The NSS kernel module (km_nss) file is delivered in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The NSS kernel module is installed by default because it is part of the Linux kernel.
The NSS kernel module is delivered in Linux because of the following:
The NSS kernel module provides NSS support for Linux utilities and commands.
The NSS kernel module is open source to meet the GPL (GNU Public License) requirements.
If you add a kernel patch for a third-party module, application, or service, the NSS source code must be in the kernel code in order to be recompiled with the patch. Otherwise, an OES 2 Linux deployment using NSS would break.
Although the basic NSS code for Linux is delivered in the Linux kernel, it is not usable without OES 2 services on the Linux server. NSS is a unique file system that is tightly integrated with identity management. The root user is the only local user who can see NSS volumes on a Linux server. NSS needs Novell eDirectory to authenticate non-root users for connections to the volume. In addition, OES 2 Linux provides Linux User Management, NetWare Core Protocol™ (NCP) Server, and volume and user space management tools that make NSS volumes usable on a Linux server.
Updates for the km_nss module are delivered in major releases of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and as patches for the Linux kernel in the Software Updater. You can also download patches for the km_nss module from the Novell SUSE Patch Support Database (PSDB).