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Technical Notes

Installing and Running the Pcnfsd Server Daemon on Your Sun Host
Technical Note 1429
Last Reviewed 09-May-2005
Applies To
Reflection NFS Client version 10.0 or higher
Summary

For non-anonymous authentication to an NFS host, Reflection NFS requires the host to be running the pcnfsd server daemon. Sun no longer provides pcnfsd with their hosts. However, Sun has given us permission to make pcnfsd available to our customers. This technical note gives general instructions on how to obtain pcnfsd from us and how to install and run it on your Sun host.

In addition, these instructions pertain only to Sun hosts. If you have a similar issue with a different host, please contact your system administrator or host vendor.

Note: The Reflection NFS Client standalone product is also included as a component of several Reflection products. For details, refer to Technical Note 3000.

Background

For the Reflection NFS Client to connect successfully to an NFS host, the host must be running certain NFS server daemons. Pcnfsd is a daemon that provides some printing services and allows users to authenticate by name. Without it, the user can still connect, but only anonymously. For more information on Reflection NFS and host requirements, see Technical Note 1100.

Attachmate is providing Sun's pcnfsd daemon to our customers as a courtesy, and does not actively support it. If you have problems downloading pcnfsd files from the Download Library, contact Attachmate technical support for assistance. (For contact information, see http://support.attachmate.com/contact/.) However, if you experience difficulty compiling pcnfsd files, installing the daemon, or running it on your host, please contact your host vendor or C compiler vendor.

The sections below give general instructions on installing and running pcnfsd on your Sun host. For additional host information, check your host's MAN pages or documentation.

Note: To implement many of these instructions, you need root access to your host. You also need system administration knowledge and skills. If you do not have appropriate network access or knowledge, please contact your system administrator before proceeding.

Before You Begin

Before you download pcnfsd, use one of the two methods listed below to ensure that it is not already available on your host.

Query the Host

Connect to your host and type the following command:

ps -eaf | grep rpc.pcnfsd

Use Reflection Utility

Check for pcnfsd with the Reflection Utility tool:

  1. On the Windows Program menu, click Reflection, and then click Utilities.
  2. Click NFS Utility. This will launch the NFS Utility program.
  3. On the Services menu, click Search for Server Daemons.
  4. In the Host box, type in your host's name or IP address.
  5. Click Retrieve Information.
  6. Check the list for pcnfsd. A green check mark indicates that the daemon is running. A red x mark indicates that the daemon is not currently available on your host.

Downloading Pcnfsd

Once you have confirmed that pcnfsd is not available on your host, follow the steps below to obtain it from the Download Library.

  1. Go to http://support.attachmate.com/downloads/.
  2. Search for the pcnfsd files appropriate to your host. Currently, there are three different sets of pcnfsd files available. Use the chart below to determine which files are right for your environment, and then download them to your PC.
    Host Type
    File(s) to Download
    Description
    Solaris x86
    pcnfsd_i386.tar
    Pre-compiled files for the Solaris x86 host.
    Solaris SPARC
    pcnfsd_sparc.tar
    Pre-compiled files for the Solaris SPARC host.
    Other Sun Operating Systems
    pcnfsd.taz and dopcnfsd.sh
    Non-compiled files. Note: You must have access to a C compiler to work with these files.

Note: The pre-compiled files should only be used with Sun Solaris versions 2.5, 2.6, 7, or 8.

  1. Copy the downloaded file or files from your PC into a new directory on your host.

Installing and Running Pcnfsd

Once you have copied the pcnfsd files to your host, you are ready to install them and run pcnfsd. The following instructions explain this process. If you downloaded the non-compiled files from the Download Library, skip directly to the Installing and Running Non-Compiled Files section.

Installing and Running Pre-Compiled Files

  1. First, untar the archive file in the directory you created on your host.

For example, if your host is a Solaris x86, type:

cd /export/home/<userdir>/temp
tar xvf pcnfsd_i386.tar

If your host is a Solaris SPARC, type:

cd /export/home/<userdir>/temp
tar xvf pcnfsd_sparc.tar
  1. Use the Solaris pkgadd command to install these files on your host.

For example, type:

pkgadd -d /export/home/<userdir>/temp
  1. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
  2. Start the pcnfsd daemon manually. There are several ways to do this. We recommend that you edit the following start and stop commands to fit your environment.

To start pcnfsd, type:

/etc/init.d/pcnfs start

To stop pcnfsd, type:

/etc/init.d/pcnfs stop
  1. Verify that pcnfsd is running successfully by following the steps listed in the Before You Begin section above.

If the daemon is not operating properly, you might want to search Sun's site for updated patch information, at http://sunsolve.sun.com.

Installing and Running Non-Compiled Files

If you have selected the non-compiled files to download and upload to your host, you will need to follow the general steps below.

  1. Copy pcnfsd.taz and dopcnfsd.sh from your PC to the new directory on your host. Pcnfsd.taz contains the pcnfsd daemon files.
  2. Dopcnfsd.sh is a simple shell script file used to unpack *.taz files. You may need to edit it to fit your environment before you run it.
  3. Once you have unpacked pcnfsd.taz, configure the pcnfsd daemon to auto-start.
  4. Verify that pcnfsd is running on your host by following the steps listed in the Before You Begin section of this technical note.
Related Technical Notes
1091 Migrating from the Sun Solstice Client to Reflection NFS or Reflection Suite for X
1100 Host Requirements for Reflection NFS
1421 Reflection NFS Client: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
3000 Reflection Suites
5008 Technical Notes for Reflection NFS Products

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