NFS Client

Can I use other network clients at the same time as Solstice NFS Client?

Yes. For example, if you are using both Solstice NFS Client and Client for Microsoft Network, when you go into Network Neighborhood you will see both your local network and also icons for NFS Servers and Automount Maps.

Do I need to be authenticated by a pcnfsd server?

Yes. If you want to access NFS file servers, you must have user and group IDs as credentials. The only way to get them is from an authentication server. An exception to this rule is accessing files on a computer running the NFS Server which grants or rejects access based on machine name rather than user/group IDs.

If you just want to use NFS Server, LPR Server, or PC-CacheFS, then you do not need to be authenticated.

How do I specify the Authentication server to use?

From the Properties screen of the Solstice Network Client, you select the Security tab and select either to broadcast on your local subnet for a server or enter the IP address of a server if there is not one on your local subnet or you are making a serial connection.

Does the Solstice NFS Client have to be the Primary Network Logon?

The answer depends on how your computer is set up. Windows 95 uses the Primary Network Logon to determine which network client will present its logon screen first, and from where user and system policies are downloaded.

• If you have both Microsoft Client networking and Solstice NFS Client networking installed and you are using the same username/password for both clients, you can use either network as the Primary Network Logon and you will only have to login once to reach both networks. If you use different username/passwords for each network, it also doesn't matter which is the primary logon since you will have to enter your username and password for each client's logon screen.

• Only one Network Provider governs where user and system policies are downloaded from. So if you want to be sure that your Windows client downloads any Solstice related policy files, you must set the Solstice NFS Client to be the Primary Network Logon. If you don't care, then it doesn't matter.

• Some applications communicate only with the primary network provider. If you want to perform an operation over the NFS network, you may need to ensure that Solstice NFS Client is the Primary Network Logon.

How do I access NFS files?

The Solstice NFS Client mounts servers transparently when you browse for NFS servers. This implicit mapping process lets you look at and access files on NFS servers without having first to map a network drive. You can also explicitly map a network drive, using the Tools menu of Windows Explorer.

What is the difference between mapping a network drive and accessing an NFS server through Network Neighborhood?

The convenience of browsing Network Neighborhood does come with a small price--when you close Network Neighborhood or one of the windows that is viewing an NFS file system, the files on that file system are no longer accessible until you browse that file system again. In addition, the files on an implicitly mapped file system cannot be accessed from an MS-DOS box, or by an application that uses only mapped drives to access files. When you explicitly map network drives you have access to them all the time.

What is an Automount map?

The Solstice NFS Client automounter provides administrators with the capability 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 /pcapps could map to a network location of appserver:/export/pcapps. This location could change with a simple update to the automount map.

Can I access NFS files on UNIX servers other than Solaris?

Solstice NFS Client is an NFS V2 and V3 implementation. It should interoperate with NFS servers that support those standards.