OS X Server Automount sharepoints: WHAT THE HELL AM I MISSING!

[Paul F.]

OK.. this is my week "off". I've been here at work since Sunday...
Sucessfully set up a new OS X Server to replace an older one.
Sucessfully got DNS service running, and Open Directory.

Trying to set up an automount sharepoint-not-for-home-directories. I set up an automount for home directories, and it works great... I can sucessfully log in to LDAP user accounts from client machines.

I have;
10.5 Server
Server with a "data" drive separate from the boot drive.
AFP sharepoint, with guest access enabled.
"Make automount" enabled.
"Custom path" enabled.

The path is "/Network/Servers/fully.qualified.domain/Volumes/Data/Sharename"

Saved the sharepoint... (not that I didn't forget and NOT save it a couple times before testing, but I have NOW...).

Symptom:
Clients cannot see this automount...
It does not automount.
I cannot manually mount it with the path given.
I CAN manually mount it with the path "afp://fully.qualified.domain/Sharename"


Below is the system log after booting from a client machine;

Nov 25 09:36:59 LabModel3-35 /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow: Login Window Application Started
Nov 25 09:36:59 LabModel3-35 loginwindow[64]: Login Window Started Security Agent
Nov 25 09:36:59 LabModel3-35 configd[35]: AppleTalk startup complete
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 launchd: Server 0 in bootstrap 1103 uid 0: "/usr/sbin/lookupd"[58]: exited abnormally: Hangup
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 lookupd[72]: lookupd (version 369.5) starting - Wed Nov 25 09:37:00 2009
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 configd[35]: executing /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/Kicker.bundle/Contents/Resources/enable-network
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 configd[35]: posting notification com.apple.system.config.network_change
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 launchd: Server 470b in bootstrap 1103 uid 0: "/usr/sbin/lookupd"[72]: exited abnormally: Hangup
Nov 25 09:37:00 LabModel3-35 lookupd[86]: lookupd (version 369.5) starting - Wed Nov 25 09:37:00 2009
Nov 25 09:37:01 LabModel3-35 configd[35]: target=enable-network: disabled
Nov 25 09:37:02 LabModel3-35 mDNSResponder: Adding browse domain local.
Nov 25 09:37:08 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: deferring network change notification while initialization is in progress...
Nov 25 09:37:21 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: deferring network change notification while initialization is in progress...
Nov 25 09:37:23 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: deferring network change notification while initialization is in progress...
Nov 25 09:37:26 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: Error symlinking /Network/Servers/192.168.69.10/Volumes/Huginn/Backups to /automount/static/Network/Servers/192.168.69.10/Volumes/Huginn/Backups: No such file or directory
Nov 25 09:37:26 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: Attempting to unlink /Network/Servers/192.168.69.10/Volumes/Huginn/Backups...
Nov 25 09:37:26 LabModel3-35 automount[157]: Cannot symlink /Network/Servers/192.168.69.10/Volumes/Huginn/Backups to /automount/static/Network/Servers/192.168.69.10/Volumes/Huginn/Backups: No such file or directory
Nov 25 09:37:38 LabModel3-35 kernel[0]: nfs server automount -fstab [157]: not responding
Nov 25 09:37:38 LabModel3-35 KernelEventAgent[30]: tid 00000000 received VQ_NOTRESP event (1)
Nov 25 09:37:38 LabModel3-35 KernelEventAgent[30]: tid 00000000 type 'nfs', mounted on '/automount/Servers', from 'automount -fstab [157]', not responding
Nov 25 09:38:14 LabModel3-35 kernel[0]: nfs server automount -fstab [157]: not responding
Nov 25 09:38:44 LabModel3-35 kernel[0]: nfs server automount -fstab [157]: not responding
Nov 25 09:39:15 LabModel3-35 kernel[0]: nfs server automount -fstab [157]: not responding
Nov 25 09:39:46 LabModel3-35 kernel[0]: nfs server automount -fstab [157]: not responding

NOTE: the above was copied from a test where I used the IP number rather than the domain - but error logs are identical when I use the domain.

Obviously, the lines where it says "Error" and "No such file or directory" are a problem...
But I'm not getting WHAT the problem is...


I'm scrapping the idea of Automounts for non-home-directories for this configuration, which means it will NOT be ready for next week... and also means I'll be doing this AGAIN come Christmas break.

Any troubleshooting ideas for Custom path Automounts would be appreciated... I've about googled myself out on the topic without finding anything. In fact, it's like Custom automounts don't exist... almost EVERY SINGLE GUIDE covers home-directory automounts EXCLUSIVELY.

The manual, likewise, has been little use..."enter the path and enable guest access" is about the extent of the instructions.


Ideas welcomed!

[clay]

sorry I can't help, Paul, but have you tried posting this on the Apple discussion boards? Might get more traffic there if you don't get any help here.

good luck, let us know how you get it figured out...

[Paul F.]

Oh, and I've been sure to restart my test client machine(s) after every server config change...

[Paul F.]

clay;

That's my next step..
But twice I've posted questions there and for reasons unknown to me, they were deleted... so I'm not all that confident that it would be worth my time to type the question.

But thanks! :-)



(I just know it must be something really stupid... like a leading / or a trailing one... or some such thing...)

[mattkime]

perhaps your caps lock key is down

[bik]

Paul F. wrote:
...
The path is "/Network/Servers/fully.qualified.domain/Volumes/Data/Sharename"
...
I CAN manually mount it with the path "afp://fully.qualified.domain/Sharename"

I'm assuming you canNOT get it to automount with the path "afp://fully.qualified.domain/Sharename" ??

I'm away from my servers so can't check config, but I don't recall ever using an actual volume name for mounting a sharepoint. I would try the path:
"afp://fully.qualified.domain/Volumes/Sharename"

Just an idea. Good luck!

[Doc]

Do you really need it to work as an automounted directory at a specific path?

If not, why not just mount the sharepoint on the client Mac and drag its icon into the Login Items pane of the Accounts prefs?

If so... The instructions for it start on page 299 of the 10.5 Server Essentials guide. 'Know anyone who is certified and can go through it with you by the book? Maybe there's something there that'll clue you in.

[Paul F.]

bik;

I'm not sure if I tried that or not... (three days of messing with it... and at some point my notes got sloppy...).

I'm working with my original server at the moment, deploying some lab images. I will try that path variation when I get back to my 'new' server later today or friday.

Thanks!

Doc;
For a variety of (mostly trivial) reasons, I would really prefer it to automount...
Though I may be playing with it as login item if this really just doesn't work.

The trouble with doing it that way is that the local "student" account on the computers doesn't have a password, and OS X chokes and will not remember a blank password field, and log in and mount automatically - and the little kids, well, it takes 'em a full hour to type their name... A password on that account probably wouldn't be a useful idea :-)

I may indeed resort to "calling someone"... but I'm not there yet. I retain knowledge better if I've already tried to bull my way through it, with the manual on my lap... which it is (and the OS X Server Administration Guide devotes all of two sentences to Custom Automounts.).

[Paul F.]

mattkime wrote:
perhaps your caps lock key is down

:fawkdance: