How to Set Up Network File System (NFS) on a Linux Server -

Overview of NFS #

Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system protocol that allows you to share directories and files with other Linux clients over a network. It’s often used for centralized storage where files need to be accessed across different systems.

Prerequisites #

Two Linux systems:
- NFS Server: The server that hosts the shared directory.
- NFS Client: The system that will access the shared directory.
Root or sudo access on both the server and client systems.
Firewall configuration (if needed) to allow NFS traffic.

Step 1: Install NFS on the Server #

Update the package index:

sudo apt update # On Debian/Ubuntu
sudo yum update # On CentOS/RHEL

2. Install the NFS server package:

sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server    # On Debian/Ubuntu
sudo yum install nfs-utils            # On CentOS/RHEL

3. Enable and start the NFS service:

sudo systemctl enable nfs-server
sudo systemctl start nfs-server

Step 2: Create a Shared Directory #

Choose a directory on the server to share. Here, we’ll use /srv/nfs_share.

Create the directory:

sudo mkdir -p /srv/nfs_share

2. Set permissions on the directory (adjust permissions as needed):

sudo chown -R nobody:nogroup /srv/nfs_share   # Debian/Ubuntu

sudo chown -R nfsnobody:nfsnobody /srv/nfs_share   # CentOS/RHEL

3. Add files to the directory (optional, for testing):

echo "NFS Test File" | sudo tee /srv/nfs_share/test.txt

Step 3: Configure NFS Exports #

Open the exports file:

sudo nano /etc/exports

2. Add the export entry for your directory and client IP. The syntax is:

/path/to/share client_IP(options)

For example, to share /srv/nfs_share with a client at IP 192.168.1.100 with read-write access:

/srv/nfs_share 192.168.1.100(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

Explanation of Options:

rw: Allows read and write access.
sync: Writes changes to disk before confirming.
no_subtree_check: Prevents subtree checking for better performance.

3. Save and close the file.

4. Apply the changes by exporting the shared directories:

sudo exportfs -a

5. Verify the NFS share

sudo exportfs -v

Step 4: Configure the Firewall (if applicable) #

If you have a firewall enabled, allow NFS service traffic.

Open NFS ports:

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port nfs # On Debian/Ubuntu with UFW
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=nfs # On CentOS/RHEL with Firewalld
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 5: Mount the NFS Share on the Client #

Now that the server is configured, set up the client to access the shared directory.

Install NFS client packages:

sudo apt install nfs-common     # On Debian/Ubuntu
sudo yum install nfs-utils      # On CentOS/RHEL

2. Create a mount point on the client:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nfs_share

3. Mount the NFS share to the client’s mount point:

sudo mount -t nfs 192.168.1.10:/srv/nfs_share /mnt/nfs_share

Replace 192.168.1.10 with the IP of your NFS server.

4. Verify the mount:

df -h | grep nfs_share

5. Access the shared directory:

ls /mnt/nfs_share
cat /mnt/nfs_share/test.txt

Step 6: Auto-mount the NFS Share at Boot (Optional) #

To automatically mount the NFS share at boot, add it to the /etc/fstab file on the client.

Open the fstab file:

sudo vi /etc/fstab

2. Add the following entry at the end of the file:

192.168.1.10:/srv/nfs_share  /mnt/nfs_share  nfs  defaults  0  0

3. Save and close the file.

4. Test the fstab entry:

sudo mount -a

Step 7: Manage and Troubleshoot NFS #

1. To unmount the NFS share: #

sudo umount /mnt/nfs_share

2. To restart the NFS service on the server

sudo systemctl restart nfs-server

3. To check NFS logs for troubleshooting:

sudo tail -f /var/log/syslog # On Debian/Ubuntu
sudo tail -f /var/log/messages # On CentOS/RHEL

Final word #

You’ve now set up an NFS server to share directories with Linux clients over a network. This setup allows easy access to shared files, making it ideal for environments that need centralized file storage.