automount[1275]: syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

[dino99]

Binary package hint: autofs5

natty i386 updated

logged into daemon.log:
automount[1275]: syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: autofs5 5.0.5-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-12.26-generic-pae 2.6.37
Uname: Linux 2.6.37-12-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Jan 7 09:18:00 2011
ExecutablePath: /usr/sbin/automount
ProcEnviron: PATH=(custom, no user)
SourcePackage: autofs5

[dino99 (9d9)]

error still exist with autofs 5.0.5-0ubuntu3

automount[1303]: syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

[Chuck Short (zulcss)]

This is actually a well known bug in autofs5 its a duplicate of one that is already open but I cant find it right now.

[dino99 (9d9)]

Thanks Chuck,

i've search similar report on Launchpad too but cant find any close to this one: neither about autofs nor nsswitch, so the other possible package is base-files

[Sami Nieminen (sami-nieminen)]

I believe that the mentioned bug is 488696.

[Juhan Leemet (juhan)]

Suggestion for addition to documentation: one line (in autofs or auto.master man pages) to remind people to insert:

automount: nis files

(or some such) into the /etc/nsswitch.conf file. The Ubuntu default nsswitch.conf file does not have ANY line for automount. I have been usuing automounter for a long time with SunOS, Solaris, other Linux. I had to refer to my Sun workstation nsswitch.conf files to try to figure out what was wrong. As soon as I inserted the above line into the Ubuntu nsswitch.conf file, and did the "service autofs reload", my NFS shared home directories specified by auto.* files in NIS (aka yp) appeared! Now I'm a happy camper!

Obviously, other choices for source of automount files exist (e.g. LDAP). In my setup, I use NIS, and "fall back" to files, if necessary.