Solstice NFS Client 3.2 User's Guide for Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT

Chapter 3 NFS File Services

This chapter describes how to use and manage Solstice NFS Client file services on Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0.

You can read background and procedural information or use the following references to go directly to the specific topic.

Accessing NFS File Systems

You can access files on NFS servers using Network Neighborhood or Windows Explorer similar to the way you access Microsoft or Netware file services. You access an NFS file system in the following ways.

Using NFS Servers - You can find an icon for NFS Servers on the Entire Network screen from Network Neighborhood. When you access it, you see a list of all the NFS servers on your local subnet. If the NFS server you need is part of your local subnet, you can browse its file system and map its folders to network drives. If the NFS server exists outside your subnet, you can easily add the server to the subnet. If you know the name of the folder you want to access, you can also map it to a network drive using the Tools menu of Windows Explorer or Windows NT Explorer.
Using NFS Automount Maps - These maps provide a means of accessing file systems, independent of their actual network location. You do not need to browse for servers or know the name of the server and its directories. Instead, you browse for the automount map that points to the file system. You can access the server's folders the same way you would those of an NFS server, browsing files or mapping drives.

Accessing NFS Servers

On a Windows 95 or Windows NT system, you can access NFS servers using Network Neighborhood. You can browse for NFS servers on your local subnet, or add NFS servers from outside your local subnet. You can also map a drive letter to an NFS server.

The multiple provider router (MPR) component of Microsoft Windows uses the universal naming convention (UNC) for specifying network resource names, and Solstice NFS Client uses two NFS conventions. Because of this use of multiple conventions, Solstice NFS Client's file-name mapping feature differs in detail from the file-name mapping used by Windows 95 and NT.

Windows 95 and Windows NT use this naming convention:

Universal Naming Convention (UNC), which uses the syntax \\server\share

The Solstice NFS Client conventions include:

NFS, which uses the syntax server:/dir1/dir2/dir3...
Automount, which uses the syntax /automap/autokey/dir1/dir2/dir3...

Solstice NFS Client must convert the NFS and automount formats to UNC format to enable processing by Windows 95 and Windows NT.

You can use UNC everywhere (that is, from the Map Network Drive dialog box, a Windows application, or a DOS box). NFS and automount formats can be used only when mapping a drive from a Map Network Drive dialog box.

On Windows NT, NFS format can also be used when mapping a drive from DOS with the net use command. See "Mapping Network Drives" for more information.

How UNC and NFS Names Differ

UNC resource names use the format \\server\share. The server is the computer on which the shared component is located. The share is the network resource name, usually an exported file system or a printer, that is being shared.

NFS file-name conventions use the format server:/directory1/directory2. An important function of the Solstice NFS Network Provider is to translate the NFS network resource names into the UNC format that is recognized by Windows 95 and Windows NT. This translation creates an alias for an NFS resource name.

Aliases are created when you map a drive or browse a file system.

How an Alias is Created

An alias is actually a combination of two aliases: a server alias and a share alias. The server alias is usually identical to the NFS server name minus the domain name. The exception occurs when you access two servers with the same name in different domains. For example, if the server sarge.bread.com is on your subnet and you add the server sarge.roses.com, the first sarge would be assigned the alias sarge, and the second might be assigned sarge~1. Network Provider stores both the NFS server name and its corresponding server alias.

Network Provider creates a share alias to match the name of the last subdirectory in a network path that you browsed or to which you mapped a drive.

Aliases Created When You Browse

If you browse servers in Network Neighborhood, the Solstice NFS Client Network Provider creates server aliases for all active NFS servers on your subnet. Network Provider first broadcasts to the NFS network servers on the local subnet, and any servers you have added. For each network server that responds, Network Provider translates the NFS name into a server alias. After server aliases are created, the list of responding servers is displayed in Network Neighborhood.

When you browse a particular server, Network Provider creates share aliases for the server's exported file systems. At this point, you can connect to those exports using the UNC format. When you browse a subdirectory within an export, a share alias is created only if you map a drive to the subdirectory. The share alias corresponds to the name of the last subdirectory in the path.

Aliases for Automount Maps

When you browse NFS automount maps or map a drive to an automount point, Network Provider creates a server alias for the automap and share aliases for the autokeys and subdirectories. For example, if you browsed the automount map for /home/joeuser, a server alias for /home and a share alias for /joeuser would be created. You could then use UNC format to access the directory.

Once Solstice NFS Client has created a UNC alias, you can connect to the network resource using either a UNC or NFS resource name format. When you enter the NFS name for a network resource, the Network Provider checks the entry for that name and uses the UNC name to connect the network resource on Windows 95 or NT. If no alias is found, Network Provider generates one automatically from the NFS name.

