autofsmount(8)autofsmount(8)NAMEautofsmount - Installs and removes AutoFS intercept points
SYNOPSIS
/usr/sbin/autofsmount [-emuUv] [-D name=value] [-h hostname] [-M map‐
name] [-t directory] [-f master-file] [directory map [-mount-options]]
OPTIONS
Defines an AutoFS environment variable by assigning value to the vari‐
able. Prefixes all autofsmount command options with those stored in
the user-defined AUTOFSMOUNT_EXPARGS environment variable. See ENVIRON‐
MENT VARIABLES.
If specified, this option must appear as the first option in the
command string. Unmounts all file systems in the export list
for a given host. Ignores directory-mapname pairs listed in the
auto.master NIS database. Unmounts all file systems associated
with a given AutoFS map. Unmounts a directory subtree starting
with the given directory. Unmounts all file systems mounted by
autofsd and removes all AutoFS intercept points. Unmounts
(forcefully) all file systems mounted by autofsd and removes all
AutoFS intercept points. Enables verbose output. Uses master-
file for a list of initial directory to mapname pairs, ahead of
the auto.master NIS map. If an entry exists in both master-file
and auto.master, the one specified in master-file is used since
it is read first. Similarly, entries on the command line take
precedence over master-file entries. This technique can be used
to replace entries in global maps with your own. A fully-quali‐
fied path name designates a user-supplied file to read as the
master file; otherwise, the name is considered an NIS map name.
Specifies the full pathname of a local directory if the map
argument is the name of an indirect map or the name of a special
map. If the map argument is the name of a direct map, the dummy
directory /- is specified as the directory. Names a map that
the autofsmount command uses to find the mount points and loca‐
tions. This can either be a file name, an NIS map name, or a
special map name.
If you do not specify a full pathname (see directory) with the
map parameter, the autofsmount command attempts to open the
specified map as a local master map file. If this attempt
fails, the command then attempts to obtain the specified map
from NIS. Specifies the mount options to be applied to all of
the directories listed in map. If mount options are listed in
the specified map, they take precedence over these options.
DESCRIPTION
The autofsmount command installs and removes intercept points that are
used by the kernel to automatically and transparently mount and unmount
NFS file systems. It also removes file systems that were NFS-mounted by
the autofsd daemon, if necessary.
You can specify AutoFS intercept points in the form of map files.
Maps
Conventionally, AutoFS maps are files that are located in the /etc
directory with names that have the prefix auto. They indicate which
remote file systems to mount, where to mount them, and which options to
use.
An individual AutoFS map is either local or served by NIS. A system,
however, can use both local and NIS AutoFS maps. When a map is refer‐
enced, the autofsmount command checks whether a full pathname is speci‐
fied. If it is, autofsmount looks for the designated mapname locally.
If the mapname is not a full pathname, autofsmount looks for an NIS map
by that name.
The Master Map
The autofsmount program can consult a master map, which contains
entries that point to other maps that can be either direct or indirect.
If NIS is running, autofsmount checks for the presence of an NIS map
named auto.master; you are not required to run NIS or have an auto.mas‐
ter map. A master map can also be a file whose location is specified
with the -f command line option.
The master map provides AutoFS with a list of maps, and with arguments
that pertain to each of the maps. Each line in the master map has the
following syntax: directory map [mount-options]
Specifies the full pathname of a local directory if the map argument is
the name of an indirect map or the name of a special map. If the map
argument is the name of a direct map, the dummy directory “/-” is spec‐
ified as the directory. Names a map that the autofsmount command uses
to find the mount points and locations. This can either be a file
name, an NIS map name, or a special map name. Lists the options used
to regulate the mounting of entries listed in map.
Direct Maps
Direct maps specify which remote file systems to mount locally and what
the local mount points are. They also can specify mount options. Direct
maps have the following syntax: key [mount-options] location
Specifies the full pathname of the mount point. Lists the options for
this specific mount. When present, these options override any mount
options specified on the command line or in the master map. Specifies
the location of the resource being mounted and uses the format
server:pathname. Multiple location fields can be specified; see Repli‐
cated File Systems for more information.
Indirect Maps
Indirect maps have the same format as direct maps. However, unlike the
key in a direct map, the key in an indirect map is a simple name that
does not begin with a slash. (Remember that the indirect map as a whole
has been associated with a directory specified in the master map or on
the command line. The entries in an indirect map list subdirectories
that are individually mounted within the directory associated with the
map.)
Special Maps
The -hosts map is a special AutoFS map that is used to access all
directories exported by a server to a client.
The following command allows a client to access directories that are
exported from any host in its /etc/hosts file, the NIS hosts database:
# autofsmount /net -hosts
For example, suppose that hera and sheba are both hosts on a local area
network that is running NIS. If superuser on hera enters the autofs‐
mount /net -hosts command, users on hera can access any directories
that sheba exports to hera. All of the exported directories are mounted
under /net/sheba on hera.
The -null map, when indicated on the command line, cancels the map
entry associated with the directory indicated. You can use it to can‐
cel a map specified in the master map. For example, invoking the aut‐
ofsmount command in the following manner causes the /net entry in
auto.master to be ignored: # autofsmount /net -null
This syntax applies only to entries in a master map or a direct map.
For indirect maps, you must specify the excluded entries by using the
-null option with the autofsd daemon. See autofsd(8).
