Recently resumed using nfs with two boxes. On the server there are exports with a lot of symlinked directories (within the exported directories that I want the client to access. But the server sends the symlink to the client, which sees it as a local symlink.

Can nfsV4 servers translate symlinks for clients? If so, how?

Or can clients translate symlinks?

If this cannot be done then how can I give users in the clients access using group permissions? IIRC, this was possible in v1 and/or v2.

No, the experience you're seeing is correct, it should be a seen as a local link. You just need to manage these symlinks appropriately. Symlinks in the base system will be relative and so as long as both parts of the relevant filesystem are exported they will work as normal. if the symlink points to somewhere that's not exported, then it should sit really uncomfortably that it could provide access to data outside fo the exported filesystem.

In V3 mountd could handle some manipulation here, but as V4 doesn't use mountd and has a much more strict conceptual model of how things are exported. There appears to be some ability to work around some limitations using lofs it seems.

A partition is exported and even relative links break. I guess I'll just have to play with mountpoints and see what works. I'd rather not have to create all those symlinks on clients.

And then I have to work out how to grant different users in the same group access. As you say, V4 is strict so it will be difficult if it is possible.

Forgot to say that the links are within the exported partition and point inside that partition.