From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: David Cureton Subject: The missing link Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 17:51:43 +1000 Message-ID: <4275DC0F.7020502@catapult.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Return-path: Received: from sc8-sf-mx1-b.sourceforge.net ([10.3.1.11] helo=sc8-sf-mx1.sourceforge.net) by sc8-sf-list2.sourceforge.net with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1DSViZ-0003SX-EP for nfs@lists.sourceforge.net; Mon, 02 May 2005 00:51:51 -0700 Received: from [192.94.66.29] (helo=catapult-mx.catapult.com) by sc8-sf-mx1.sourceforge.net with esmtp (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.41) id 1DSViY-0003OE-V1 for nfs@lists.sourceforge.net; Mon, 02 May 2005 00:51:51 -0700 To: nfs@lists.sourceforge.net Sender: nfs-admin@lists.sourceforge.net Errors-To: nfs-admin@lists.sourceforge.net List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: Discussion of NFS under Linux development, interoperability, and testing. List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: Hi, I am using a SuSE 9.2 system as an NFS server and are seeing some strange results. The server holds our home directories and exports a number of disks to all the other workstations in the group. The setup is somewhat strange in that the first NFS mount, a directory called "server", containing all the mountpoint for the subsequent mounting of the other exported partitions eg. /server exported from the fileserver contains drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 288 2005-04-01 15:32 . lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 2005-03-24 16:25 ./Shared -> /server/volumes/vol0/Shared lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2005-03-24 10:55 ./Staff -> /server/volumes/vol0/Staff lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 2005-03-24 10:52 ./users -> /server/volumes/vol0/users/ lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2005-03-24 10:51 ./usr1 -> /server/volumes/vol0/usr1/ lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2005-03-24 10:51 ./usr2 -> /server/volumes/vol0/usr2/ lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 2005-03-24 10:53 ./usr3 -> /server/volumes/vol0/usr3 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 2005-03-24 10:54 ./usr4 -> /server/volumes/vol0/usr4 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 2005-03-24 10:54 ./usr5 -> /server/volumes/vol0/usr5 drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 120 2005-03-29 13:52 ./volumes drwxr-xr-x 12 root root 272 2005-04-01 16:00 ./volumes/vol0 drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 80 2005-03-23 17:53 ./volumes/vol1 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2005-03-29 13:52 ./volumes/vol2 The fstab of a client therefore looks like: melbourne-fs3:/server /server nfs defaults 0 2 melbourne-fs3:/server/volumes/vol2 /server/volumes/vol2 nfs defaults 0 2 melbourne-fs3:/server/volumes/vol1 /server/volumes/vol1 nfs defaults 0 2 melbourne-fs3:/server/volumes/vol0 /server/volumes/vol0 nfs defaults 0 2 The clients then have a link from /Staff --> /server/Staff which in it self is a link to /server/volumes/vol0/Staff i.e. /Staff (link on client's root) --> /server/Staff (link on nfs mount) --> /server/volumes/vol0/Staff (Real NFS exported directory) This works fine most of the time and allows us to move data between disks without having to change links of the clients. It also allows us to add new disks an easily bring them into use. However on occasion we have noticed that the /server/Staff link just disappears for some SuSE9.2 clients and the user no longer has access to there home directory. All other clients still have the link available and they are fine. It appears that the client looses the /server/Staff symbolic link out of its NFS cache and forgets about it until the cache expires and does a readdirplus on the /server directory. All other accesses to the /server director on the NFS client prior to the cache update only check the attibutes of the /server directory and it contents (excluding the /server/Staff link) and as nothing has changed, uses the cached data. I am at a loss as to how I can debug this NFS problem further. I have done copious amounts of searching on google and have not found a similar issue. Server and client particulars are: Both SuSE 9.2 Server 'uname -a': Linux melbourne-fs3 2.6.8-24.14-default #1 Tue Mar 29 09:27:43 UTC 2005 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux Kernel based NFS server Client 'uname -a': Linux cockatoo 2.6.8-24-default #1 Wed Oct 6 09:16:23 UTC 2004 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux Any assistance as to how I should go about debuging such a beast would be greatly appreciated, especially as it only happens 1 a fortnight further componding being able to resolve it David ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: NEC IT Guy Games. Get your fingers limbered up and give it your best shot. 4 great events, 4 opportunities to win big! Highest score wins.NEC IT Guy Games. Play to win an NEC 61 plasma display. Visit http://www.necitguy.com/?r=20 _______________________________________________ NFS maillist - NFS@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nfs