Aliasing Multilevel Directories on Windows 95

On a Windows 95 system, the multiple provider router (MPR) recognizes only UNC format (\\server\mount_point), and will not allow the mapping of path names consisting of more than two components. If you try to map more than two components, for example, \\server\mount_point\directory, to a drive letter, you will get an error.

If you want to map a drive to a subdirectory beneath the exported mount point, you must use NFS format. Windows does not recognize NFS formatted network resource names, but the MPR passes those names along to other network providers running on the computer. The NFS syntax, server:/mount_point/directory/subdirectory, lets you connect to a server using a multiple-level directory path. Windows MPR knows multiple-level NFS path names are not valid UNC names and just passes them on to the Solstice NFS Client Network Provider.

Solstice NFS Client handles the two-component limitation on path names by creating an alias for the full UNIX path of a network resource in the correct format. For example, the NFS resource name:

server:/mount_point/directory/subdirectory1/subdirectory2

is aliased as:

\\server\subdirectory2.

In summary, alias creation is the key to successful network resource connection. Aliases are created in one of two ways:

Browsing NFS resources with Network Neighborhood
Using the NFS resource name convention when making connections

Aliasing Multilevel Directories on Windows NT

In contrast to Windows 95, Windows NT allows you to use multiple-level UNC path names when mapping a drive. Solstice Network Provider creates an alias when you map a drive using either the NFS or UNC path formats. You do not need to browse a file system in order to create an alias.

If you map a drive to the file system /usr/doctools/dp on the server bluebird, using either the NFS path bluebird:/usr/doctools/dp or the UNC path \\bluebird\usr\doctools\dp, the resulting server alias would be \\bluebird and the share alias would be \dp.

You could then use the UNC format name in a Windows application or from DOS, using either the alias \\bluebird\dp or the full path \\bluebird\usr\doctools\dp.

If you look at your network drive connections through Windows NT's My Computer, or use the net use command in DOS, you see the full paths rather than the aliases of your network drives.

Mapping Network Drives

You can map an NFS network drive from:

Network Neighborhood
Windows Explorer
Other parts of the Windows 95 or Windows NT user interface, such as My Computer (using a toolbar icon)
Microsoft's net use command from a DOS prompt

Any time Windows 95 and Windows NT give you access to a drive, you can map it. Some applications may also provide drive mapping capability from the Open and Save As dialog boxes.

The following procedures describe several ways to map a network drive.

To Map a Network Drive from Network Neighborhood on Windows 95

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of workgroups, including workgroups labeled NFS Automount Maps and NFS Servers.

Double-click NFS Servers.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all active NFS servers on your local subnet.

Double-click any NFS server.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of shared directories on that server.

Select the folder to map to a network drive. Right click on the directory, select Map Network Drive (Figure 3-1), and then click OK.

Figure 3-1 Mapping a Network Drive on Windows 95

To Map a Network Drive from Network Neighborhood on Windows NT

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays two icons labeled Microsoft Windows Network and Solstice_NFS_Client.

Double-click the Solstice_NFS_Client icon.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled NFS Automount Maps and NFS Servers.

Double-click the NFS Servers workgroup.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all active NFS servers on your local subnet.

Double-click any NFS server.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of exported folders on that server.

Select the folder to map to a network drive. Right-click on the folder, then select Map Network Drive (Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-2 Mapping a Network Drive on Windows NT

To Map a Network Drive from Windows Explorer

Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer or Windows NT Explorer.

From the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

The Map Network Drive dialog box opens.

In the Path text entry box, type the NFS name of the network resource to which you want to connect.

Be sure to use the correct case (upper, lower, or mixed) for the server and directory names as they appear in the UNIX file system.

If you enter the NFS name spooky:/fun/house, for example, Network Provider creates an alias for the NFS resource and stores it. The next time you connect to this network resource, you can specify either its NFS file name (spooky:/fun/house) or its alias (\\~spooky\house).

You can also use automount syntax here, using the format /automap/autokey/dir1/dir2

For example, if your home directory is an automount point, you could enter a path similar to /home/joeuser. See "Browsing NFS Automount Maps" for more information about automounting.

Note -
Solstice NFS Client does not support the Connect As feature of drive mapping on Windows NT. To connect a drive, you must use your login name.

To Map a Network Drive Using a UNC Name on Windows 95

On Windows 95, you can specify the alias for a network resource only if it already exists. If you have connected to this resource before, the Solstice network has created and stored an alias for it. If you are not sure whether the alias exists, use Explorer or My Computer to browse the network.

Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

From the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

The Map Network Drive dialog box opens.

