<!doctype refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN" [

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  <!-- Fill in your name for FIRSTNAME and SURNAME. -->
  <!ENTITY dhfirstname "<firstname>Wouter</firstname>">
  <!ENTITY dhsurname   "<surname>Verhelst</surname>">
  <!-- Please adjust the date whenever revising the manpage. -->
  <!ENTITY dhdate      "<date>september 19, 2001</date>">
  <!-- SECTION should be 1-8, maybe w/ subsection other parameters are
       allowed: see man(7), man(1). -->
  <!ENTITY dhsection   "<manvolnum>8</manvolnum>">
  <!ENTITY dhemail     "<email>wouter@debian.org</email>">
  <!ENTITY dhusername  "Wouter Verhelst">
  <!ENTITY dhucpackage "<refentrytitle>NBD-CLIENT</refentrytitle>">
  <!ENTITY dhpackage   "nbd-client">

  <!ENTITY debian      "<productname>Debian GNU/Linux</productname>">
  <!ENTITY gnu         "<acronym>GNU</acronym>">
]>

<refentry>
  <refentryinfo>
    <address>
      &dhemail;
    </address>
    <author>
      &dhfirstname;
      &dhsurname;
    </author>
    <copyright>
      <year>2001</year>
      <holder>&dhusername;</holder>
    </copyright>
    &dhdate;
  </refentryinfo>
  <refmeta>
    &dhucpackage;

    &dhsection;
  </refmeta>
  <refnamediv>
    <refname>&dhpackage;</refname>

    <refpurpose>connect to a server running nbd-server(1), to use its
    exported block device</refpurpose>
  </refnamediv>
  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <cmdsynopsis>
      <command>&dhpackage;</command>
      <arg><option>bs=<replaceable>blocksize</replaceable></option></arg>
      <arg choice=plain><option><replaceable>host</replaceable></option></arg>
      <arg choice=plain><option><replaceable>port</replaceable></option></arg>
      <arg choice=plain><option><replaceable>nbd-device</replaceable></option></arg>
      <arg><option>-swap</option></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>
    <cmdsynopsis>
      <command>&dhpackage;</command>
      <arg choice=plain><option>-d <replaceable>nbd-device</replaceable></option></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>
  </refsynopsisdiv>
  <refsect1>
    <title>DESCRIPTION</title>

    <para>This manual page documents briefly the
      <command>&dhpackage;</command> command.</para>

    <para>This manual page was written for the &debian; distribution
      because the original program does not have a manual page.</para>

    <para>With <command>&dhpackage;</command>, you can connect to a
    server running <command>nbd-server</command>, thus using raw
    diskspace from that server as a blockdevice on the local
    client.</para>

    <para>To do this, support from the Linux Kernel is necessary, in
    the form of the Network Block Device (NBD). When you have that,
    either in the kernel, or as a module, you can connect to an NBD
    server and use its exported file through a block special file with
    major mode 43.</para>

  </refsect1>
  <refsect1>
    <title>OPTIONS</title>

    <para>The following options are supported:</para>

    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><option>bs=<replaceable>blocksize</replaceable></option></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Use a blocksize of "blocksize". Default is 1024;
	    allowed values are either 512, 1024, 2048 or 4096</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><option>host</option></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>The hostname of the machine running
	    <command>nbd-server</command>.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><option>port</option></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>The TCP port on which <command>nbd-server</command> is
	    running at the server.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><option>nbd-device</option></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>The block special file this nbd-client should connect
	    to.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      <varlistentry>
	<term><option>-swap</option></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Specifies that this NBD device will be used as
	    swapspace. If you intend to do that, please use this
	    option to prevent deadlocks. You'll need a special kernel
	    patch, available at NBD's homepage:
	    http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </refsect1>
  <refsect1>
    <title>EXAMPLES</title>

    <para>Some examples of nbd-client usage:</para>
    <itemizedlist mark="none">
      <listitem>
	<para>To connect to a server running on port 2000 at host
	  "server.domain.com", using the client's block special file
	  "/dev/nd0":</para>
	<para><command>nbd-client server.domain.com 2000
	  /dev/nd0</command></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>To connect to a server running on port 2001 at host
	  "swapserver.domain.com", using the client's block special
	  file "/dev/nd1", for swap purposes:</para>
	<para><command>nbd-client swapserver.domain.com 2001 /dev/nd1
	  -swap</command></para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
	<para>To disconnect the above connection again (after making
	  sure the block special file is not in use anymore):</para>
	<para><command>nbd-client -d /dev/nd1</command></para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </refsect1>
  <refsect1>
    <title>SEE ALSO</title>

    <para>nbd-server (1).</para>

  </refsect1>
  <refsect1>
    <title>AUTHOR</title>
    <para>The NBD kernel module and the NBD tools have been written by
    Pavel Macheck (pavel@ucw.cz).</para>

    <para>The kernel module is now maintained by Paul Clements
    (Paul.Clements@steeleye.com), while the userland tools are maintained by
    Wouter Verhelst (wouter@debian.org)</para>

    <para>This manual page was written by &dhusername; (&dhemail;) for
    the &debian; system (but may be used by others).  Permission is
    granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the
    terms of the <acronym>GNU</acronym> General Public License,
    version 2, as published by the Free Software Foundation.</para>

  </refsect1>
</refentry>

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