NFS Services Administrator's Guide

Configuring and Administering NFS
Configuring and Administering AutoFS
Chapter 2108
The local_parent_directory and local_subdirectory should not
exist; AutoFS will create them when it mounts the remote directory. If
the local_parent_directory or local_subdirectory contains files or
directories, they will be hidden beneath the remote directory when it is
mounted.
CAUTION The local_subdirectory and local_parent_directory must not be
symbolic links.
If you are using NIS to manage your automounter maps, make sure the
local mount point is different from the exported directory on the server. If
they are the same, the server may attempt to mount its exported
directory over itself, and the directory will become unavailable.
The mount options are the same ones used for standard NFS-mounted
directories. See “To Change the Default Mount Options” on page 46 for a
list of mount options. The bg option cannot be used for an automounted
directory. The mount options configured in the indirect map override the
ones in the master map if there is a conflict.
You can configure indirect automounts in the same indirect map only if
their local_parent_directory, as specified in the automounter master
map, is the same. For example, indirect mounts with the local mount
points /nfs/apps/draw and /nfs/apps/word could be configured in the
same indirect map.
Indirect maps are usually called /etc/auto_name, where name is
something that helps you remember what is configured in the map. If
you plan to use NIS to manage your automounter maps, and if your file
system does not support file names longer than 14 characters, keep your
indirect map names to 10 characters or fewer.
If the indirect map name in the automounter master map contains a
slash (/), AutoFS assumes it is a local file. If it does not contain a slash,
AutoFS uses the Name Service Switch to determine whether it is a file or
an NIS map. See “Configuring the Name Service Switch” on page 267.
Before you can mount a remote directory on your system, the remote
system where the directory is located must be configured as an NFS
server and must export the directory.