Automounting NFS share in OS X into /Volumes
(you may want to read this on GitHub @ https://gist.github.com/l422y/8697518, since syntax formatting on coderwall is a bit wonky)
I have spent quite a bit of time figuring out automounts of NFS shares in OS X...
Somewhere along the line, Apple decided allowing mounts directly into /Volumes should not be possible:
/etc/auto_master (see last line):
#
# Automounter master map
#
+auto_master # Use directory service
/net -hosts -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid
/home auto_home -nobrowse,hidefromfinder
/Network/Servers -fstab
/- -static
/- auto_nfs -nobrowse,nosuid/etc/auto_nfs (this is all one line):
/Volumes/my_mount -fstype=nfs,noowners,nolockd,noresvport,hard,bg,intr,rw,tcp,nfc nfs://192.168.1.1:/exports/my_shareMake sure you:
bash
sudo chmod 644 /etc/auto_nfs
Otherwise the automounter will not be able to read the config and fail with a ... parse_entry: getmapent for map failed... error in /var/log/messages
This will not work (anymore!) though it "should".
bash
$ sudo automount -cv
...
automount: /Volumes/my_mount: mountpoint unavailable
Note that, if you manually create the mount point using mkdir, it will mount.
But, upon restart, OS X removes the mount point, and automounting will fail.
What's the solution?
It's so easy my jaw dropped when I figured it out.
Basically, we trick OS X into thinking we're mounting * somewhere else. *
When you're talking about paths in just about any environment, the root folder is the highest path you can reach, whether it's C:\ (windows) or / (*nix)
When you're at this path, attempting to reach the parent path, via .. will keep you at the root path.
For example: /../../../../ is still just /
By now, a few of you have already figured it out.
TL;DR / Solution:
Change your /etc/auto_nfs config from (this is all one line):
/Volumes/my_mount -fstype=nfs,noowners,nolockd,noresvport,hard,bg,intr,rw,tcp,nfc nfs://192.168.1.1:/exports/my_shareTo (this is all one line):
/../Volumes/my_mount -fstype=nfs,noowners,nolockd,noresvport,hard,bg,intr,rw,tcp,nfc nfs://192.168.1.1:/exports/my_shareAnd re-run the automounter:
$ sudo automount -cv
...
automount: /Volumes/my_mount: mounted..... there you go! Technically /../Volumes is still /Volumes, but the automounter does not see things that way ;)
This configuration persists the mount across restarts, and creates the mountpoint automatically in 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) and 10.9.1 (Mavericks)
I KNOW, RIGHT?
Feel free to send me large checks and/or high five the screen (and hit the big red upvote button on top of this page)
hitmeup@l422y.com
Written by Larry Williamson
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21 Responses
I tried to up vote you but CoderWall sucks and it wouldn't work. So here's a +1 comment.
Thank you for this. I couldn't up-vote either :/
Awesome, I have been using Automator scripts at the moment to get this done, which sucks, because they are launched when the user logs in instead of when the machine boots.
Tried to upvote to, but no dice there.
@depl0y: yeah. i was actually using launchctl and shell scripts right before i figured this out.
It works, if done manually from the terminal, after my Mac has booted.
I get:
automount: /Volumes/Public: mountpoint unavailable
But, when I (recreate) the /Volumes/Public folder and then execute sudo automount -cv, my folder is mounted:
automount: /Volumes/Public mounted
Why is the /Volumes/Public folder deleted when I reboot ?
@goudkamp are you sure you are using "/../Volumes/Public" in your auto_nfs? This is what the whole work-around is about. If you just use "/Volumes/Public", you have to manually create the mount point and it won't work automatically.
** OSX Mavericks deletes any user created folders in /Volumes on restart. **
Could not believe how simple a solution this was, nor why Apple felt the need (assuming it was intentional) to change the behaviour. Thanks for the workaround.
@gaz_stephens i know. i could hardly believe it myself! after weeks of custom scripts and solutions (with their own issues, of course) ... reverting to simple path obfuscation is what finally did it. and it's just a three character difference!
If you're having any weird issues with your mounts timing out or constantly disconnecting try disabling jumbo frames on both your mac and the server, that solved the problem for me!
also, sometimes forcing version 3 NFS connectivity helps, by using vers=3
Hi, Thanks for this solution. But what if I wanted to mount my nfs mount under / and not /Volumes. Would I just be using /../ instead of /../Volumes? Thanks in advance.
@bio_chemist -- I don't know that you need to use /../ in the case of mounting outside of Volumes, but /../ should work.
hello
Thanks for your post
However with your solution, the mounted drive is not available on desktop,nor finder
I can access only with terminal !
any hints ?
Thanks
@dahouet
Finder > Go > Go To Folder
Type in "/Volumes" enter,
Finder window pops up with the mounted volume. You can then drag it into your Favourites bar for quick access.
Great! Just what I needed.
I can make it work, but the folder under /Volumes is empty! How come? Does this work under OS X 10.10 El Capitan?
I made it work. It works under El Capitan also. Misconfigured "auto_nfs"... I referenced the wrong folder on my NAS...
OK, I followed your instructions, but when I try to access any of the mountpoints I get no results. An "ls" from the terminal says "ls: : Operation not permitted".
I've checked the permissions on the NFS server side and they are fine; in fact, I can connect to it just fine with my Linux servers.
Any suggestions? I'm on macOS Sierra.
Gist link is broken
Is still working on 10.13.4
I am mounting for a OD network user home on a 10.10.4 server. Client iMac is 10.13.4. Automounting still works but the preferences syncing is not there. It suppose to follow the setting from another machine which I login as network user. Any ideas? I tried launchd method but your way is so far the simplest and working. Thank you.
This no longer seems to work in macOS Catalina (10.15)
To make this work in Catalina, replace /..Volumes/my_mount with /System/Volumes/Data/Volumes/my_mount . The / mount in Catalina is read-only now. All update have to be done to an overplayed FS mount. Additionally, you will need to create the my_mount folder before resetting the auto mounter. And I have noticed that periodically I have to recreated the folder after a restart (though not always).
