ITEM: E2166L

Can not get a get a remote file mount to stay up.

Question:

Level: 3.1.3e and some at 3.2

We set the /var file system to remote mount so as to allow our remote
users access to mail.  When we rebooted a couple of systems the file
system was no longer mounted nad there was an error about "hostname
not in /etc/host".  However, our other remote file systems configured
in the same manner are not having this problem.  We are connecting the
system via NIS.

Response:

Normally, you might expect an NIS client to get all of its host name
resolution from the NIS hosts map it accesses on its NIS server.  This
however, is one case where the client must has the exporting host listed
in its /etc/hosts file.

I was able to have an nfs filesystem automatically mounted in an NIS
client at boot time, but the exporting host had to be in the client's
/etc/host file.  Here is why:

At boot time, you see these messages in the following order

starting multiuser initialization 
activating page spaces 
performing automatic mounts 
Starting TCP/IP daemons 
Starting NIS services
Starting NFS services

performing automatic mounts - mounts any filesystem listed in
/etc/filesystems with mount=automatic.  It also mounts any filesystem
that shows mount=true.  What is the difference between automatic and
true?  umount all will not unmount those with mount=automatic.  So,
mount=automatic is generally used for the "system" filesystems, and
true is used for any other jfs, or nfs filesystems you want mounted
automatically at startup.

So a mount is issued for nfs filesystems at this point.  But with no
TCP/IP, no NIS, no NFS services started, that mount will fail, unless
bg (background) is specified, where the mount can be repeated in the
background until accessible thru TCP/IP, NIS, NFS.  Also, the mount
will fail if the exporting host is not listed in the client's
/etc/hosts file.  Why?  Because at this point in the boot process,
with no TCP/IP up to give access to a name server, and no NIS hosts
map available to the client yet, /etc/hosts is the only place the
client will be able to resolve name to IP address for the host that
exports the filesystem the client is trying to mount.

So, to mount an nfs filesystem automatically at boot time in an NIS
client:

1.) Specify the filesystem in the client's /etc/filesystems file with
    mount=true, options=bg,hard,intr (and others you desire)

2.) Be sure the exporting host is listed in the client's /etc/hosts
    file.



Support Line: Can not get a get a remote file mount to stay up. ITEM: E2166L

Dated: October 1993 Category: N/A

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