How automount works
Chapter 12, ``Configuring the Network File System (NFS)'',
explains how to mount remote filesystems
on an NFS client using the conventional NFS
mounting approach whose major
characteristics are:
automount provides an alternative approach that mounts filesystems automatically, but not until they are needed.
Table 13-1 Filesystem mounting: conventional vs. automount
------------------------------------------------------------------- Conventional method automount method ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mounts occur automatically and Mounts occur automatically and transparently at boot time or transparently when a user tries manually thereafter. to access any files or directories under the designated mount point of the remote filesystem to be mounted. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mounts must be removed manually, Mounts are removed automatically or during system reboot. when the contents of the mounted filesystem have not been used for a specified period of time. ------------------------------------------------------------------- To manually access mounts, users Users have transparent mount must use the mount and umount access; the mounts are commands. (In both conventional automatically triggered when the and automount methods, all user user uses a command like cd to mounts must be preconfigured by access files or directories that the system administrator). are actually on a remote filesystem. (In both conventional and automount methods, all user mounts must be preconfigured by the system administrator). ------------------------------------------------------------------- New links can be added at any New links cannot be manually time by the system added and made active without administrator. rebooting automount. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Only one NFS server may be One or more NFS servers may be designated as the source of a designated as the source of a filesystem, so mounts fail if filesystem. This redundancy that server is unavailable. means that if one server is unavailable, the mount may be obtained from another. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Service is primarily provided by Service primarily provided by the mount(ADM) and umount the automount(NADM) command. commands. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Files used are Files used are a variety of maps /etc/default/filesys for for configuring automatic configuring automatic mounts at mounts; /etc/mnttab for a boot time; /etc/mnttab for a listing of all the currently listing of all the currently mounted filesystems. (see ``The mounted filesystems. mount table'' for more information).
In summary, the benefits of automount are:
Therefore, if you know you will regularly need to add new mounts, you may want to consider the relative benefits and drawbacks of both systems for your needs.
See also: