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Date:      Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:14:58 +0100
From:      Alban Hertroys <haramrae@gmail.com>
To:        Rick Macklem <rmacklem@uoguelph.ca>
Cc:        freebsd-stable List <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: mountd Invalid radix node head (9-STABLE)
Message-ID:  <A89E7B29-31EC-4AD7-9FC9-10C17425285A@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <181405827.8588605.1389571611926.JavaMail.root@uoguelph.ca>
References:  <181405827.8588605.1389571611926.JavaMail.root@uoguelph.ca>

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On 13 Jan 2014, at 1:06, Rick Macklem <rmacklem@uoguelph.ca> wrote:

> Alban Hertroys wrote:
>> I=92ve been messing around with my NFS exports definitions to add =
some
>> new mount-points to the list and I got most of it working again (at
>> least, the important bits).
>>=20
>> However, 2 exports in that file are causing problems. When I restart
>> mountd, they log lines like:
>>=20
>> Jan 12 16:01:14 solfertje mountd[99349]: can't change attributes for
>> /usr/home/smb: Invalid radix node head, rn: 0 0xfffffe0023e1c600
>> Jan 12 16:01:14 solfertje mountd[99349]: bad exports list line
>> /usr/home/smb     -mapall
>> Jan 12 16:01:14 solfertje mountd[99349]: can't change attributes for
>> /usr/home/vhosts/django: Invalid radix node head, rn: 0
>> 0xfffffe0023e1c600
>> Jan 12 16:01:14 solfertje mountd[99349]: bad exports list line
>> /usr/home/vhosts/django     -mapall
>>=20
>> What does that message mean? Where do I look to fix this?
>>=20
> Are these paths (/usr/home/smb and /usr/home/vhosts/django) separate =
file
> systems on the server from the others?
>=20
> If they are on the same server file system as one of the other =
entries,
> then the paths need to be added to that entry. You cannot have =
multiple
> entries for the same server file system and exported host/subnet.

Ah, you=92re right! Makes sense now, thanks.

Still, that error message I got seems rather peculiar; is that supposed =
to happen if you mix directories and mount points like that?

I think I got thrown off by the bad exports line errors that the new =
directories I added were causing originally, but those new entries were =
file-system mount points while the original entries weren=92t. And you =
can=92t mix those, as you say.
I even read the section of the man page about that, but that bit didn=92t =
register.

I find that man-page to be a bit unclear frankly.

1). =46rom a configuration point of view it doesn=92t seem to make a =
whole lot of sense to separate plain directories from file-system mount =
points, why the distinction? Is it really necessary? I think if exports =
wouldn=92t make that distinction, it would save head-aches for a lot of =
users who mix the two without realising.

2). The distinction between directories and mount points doesn=92t get =
any clearer with the addition of the NFSv4 tree root syntax that (by its =
syntax) suggests that a whole file-system (the tree root) will be =
exported - which is often very much not what you want. There is mention =
that that=92s not the case, but what does that line really do? Why do we =
need that? It=92s not clear from the man page and it sounds like the NFS =
server should be able to figure the tree root(s) out by itself from the =
list of directories to export.

3). The text in that man page is rather dense. There=92s a lot of =93and =
this and that and so and so=94 going on, all within the same section =
that describes the 3 fields in an export line *and* several methods to =
implement them.
I expect that document would get quite a bit clearer if the various =
enumerations would be separated, for example by giving the 3 fields a =
separate paragraph each with (optional) enumerated lists for the various =
ways those fields can be implemented.

The above points give me the impression that setting up an NFS server =
(on FreeBSD?) is harder than it needs to be.

That said, try setting up OS X Mavericks as an NFS client! Most of the =
Google results you get for how to set that up get it =93wrong".
For those interested: The =93proper approach=94 (the one the colour of =
my bikeshed) turns out to use the hidden =
/System/Library/CoreServices/Directory\ Utility.app to create mount =
point entries.
It=92s described in more detail here: =
http://mbcdev.com/2012/09/15/adding-nfs-shares-on-os-x-with-directory-util=
ity/

Here=92s the kicker though: Mount points are not allowed to mount in the =
local directory /Volumes, where they used to be created by default in =
earlier versions of OS X - such definitions will silently fail!

And that=92s just the client; I don=92t want to find out how to set up =
an NFS *server* on OS X=85 Thankfully, that part=92s covered by FreeBSD.


Anyway, thanks for the help and I hope my suggestions prove useful to =
someone.

Alban Hertroys
--
If you can't see the forest for the trees,
cut the trees and you'll find there is no forest.




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