In the Path text entry box, type the tilde (~) character followed by the alias. For example:
```
\\~spooky\house
```

To Map a Network Drive Using a UNC Name on Windows NT

On Windows NT, you can specify the full path to a network resource in UNC format. If you have not connected to this resource before, the Solstice network creates and stores an alias for it as it makes the connection. You do not need to browse the network before using a UNC name.

Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows NT Explorer.

From the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

The Map Network Drive dialog box opens.

In the Path text entry box, type the tilde (~) character followed by the alias. For example:
```
\\~spooky\house
```

Browsing NFS Servers

The Solstice NFS Client software uses the implicit drive mapping capability of Windows 95 and Windows NT to mount servers transparently when you browse for NFS servers. This implicit mapping process lets you look at and access files on NFS servers without mapping a network drive first.

To Browse for NFS Servers on Windows 95

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of Microsoft network workgroups, including workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps (Figure 3-3).

Figure 3-3 Browsing NFS Servers in Network Neighborhood

Double-click on the NFS Servers workgroup.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all active NFS servers on the local subnet to which your machine is attached (Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4 NFS Servers Listed in Network Neighborhood

Double-click any NFS server.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of exported folders on that server.

Note -
You will see the alias for the network resources you browse. To see the NFS names, click Details from the View menu. The aliases are listed under Name, and the corresponding NFS names are listed under Comment.

Access these folders as you would folders on your local computer.

To Browse for NFS Servers on Windows NT

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled Microsoft Windows Network and Solstice_NFS_Client (Figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5 Selecting Solstice_NFS_Client Workgroup

Double-click Solstice_NFS_Client.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Double-click the NFS Servers workgroup.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all active NFS servers on your local subnet (Figure 3-6).

Figure 3-6 NFS Servers in Network Neighborhood on Windows NT

To Add an NFS Server Outside the Local Subnet on Windows 95

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of Microsoft network workgroups, including workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Right-click NFS Servers and then select Add/Remove NFS Servers.

The Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box opens (Figure 3-7).

Figure 3-7 Add/Remove NFS Servers Dialog Box

Type the name of an NFS server that is not on the local network and then click Add.

Repeat this step for each server you want to add.

Click OK to close the Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box.

To Add an NFS Server Outside the Local Subnet on Windows NT

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled Microsoft Windows Network and Solstice_NFS_Client.

Double-click Solstice_NFS_Client.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Right-click NFS Servers and then select Add/Remove NFS Servers.

The Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box opens (Figure 3-7).

Type the name of an NFS server that is not on the local network and then click Add.

Click OK to close the Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box.

To Remove an NFS Server Outside the Local Subnet on Windows 95

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of Microsoft network workgroups, including workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Right-click NFS Servers and then select Add/Remove NFS Servers.

The Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box opens (Figure 3-7).

Select an NFS server to remove and then click Remove.

Click OK to close the Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box.

To Remove an NFS Server Outside the Local Subnet on Windows NT

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled Microsoft Windows Network and Solstice_NFS_Client.

Double-click Solstice_NFS_Client.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Right-click NFS Servers and then select Add/Remove NFS Servers.

The Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box opens (Figure 3-7).

Select an NFS server to remove and then click Remove.

Click OK to close the Add/Remove NFS Servers dialog box.

Browsing NFS Automount Maps

In addition to browsing NFS servers, Solstice NFS Client lets you browse NFS automount maps. The maps can be either NIS/NIS+ automount maps, or local automount maps. These maps contain information about other computers on your network.

The Solstice NFS Client Automounter is an NFS automounter. It enables administrators to define mount points without regard to their actual location on a network. Automount maps provide the links between file system names and their actual locations. For example, a file system name of /dat/pcapps could map to a network location of appserver:/export/pcapps. This location could change with a simple update to the automount maps.

The Solstice NFS Client automount maps use the same format as the NIS/NIS+ automount maps in Solaris. The Solstice NFS Client installation program installs two required automount maps in the C:\Program Files\Solstice\Etc directory, auto_home and auto_master. These files must reside in this directory whether you use a local name service or NIS/NIS+. Figure 3-9 and Figure 3-8 show slightly modified versions of these two files. For more information on the format of these files, see the UNIX man page for automount (enter man automount on a Solaris workstation command line), and consult the Solaris system administration documentation.

You can view NIS/NIS+ maps on a Solaris machine by entering:

ypcat -k auto.home

niscat auto_home

If your network does not use NIS or NIS+, your computer will use the locally installed automount maps. These files must reside in your C:\Program Files\Solstice\Etc directory.

Home Automount Map

The auto_home file requires an entry for each user. To edit the automount maps, use a 32-bit editor (like WordPad) to prevent Windows from converting the file names to 8.3 DOS names.

