Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!rice!sun-spots-request
From: jeff@tc.fluke.com (Jeff Stearns)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: PC-NFS question:  symbolic link resolution
Message-ID: <7077@fluke.COM>
Date: 4 Mar 89 01:44:11 GMT
References: <1495.602710213@kadmon>
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Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
Original-Date: 21 Feb 89 22:10:43 GMT
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 180, message 4 of 12
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kadmon!jason@mtxinu.com (Jason Venner) writes:
>Does anyone know how pc-nfs resolves symbolic links (or nfs for that
>matter)....
>If I mount a subtree as root, but mount things so that the sym links
>should be resolved (ie on the PC, all the relevant paths/files are there)
>the symlinks do not show up in ls listings.

At mount time:

    # /etc/mount host:pathname "directory"

  - Symbolic links in the pathname argument are pursued by the server at
    mount time.

  - This behavior is uniform for clients of all architectures because the server
    is processing the pathname argument.


Mounted filesystems:

  - The pathname resolution rules for NFS files depend on the client
    architecture.

  - UNIX clients follow symbolic links in pathnames.  (Keep in mind that
    pathnames in symlinks are followed FROM THE CLIENT'S POINT OF VIEW.)

  - PC-NFS clients don't know what a symlink is.  Period.  Symlinks are
    "invisible" to PC-NFS clients.  Thus they can't be followed.

-- 
    Jeff Stearns        John Fluke Mfg. Co, Inc.               (206) 356-5064
    jeff@tc.fluke.COM   {uw-beaver,microsoft,sun}!fluke!jeff

PS - Calling all users of the Vitalink TransLAN IV Ethernet bridge! Please
     drop me a line.