NFS Services Administrator's Guide

Configuring and Administering AutoFS
Including a Map in Another Map
Chapter 3138
Including a Map in Another Map
To include the contents of an AutoFS map in another AutoFS map, add a
plus (+) sign before the map name, as in the following example:
# /etc/auto_home file
# local mount point mount options remote server:directory
basil -nosuid basil:/export/home/basil
+auto_home
Suppose /etc/auto_home map is listed in the master map with the
following line:
/home /etc/auto_home
If a user logs in whose home directory is in /home/basil, AutoFS
mounts the directory, /export/home/basil from the host, basil.
If a user logs in whose home directory is in /home/sage, /home/thyme, or
any subdirectory of /home other than basil, AutoFS consults the
auto_home map for information on mounting the user’s home directory.
The plus (+) sign instructs AutoFS to look up a different map for the
information it needs to mount the directory. If the map name following
the plus sign begins with a slash, AutoFS assumes that it is a local file. If
the map name contains no slashes, AutoFS uses the Name Service
Switch to determine whether it is a file, NIS map, or an LDAP map.
You can include an AutoFS map inside a local file, but not inside an NIS
or LDAP map.
For more information, see automount (1M) or nsswitch.conf (4).