Figure 3-8 A Home Automount Map

Master Automount Map

The auto_master file is read only at startup so you must reboot after editing it. However, the auto_home file is read as "needed" so it does not require a reboot after editing.

Figure 3-9 A Master Automount Map

Configuring NIS or NIS+

To browse NIS or NIS+ maps, you must configure either NIS or NIS+ as your Solstice naming service. Configure the naming service by entering the domain and IP address of your NIS or NIS+ server, following the directions in "To Configure NIS or NIS+".

To see the host name of your NIS server, use the following command on a Solaris system:

ypwhich

To see the IP address of your NIS server, use the following command:

ypcat hosts | grep hostname

To see the domain name and IP address of your NIS+ server, use the following command:

niscat -o org_dir

To Configure NIS or NIS+

In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon.
- For Windows 95, click the Configuration tab.
- For Windows NT, click the Services tab.

Double-click Solstice NIS/NIS+ Naming Services, or select Solstice NIS/NIS+ Naming Services and click Properties.

The Solstice NIS/NIS+ Naming Services Properties dialog opens.

Click Enable NIS or Enable NIS+ to enable the appropriate name service for your network.

Enter the name service domain.

The name service domain is the complete name of your domain, usually ending in .COM, .EDU, .NET, .ORG and so on. To find out the domain name, enter the command below on a Solaris system on your subnet.
/bin/domainname

Specify a name server search order.

Select a name service and click Up or Down until the service you want is at the top of the list. The NIS or NIS+ service does not need to be at the top of the list for you to browse automount maps.

To Browse NFS Automount Maps on Windows 95

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of Microsoft network workgroups, including workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Double-click the NFS Automount Maps workgroup.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of the local NFS automount maps on your machine, or a list of NIS/NIS+ automount maps (Figure 3-10).

Note -
If your network uses NIS/NIS+ but you do not see NIS/NIS+ automount maps, you may need to configure NIS or NIS+, as explained in "Configuring NIS or NIS+".

Figure 3-10 NFS Automount Maps Listed in Network Neighborhood

Double-click any NFS automount map.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all NFS mount points defined in the automount maps.

Access these automount points as you would folders on your local computer.

Note that you can open an automount point and map a network drive to a folder within it by right-clicking the folder, selecting Map Network Drive, and clicking OK in the Map Network Drive dialog box.

To Browse NFS Automount Maps on Windows NT

Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled Microsoft Windows Network and Solstice_NFS_Client.

Double-click Solstice_NFS_Client.

Network Neighborhood displays workgroups labeled NFS Servers and NFS Automount Maps.

Double-click the NFS Automount Maps workgroup.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of the local NFS automount maps on your machine, or a list of NIS/NIS+ automount maps (Figure 3-10).

Double-click any NFS automount map.

Network Neighborhood displays a list of all NFS mount points defined in the automount maps.

Access these automount points as you would folders on your local computer.

User Profiles and Connected Drives

Windows 95 and Windows NT differ in the way persistent drive mappings are treated when different users log in to a system.

Due to the default behavior of Windows 95, a network drive specified to be reconnected on login is mapped whenever a user logs in to Windows 95 on that computer. You can, however, set up Windows 95 so that drive mappings are associated with specific users. See the Solstice Network Client Administration Guide for information about user profiles.

In Windows NT 4.0, each user account has a unique user profile by default. As a result, drive mappings are associated with specific users. However, if you want all users to be reconnected to the same network drives when they log in, you can take advantage of the mandatory user profile ability of Windows NT Server 4.0 to give users identical environments. See the Windows NT documentation for more information about mandatory user profiles.

To Set Up Custom User Profiles on Windows

Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Passwords.

The Passwords Properties dialog box opens.

Click the User Profiles tab.

Click the option button labeled "Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings."

The previously grayed-out User Profile Settings become active.

Click the options to turn settings on and off.

Use What's This help to determine what settings you need.

Accessing WebNFS Servers

The WebNFS^TM protocol is an extension of the NFS protocol. The WebNFS protocol enables clients to access a WebNFS server anywhere on the Internet. It makes information on NFS servers available to Web browsers and Java^TM applets. WebNFS also makes it easy to connect to Internet NFS servers through corporate firewalls.

About the WebNFS Protocol

The WebNFS protocol was designed to overcome some of the drawbacks to using NFS over an Internet connection. A WebNFS server implements the following features:

Supports TCP transport - Firewalls can be easily configured for protocols that use TCP on well-known ports.
Supports NFS v3 - NFS version 3 overcomes a number of limitations in version 2. It allows users to access larger files and larger transfer sizes. This results in much faster file access operations across a network.
Supports the use of a well-known port - Clients can skip the Portmapper protocol and communicate directly with the server on port 2049.
Exports files using a public file handle - A WebNFS server makes files available to clients with a public file handle. A WebNFS client uses this as an initial file handle to access files and directories, bypassing the Mount protocol.
Supports multicomponent lookup - A WebNFS server can evaluate an entire path name with a single request when the path name is relative to the public file handle.

