PRB: Render Scripts Are Not Referencing Files that Exist
  
PSS ID Number: Q180249
Article last modified on 02-06-1998
 
IRIX:3.7
 
IRIX
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Softimage 3D for IRIX, version 3.7
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SYMPTOMS
========
 
Render scripts are not referencing files that exist.
 
CAUSE
=====
 
The NFS automounter and the AFS auto-mount system watch for access to a
specified directory (/hosts normally for NFS). When a request is made for a
file in this directory, the assumption is that the first sub-directory
(i.e.: for/hosts/loki/usr/testing.mi it's loki), is the name of a host, and
that usr is exported from that host as an NFS filesystem. The automounter
then mounts that NFS file system at /tmp_mnt/loki/usr, for example, and
makes a symbolic link from /hosts/loki/usr to that directory.
 
At this point, both /hosts/loki/usr/testing.mi and
/tmp_mnt/loki/usr/testing.mi, for example, are valid references to the same
file. The automounter then checks periodically to see if the temporary
mounted file systems have been accessed in the last X minutes, and, if not,
unmounts the NFS filesystem from /tmp_mnt and removes the symlink.
 
The problem occurs if you reference a file, /tmp_mnt/loki/usr/testing.mi,
for example, and the automounter does not recognize it and, therefore, a
mount is not established. If you specify a path via the /hosts mechanism,
and then use the browser to look for files, the command getcwd() will
report /tmp_mnt/loki/usr/ and not the path that does the mounting;
therefore, references can fail on loading.
 
The automounter and SOFTIMAGE 3D (or any software that uses the getcwd
command to establish its location) are not compatible.
 
If you poll the original request directory (/hosts/xxxx/yyy), this causes
the mount to stay valid, but makes the automounter redundant.
 
RESOLUTION
==========
 
We recommend that you do not use the automounter. You can disable it in
Control Panel>Services.
 
REFERENCES
==========
 
If you have any questions concerning the information contained in this
article, contact support@softimage.com by e-mail.
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Keywords          : si si3d si3dmr si3dren
Version           : IRIX:3.7
Platform          : IRIX
Issue type        : kbprb
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.