Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!pasteur!ames!oliveb!pyramid!prls!mips!dce
From: dce@mips.COM (David Elliott)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Symlinks vs. NFS
Message-ID: <2372@quacky.mips.COM>
Date: 13 Jun 88 16:15:08 GMT
Reply-To: dce@mips.COM (David Elliott)
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 26

We have run across a problem with NFS and symlinks that we would like
to solve.

Assume you have a remote path that is actually a symlink.

If that symlink is absolute, the filesystem resolves this path to the
local machine.  That is, if the link is to "/etc/passwd", the
resolution is to my /etc/passwd instead of the one on the remote
machine.

If the symlink is relative, the resolution depends on how I have the
filesystems mounted.  Assume that the link is in the directory /usr/foo
on the other machine, and that the link is to "../../etc/passwd".  Now,
if my system has the remote /usr and remote / mounted in the "typical"
relationship (that is, /usr is mounted on /), and that /usr/foo and
/etc on that machine are set up typically as well, everything works as
expected.  If, on the other hand, I have the remote /usr/foo mounted in
my /usr just so I can use it, the link resolves to my local /etc/passwd
again.

What kind of solutions exist for this problem?  Do these solutions
take into account the possibility that the target of the symlink may
not be on a mounted filesystem?

-- 
David Elliott		dce@mips.com  or  {ames,prls,pyramid,decwrl}!mips!dce