Understanding the /export Directory

System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices

Understanding the /export Directory

The /export directory contains server files exported to clients, such as diskless, dataless, or disk-poor machines. A server can export several types of disk space, including packages of executable programs, paging space for diskless clients, and root file systems for diskless or disk-poor clients. The standard location for such disk space in the file tree is the /export directory. Some of the subdirectories of the /export directory are shown in the /export File System diagram.

The /export directory is the default location for client resources for the diskless commands.

The /export directory is only the location of client resources on the server. Since clients mount these resources onto their own file tree, these resources appear to clients at the normal places in a file tree. The major subdirectories of the /export directory, and their corresponding mount points on a client file tree, include:

/export/root directory	This directory is mounted over the client's root ( / ) file system. Client root directories are located in the /export/root directory by default and are named with the client's host name.
/export/exec, or Shared Product Object Tree (SPOT) directory
	This directory is mounted over the client's /usr file system. SPOTs are versions of the /usr file system stored in the /export/exec directory and have names that reflect their release level. By default, the name is RISCAIX.
/export/share, or share directory	This directory is mounted over the client's /usr/share directory. This directory contains data that can be shared by many architectures. The default location is /export/share/AIX/usr/share.
/export/home directory	This directory is mounted over the client's /home file system. It contains user directories grouped by client host names. The default location for client home directories is /export/home.
/export/swap, or paging directory	In standalone or dataless systems, paging is provided by a local disk; for diskless clients, this service is provided by a file on a server. This file is named after the client's host name and by default is found in the /export/swap directory.
/export/dump directory	Standalone systems use a local disk as the dump device; diskless clients use a file on a server. The file resides in a directory named after the client's host name and by default is found in the /export/dump directory.
microcode directory	This directory contains microcode for physical devices. The default location is /export/exec/RISCAIX/usr/lib/microcode.