NSS userspace adaptation boundary

The NSS import is a source and behaviour reference for Mars NWE. The goal is not to recreate the Novell NSS filesystem or its Linux kernel modules in userspace. The goal is to reuse the useful NSS semantics as libraries that Mars NWE can call.

Target semantics

The useful exported behaviour is primarily:

namespace handling for DOS, LONG/OS2 and later MAC/UNIX/DataStream/EA;
trustee and rights-management semantics;
effective-rights calculation;
extended-attribute and metadata semantics;
the _ADMIN/AdminVolume view as a Mars-provided in-memory/config-backed userspace volume;
salvage/compression/repair-related helpers where they expose useful NetWare semantics.

These pieces should become library code owned by Mars NWE integration points, not a standalone NSS volume implementation.

Storage and persistence boundary

NSS code may contain logic for writing metadata, names, trustees or xattrs into an NSS volume. In Mars NWE, that storage backend is different:

metadata and xattrs should be mapped to the underlying host filesystem, using the existing or future Mars/NWFS xattr layer;
AdminVolume data should be generated from Mars configuration/runtime state, not stored in a fake NSS disk format;
namespace and rights functions should operate on Mars volume/file abstractions once the dependency chain is available;
no Linux kernel module, NSS disk format or hidden NSS volume should become a runtime requirement.

During initial imports, keep NSS files as close to original as practical so the real dependencies are visible. Later integration patches may replace NSS storage hooks with Mars userspace hooks, but those replacements should be explicit and well documented.

Makefile and module-list audit

The NSS Makefile, *Modules.mk and buildtool files are useful as dependency maps. They should be used to identify which sources belong to features such as AdminVolume, namespace, common Beast objects, LSA, cache/runtime support and rights handling.

They are not a build target for Mars NWE. Mars should import only the source files and headers required to expose the desired library behaviour, then wire those pieces into the CMake library targets.

Import strategy

Import bottom-up runtime dependencies with original filenames and directory shape where practical.
Prefer real NSS implementation files over invented wrappers.
Keep public include roots as include/core and include/nwfs; keep NSS subdirectories in include names.
Add small CTests for each imported runtime group.
When NSS code reaches filesystem persistence, replace that boundary with Mars userspace adapters instead of carrying NSS kernel/disk assumptions forward.
Audit already-imported or rewritten Mars files, especially nwfs/lsa, before building higher-level namespace/AdminVolume features on top of them.

AdminVolume direction

_ADMIN should be represented as a Mars NWE userspace/admin library view. The NSS sources should provide the semantics and object layout clues, while Mars provides the backing data. The initial integration should keep _ADMIN internal and not expose it over NCP until namespace, metadata, rights and generated-file behaviour are reliable.

Volume numbering remains:

SYS = 0
_ADMIN = 1
further configured volumes start at 2

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