(note: I've segmented the mail to make it more readable,
since I'm jumping between many ideas... sorry, I'm messy)


> De: Jon Connell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Rainer Clasen's patch for mount_autofs.c didn't get me any
> mileage on my autofs (3.1.3). The mapfiles:
 > /etc/auto.master:
> /nfs     --timeout 60
> /etc/autofs/nfs :
> *  -fstype=autofs,-Dhost=&,-Dprefix=/&  file:/etc/autofs/nfs.sub
> /etc/autofs/nfs.sub
> *       ${host}:${prefix}/&


this solution, as far as I've undestood,
only support 2 level NFS automounting
(or 1 or 3 or 4, but a fixed depth)
...


** making -Dvar=val works ?

trying to implement /net like you do,
I've been unable to use the -D option
with autofs-3.1.3-54, neither with files 
nor with program maps ...
in fact the automount processes were 
hanging while forking...


are there some "secrets", hints ... to use the -D variables ?
the only solution I've found is to use the current working directory
and the key name as the context.
how are those wariables passed to program maps (environment?).
if not already done a good idea would be to export
such variables to program maps, as environnement variable.


**  /net implemented with program map

anyway I've a working solution to support arbitrary
NFS mount like /net -hosts :
I use a program map, that call showmount -e and
allow arbitrary depth, eventually creating autofs submounts...
this is a quick "/bin/sh" program map, that would need
much reengineering to be bullet-proof, but at least
it works on my beowulf.

if you're interested, paralline.net kindly host my (embryonic) package at:
http://www.paralline.net/projets/autofs_slashnet/index.en.html
(it also support samba automount like /net does on NFS,
and I'm working on a samba with username automount ...)


** integrating /net in standard release

anyway, it may be a good place to say that 
full solaris-like /net -hosts implementation
is really a must...

I've also read here about a patch that allow
variable depth key lookup so that it should be much 
easier to program a NFS program map using showmount.
offering this patch, with a /net program map
as a standard functionality may be a good idea.

at least offering a solid /net program map
(like mine, but bullet-proof, maybe programmed in perl or C/C++)

** samba automount

it is also true for Samba automount, but 
I think that it is much more easy (fixed depth), and concerns
mainly samba team (mount.smb and options support).


**Autofs Keys Listing

another deep design change, that may already have been discussed here
(and probably refused 8( ) would be to support a variant of autofs
directory listing that shows potential keys when an
enumeration is possible.
I agree that generaly enumeration is not always possible,
but sometime it is meaningful.
for example when listing an automount directory,
one should get:
- the list of non wildcarded keys from "file:" maps
- the list of keys from "yp:" maps
- the answer of the "program:" map with a magic parameter (why not no key
parameter !)
for program: maps... otherwise call another script (eg: program_map_name.ls
)it it exists,
or create a new program-with-ls: map type...

I suppose that this is much more difficult that it looks there,
since autofs may have to create INODES for such potential
mounts, list them, and then mount other wolumes on them...
and this may be difficult or impossible...

caching and performance of the listing ay be also an issue...
should the listring scripts be called everytime,
or should there be an "expiry time" configured in autofs, to avoid
performance problems, or both cached and direct listing modes 
depending on configuration flags....





--
Alain Coetmeur, Informatique-CDC DTA
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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