How to debug autofs and automount

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8

Situation

You configured autofs, but the mount somehow fails. You see something like the following in /var/log/messages:

Jun 22 11:59:04 e1racdev25 automount[32211]: failed to mount /data/share

This message is not helpful.

Resolution

Start autofs with the --debug option. Simply add it to the configuration file /etc/sysconfig/autofs in the following line:

AUTOFS_OPTIONS="--debug"

Restart the service with

rcautofs restart

and you will find a lot more information about what automount does in /var/log/messages.

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.