NFS Error Messages

This section shows an error message that is followed by a description of the conditions that should create the error and at minimum one remedy.

Bad argument specified with index option - must be a file

You must include a file name with the index option. You cannot use directory names.

Cannot establish NFS service over /dev/tcp: transport setup problem

This message is often created when the services information in the name space has not been updated. The message can also be reported for UDP. To fix this problem, you must update the services data in the name space. For NIS+ the entries should be as follows:

nfsd nfsd tcp 2049 NFS server daemon nfsd nfsd udp 2049 NFS server daemon

For NIS and /etc/services, the entries should be as follows:

nfsd 2049/tcp nfs # NFS server daemon nfsd 2049/udp nfs # NFS server daemon

Cannot use index option without public option

Include the public option with the index option in the share command. You must define the public file handle in order for the index option to work.

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Note -

The Solaris 2.5.1 release required that the public file handle be set by using the share command. A change in the Solaris 2.6 release sets the public file handle to be / by default. This error message is no longer relevant.

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Could not start daemon: error

This message is displayed if the daemon terminates abnormally or if a system call error occurs. The error string defines the problem.

Could not use public filehandle in request to server

This message is displayed if the public option is specified but the NFS server does not support the public file handle. In this situation, the mount fails. To remedy this situation, either try the mount request without using the public file handle or reconfigure the NFS server to support the public file handle.

daemon running already with pid pid

The daemon is already running. If you want to run a new copy, kill the current version, and start a new version.

error locking lock file

This message is displayed when the lock file that is associated with a daemon cannot be locked properly.

error checking lock file: error

This message is displayed when the lock file that is associated with a daemon cannot be opened properly.

NOTICE: NFS3: failing over from host1 to host2

This message is displayed on the console when a failover occurs. It is an advisory message only.

filename: File too large

An NFS version 2 client is trying to access a file that is over 2 Gbytes.

mount: ... server not responding:RPC_PMAP_FAILURE - RPC_TIMED_OUT

The server that is sharing the file system you are trying to mount is down or unreachable, at the wrong run level, or its rpcbind is dead or hung.

mount: ... server not responding: RPC_PROG_NOT_REGISTERED

The mount request registered with rpcbind, but the NFS mount daemon mountd is not registered.

mount: ... No such file or directory

Either the remote directory or the local directory does not exist. Check the spelling of the directory names. Run ls on both directories.

mount: ...: Permission denied

Your computer name might not be in the list of clients or netgroup that is allowed access to the file system you tried to mount. Use showmount -e to verify the access list.

nfs mount: ignoring invalid option "-option"

The -option flag is not valid. Refer to the mount_nfs(1M) man page to verify the required syntax.

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Note -

This error message is not displayed when running any version of the mount command that is included in a Solaris release from 2.6 to the current release or in earlier versions that have been patched.

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nfs mount: NFS can't support "nolargefiles"

An NFS client has attempted to mount a file system from an NFS server by using the -nolargefiles option. This option is not supported for NFS file system types.

nfs mount: NFS V2 can't support "largefiles"

The NFS version 2 protocol cannot handle large files. You must use version 3 if access to large files is required.

NFS server hostname not responding still trying

If programs hang while doing file-related work, your NFS server might be dead. This message indicates that NFS server hostname is down or that a problem has occurred with the server or the network. If failover is being used, hostname is a list of servers. Start troubleshooting with "How to Check Connectivity on an NFS Client".

NFS fsstat failed for server hostname: RPC: Authentication error

This error can be caused by many situations. One of the most difficult situations to debug is when this problem occurs because a user is in too many groups. Currently, a user can be in as many as 16 groups but no more if the user is accessing files through NFS mounts. An alternate does exist for users who need to be in more than 16 groups. You can use access control lists to provide the needed access privileges, if you run at minimum the Solaris 2.5 release on the NFS server and the NFS clients.

port number in nfs URL not the same as port number in port option

The port number that is included in the NFS URL must match the port number included with the -port option to mount. If the port numbers do not match, the mount fails. Either change the command to make the port numbers identical or do not specify the port number that is incorrect. Usually, you do not need to specify the port number in the NFS URL and with the -port option.

replicas must have the same version

For NFS failover to function properly, the NFS servers that are replicas must support the same version of the NFS protocol. Mixing version 2 and version 3 servers is not allowed.

replicated mounts must be read-only

NFS failover does not work on file systems that are mounted read-write. Mounting the file system read-write increases the likelihood that a file will change. NFS failover depends on the file systems being identical.

replicated mounts must not be soft

Replicated mounts require that you wait for a timeout before failover occurs. The soft option requires that the mount fail immediately when a timeout starts, so you cannot include the -soft option with a replicated mount.

share_nfs: Cannot share more than one filesystem with 'public' option

Check that the /etc/dfs/dfstab file has only one file system selected to be shared with the -public option. Only one public file handle can be established per server, so only one file system per server can be shared with this option.

WARNING: No network locking on hostname:path: contact admin to install server change

An NFS client has unsuccessfully attempted to establish a connection with the network lock manager on an NFS server. Rather than fail the mount, this warning is generated to warn you that locking does not work.