Lesson 5

Date: 2/19/2009
Network File System (NFS)
Linux for Engineering and IT Applications


NFSv3 Server Side
  • A server exports a file system to the specified hosts and allows them to mount it.
  • To specify what file system to export and to what hosts through
    • /etc/exports file: 
    file-system host1(options)  host2(options)
    For example: 
    /home    desktop01(rw)  desktop05(ro)
/exports desktop*(rw)
  • To export directories manualy, run command:
    • /usr/sbin/exportfs -o rw desktop01:/home
  • To un-export, run:
    • /usr/sbin/exportfs -u desktop01:/home
  • Export common options:
    • ro
rw
root_squash
no_root_squash
all_squash
no_all_squash
anonuid=xxxx
anongid=xxxx
sync  (NFSv3)
async (NFSv3)
noaccess (used with nested exports)
    For example, noaccess in /etc/exports can be used as follows: 
    /users         node*(rw)
/users/alexei  (noaccess)
    Default options: ro, async, root_squash

  • To run the Server NFS services, the following deb packages need to be installed:
    portmap, nfs-common, nfs-kernel-server

  • To start the NFS services, run the startup scripts:
    • /etc/init.d/portmap start
/etc/init.d/nfs-common start
/etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start
  • To make sure that the RPC services are running:
    • /usr/bin/rpcinfo -p
  • Every time when you modify /etc/exports file, run
    • /usr/sbin/exportfs -ra
  • To verify exports, run one of the two commands below
    • /usr/sbin/exportfs -v
/sbin/showmount -e
  • To start NFS services at boot-up time, run 
    update-rc.d portmap defaults
update-rc.d nfs-common defaults
update-rc.d nfs-kernel-server defaults


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