NFS problem...

[Walter Maul]

Hi all! I have been getting an error message on some of my PC clients that connect to my NFS exported directories. I get a message from the PC that says that the "semaphore timeout period has expired" and refuses access to the client. This does not seem to be limited to any particular user...and most users can access NFS at any given time. I can't seem to find anything on this in the man pages, but was hoping that someone out there could help enlighten me. Rebooting the server (K460 running HPUX 10.2)seems to help the situation, but after a couple of weeks the problem rears its ugly head again.

Any ideas? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your response. =)

[Dale McNamara]

Your problem sounds like you do not have enough semaphores configured in your kernel parameters. When you reboot the server, all the semaphores are available however, as NFS clients attach over a period of time, they become exausted.

To check the number of semaphore usage, try the command: ipcs -s -b

Then check your kernel parameters in SAM and see how many you have allocated. If you increase the number or semaphores in SAM, you will need to reboot.

Don't worry about configuring too many semaphores, not really a limit on how many, just increases the size of the kernel.

[Berlene Herren]

Are you also running AS/U? I have seen this error before with this product.

Berlene

[CHRIS_ANORUO]

If you do ipcs -t, the expired semaphore will be listed as follows under Semaphores:
ID... OWNER GROUP OTIME CTIME
24... oracle dba no-entry 13:19:41
This should fall under category 's'
Use the ipcrm command to release the expired semaphores as follows:

ipcrm -s 24

Regards

[Thomas G. Tudrej]

what software are you using on the PCs to nfs mount UNIX drives?

[Yvan Gosset]

Hello.

We have exactly the same problem since we have increase
network flow ( from 10 to 100 Mbits/s ).

We use the software : 'diskaccess' on windows NT workstation to mount ( via NFS ) unix directory of an HP Unix server.
These directories are database directory for the software : ClearCase (Configuration Management).
I am a ClearCase administrator, not really a system administrator .
Do you have good result with the increase of number of semaphore ?

Regards,
Yvan Gosset.