In: Categories » Computers and technology » Linux Commands » Using autofs to mount partitions across the network
Because the way you’re using autofs to mount partitions across the network relies on NFS, before using it you’ll need to be sure you can do normal NFS mounts. Once you have this working, just make a simple change to your startup scripts to deploy the autofs service. The easiest way to do this is to run the redhat-config-services utility to enable the daemon. Simply start the configuration tool and mark the autofs check box as shown.
If you need to start autofs by hand, run this command:
[root@tedford /root]# service autofs start
Use this same command to stop the autofs daemon, by changing the start option to stop. You can also update the configuration files and have the daemon reread them by replacing the start option to reread.
Configuring /etc/auto.master
The autofs service’s primary configuration file is /etc/auto.master. The format of this file is as follows:
#
# Sample /etc/auto.master file
# (lines which begin with a '#' are comments)
#
/mount/point map-file global-options
/home auto.home
/usr/local auto.local
/misc auto.misc
The first column tells you the mount point; the second column lists the files containing details about the mapping for that mount point; and the last column contains any NFS options you want to apply to all mounts. The map files look a little different from the auto.master file. For example, here’s the auto.misc file:
#
# auto.misc
#
# This is an automounter map and it has the following format
# key [ -mount-options-separated-by-comma ] location
# Details may be found in the autofs(5) manpage
kernel -ro,soft,intr ftp.kernel.org:/pub/linux
cd -fstype=iso9660,ro :/dev/cdrom
# the following entries are samples to pique your imagination
#floppy -fstype=auto :/dev/fd0
#floppy -fstype=ext2 :/dev/fd0
#e2floppy -fstype=ext2 :/dev/fd0
#jaz -fstype=ext2 :/dev/sdc1
Here, the first column is the key, the second column holds the mount options, and the last column is the location from which to mount. If the location entry begins with a colon, it’s a signal to the system that the mount is local. Thus, /misc/cd would mount /dev/cdrom with the following mount options:
-fstype=iso9660,ro
NOTE
Unlike NFS, which requires that the directory already exist in order for you to mount it, the autofs service does not. In the case of the /misc mount point, all that needs to exist is the /misc directory. All subdirectories would be created by the autofs daemon as needed. If you change any of the map files while autofs is running, you’ll need to restart the autofs service so that it can reread the configuration files. This is done by using autofs as follows:
[root@tedford /root]# /etc/init.d/autofs reload
legal notice
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Web-articles is a free articles resource.
Suggestion: If you need fresh, daily updated content for your website, feel free to use our service. Click here for more information.
Useful tools and features
If you like this article (tutorial), please link to it from your web page using the information above.
related articles
Learning Who Is Logged In: who On systems that allow users to log in to other users’ machines or special servers, you will want to know who is logged in. You can generate such a report by using the who command: [michael@workbox michael]$ who The who report looks like this: michael tty1 Jun 14 18:22 rwhite pts/9 Jun 14 18:29 (:0) root pts/11 Jun 14 21:12 (:0) root pts/12 Jun 14 23:38 (:0) A Variation on who: w The w command di...
2. X offers the ability to display content on other hosts
Remote X Displays In Linux tutorial 1, I said that X offers the ability to display content on other hosts’ screens. This makes it possible to log in to a server that has a special program on it and have the display redirected to the screen in front of you. Allowing this to happen is a two-step process. The first step is telling your machine that it should allow connections from another host for X displays. This is done with the xhost command: [michael@workbox michael]$ xhost +ungerer...
3. Editing text filesin Linux Red Hat
Editing Text Files Editors are by the far the bulkiest of common tools, but they are also the most useful. Without them, making any kind of change to a text file would be a tremendous undertaking. Regardless of your Linux distribution, you will have gotten a few editors. You should take a few moments to get comfortable with them before you’re busy fighting another problem. NOTE Although all of the editors listed here come with Red Hat 8, not all of them are installed by default. ...
4. Reviewing Linux File System Standards
Reviewing Linux File System Standards One argument you hear regularly against Linux is that there are too many different distributions, and that multiple distributions lead to fragmentation. This fragmentation will eventuate in different, incompatible Linux versions. This is, without a doubt, complete nonsense that plays on “FUD” (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). These types of arguments usually stem from a misunderstanding of the kernel and distributions. However, the Linux community has realized that it h...
5. Linux is built upon the foundation of file systems
File Systems Linux is built upon the foundation of file systems. They are the mechanisms by which the disk gets organized, providing all of the abstraction layers above sectors and cylinders. In this module, you’ll learn about the composition and management of these abstraction layers supported by the default Linux file system, ext2, and its more robust counterpart, ext3. This module covers the many aspects of managing disks. This includes creating partitions, establishing file systems, automating the process ...
6. Mounting and Unmounting Local Disks
Linux’s strong points include its flexibility and the way it lends itself to seamless management of file locations. Partitions are mounted so that they appear as just another subdirectory. Even a substantial number of file systems look, to the user, like one large directory tree. This characteristic is especially helpful to the administrator, who can relocate partitions to various servers but can have the partitions still mounted to the same location in the directory tree; users of the file system need not know abou...
7. The fsck tool short for File System ChecK
Using fsck The fsck tool, short for File System ChecK, is used to diagnose and repair file systems that may have become damaged in the course of daily operations. Such repairs are usually necessary after a system crash in which the system did not get a chance to fully flush all of its internal buffers to disk. (Although this tool’s name bears a striking resemblance to one of the expressions often uttered after a system crash, that this tool is part of the recovery process is strictly coincidence.) Us...
8. The process of adding a disk under Linux on the Intel
Adding and Partitioning a Disk The process of adding a disk under Linux on the Intel (x86) platform is relatively easy. Assuming you are adding a disk that is of similar type to your existing disks (e.g., adding an IDE disk to a system that already has IDE drives or adding a SCSI disk to a system that already has SCSI drives), the system should automatically detect the new disk at boot time, and all that is left is partitioning it and creating a file system on it. If you are adding a new type of disk (...