The Solaris 2.6 server is a WebNFS server.

About the WebNFS Client

The Solstice NFS Client can connect to a WebNFS server by mounting or by connecting with an NFS URL of the format nfs://host/path. The NFS URL can be used when mapping a drive using net use (Windows NT only), in the Map Network Drive dialog box, or with the script interpreter. Automount maps containing NFS URLs are also supported.

Using an NFS URL

When an NFS URL is used, the connection will be made using TCP transport, NFS version 3, port number 2049, and a public file handle. If any of these requirements cannot be met, the client uses a secondary option.

The WebNFS client connects to the server, following these rules:

Use TCP protocol first. If the connection is refused, use UDP.
Use NFS version 3. If rejected, use NFS version 2.
Use port number 2049 on the server.
Use a public file handle as an initial file handle with a lookup request. If the request is rejected, use the Mount protocol.

Note -

If the public file handle is used, locking/sharing will be disabled.

Using WebNFS Mount Option

You can select WebNFS as an option on the Advanced screen of the NFS Client Properties page or on a network server Properties page. If this option is selected, the client will connect to the NFS server using only the WebNFS protocol. No secondary options will be attempted. For example, if a public file handle request is refused, the mount will fail. Use this option to avoid delays when using WebNFS through a firewall.

Mapping a WebNFS Drive

You can map a drive on a WebNFS server using any of the methods already described for mapping drives. This includes mapping a drive from Network Neighborhood, from Windows Explorer, using the toolbar icon, and with the net use command (on Windows NT only).

When you are required to enter a path name, use the following syntax:

	nfs://server:port/path

The port is optional. If not specified, port number 2049 is assumed.

The path is evaluated by the server relative to the public file handle. Note that if the path begins with a slash, it is evaluated relative to the root directory on the server.

For example, if the public file handle is associated with the directory /home, then the URL

	nfs://server/charlie/dir1/dir2

refers to the path /home/charlie/dir1/dir2, and the URL

	nfs://server//home/charlie/dir1/dir2

refers to the same path relative to the root directory on the server.

To Map a Network Drive Using WebNFS

Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

From the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

The Map Network Drive dialog box opens.

In the Path text entry box, type the WebNFS path. For example:
```
nfs://spooky/fun/house 
```

Browsing WebNFS Servers

You can browse for a WebNFS server using the browsing mechanism described in "Browsing NFS Servers". WebNFS servers will be listed along with the servers running pcnfsd.

If you select a server on the list and click File ->Explore, the system will display all exported directories, those exported by mountd as well as a directory exported with a public file handle (the WebNFS directory).

If you have set the WebNFS option for this server, then you will see only the WebNFS directory, displayed with the export alias name webnfs.

Customizing Solstice NFS Client

The Solstice NFS Client software provides a Properties dialog box for adjusting the global default values for the connection (mount) options that it uses when it connects to an NFS file system or creates files on an NFS server. See "To Change Default Settings for Solstice NFS Client Properties" for the steps to open the Solstice NFS Client dialog box.

All NFS Client mount option settings have default values, which you can change using the Solstice NFS Client Properties dialog box. The settings in this dialog box are used initially for all connections and will be suitable in most situations. When you change any of the settings here, the values are applied to all connections (including existing persistent connections), except those values that have been changed for specific connections. You can change many mount option settings for specific connections and mapped drives, which is explained in "Changing Mount Options for Specific Connections".

For more information about NFS options, consult your Solaris documentation.

Setting General Preferences

Use the NFS General tab to select mount options, the file name mapping character, and the data transfer size.

Mount Options

You can choose to connect drives with read-only permissions, and set file-locking so that others will not be able to access a file that you have opened. You should be aware that some servers do not support file locking (Solstice NFS Server, for example). If you enable File Locking/Sharing and then attempt to mount drives from an NFS server that does not support file locking, you will be unable to map drives, browse exports, or read and write files on that server.

File Name Mapping

Select which character Solstice NFS Client uses as a replacement character when it maps long file names to the DOS 8.3 file name convention.

Data Transfer

Select the read/write size of NFS transfers.

Read size (in bytes) is the number of bytes per data block read from a file during a data transfer across the network. A larger size increases NFS performance if the network hardware can handle the larger size. Default is 32768 bytes for TCP and 8 kilobytes for UDP.
Write size (in bytes) is the number of bytes per data block written to a file or sent to a printer during a data transfer across the network. A larger size increases NFS performance if the network hardware can handle the larger size. Default is 32768 bytes for TCP and 8 kilobytes for UDP.

