NFS: Use server-recommended security flavor by default (NFSv3)

Since commit ec88f28d in 2009, checking if the user-specified flavor
is in the server's flavor list has been the source of a few
noticeable regressions (now fixed), but there is one that is still
vexing.

An NFS server can list AUTH_NULL in its flavor list, which suggests
a client should try to mount the server with the flavor of the
client's choice, but the server will squash all accesses.  In some
cases, our client fails to mount a server because of this check,
when the mount could have proceeded successfully.

Skip this check if the user has specified "sec=" on the mount
command line.  But do consult the server-provided flavor list to
choose a security flavor if no sec= option is specified on the mount
command.

If a server lists Kerberos pseudoflavors before "sys" in its export
options, our client now chooses Kerberos over AUTH_UNIX for mount
points, when no security flavor is specified by the mount command.
This could be surprising to some administrators or users, who would
then need to have Kerberos credentials to access the export.

Or, a client administrator may not have enabled rpc.gssd.  In this
case, auth_rpcgss.ko might still be loadable, which is enough for
the new logic to choose Kerberos over AUTH_UNIX.  But the mount
would fail since no GSS context can be created without rpc.gssd
running.

To retain the use of AUTH_UNIX by default:

  o  The server administrator can ensure that "sys" is listed before
     Kerberos flavors in its export security options (see
     exports(5)),

  o  The client administrator can explicitly specify "sec=sys" on
     its mount command line (see nfs(5)),

  o  The client administrator can use "Sec=sys" in an appropriate
     section of /etc/nfsmount.conf (see nfsmount.conf(5)), or

  o  The client administrator can blacklist auth_rpcgss.ko.

Signed-off-by: Chuck Lever <chuck.lever@oracle.com>
Signed-off-by: Trond Myklebust <Trond.Myklebust@netapp.com>

1 files changed, 2 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/fs/nfs/nfs4super.c b/fs/nfs/nfs4super.c
index 569b166cc050..a5e1a3026d48 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/nfs4super.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/nfs4super.c
@@ -252,6 +252,8 @@ struct dentry *nfs4_try_mount(int flags, const char *dev_name,
 
 	dfprintk(MOUNT, "--> nfs4_try_mount()\n");
 
+	if (data->auth_flavors[0] == RPC_AUTH_MAXFLAVOR)
+		data->auth_flavors[0] = RPC_AUTH_UNIX;
 	export_path = data->nfs_server.export_path;
 	data->nfs_server.export_path = "/";
 	root_mnt = nfs_do_root_mount(&nfs4_remote_fs_type, flags, mount_info,