User profile for user: sean.patzer
sean.patzer Author
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Utilizing NFS and the Mac Mini

This is probably cross topic, but the topic does say networking. So I will give the question a go. I have Mac mini, a Mandriva system (Powerpack edition) and a PC-BSD system on a local network (I also have a windows system for gaming, but that system is not talking on this particular net, due to lack of proper NFS client and I am not about to risk my data to windows.). I can utilize NFS between the Mandriva system and the PC-BSD system, so I know that I have the NFS server set to accept all addresses in the range 192.168.0.x properly. Now, the issue that I am trying to wrap my head around, in order for the Mac to talk to the Mandriva system, which is where I have my primary storage repository, I have to use SMB. Any suggestions as to where to begin to trouble shoot the internal NFS client on the Mac? (NFS://192.168.0.2 in the connect to server menu off of the finder comes back with a cannot connect error, whereas using SMB://192.168.0.2 comes back with an authentication prompt, which and I can then authenticate and mount the SMB share.) I can drop to the terminal and start hunting for the client configuration files under the /etc directory, but I am unsure if this is there is an easier way to go about this. Everything else that I have had initial need for, I have been able to manipulate through the GUI.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Sean Patzer, MCSE.

Mac Mini Duo (1.66) Mac OS X (10.4.6) Great first Mac Experience so far.

Posted on May 30, 2006 9:30 PM

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User profile for user: mauimactel
mauimactel
User level: Level 1
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May 31, 2006 2:41 PM in response to sean.patzer

If Darwin is anything like other 'nixes then I would use a shell and use the "mount" command. First see if the share is available, from the mini run.

"showmount -e your-nfs-hostname"

this should report your NFS shares and the hosts or networks that have permission to mount them. This will all depend on how you've setup your /etc/exports file on the NFS server. To grant permission on the command line of the NFS server, run on the nfs server.

exportfs -o rw,(and whatever else options, i.e. rsize, wsize) mini-hostname:/directory-on-nfs-server-to-share

This method is not persistent across reboots, adding an entry in /etc/exports is.

On the mini make a mount point in your user home directory and issue the mount command

mount nfs-server-hostname:/directory-on-nfs-server-to-share /whatever mount point.

On linux portmap is required, the same maybe so for Darwin.

On my system at home I use Samba on my linux server since it is compatible with WinXP and MacOS X. At work I prefer NFS.
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User profile for user: sean.patzer
sean.patzer Author
User level: Level 1
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May 31, 2006 7:14 PM in response to mauimactel

Thank you for the response.

I will try that when I get home (I am assuming that you are saying there is no Apple tool to check out the NFS client on the Mac, which was the gist of my question). Supposedly, my NFS server allows all systems on my home subnet (192.168.0.x ) to mount the share points and all systems have read, but no execute access (methinks, I am at work and do not have remote access to my home machines, on purpose.). I was just surprised that there was no GUI tool for this purpose and had thought that I had missed it.

I did verify accessibilty from PC-BSD (A FreeBSD variation with KDE installed, really cool, faster than some modern Linux variations on the same hardware), so I know that I can connect to the share point successfully (which confuses the bejesus outta me, as isn't OS X based off of FreeBSD also?).

Thanks Again,

Sean Patzer, MCSE.

Mac Mini Duo (1.66) Mac OS X (10.4.6) Great first Mac Experience so far.
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User profile for user: untergeek
untergeek
User level: Level 1
10 points

Jun 7, 2006 1:10 PM in response to sean.patzer

Only two options I would recommend adding to your mount lines and they are -b and -P

-P is for priviledged port access (your NFS server is almost certainly using this)
-b If an initial attempt to contact the server fails, fork off a child to keep trying the mount in the background.

NFS mounts failed for me until I included the -P. Why Apple went to non-priv ports by default when no other major *NIX distributor does is somewhat of a mystery to me.

This how-to was quite instructive: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~salathe/osx_unix/nfsmount.html

Good luck!
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Utilizing NFS and the Mac Mini

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