Setting Security Preferences

Use the Security tab to set file permissions and to specify whether to broadcast for an authentication server.

Default File Creation Permissions

Use this option to set the default UNIX permissions for each file created across the network through NFS. This performs a function similar to that of the UNIX umask command.

Authentication

Specify whether Solstice NFS Client will broadcast for an authentication server.

Broadcast For An Authentication Server tells Solstice NFS Client to broadcast across the subnet to find a server running the rpc.pcnfsd daemon when the user logs in to verify the user's login name and password. Locating an authentication server in this way may take a little longer, but eliminates problems accessing a specific server that is down.
Use A Specific Authentication Server tells NFS Client to contact a specific server (by name or IP address) to verify the user's login and password. This method is faster, but only if the server is up and running. If it is not, Solstice NFS Client prompts you to specify a different server.

You should select Use A Specific Authentication Server if you are using a serial connection.

Setting Caching Preferences

Use the Caching tab to set preferences for caching:

Attribute Cache

You can enable caching of file attributes (such as file size and modification time) which do not change often. Caching these attributes improves NFS performance. Use the drop-down lists to adjust the rates at which the attributes are updated. A smaller interval assures earlier detection that a file or folder has been modified by someone else. A larger interval improves performance by decreasing the frequency of NFS reads.

Data Cache

You can enable caching of previously read files in memory. Data caching can improve NFS Client file access time if your computer has free memory available. Read-write cache size (in Kbytes) determines how much memory the cache can use. The default setting, Automatic, allows NFS Client to select a value based on the free memory available.

File Name Cache

Specify how many mappings of long file names to DOS 8.3 file names can be stored in the file name cache. This cache is necessary for applications that do not support long file names.

Note -

Another cache setting can be changed through the Registry only. If you see slow performance when accessing files in a directory with a large number of files (more than 256), you may want to increase the number of entries in the Directory Name Lookup Cache. For information about registry entries, see the Solstice Network Client Administration and Maintenance Guide.

Setting Tuning Preferences

Use the Tuning tab to adjust performance settings:

NFS Retransmissions

This setting determines the number of times NFS Client tries to reach an NFS server.

Asynchronous Transmissions

This setting turns on an NFS v3 performance enhancement. This enhancement detects when NFS is reading a file sequentially rather than randomly as in a database file, and prompts NFS to retrieve into the data cache several data blocks ahead of the data you are currently reading. If you notice poor performance when using a database or other random-access file, turn off asynchronous readaheads.

Automounter

You can specify the number of seconds an automounted file system remains connected after all files on it have been closed.

Setting Files and Folders Preferences

Use the Files and Folders tab to set preferences for case handling and how folders are created.

Archive Attribute

Showing NFS files with archive attribute checked specifies that you want to see when a file has the DOS archive attribute set, although it has no meaning in NFS.

Preferred Case

You can determine which case NFS should use when creating new files and doing file lookups. The preferred case is used only if the next option (Create File Names In Preferred Case) is selected.

Case Handling

The default selections for the two Case Handling options are intended to replicate the case-handling behavior of Windows 95 and Windows NT. Windows will allow you to create file names using mixed case. However, unlike UNIX, Windows cannot differentiate between two files with the same name but different cases in the same directory.

For this reason, you should not create files or directories on your NFS server whose names are the same except for case. For example, you should not create one directory named STATUS and another named status within the same parent directory.

Create File Names In Preferred Case causes NFS to create and save files using the case specified in the previous field, Preferred Case.

For example, if you select Uppercase as the preferred case and then select Create File Names In Preferred Case, all file names you enter will be converted to uppercase.
Use Case Sensitive File Name Lookup specifies that NFS should look up file names using the preferred case. This option is available only when you first select Create File Names In Preferred Case.

For example, if you select Uppercase as the preferred case, select Create File Names In Preferred Case, and then select Use Case Sensitive File Name Lookup, all file names will be created in uppercase, and a file lookup will look for the uppercase version of the file name searched for. If this feature is selected and you use Explorer to enter the directory on your NFS server called status, NFS looks for the directory STATUS. You will see an error such as D:\Status is not accessible. The folder was moved or removed. The folder is still there, but NFS cannot find it because it is looking for a different name.

If Use Case Sensitive File Name Lookup option is not selected, a file name lookup will first look for the file in the case in which it was created. If that instance of the file is not found, then file name lookup will search the entire directory. It uses the first instance of the case-insensitive version of the file that it finds.

