nfsnobody uid number

[Anthony Joseph Messina]

why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh install?

# grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin

this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
to change it to 65534 to get things to work.

just wondering.

-- 
Anthony -  http://messinet.com - http://messinet.com/~amessina/gallery
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[Cameron Simpson]

On 30Oct2006 17:12, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt; wrote:
| why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh install?
| 
| # grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
| nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
| User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
| 
| this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
| to change it to 65534 to get things to work.

That's the 32-bit version of "-2". 65534 is the 16 bit version.
It probably tracks the "uid_t" type size.
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs(a)zip.com.au&gt; DoD#743
http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/

There's not a woman in his book, the plot hinges on unkindness to
animals, and the black characters mostly drown by chapter 29.
        - P J O'Rourke parodying a PC review of Moby Dick

[Anthony Joseph Messina]

Cameron Simpson wrote:
>  On 30Oct2006 17:12, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt;
> wrote:
>  | why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh install?
>  | 
>  | # grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
>  | nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
>  | User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
>  | 
>  | this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
>  | to change it to 65534 to get things to work.
>  
>  That's the 32-bit version of "-2". 65534 is the 16 bit version.
>  It probably tracks the "uid_t" type size. 
thank you for your reply.  trouble is, when i use that number, i get the
following message in my logs:

rpc.idmapd[2086]: nfsdcb: id '-2' too big!

and the idmapping fails to work properly.  in order to use that 32 bit
number, is there something else i might not be configuring properly?

-- 
Anthony -  http://messinet.com - http://messinet.com/~amessina/gallery
8F89 5E72 8DF0 BCF0 10BE 9967 92DC 35DC B001 4A4E

[Cameron Simpson]

On 31Oct2006 16:35, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt; wrote:
| Cameron Simpson wrote:
| > On 30Oct2006 17:12, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt; wrote:
| > | why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh install?
| > | 
| > | # grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
| > | nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
| > | User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
| > | 
| > | this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
| > | to change it to 65534 to get things to work.
| > 
| > That's the 32-bit version of "-2". 65534 is the 16 bit version.
| > It probably tracks the "uid_t" type size.
| 
| thank you for your reply.  trouble is, when i use that number, i get the
| following message in my logs:
| 
| rpc.idmapd[2086]: nfsdcb: id '-2' too big!
| 
| and the idmapping fails to work properly.  in order to use that 32 bit
| number, is there something else i might not be configuring properly?

I don't really know. Is there a problem with just changing it to 65534
as you have been doing?
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs(a)zip.com.au&gt; DoD#743
http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/

Dope will carry you through times of no money better than money will carry
you through times of no dope!   - Freewheelin' Franklin

[Anthony Joseph Messina]

Cameron Simpson wrote:
>  On 31Oct2006 16:35, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt;
> wrote:
>  | Cameron Simpson wrote:
>  | > On 30Oct2006 17:12, Anthony Messina <amessina(a)messinet.com&gt; wrote:
>  | > | why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh install?
>  | > | 
>  | > | # grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
>  | > | nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
>  | > | User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
>  | > | 
>  | > | this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
>  | > | to change it to 65534 to get things to work.
>  | > 
>  | > That's the 32-bit version of "-2". 65534 is the 16 bit version.
>  | > It probably tracks the "uid_t" type size.
>  | 
>  | thank you for your reply.  trouble is, when i use that number, i get the
>  | following message in my logs:
>  | 
>  | rpc.idmapd[2086]: nfsdcb: id '-2' too big!
>  | 
>  | and the idmapping fails to work properly.  in order to use that 32 bit
>  | number, is there something else i might not be configuring properly?
>  
>  I don't really know. Is there a problem with just changing it to 65534
>  as you have been doing? 
no, there isn't a problem at all.  i was inquiring more than anything.
but i do think that it's interesting that the larger number is the
default, yet it doesn't seem to work.

-- 
Anthony -  http://messinet.com - http://messinet.com/~amessina/gallery
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[James Wilkinson]

Anthony Messina wrote:
>  why does nfsnobody have such a long uid/gid number in a fresh
> install?
>  
>  # grep nfsnobody /etc/passwd
>  nfsnobody:x:4294967294:4294967294:Anonymous NFS
>  User:/var/lib/nfs:/sbin/nologin
>  
>  this has caused problems on previous nfs4 installations. i usually have
>  to change it to 65534 to get things to work. 
Cameron Simpson wrote:
>  That's the 32-bit version of "-2". 65534 is the 16 bit
> version.
>  It probably tracks the "uid_t" type size. 
Anthony Messina replied:
>  thank you for your reply.  trouble is, when i use that number, i get
> the
>  following message in my logs:
>  
>  rpc.idmapd[2086]: nfsdcb: id '-2' too big!
>  
>  and the idmapping fails to work properly.  in order to use that 32 bit
>  number, is there something else i might not be configuring properly? 
What are you attempting to talk to?

Unix and Unix-like systems used to use 16 bit user numbers because
no-one expected a Unix box to have more than 60 000 users.

Unfortunately, with centralised authentication schemes and large
organisations, that assumption became false: it did become theoretically
possible that any one of 100 000 users might log into a Unix computer.
So user IDs (and group IDs) were extended to 32 bits. Having a nfsnobody
user in the middle of umpteen-thousand normal user IDs was considered
confusing, so it was moved.

There are still some operating systems around that haven't changed
(often due to compatibility concerns).

In your case, either you'll have to limit Fedora to 60 000 users and use
65534 as the nfsnobody userID, or you'll have to reconfigure the "other"
computer(s) to use 32 bit userIDs.

Hope this helps,

James.

-- 
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aprilcottage.co.uk | Chancellor Kohl said it would only be wrapped over his
                   | dead body, so sensing an opportunity the Bundestag
                   | outvoted him."                          -- The Guardian

[Anthony Joseph Messina]

James Wilkinson wrote:
>  What are you attempting to talk to?
>  Unix and Unix-like systems used to use 16 bit user numbers because
>  no-one expected a Unix box to have more than 60 000 users.
>  
>  Unfortunately, with centralised authentication schemes and large
>  organisations, that assumption became false: it did become theoretically
>  possible that any one of 100 000 users might log into a Unix computer.
>  So user IDs (and group IDs) were extended to 32 bits. Having a nfsnobody
>  user in the middle of umpteen-thousand normal user IDs was considered
>  confusing, so it was moved.
>  
>  There are still some operating systems around that haven't changed
>  (often due to compatibility concerns).
>  
>  In your case, either you'll have to limit Fedora to 60 000 users and use
>  65534 as the nfsnobody userID, or you'll have to reconfigure the "other"
>  computer(s) to use 32 bit userIDs.
>  
>  Hope this helps,
>  
>  James. 
yes sir. thanks james. i do appreciate the explanation and it makes
sense.  but if i have 2 servers, identical fc installations with the
default 32 bit number, i get this -2 is too big error.  i guess that's
the root of the problem.  i thought i might be missing something else in
my config that was leading to that.  putting it at 65534 makes things
work instantly, which is what i'll do since i am no where near 100,000
users :)

-- 
Anthony -  http://messinet.com - http://messinet.com/~amessina/gallery
8F89 5E72 8DF0 BCF0 10BE 9967 92DC 35DC B001 4A4E