Article ID: 837197 - Last Review: October 10, 2006 - Revision: 1.6

FIX: The Client for NFS cannot resolve a symbolic link that is based on AUTO_HOME and other related maps in Windows Services for UNIX

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Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/ ) Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

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SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX, the Client for NFS cannot resolve a symbolic link that is based on AUTO_HOME and other related maps.
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CAUSE

This problem occurs because the Client for NFS cannot resolve the remote target of a symbolic link file.
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RESOLUTION

Windows Services for UNIX 3.0

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)
Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
   Date         Time   Version      Size     File name
   ------------------------------------------------------
   19-Feb-2004  18:06  7.0.1701.31  312,448  Nfsrdr.sys
   19-Feb-2004  18:06  7.0.1701.31  359,072  Nfsrdrn4.sys
   19-Feb-2004  18:06  5.0.2134.1    35,600  Regini.exe
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Windows Services for UNIX 3.5

For Windows Services for UNIX 3.5, this new functionality is included in hotfix 884852.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
884852  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/884852/ ) FIX: The Windows Services for UNIX Client for Network File System (NFS) stops responding when you use Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 as the Client for NFS and Linux as the Server for NFS
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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
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MORE INFORMATION

This hotfix adds new functionality to Client for NFS. This new functionality lets you access the target of a symbolic link when the symbolic link resolves to a remote NFS share by using DFS links.

Consider the following scenario of an UNIX environment with which the Client for NFS must interop:
  • NFSServer1 hosts a NFS share that is named /home.
  • NFSServer2 hosts a NFS share that is named /data.
  • Assume that the auto mounting mechanism resolves /home and /data to the respective NFS servers of each share. UNIX NFS clients access the following:
    • Symbolic link /home/user1/link-file1 to /data/dir-xyz/file1
    • Symbolic link /home/user1/link-dir1 to /data/dir-xyz/dir1
This feature enables the Client for NFS to perform the following specific tasks:
  • Read and write to /home/user1/link-file1.
  • Create or delete files and directories in /home/user1/link-dir1.
These tasks are achieved by resolving /home/user1/dir-xyx to a UNC path through \\NFSServer2\data\dir-xyz.

Note This feature has the following limitations:
  • Attributes of the link-file1 and link-dir1 remote links may not correctly show up.
  • Changing the directory into remotely linked directories (link-dir1) may not work.
For this scenario, you must have the following Microsoft Windows environment:
  • A DFS server that is named DFSServer.
  • A DFS root that is named DFSRoot.
  • A DFS link that is named dir-xyz that points to \\NFSServer2\data\dir-xyz.
You must add the MountSymlinkDfsMaps registry entry to the registry and then add the list of symbolic links. To do this, follow these steps:

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Client for NFS\CurrentVersion\Users\Default\Defaults
  3. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Multi-String Value.
  4. Type MountSymlinkDfsMaps, and then press ENTER.
  5. Right-click MountSymlinkDfsMaps, and then click Modify.
  6. In the Edit Multi-String dialog box, type a list of DFS link names. For this scenario, you must add the following DFS link:
    /data:\\DFSServer\DFSRoot
When the Client for NFS encounters the /home/user1/link1 link, it resolves the target as /data/dir-xyz/file1. Then, /data/dir-xyz/file1 is parsed based on the contents of the MountSymlinkDfsMaps registry entry as follows:
  1. The /data is converted to \\DFSServer\DFSroot.
  2. The /data/dir-xyz becomes \\DFSServer\DFSroot\dir-xyz.
  3. The \\DFSServer\DFSroot\dir-xyz becomes \\NFSServer2\data\dir-xyz.
  4. The \\NFSServer2\data\dir-xyz\file1 is read.

Notes

  • The user who is trying to access the remote link should have access to all shares in question. Make sure that mapping or anonymous access is correctly configured.
  • You can only use UNC paths that can be accessed by the Client for NFS. For example, an NFS share name that contains the forward slash mark (/) such as NFSServer2:/abc/def will not work as a UNC path.
  • To create DFS links to NFS shares, you can use the Autodfs.exe file that is included with Windows Services for UNIX.
  • Remote or any unresolved symbolic links will not be listed unless the following registry value of type REG_DWORD is added and set to 1:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Client for NFS\CurrentVersion\Default\DisplayAllLinks
  • The functionality that is described in hotfix 330598 is related to this problem. However, the functionality is also different. Setting the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Client for NFS\CurrentVersion\Users\Default\Defaults\MountSymlinkTargetShare registry entry of type REG_DWORD to 1 will traverse links to shares that are on the same NFS server as the link without any DFS configuration.

    For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    330598  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330598/ ) FIX: Client for NFS does not automatically mount the NFS shared folder when it encounters symbolic links during a mount operation
  • For more information about how to configure NFS shares as DFS links, see the "concepts" subsection of the Client for NFS documentation in Windows Services for UNIX.
For more information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/ ) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 3.0 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX 3.5
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Keywords: 
kbautohotfix kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbbug kbqfe kbfix kbprb KB837197
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