NFS client doesn't reconnect to server - processes all hang

Hi all,

accidently a NFS server (linux 2.4.8, Debian Woody, NFS-kernel server) was shut down for a night, and one client (linux 2.2.19, Debian Potato) had processes using a mounted export from that server.

Those processes are in State: D (disk sleep) (according to /proc/7434/status) and should be running again after the server is up again. It was mounted without initr or soft, so the processes can't be killed.

The server is up already for two days, and I can mount new exports from the server, but that specific mount is still not alive, and 9 processes are still waiting for it. How do I force the NFS client to bring that mount up? How do I debug the current state to find out why the client thinks the server is not up yet?

dmesg shows: nfs: task 21156 can't get a request slot
so the client thinks the server is not responding.., but I can mount other exports from that same server...........

any help/info/links is very much appreciated

regards,
Olivier