mount / autoFS problems

[Ross Minkov]

Background
==========

We have an 11.11 HP-UX system using the new autoFS.

# grep AUTOFS /etc/rc.config.d/nfsconf | grep -v ^#
AUTOFS=1

# ps -ef | grep auto | grep -v grep
root 619 0 0 Jul 21 console 0:09 autofs_proc
root 616 1 0 Jul 21 ? 0:40
/usr/lib/netsvc/fs/autofs/automountd

We NFS mount /usr/local on that system. As we have a mixture of Tru64
UNIX/HP-UX/Solaris/Linux/AIX systems in a single NIS domain we have
different /usr/local file systems for each UNIX flavor. We serve one set
of automount/autoFS maps to all NIS client systems. As the bulk of the
systems are running Tru64 UNIX we have the Tru64 UNIX /usr/local
configured for automounting by default.

# ypcat -k auto.common | grep local
/usr/local alpha:/usrlocal/tru64/data

On all of the other platforms we have "/usr/local -null" entry in
/etc/auto_master and /usr/local entry in /etc/(v)fstab to mount the
appropriate /usr/local on boot. For example on the HP-UX system:

# grep local /etc/auto_master
/usr/local -null

# grep local /etc/fstab
alpha:/usrlocal/hpux/data /usr/local nfs defaults 0 0

Problem Description
===================

We have seen the following problem on this HP-UX system with the new
autoFS. When the system boots up it NFS mounts /usr/local OK. After some
time (not sure how long) checking for the NFS mounted /usr/local shows
that it is no longer mounted:

# bdf | grep local

Trying to cd to /usr/local mounts the Tru64 UNIX /usr/local listed in
auto.common:

# cd /usr/local
# bdf | grep local
alpha:/usrlocal/tru64/data 10664584 3466320 7198264 33% /usr/local

We do not want that. Looks like we have 2 problems:

1. Why /usr/local unmounts on its own?
2. Why when we cd to /usr/local we can get past "/usr/local -null" in
/etc/auto_master and yet successfully mount it? Is the new autoFS
ignoring /etc/auto_master?


We have another 11.11 HP-UX system configured to use the old automount
daemon. We do not see that problem there.


TIA,
Ross

[Kevin Wright]

that is the whole idea of automount..unmount filesystems when not used, and mount them when accessed

[Peter Nikitka]

Hi,

you use a NIS-Map(s) - are located before the
'null'-Overwrite? They should be after these.
Perhaps other maps overwrite the entry as well?

At boot time, NIS-binding delays may leed to different results...

The umount is just a normal automount behaviour.

mfG Peter

[Ross Minkov]

I do not want to use automount/autoFS for /usr/local. That's why I have an entry for it in /etc/fstab.

The way I see the problem is that autoFS disregards /etc/auto_master and unmounts my /usr/local after the inactivity timeout thinking that he mounted it. In fact autoFS did not mount /usr/local. It was mounted from /etc/fstab.


>you use a NIS-Map(s) - are located before the
> 'null'-Overwrite? They should be after these.

I am not sure what do you mean by before/after here?


> Perhaps other maps overwrite the entry as well?

What other maps?


> At boot time, NIS-binding delays may leed to different results...

I don't have any problems at boot time.

Thanks,
Ross

[Ross Minkov]

closing the thread