autofs and linux client - wierdness

[Greg Matthews <g.matthews@itss.nerc.ac.uk>]

This is driving me potty!

I've tried every combination I can think of to get my Linux clients
using ldap for autofs. User auth is working fine but autofs will not
play ball...

no matter whether I use the nisMapName/nisObject or the
automountMap/automount schema. Nor whether I use slapd to serve
auto.master (and "automount: ldap" in nsswitch.conf) or use
/etc/auto.master to point at the server ("automount: files" in
nsswitch.conf).

Sniffing the network traffic, the client searches for the map (This is
redhat9 and it looks for both schemas nis* first then automount*), finds
the map, and then tries to bind to the server with either
nismapname=auto.users,<basedn> or ou=auto.users,<basedn> depending on
the schema. slapd doesnt like that and so autofs complains it cant
contact the server.

Why is it trying to bind to the server with this dn?? Why is it trying
to bind at all?

I've googled for other ppls configs but whatever I try, I get the same
results.

Does someone have this combination working? Linux client, autofs over
ldap? Has anyone seen this behaviour? I'm willing to post ethereal
dumps, log messages, config files etc... Is anyone able to post configs
for this?

GREG
ps solaris client working well now, just linux causing headaches.

-- 
Greg Matthews
iTSS Wallingford	01491 692445