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How does autofs work on the client side?
Autofs is a client-side service that automatically mounts the appropriate file system. When a client attempts to access a file system that is not presently mounted, the autofs file system intercepts the request and calls automountdto mount the requested directory. The automountddaemon locates the directory, mounts it within autofs, and replies.
How does autofs trigger a file system to be mounted?
These points are also known as trigger nodes. After the autofs mounts are set up, they can trigger file systems to be mounted under them. For example, when autofs receives a request to access a file system that is not currently mounted, autofs calls automountd, which actually mounts the requested file system.
How does autofs choose the nearest NFS server?
Autofs chooses the nearest server and therefore confines NFS network traffic to a local network segment. Autofs selects the nearest interface to the client.
Which is the default configuration file for autofs?
The master configuration file for autofs is /etc/auto.master by default. Unless you have a good reason for changing this, leave it as the default. Here is the sample file provided by Ubuntu: By default, all lines are commented out by using the # character. Each of the lines in auto.master describes a mount and the location of its map.
How does autofs support automatic mounting and unmounting?
Autofs is a kernel file system that supports automatic mounting and unmounting. When a request is made to access a file system at an autofs mount point: Autofs intercepts the request. Autofs sends a message to the automountd for the requested file system to be mounted.
How do I update the autofs Mount table?
After initially mounting autofs mounts, the automount command is used to update autofs mounts as necessary, by comparing the list of mounts in the auto_mastermap with the list of mounted file systems in the mount table file /etc/mnttab(formerly /etc/mtab) and making the appropriate changes.