /etc/passwd files, then fall back to LDAP for user account lookups.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (pam) - PAM is an authentication framework, not a name service source. It handles how users authenticate, not where user/group data is looked up.
• C (pam_nss) - This is not a valid NSS database keyword at all; it conflates two separate subsystems.
• D (pam_ldap) - pam_ldap is a PAM module (configured in /etc/pam.d/), not an nsswitch.conf source identifier.
• E (none) - Omitting an LDAP source means the system would never consult the directory for passwd lookups, breaking the integration entirely.

Memory tip: Think of nsswitch.conf as a lookup routing table - it only understands data source names (files, ldap, dns, nis), never PAM module names. If it sounds like a module (pam_*), it belongs in /etc/pam.d/, not here.

No community discussion yet for this question.