Troubleshooting Autofs
Occasionally, you might encounter problems with autofs. This section should improve the problem-solving
process. The section is divided into two subsections.
This section presents a list of the error messages that autofs generates. The
list is divided into two parts:
Each error message is followed by a description and probable cause of the
message.
When troubleshooting, start the autofs programs with the verbose (-v) option. Otherwise,
you might experience problems without knowing the cause.
The following paragraphs are labeled with the error message you are likely to
see if autofs fails, and a description of the possible problem.
Error Messages Generated by automount -v
bad key key in direct map mapname
Description:
While scanning a direct map, autofs has found an entry key without a
prefixed /.
Solution:
Keys in direct maps must be full path names.
bad key key in indirect map mapname
Description:
While scanning an indirect map, autofs has found an entry key that contains
a /.
Solution:
Indirect map keys must be simple names, not path names.
can't mount server:pathname: reason
Description:
The mount daemon on the server refuses to provide a file handle for
server:pathname.
Solution:
Check the export table on the server.
couldn't create mount point mountpoint: reason
Description:
Autofs was unable to create a mount point that was required for a
mount. This problem most frequently occurs when you attempt to hierarchically mount all
of a server's exported file systems.
Solution:
A required mount point can exist only in a file system that cannot
be mounted, which means the file system cannot be exported. The mount point
cannot be created because the exported parent file system is exported read-only.
leading space in map entry entry text in mapname
Description:
Autofs has discovered an entry in an automount map that contains leading spaces.
This problem is usually an indication of an improperly continued map entry. For
example:
fake
/blat frobz:/usr/frotz
Solution:
In this example, the warning is generated when autofs encounters the second line
because the first line should be terminated with a backslash (\).
mapname: Not found
Description:
The required map cannot be located. This message is produced only when the
-v option is used.
Solution:
Check the spelling and path name of the map name.
remount server:pathname on mountpoint: server not responding
Description:
Autofs has failed to remount a file system that it previously unmounted.
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
WARNING: mountpoint already mounted on
Description:
Autofs is attempting to mount over an existing mount point. This message means
that an internal error occurred in autofs (an anomaly).
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
Miscellaneous Error Messages
dir mountpoint must start with '/'
Solution:
The automounter mount point must be given as a full path name. Check
the spelling and path name of the mount point.
hierarchical mountpoint: pathname1 and pathname2
Solution:
Autofs does not allow its mount points to have a hierarchical relationship. An
autofs mount point must not be contained within another automounted file system.
host server not responding
Description:
Autofs attempted to contact server, but received no response.
Solution:
Check the NFS server status.
hostname: exports: rpc-err
Description:
An error occurred while getting the export list from hostname. This message indicates
a server or network problem.
Solution:
Check the NFS server status.
map mapname, key key: bad
Description:
The map entry is malformed, and autofs cannot interpret the entry.
Solution:
Recheck the entry. Perhaps the entry has characters that need to be escaped.
mapname: nis-err
Description:
An error occurred when looking up an entry in a NIS map. This
message can indicate NIS problems.
Solution:
Check the NIS server status.
mount of server:pathname on mountpoint:reason
Description:
Autofs failed to do a mount. This occurrence can indicate a server
or network problem. The reason string defines the problem.
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
mountpoint: Not a directory
Description:
Autofs cannot mount itself on mountpoint because it is not a directory.
Solution:
Check the spelling and path name of the mount point.
nfscast: cannot send packet: reason
Description:
Autofs cannot send a query packet to a server in a list of
replicated file system locations. The reason string defines the problem.
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
nfscast: cannot receive reply: reason
Description:
Autofs cannot receive replies from any of the servers in a list of
replicated file system locations. The reason string defines the problem.
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
nfscast: select: reason
Description:
All these error messages indicate problems in attempting to check servers for a
replicated file system. This message can indicate a network problem. The reason string defines
the problem.
Solution:
Contact Sun for assistance. This error message is extremely rare and has no
straightforward solution.
pathconf: no info for server:pathname
Description:
Autofs failed to get pathconf information for the path name.
Solution:
See the fpathconf(2) man page.
pathconf: server: server not responding
Description:
Autofs is unable to contact the mount daemon on server that provides the
information to pathconf().
Solution:
Avoid using the POSIX mount option with this server.
Other Errors With Autofs
If the /etc/auto* files have the execute bit set, the automounter tries to
execute the maps, which creates messages such as the following:
/etc/auto_home: +auto_home: not found
In this situation, the auto_home file has incorrect permissions. Each entry in the
file generates an error message that is similar to this message. The permissions
to the file should be reset by typing the following command:
# chmod 644 /etc/auto_home
