System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices

Understanding the /export Directory

The /export directory contains server files exported to clients, such as diskless, dataless, or disk-poor machines. A server can export several types of disk space, including packages of executable programs, paging space for diskless clients, and root file systems for diskless clients or those with low disk resources. The standard location for such disk space in the file tree is the /export directory. Some of the subdirectories of the /export directory are shown in the following list:

/exec

Contains directories that diskless clients mount over their /user file systems.

/swap

Contains files for diskless clients' remote paging.

/share

Contains directories that diskless clients mount over their /user/share directory.

/root

Contains directories that diskless clients mount over their / (root) file system.

/dump

Contains directories for diskless clients' remote dump files.

/home

Contains directories that diskless clients mount over their /home file system.

The /export directory is the default location for client resources for the diskless commands. The /export directory is only the location of client resources on the server. Because clients mount these resources onto their own file tree, these resources appear to clients at the normal places in a file tree. The major subdirectories of the /export directory, and their corresponding mount points on a client file tree, include:

/export/root

This directory is mounted over the client root ( / ) file system. Client root directories are located in the /export/root directory by default and are named with the client's host name.

/export/exec

Also called the Shared Product Object Tree (SPOT) directory. This directory is mounted over the client /usr file system. SPOTs are versions of the /usr file system stored in the /export/exec directory and have names that reflect their release level. By default, the name is RISCAIX.

/export/share

This directory is mounted over the client /usr/share directory. This directory contains data that can be shared by many architectures. The default location is /export/share/AIX/usr/share.

/export/home

This directory is mounted over the client /home file system. It contains user directories grouped by client host names. The default location for client home directories is /export/home.

/export/swap

Also called the paging directory. In standalone or dataless systems, paging is provided by a local disk; for diskless clients, this service is provided by a file on a server. This file is named after the client's host name and by default is found in the /export/swap directory.

/export/dump

Standalone systems use a local disk as the dump device; diskless clients use a file on a server. The file resides in a directory named after the client host name and by default is found in the /export/dump directory.

microcode

This directory contains microcode for physical devices. The default location is /export/exec/RISCAIX/usr/lib/microcode.