Mount persistent NFS

Prerequisites

Item	What you need to confirm
NFS Server	The Synology (or other server) exports the folder with Read/Write permission for your Mac’s IP address and allows connections from non-privileged ports (insecure option enabled).
Share path	/volume1/archive (adjust if different).
macOS user	gvenegas (change the commands if the other Mac uses a different short username).
Administrator rights	You can run sudo on the Mac.

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Steps on the Mac

Run each command in Terminal. Replace the values in UPPERCASE where needed.

1 Remove the old mount point (if it exists)

sudo rmdir ~/nfsarchive 2>/dev/null || true   # ignore “not found”

2 Edit the direct map file /etc/auto_nfs

sudo nano /etc/auto_nfs

Add one single line (all on the same line):

/Users/USERNAME/nfsarchive   -fstype=nfs,nfc,resvport   NAS_IP:/volume1/archive

Save (^O, Enter) and exit (^X).

3 Tell autofs this is a direct map

sudo nano /etc/auto_master

Add (or uncomment) exactly one line:

/-    auto_nfs   -nobrowse

Comment out any other line that points auto_nfs to a folder such as /Network or /nfs; there should be only one reference.

The end of the file should look like this:

/home                   auto_home       -nobrowse,hidefromfinder
/Network/Servers        -fstab
/-                      auto_nfs        -nobrowse

4 Reload autofs

sudo automount -vc

No errors should appear; ignore “no unmounts”.

5 Trigger the first mount and test

cd ~/nfsarchive          # autofs creates and mounts on demand
ls                       # should list the files from Synology

Verify with mount | grep nfsarchive that the NFS mount is active.

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What does this method do?

• Direct map (/-) allows placing the share wherever you want without interfering with Apple’s reserved /Network/Servers hierarchy.
• nfc keeps filenames consistent in Finder; resvport satisfies Synology’s default security policy.
• Autofs mounts only when accessed and persists across reboots, without scripts or startup items, fully compatible with SIP.

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Common issues and quick fixes

Symptom	Solution
cd …: Permission denied	1) Run sudo rmdir to remove the leftover local folder and then try again. 2) In Synology, set Squash to “Map all users to admin” for testing, then adjust later.
dir <name> must start with '/' message in automount -vc	You are using a direct map, so the key must be a full path (Step 2).
Does not mount and shows no errors	Verify that in /etc/auto_master there is only one line pointing to auto_nfs.
Does not appear in Finder	Autofs hides mounts from the sidebar; add a favorite pointing to ~/nfsarchive.