Autofs and automounter

[ShivKumar_1]

We have a setup of around 400 HP K-class and N-class servers, many of them run the M/C service gaurd. What do I need to do implement autofs, what is the basic difference between an automounter and a autofs? I need to no what is good bad
and indifferent.

Thanks

[alberto vasquez]

On the HP-UX Extension Pack Release, August 1998 (for HP-UX 11.0), the new automounting utility, AutoFS, is available in addition to the pre-existing Automounter. You can configure your system to use either Automounter or AutoFS. Automounter is the default on a newly installed or updated system. However, you may choose to migrate to AutoFS, since it has several advantages over Automounter:

AutoFS can be used to mount any type of file system, including NFS Protocol Version 3. (The pre-existing Automounter can be used only for NFS PV2.)


With AutoFS, the configured mount points are the actual mount points. (The pre-existing Automounter mounts directories under /tmp_mnt and creates symbolic links from the configured mount points to the actual ones under /tmp_mnt.)


You do not have to stop AutoFS to change your automounter maps. The AutoFS daemon, automountd, runs continuously. When you make a change to an automounter map, you run the automount command, which reads the maps and then exits. (The pre-existing automounter has to be killed and restarted whenever you make a change to an automounter map.)

Berlene

[alberto vasquez]

On the HP-UX Extension Pack Release, August 1998 (for HP-UX 11.0), the new automounting utility, AutoFS, is available in addition to the pre-existing Automounter. You can configure your system to use either Automounter or AutoFS. Automounter is the default on a newly installed or updated system. However, you may choose to migrate to AutoFS, since it has several advantages over Automounter:

AutoFS can be used to mount any type of file system, including NFS Protocol Version 3. (The pre-existing Automounter can be used only for NFS PV2.)


With AutoFS, the configured mount points are the actual mount points. (The pre-existing Automounter mounts directories under /tmp_mnt and creates symbolic links from the configured mount points to the actual ones under /tmp_mnt.)


You do not have to stop AutoFS to change your automounter maps. The AutoFS daemon, automountd, runs continuously. When you make a change to an automounter map, you run the automount command, which reads the maps and then exits. (The pre-existing automounter has to be killed and restarted whenever you make a change to an automounter map.)


Berlene