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Possible Duplicate:
Mount a Windows DFS Namespace in Linux

We have a domain-based DFS namespace that refers to redundant (replicated) file servers shares. With Windows client, failing over are (relatively) transparent. However, we have a CentOS 6.3 box that needs to access the DFS shares, and this is where it becomes problematic.

Initially, CentOS couldn't mount a share under the DFS UNC (ie: \\example.com\dfsNamespace\share). Adding cifs.upcalls in /etc/request-key.conf as such made it mountable: http://mikemstech.blogspot.ca/2012/10/how-to-mount-dfs-share-in-linux.html. But upon further testing, it will only attempts to mount the first referral even if it is down while other referrals available, making the use of DFS moot.

Is it possible to make use of the redundancy feature DFS on CentOS?

Right now, I'm trying to work around the DFS mount problem by using autofs' multi-mount map feature to provide the real file shares to autofs, and hoping it will be able to pick the servers that are available. But I'm not having much luck with multi-mount map for CIFS. Seems like a NFS only feature?

Sim
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addp009
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1 Answers1

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I'm no Linux guy, but it seems like you're not the only one having this issue... this blog post seems to indicate recognition of the problem, a submitted bug, and a wish for an upstream kernel patch.

https://www.centos.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=38326

You might be SOL for the time being. He also recommends uninstalling the samba package completely and reinstalling with the newest available, just to ensure that you're still having the issue.

JohnThePro
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  • I was afraid this would be the answer. It seems strange to me that with so many large DFS deployments, this doesn't come up more often. – addp009 Feb 05 '13 at 18:50
  • Even more unfortunately, it seems as though its a bigger problem for CentOS users specifically than it is for other distro users. Either that, or most shops who have this problem have made custom kernels to address the problem. I couldn't tell you for sure. – JohnThePro Feb 05 '13 at 19:24
  • Hey, check this out. Maybe this will work for you? Shot in the dark. http://pinchii.com/home/2011/02/mounting-dfs-to-redhat-linux-enterprise-5-centos-5/ – JohnThePro Feb 05 '13 at 19:40
  • I installed the latest of packages required, did the /etc/request-key.conf change, but nothing changed. CentOS is only mounting to the first referral in the referral list, and if the first referral is down, then it gives up. – addp009 Feb 05 '13 at 20:12
  • Have you made your way through this blog post? Maybe it applies to you as well! https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=513410 -- yes, its red hat... i know. Still, kernel versions and such like that may apply. – JohnThePro Feb 05 '13 at 21:24
  • Yep. Looks like most posts indicated that mounting DFS shares works, but very few indicated that referrals are selected appropriately. Meaning - yes mounting a DFS shares will work under normal conditions, but if your first referral is offline, linux doesn't try other referrals, unlike Windows. Btw I can confirm the same behavior on Ubuntu 11.10 Desktop as well. – addp009 Feb 06 '13 at 15:48
  • Insert sad news here... – JohnThePro Feb 06 '13 at 17:46
  • Link in the answer is broken – Sim Jan 02 '18 at 05:33