Pattern Matching
The ampersand (&) is expanded into the key field in a map wherever it
appears. In the following example, the ampersand (&) expands to oak:
#key mount_options location # oak
&:/export/&
The asterisk (*), when supplied as the key field, is recognized as the
catch-all entry. It is used to substitute for lines that are all for‐
matted similarly. Any entry following the asterisk is ignored. In the
following example, the autofsmount program uses the asterisk to match
any host name other than oak:
#key mount_options location # oak
&:/export/& * &:/home/&
Environment Variables
The value of an environment variable can be used within an AutoFS map
by prefixing a dollar sign ($) to its name. You can also use braces to
delimit the name of the variable from appended letters or digits. The
environment variables can be inherited from the environment or can be
explicitly defined with the -D command line option.
Multiple Mounts
A multiple mount entry causes several NFS mount points to be mounted
and unmounted together. Multiple mounts have the following syntax:
key mountpoint [mount-options] location...\
[mountpoint [mount-options] location...] ...
Specifies the full pathname or simple name of the mount point, depend‐
ing on whether it is a direct or indirect map entry. Specifies the
full pathname of a local directory. All mount points must begin with a
slash (/). A slash is acceptable as the first mountpoint. Lists the
options for this specific mount. When present, these options override
any mount options specified on the command line or in the master map.
Specifies the location of the resource being mounted and uses the for‐
mat server:pathname. Multiple location fields can be specified; see
Replicated File Systems for more information.
If multiple mounts are hierarchically related, the order in which they
appear in the entry is the order in which they are mounted.
In the following example, the directories /usr/local, /usr/local/bin,
/usr/local/src, and /usr/local/tools are mounted from the machines
host1, host2, host3, and host4, respectively. When the root of the
hierarchy is referenced, the AutoFS mounts the whole hierarchy.
/usr/local \
/ -ro host1:/usr/local \
/bin -ro host2:/usr/local/bin \
/src -ro host3:/usr/local/src \
/tools -ro host4:/usr/src/tools
Readability has been improved by splitting the entry into five lines
and indenting the continuation lines.
Replicated File Systems
You can specify multiple locations for a single mount. If a file sys‐
tem is located on several servers and one of the servers is disabled,
the file system can be mounted from one of the other servers. This
makes sense only when mounting a read-only file system.
In the following example, the reference pages can be mounted from
host1, machine2, or system3:
/usr/man\
-ro,soft host1:/usr/man \
machine2:/usr/man \
system3:/usr/man
The preceding example can also be expressed as a list of servers, sepa‐
rated by commas and followed by a colon and the pathname, for example:
/usr/man -ro,soft host1,machine2,system3:/usr/man
This syntax is valid only if the pathname is the same on each server.
When you try to access the reference pages, the autofsd daemon first
classifies each of the specified servers based on the proximity of its
network address to the current system (Local, Same Subnet, Same Net‐
work, or Other Network). The daemon then attempts to serve the file
system from the closest resource, starting with Local addresses.
If the file system can be served locally, the daemon uses a symbolic
link to access it. If the file system cannot be served locally, the
daemon resorts to trying all Same Subnet, Same Network, and Other Net‐
work addresses, in that order. Except when checking Local addresses,
the system issues a ping request to each server concurrently and
selects the first server that responds to serve the file system.
RESTRICTIONS
Shell filename expansion does not apply to objects that are not cur‐
rently mounted.
You cannot update direct map entries while an active NFS file system is
mounted on the designated mount point. You must unmount the NFS file
system before the AutoFS mount-update takes effect.
AutoFS does not support shared mounts, as defined in automount(8).
AutoFS does not support map entries that meet all of the following con‐
ditions: the directory to be mounted is locally served, no external
server is specified for the directory, and the source and target direc‐
tories would result in circular symbolic links on the system. Further‐
more, if the directory to be mounted is one of several hierarchically-
related map entries, which are normally mounted and unmounted as a
group, the group semantic is lost. The file systems are mounted and
unmounted on an individual basis. The autofsmount command prints a
warning message when it detects these conditions.
EXAMPLES
The following is a sample auto.master map:
# # mount-point mapname mount-options # /net
-hosts /home auto.indirect -rw /-
auto.direct -ro,intr The following is a typical AutoFS
indirect map:
# # key mount-options location # john
merge:/usr/staff/john mary
stripe:/usr/staff/mary fred
blur:/usr/staff/fred The following is a typical AutoFS direct
map:
# # key mount-options location #
/usr/source -ro merge:/usr/src/proto
/usr/local blur:/usr/bin/tools
The following is a sample indirect map that specifies multiple
mount locations for the file system reference. The file system
is mounted from the first server to respond to the mount
request.
reference -ro earl:/usr/src/ref\
fern:/usr/staff/ron/ref\
irv:/usr/backup/reference
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
Specifies arguments for use with the -e option to the autofsmount com‐
mand. As a convenience, this environment variable can be used to hold
the value of the AUTOFSMOUNT_ARGS variable as defined in the
/etc/rc.config.common file. You can arrange for this by adding the
appropriate statements to the configuration file for your shell, as
follows.
For C Shell (in file): setenv AUTOFSMOUNT_EXPARGS `rcmgr -c get
AUTOFSMOUNT_ARGS`
For Korn Shell (in file): AUTOFSMOUNT_EXPARGS=`rcmgr -c get AUT‐
OFSMOUNT_ARGS` export AUTOFSMOUNT_EXPARGS
With the environment variable set in this manner, you can invoke
the autofsmount command with all of your predefined options as
follows: # autofsmount-e
If necessary, you can include additional options after the -e
option.
SEE ALSO
Commands: autofsd(8), automount(8), mount(8)
Network Administration: Services
autofsmount(8)