For example, if you select Uppercase as the preferred case, then select Create File Names In Preferred Case, and then do not select Use Case Sensitive File Name Lookup, all file names will be created in uppercase, and a file name lookup will first look for the uppercase version of the file name searched for. If the file name is not found, then NFS will continue to search the entire directory in a case-insensitive manner.

Case-insensitive lookups are slower than case-sensitive lookups, but are more compatible with the way Microsoft Windows looks for file names.

Folder Creation Semantics

Determine how NFS handles the group identification (GID) assigned to files it creates. UNIX System V normally assigns to a file the GID of the process that creates it. However, if the parent folder was set up to pass its GID to all files created within it, System V assigns the GID of the parent folder to the new file. Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) UNIX always assigns the GID of the creating process to a new file.

Setting Advanced Preferences

Use the Advanced tab to select the transport mechanism, the NFS version, and determine how to specify the NFS port.

Transport

Select which transport to use. Automatic tries TCP first and then UDP. Using the UDP transport speeds up network traffic by reducing packet overhead on LANs and high-speed reliable networks. TCP works better when high reliability of packet transmission is a requirement, as on WANs where transmission speed is slower and more errors are encountered. TCP is able to recover one bad packet without requiring the whole frame to be resent. TCP waits for acknowledgment that a packet arrived, and if it does not receive one, it retransmits the packet.

NFS Version

You can speed up connections to the network by specifying what version of NFS to use. If the servers to which you most often connect support only one version, configure that version as a default. Automatic tries v3 first and then tries v2.

If a server is running Solaris 2.5 or later, its default NFS version is v3, but it can use v2 if the client needs to use v2. If a server is running Solaris 2.4 or earlier, it can only run NFS v2.

For any UNIX server, including one running a brand of UNIX other than Solaris, you can find out which NFS version it supports using the rpcinfo command, as follows:

rpcinfo -p hostname | grep 100003

(NFS is RPC program #100003.)

Running this command on a Solaris 2.5 system would return the following, which means that v2 and v3 are supported over UDP and TCP.

100003     3     udp     2049     nfs  
100003     2     tcp      2049	     nfs  
100003     3     tcp      2049     nfs  
100003     2     udp     2049     nfs

Running this command on a Solaris 2.4 system would return the following, which means that only v2 is supported over UDP.

100003     2     udp     2049     nfs

Compare the output for a non-Solaris system to determine which NFS version it supports.

NFS Port

Determine how to specify a port.

Use Portmapper tells NFS to use the Portmapper program to determine which port to use. Using Portmapper is less efficient than using a specific port, but frees you from having to know the NFS server's listening port number.
Use A Specific Port tells NFS to use the port you specify instead of using Portmapper. Using a specific port speeds up NFS operations. The NFS specification suggests port number 2049 as the standard NFS server port. Your network may choose to use another port number.

WebNFS

Select this option if you are using WebNFS through a firewall. If this option is selected, the client will try to use the public file handle to locate files and directories on the server. If the server does not support the public file handle, the mount will fail.

To Change Default Settings for Solstice NFS Client Properties

In the Control Panel, double-click the Network icon.

Open the Solstice NFS Client Properties dialog box.
- In Windows 95, click the Configuration tab, then double-click Solstice NFS Client.
- In Windows NT, click the Services tab, then double-click Solstice NFS Client.
The Solstice NFS Client Properties dialog box opens (Figure 3-11).

Figure 3-11 Solstice NFS Client Properties Dialog Box

Use the property pages to change the default settings for NFS Client properties.

Use What's This? help to jog your memory about various NFS options.

Click OK when finished.

Changing Mount Options for Specific Connections

The Solstice NFS Client Properties are global mount options, meaning they are the initial settings used for all network connections made, either implicitly by browsing in Network Neighborhood, or explicitly by mapping a drive. The global properties are applied to persistent connections as well.

The Solstice NFS Client software also lets users change mount options for connections to a server and for implicit mounts and mapped drives. This capability allows users to access servers or exported file systems using options that are different from the default options.

NFS Client allows two kinds of per-connection options:

Server-level options, which affect all connections to that server
Connection-point options, which affect only that connection

Not all the NFS properties are available at all levels. For example, the Data Cache and File Name Cache options are available as global properties, but are not available as properties of server-level connections.

Changing Mount Options for Connections to a Server

Users can set mount options for all connections made from a client computer to a particular server. Once this is done, each connection (implicit, or explicit drive map) will use the same mount options set for the server. Change mount options by first browsing NFS servers, and then selecting a specific server or file system. Once selected, display a server's or file system's properties to see its current connection options. Use these property sheets to modify these options.

