Is postgreSQL trying to lock a file perhaps?  Would seem a sensible thing
for it to be doing...
[sorry lost the cc for the postgresql folk]

--sjg

>with no problem whatsoever but as soon as I try to open the database the NFS 
>mount hangs and I can't do any operations on that mounted drive without 
>hanging.  Other things continue to run but the minute I do a df or an ls on 
>that drive that terminal is lost.