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

map entry. For information on how to include a map in another map, see “Including
a Map in Another Map” (page 99).
Automounting All Exported Directories from Any Host Using the -hosts Map
To automount all exported directories using the -hosts map, follow these steps:
1. If you are using local files for AutoFS maps, use an editor to add the following
entry to the /etc/auto_master master map file:
/net -hosts -nosuid,soft,nobrowse
NOTE: The nobrowse option in the local default master map file for a newly
installed system is specified for the /net map.
If you are using NIS to manage AutoFS maps, add the previous entry to the master
map file on the NIS master server. Rebuild the map and push it out to the slave
servers. For more information on NIS and NIS maps, see the NIS Administrator’s
Guide (5991-2187). If you are using LDAP, add the entry to the LDAP directory.
2. On each host that uses the map you modified, enter the following command to
force AutoFS to read the modified map:
/usr/sbin/automount
Notes on the -hosts Map
The -hosts map is a built-in AutoFS map. It enables AutoFS to mount exported
directories from any NFS server found in the hosts database, whenever a user or a
process requests access to one of the exported directories from that server.
CAUTION: You may inadvertently cause an NFS mount over X.25 or SLIP, which is
unsupported, or through a slow router or gateway, because the -hosts map allows
NFS access to any reachable remote system. Mounts over slow links can cause excessive
retransmissions and degrade the performance for all users.
When a user or a process requests a directory from an NFS server, AutoFS creates a
subdirectory named after the NFS server, under the local mount-point you configured
in the AutoFS master map. (The conventional mount-point for the -hosts map is
/net). AutoFS then mounts the exported directories from that server. These exported
directories are now accessible.
The -hosts map is an indirect map. It uses the hosts database (the /etc/hosts file,
the NIS hosts map, LDAP, or BIND [DNS]) to discover the host on the network. The
NSS configuration determines which name services to search for host information. For
more information on configuring the NSS, see nsswitch.conf(4).
For example, if the server, Basil exports /opt and /apps, and a user on your NFS
client enters the following command:
94 Configuring and Administering AutoFS