VOS_SYNCSERV(1)

📦
version 1.8.16.1 · 10 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 VOS_SYNCSERV 💖 (that's the vos_syncserv command from the AFS Command Reference, bestie)

okay so. imagine ur VLDB is a group chat where every entry is like "yeah [volume] is totally at [site] rn" and half of them are lying. this command is the friend who goes and fact-checks it. that's the vibe. let's go 💅

✨ NAME ✨

vos_syncserv — verifies VLDB entries that mention a specified site 🕵️♀️

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

vos syncserv -server <machine name>
    [-partition <partition name>]
    [-cell <cell name>]
    [-dryrun]
    [-noauth] [-localauth]
    [-verbose] [-encrypt] [-noresolve]
    [-config <config directory>]
    [-help]

vos syncs -s <machine name>
    [-p <partition name>]
    [-c <cell name>] [-d]
    [-noa] [-l] [-v] [-e] [-nor]
    [-co <config directory>]
    [-h]

two whole spellings, both iconic, pick whichever ur fingers feel like typing today 💅

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so here's the tea 🍵 — vos syncserv goes through and verifies that each volume mentioned in a VLDB entry actually, like, exists at the site the entry claims it does. no cap. it checks every VLDB entry that mentions a read/write, read-only, or backup site, either:

  • on any partition on the file server machine you gave it with the -server argument, or
  • on the one partition you specified with the -server and -partition arguments together.

and here's the little plot twist 👀 — the command can end up inspecting sites other than the ones you specified with -server and -partition, if there are versions of the volume hanging out at sites other than the one you specified. so like, it wanders. it's a wanderer. let it wander. 🦋

The command alters any incorrect information in the VLDB, unless there's an irreconcilable conflict with other VLDB entries — in that case it writes a message to the standard error stream instead. and listen: the command never removes volumes from file server machines. never ever. it does not delete ur stuff, we promise. 🫶

💀 real talk tho: to achieve complete VLDB consistency, first run the vos syncvldb command on all file server machines in the cell, then run this command on all file server machines in the cell. that order, bestie. don't skip the first one and then act surprised.

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -server <server name> — identifies the file server machine mentioned in each VLDB entry you want checked. give it the machine's IP address or its host name (either fully qualified or a unambiguous abbreviation, she's flexible like that). for details, see vos(1). 🖥️
  • -partition <partition name> — identifies the partition mentioned in each VLDB entry to check. give it the partition's complete name with the preceding slash (like, for example, "/vicepa") or use one of the three acceptable abbreviated forms. for details, see vos(1). 📁
  • -dryrun — show the actions which would be taken, but do not make changes. window shopping mode 🛍️
  • -cell <cell name> — names the cell in which to run the command. do NOT combine this argument with the -localauth flag. for more details, see vos(1).
  • -noauth — assigns the unprivileged identity "anonymous" to the issuer (ur going incognito, cute). do NOT combine this flag with the -localauth flag. for more details, see vos(1).
  • -localauth — constructs a server ticket using a key from the local /etc/openafs/server/KeyFile file. the vos command interpreter presents it to the Volume Server and Volume Location Server during mutual authentication. do NOT combine this flag with the -cell argument or the -noauth flag. for more details, see vos(1). 🔑
  • -verbose — produces on the standard output stream a detailed trace of the command's execution. if this argument is omitted, only warnings and error messages appear. (aka: give me the whole commentary track 🎙️)
  • -encrypt — encrypts the command so that the operation's results are not transmitted across the network in clear text. this option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.11 or later and 1.5.60 or later. 🔐
  • -noresolve — shows all servers as IP addresses instead of the DNS name. this is very useful when the server address is registered as 127.0.0.1 or when dealing with multi-homed servers. this option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.8 or later and 1.5.35 or later. 🧭
  • -config <configuration directory> — set the location of the configuration directory to be used. this defaults to /etc/openafs, except if -localauth is specified, in which case the default is /etc/openafs/server. this option allows the use of alternative configuration locations for testing purposes. 🧪
  • -help — prints the online help for this command. all other valid options are ignored. (she's not listening to anything else, she's in her help era 💅)

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

the following example verifies the VLDB entries in which a site definition mentions the file server machine "fs3.example.com".

% vos syncserv -server fs3.example.com

look at her go. one line. no notes. ate. 👑

✨ PRIVILEGE REQUIRED ✨

the issuer must be listed in the /etc/openafs/server/UserList file on the machine specified with the -server argument and on each database server machine. if the -localauth flag is included, the issuer must instead be logged on to a server machine as the local superuser "root".

🔥 translation: u need ur name on the list. if u go the -localauth route, u gotta be root on a server machine. no shortcuts, no vibes-based access, sorry bestie.

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

vos(1), vos_syncvldb(1)

go read them. iykyk 📚

IBM Corporation 2000. http://www.ibm.com/ All Rights Reserved.

This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🌈✨ this lil rewrite of the OpenAFS VOS_SYNCSERV(1) page is stamped 2026-07-27 and lives under the OpenAFS name — ok bye, go sync those servers, ur doing amazing, mwah 💖🎀🦋

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