when i install slackware 9.0 in an nfs install
i boot from floppies
load pcmcia.dsk
and run setup
it finishes
but no packages are installed
and i get no errors

i only have portmap and nfs running on the server
the slackware docs say i need mountd
but that is unavailable in redhat (server distro)

is this a client issue, or should i load mountd on the server
if so, then how?

I have installed both slack8.x and 9.0 via nfs more than a few times, when you say "it finishes" are you seeing any of the usual installing package blah blah blah stuff? or does it finish in a very short time? When you define your package sources are you using an already mounted directory? This is what has worked for me, mounting the directory manually and then running setup, any errors in mounting the nfs share should then show up when you attempt to mount it.

nope i see no 'install package' stuff
it just finished in about 30 sec
even over a 10/100 connection
a full install in that time wouldnt be possible

as far as package sources
i tried 'install from nfs'

i did try to mount a dir once
using the command
mount -t nfs 192.168.1.2:/var/exports/slackware/9.0 /mnt
it didnt work
but i hadnt run ifconfig

im tryin that as soon as i finish typin this and go downstairs

ok after booting and loading pcmcia.dsk on the client
i ran
ifconfig 192.168.1.117 broadcast 192.168.1.255 netmask 255.255.255.0
and then
mnt -t nfs 192.168.1.2:/var/exports/slackware/9.0 /mnt

my /etc/exports on the server reads
#
/var/exports/slackware/9.0 192.168.1.117(rw)

when i run the mnt command on the client i get an error denying me permission
i still dont have mountd running on the server

could that be my problem?
if so
then how do i get mountd to run?

If you can ping the machine doing the export, then this sounds more like a /etc/hosts.allow /etc/hosts.deny problem, (eg: the redhat box's security is blocking you) are you able to mount this nfs share from any other machine? also, try running rpc.portmap on the client machine.

after running ifconfig i can ping the server
but when i mount, it hangs the system, and nothing happens

/ets/hosts.allow and hosts.deny on the server are blank

rpc.portmap on the client returns nothing

i still think i need mountd

how would i go about installing that?

update:

starting the service 'nfs' on the server automatically starts rpc.mountd

but

the client still hangs for about 15 minutes after the mount command
then it appears as though its finished
but the dir isnt where i mounted it

any help?

edit:

no i cannot mount from another comp
i still get that long hang time...
with no network activity either

help?

I had a similar problem mounting an nfs share from a mdk 8.2 machine on a slack8 box. I was running a very stripped down installation and had stopped most of the startup files, the mount cmd took a very long time to return, showed errors, yet still worked. I found that running rpc.portmap on the client (which will return nothing, but should show up in a ps -A), fixed this problem, I'm sorry I'm not more familiar w/RH, and how to install mountd on it, but if it's available for RH, there should be an rpm somewhere on the cd's or via the web.

ok...
after booting with the boot and install floppies and loading the pcmcia drivers, i type:

ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.117 broadcast 192.168.1.255 netmask 255.255.255.0

then

mkdir /mnt/setup

then

rpc.portmap (which btw fixed the hang problem)

then

mount -t nfs 192.168.1.2:/var/exports/slackware/9.0 /mnt/setup

when i ls in /mnt/setup, i see all the files that are in the /var/exports/slackware/9.0 dir on my server
and everythings fine

but

when i type setup to launch.....setup
i select 'install from a pre mounted dir'
and i get an error saying that /mnt/setup doesnt exist
so i switch to a diff terminal
and lo and behold the dir /mnt/setup isnt there
i cant re mount

help?

anyone?

bumpin the question...

Do everything as you have already listed, but try changing this:
192.168.1.2:/var/exports/slackware/9.0

to this:
192.168.1.2:/var/exports/slackware/9.0/slackware

no thats not the src dir

i can get everything mounted correctly and view it througth the terminal

but when i get into setup
it umounts somehow
and i cant access it

anyone else get an error like this?

The source directory needs to be the directory where the a, ap, n, d, etc.... dirs are located, *not* the top-level directory of the cd, I got a similar error when I mounted the wrong directory (eg: the top-level directory of the install cd, the error message is misleading.