"syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]" ?

"syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]" ?

[Denys Vlasenko]

Hi Ian,

I tried to start automount with command line like this one:

automount -f -s -v --timeout 15 master.file

and it says:


Starting automounter version 5.0.0_beta1, master map master.file
syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

lookup_nss_read_master: can't to read name service switch config.
master_read_master: can't read master map master.file


Well, my mistake was that I should use fully-qualified filename ($PWD/master.file),
but error message is misleading. It says that my /etc/nsswitch.conf
is bad (well, it doesn't even mention "/etc/nsswitch.conf", I need to
infer that!).

But my /etc/nsswitch.conf has no syntax errors:

passwd:         compat
group:          compat
shadow:         compat
hosts:          files dns [!UNAVAIL=return]
networks:       files
ethers:         files
protocols:      files
rpc:            files
services:       files

it just doesn't have automounter maps. This is not a crime.

Message is also complains about /etc/nsswitch.conf FIRST,
and THEN complains "can't read master map master.file",
but actual order of these events is different - if master
file is found, /etc/nsswitch.conf is not consulted.

Can this be improved?
--
vda

Re: "syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]" ?

[Ian Kent]

On Wed, 2007-09-26 at 11:12 +0100, Denys Vlasenko wrote:
> Hi Ian,
> 
> I tried to start automount with command line like this one:
> 
> automount -f -s -v --timeout 15 master.file
> 
> and it says:
> 
> 
> Starting automounter version 5.0.0_beta1, master map master.file
> syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]
> 
> lookup_nss_read_master: can't to read name service switch config.
> master_read_master: can't read master map master.file
> 
> 
> Well, my mistake was that I should use fully-qualified filename ($PWD/master.file),
> but error message is misleading. It says that my /etc/nsswitch.conf
> is bad (well, it doesn't even mention "/etc/nsswitch.conf", I need to
> infer that!).
> 
> But my /etc/nsswitch.conf has no syntax errors:
> 
> passwd:         compat
> group:          compat
> shadow:         compat
> hosts:          files dns [!UNAVAIL=return]
> networks:       files
> ethers:         files
> protocols:      files
> rpc:            files
> services:       files
> 
> it just doesn't have automounter maps. This is not a crime.
> 
> Message is also complains about /etc/nsswitch.conf FIRST,
> and THEN complains "can't read master map master.file",
> but actual order of these events is different - if master
> file is found, /etc/nsswitch.conf is not consulted.
> 
> Can this be improved?

Does this help?
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/storage/autofs/autofs.git;a=commitdiff;h=b8e06337764df00b30901c7787e0d1861c2f9901

Patch is also on kernel.org as autofs-5.0.2-default-nsswitch.patch.
Beware that there are quite a few patches that can depend on one another
but if you choose to selectively apply them you can obviously ignore the
CHANGELOG rejects.