NFS Services Administrator's Guide (B.11.31.03) August 2008

ensure that the AUTO_MASTER variable in /etc/rc.config.d/nfsconf is set
to the name of the master map, as follows:
AUTO_MASTER=”/etc/auto_master”
If the -f option is not specified for the automount command then the Name
Service Switch (NSS) is used to get the master map. If the master map is not found
in any of the backends, then it tries the default master map
name/etc/auto_master. If the -f option is specified for the automount
command, then it uses that file irrespective of what the backend says. However,
if the file is not found, then it will try the /etc/auto_master file. If you use an
NIS AutoFS master map, ensure that -f $AUTO_MASTER is not present in the
AUTOMOUNT_OPTIONS variable.
3. To run the AutoFS startup script, enter the following command:
/sbin/init.d/autofs start
Notes on AutoFS Master Map
The AutoFS master map file, /etc/auto_master by default, determines the locations
of all AutoFS mount-points. At system startup, the automount command reads the
master map to create the initial set of AutoFS mounts. Subsequent to system startup,
the automount command maybe run to install AutoFS mounts for new entries in the
master map or a direct map, or to perform unmounts for entries that have been removed
from these maps.
Following is a syntax of an auto_master file:
mount-point map-name [mount-options]
where:
mount-point Directory on which an AutoFS mount is made.
map-name Map associated with mount-point specifying locations of
filesystems to mount.
mount-options
Options that apply to the maps specified by map-name.
If the first field specifies the directory as /-, then the second field is the name of the
direct map. The master map file, like any other map file, may be distributed by NIS or
LDAP by modifying the appropriate configuration files and removing any existing
/etc/auto_master master map file.
NOTE: If the same mount-point is used in two entries, the first entry is used by the
automount command. The second entry is ignored.
You must run the automount command after you modify the master map or a direct
map.
Following is a sample auto_master file:
82 Configuring and Administering AutoFS