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What is reversed in a reverse mount?

Connection or registration direction changes; authority does not automatically reverse.

  1. Thermometer providerConnect and register
  2. Host /lab/sensorExpose resource entry
  3. Authorized caller
Relationship sketch · arrows show responsibilities and connections, not a complete protocol sequence.

A provider can initiate its arrival

A conventional mental model has the host connect to a known service and mount it. Reverse mounting lets the provider side connect or register back, after which the host exposes its resources at an authorized location. The term does not identify one universal endpoint or transport.

Arc contains provider boot/register protocol types and session-based attachment code. The first describes host-initiated boot followed by registration, or provider-initiated registration. The second has connection, namespace and disconnection handling with tests. Related mechanisms should not be presented as identical deployment entry points.

Three boundaries remain

  1. What establishes identity or possession of the relevant mount credential?
  2. Which namespace may be occupied, and can existing resources be replaced?
  3. What scope and operations do other callers receive?

Initiating a connection does not authorize arbitrary mounts, guarantee network traversal or grant all host permissions. A teaching example should identify host, provider and resource owner, and check both valid attachment and rejected invalid attachment.

Source evidence establishes mechanisms to examine. Availability in a particular preview deployment still needs runtime verification.

A laboratory thermometer joins a host

Imagine a lab computer running a thermometer provider and a host serving authorized AFS callers. This example explains roles and direction; it is not a deployed demonstration:

  1. The lab provider initiates a connection and requests admission.
  2. The host checks its credentials and permits registration only at /lab/sensor.
  3. The host binds the provider’s resources to that mount location.
  4. An authorized caller reads /lab/sensor/temperature; the host forwards the request to the provider.

A successful connection establishes communication. A successful mount additionally establishes an accepted resource-to-path binding. Unauthorized mount locations must be rejected. A disconnected provider must yield an observable failure rather than silently presenting an old reading as current.

Check your understanding

What is reversed in a reverse mount?

Connection or registration direction changes; authority does not automatically reverse.

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