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

IMPORTANT: Ensure that local_parent_directory and local_subdirectory
are not already created. AutoFS creates them when it mounts the remote directory. If
these directories exist, their files and directories in them are hidden when the remote
directory is mounted.
Ensure that the local mount-point specified in the AutoFS map entry is different from
the exported directory on the NFS server. If it is the same, and the NFS server also acts
as an NFS client and uses AutoFS with these map entries, the exported directory might
attempt to mount over itself. This can result in unexpected behavior. A directory might
also attempt to mount over itself if you use a single set of AutoFS maps that are
distributed using NIS or LDAP, or are in a High Availability environment.
Notes on Indirect Maps
The mount options that you can specify in the AutoFS maps are the same ones that
you use for the type of filesystem you attempt to automount. For example, if the
filesystem type is NFS, then the mount options you use are identical to the ones used
for standard NFS mounted directories. For a list of mount options, see “Changing the
Default Mount Options” (page 55). You cannot use the bg option for an automounted
directory. The mount options configured in the indirect map override the ones in the
master map if there is a conflict.
Indirect maps are usually called /etc/auto_name, where name helps you remember
what is configured in the map. Following is the syntax of the indirect map:
local mount-point mount options remote server:directory
where:
local mount-point Simple name in the indirect map
mount options Options you want to apply to this mount.
remote server:directory Location of the directory, on the server, that is to
be mounted.
If the indirect map name in the AutoFS master map begins with a slash (/), AutoFS
assumes that 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, LDAP, or an NIS map. For more information
on configuring the Name Service Switch, see nsswitch.conf(4).
Sample File Entries for NFS Indirect Automounts
The local_subdirectory specified in an indirect map is the lowest-level subdirectory
in the local directory path name. For example, if you are mounting a remote directory
on /nfs/apps/draw, draw is the local_subdirectory specified in the indirect
map.
Following are sample lines from the AutoFS master map on the NFS client, sage. The
master map also includes an entry for the /etc/auto_direct direct map.
88 Configuring and Administering AutoFS