[SWLUG] nfs --soft option

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is the 'soft' option what i need to mount an nfs volume when both the 
mounting or serving machine may be turned off without having to manually 
unmount etc. ?
i'm sure i've read something about this but i seem to recall more than just 
listed under 'soft' in man nfs
i've had problems with 'stale nfs handles' when my mounting box freezes 
sometimes and i've had to reboot, also if i have to reboot the serving box it 
would be nice if i either got an nice error/failure on any i/o using the 
mounted volume or -better - if the operation would just wait until the volume 
came back again

man exports wasn't particularly helpful either, is there something else?

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-- 
"...[Arthur] leapt to his feet like an author hearing the 
phone ring..." 

- Who says that the character of Arthur isn't 
autobiographical?