When Changes to Connection Options Take Effect

Changes to connection options will take effect the next time a network resource is connected, not mapped. There is a reason for this distinction. When you browse into an exported file system on a network through Network Neighborhood, that resource gets temporarily connected. If you then change a connection option and map that same resource to a local drive letter, the new option will not be used because the resource is already connected.

Resources that are connected through Network Neighborhood, but not mapped, will be disconnected:

After the 5-minute time-out has been reached
When the user logs out

Once the resource has been disconnected, browsing or mapping that resource will use the new connection options.

The surest way, however, to make sure the changed connection options are used when you connect to a server or other resource is to restart Windows 95.

Order Used in Applying Mount Options to a Connection

Mount options are applied to a connection in the order of global, server, mount point. This means that when NFS makes a connection and decides which mount options to use, it looks at the global NFS Client Properties first, the server properties second, and the mount point properties last. To illustrate this, consider one particular mount option, the Mapping Character feature. Suppose you set this feature as follows for the global NFS Client properties, for server woody, and the connection to /files on woody.

Which Properties dialog box?	Mapping character	Connection that would use this setting
Solstice NFS Client Properties	`~`	`buzz:/files2`
woody Properties	`@`	`woody:/opt`
files on woody Properties	`#`	`woody:/files`

If Mapping Character were the only property set at the server level and mount point level, each connection would use the Solstice NFS Client Properties for the values of all other mount options besides Mapping Character.

Troubleshooting

Table 3-1 lists problems that might occur using network file services on a computer running Solstice NFS Client.

Table 3-1 Problems Using Network File Services


Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Cannot log in to Solstice NFS Client Login dialog box.	One or more TCP/IP settings are incorrect.	Click Cancel on the Solstice NFS Client Login dialog box to log in without networking enabled. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network. In Windows 95, double-click TCP/IP. Refer to "Checklist for TCP/IP Settings on Windows 95". In Windows NT, click the Protocols tab, then double-click TCP/IP Protocol. Refer to "Checklist for TCP/IP Settings on Windows NT".
On Windows 95, you tried to enter a UNC file name in the Map Network Drive dialog box and received the error message, "`The following error occurred while trying to connect drive to server. Resource not found.`"	The UNC name for the network resource you tried to access does not exist.	Use NFS format in the Map Network Drive dialog box, or browse the network resources listed in Network Neighborhood. As you select each network resource, the Network Provider creates a UNC name for it.
You tried to map a drive on Windows NT using the Connect As feature and received the error message: `The credentials supplied conflict with an existing set of credentials.`	You tried to connect as a different user.	The Connect As feature is not supported by Solstice NFS Client, so you should leave this field blank.
You logged in to Solstice NFS Client, but when you browse NFS Servers, no servers are listed.	No NFS servers are running on the same subnet as Solstice NFS Client.	Open Network Neighborhood and double-click Entire Network. In Windows NT, double-click Solstice_NFS_Client. In both environments, select NFS Servers and click the right mouse button. Click Add/Remove NFS Servers. Type the name of an NFS Server outside the local subnet, and then click Add. Click OK to close the dialog box.
Attempting to copy a directory on which you only have read permission from one NFS server to another using Explorer, Windows 95, or Windows NT fails with the message, `Cannot create or replace directory_name. Access is denied.`	The directory was copied read-only and then none of the contents could be copied into it.	Open a DOS prompt window and use the `xcopy` command to copy the directory.

Checklist for TCP/IP Settings on Windows 95

If you cannot log in to Solstice NFS Client, follow these steps to troubleshoot the problem:

Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon and click Properties to open the Network dialog box.

Click the Configuration tab and double-click TCP/IP.

If your site uses DNS:
1. Click the DNS Configuration tab and make sure Enable DNS is selected.
2. Make sure the DNS domain name is correct.
3. Make sure the number listed in DNS Server Search Order is the correct address of your DNS server.

If your site uses DHCP to automatically generate IP addresses for clients, click the IP Address tab and make sure Obtain An IP Address Automatically is selected.

If your site does not use DHCP:
1. Click the IP Address tab and make sure Specify An IP Address is selected and the number typed in the IP Address box is correct.
2. Click the Gateway tab and make sure the number listed in Installed Gateways is the correct address of a gateway on your local subnet.

Check the authentication server:
1. In the Network dialog box, double-click the Solstice NFS Client.
2. Click the Security tab and check the authentication server.
  
  If Broadcast For An Authentication Server is selected, make sure there is a server running the pcnfsd daemon on the same local subnet as the computer running Solstice NFS Client. Do this by entering the following command from a Solaris system on the subnet:
  rpcinfo -b 150001 2
3. If no server on the subnet is running the pcnfsd daemon, select Use A Specific Authentication Server and type the IP address of an authentication server outside the local subnet.

Checklist for TCP/IP Settings on Windows NT