Maps define the mount-points that AutoFS will mount. Maps are
available either locally or through a distributed network Name Service,
such as NIS or LDAP. AutoFS supports different types of maps.
Table 3-1 lists the different
types of maps supported by AutoFS.
Table 3-1 Types of AutoFS Maps
| Type of Map | Description |
|---|
| Master Map | A master list of maps, which
associates a directory with a map. The automount command reads the master map at system startup to create the initial
set of AutoFS mounts. |
| Direct Map | A direct map is an entry in the
AutoFS master map. In a direct map, there exists a direct association
between the mount-point on a client and a directory on the server. |
| Indirect Map | An indirect map is an entry
in the AutoFS master map. In an indirect map, there exists an association
between keys representing mount-points on the client and directories
on the server. A key is a representation of the first field of a map
entry. |
| Executable Map | An executable map is a map
whose entries are generated dynamically by a program or a script.
Local maps that have the execute bit
set in their file permissions will be executed by the AutoFS daemon.
A direct map cannot be made executable. |
| Special Map | Special Maps are of two types
namely, -hosts and -null. |
| Included Map | An included map is a map that
is included within another map. The entries of the included map are
read as if they are part of the existing map. |
Figure 3-2 “AutoFS” displays a sample AutoFS
network.
In this figure, AFS1, AFS2, and Sage are
AutoFS clients. Thyme and Basil are the NFS servers. The NFS servers export
directories. The AutoFS clients use maps to access the exported directories.
For instance, the NFS server, Basil, exports the /export directory. If you are
a user on any of the AutoFS clients, you can use maps to access the /export directory from the NFS server, Basil.
AutoFS clients can access the exported filesystem using any
one of the following map types:
The AutoFS client, Sage, uses
a direct map to access the /export directory. Sage includes an entry similar to the following
in its map:
Sage mounts the /export directory on the export mount-point.
The AFS1 client uses an indirect
map to access the /export directory. The AFS1 client includes an entry similar to the following
in its map:
/usr / server:/
/export Basil:/export |
The AFS1 client mounts the /export directory on the /usr/export mount-point.
The AFS2 client uses a special
map to automount the /export directory. The AFS2 client includes an entry similar to the following
in its map:
The AFS2 client mounts the /export directory at the /net/Basil/export location.
Printable version
